Ten-Year-Old Dou Zhe

After Xiao Yan left, only Ya Fei and Gu Ni remained in the room.

Master Gu Ni said gravely, "You were too hasty and nearly made things worse. With such an impatient temperament, you really ought to temper yourself properly."

"I only wanted to learn the source of those century-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs. I never expected that person to reveal not the slightest clue about himself." Ya Fei frowned slightly. Always confident in her charm, this was the first time she had met with such a setback.

However, she had not lost her head over it.

After quickly reviewing the events several times, she smiled. "That person wanted both Qi-Gathering Powder guaranteed to help condense a Dou Qi Vortex and a cultivation method that only a Dou Zhe could practice. Even if it was not for his own use, it must be for someone at the Ninth-Stage Battle Qi."

"You intend to help him find a cultivation method?" Master Gu Ni asked.

Ya Fei nodded, then shook her head. "Finding him a cultivation method is secondary. More importantly, I want to build a good relationship with someone capable of producing high-age medicinal ingredients. Uncle Gu Ni, you are an alchemist. You should understand better than anyone how tempting high-age medicinal ingredients are to alchemists."

"Besides, Profound Tier cultivation methods are extremely rare in a place like Wutan City. Even if that person breaks his promise, we need not worry about the cultivation method gathering dust and becoming a laughingstock for others in the family."

Master Gu Ni nodded approvingly. "Good. You must always think so carefully before taking action in the future. When those two century-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs are transported back, I will have someone send word to headquarters as well, so they can dispatch a fire-attribute Profound Tier cultivation method. The higher its grade, the better. We cannot let the people of Wutan City look down on Mitre."

Within the Jia Ma Empire, the Mite'er Family stood unrivaled when it came to wealth. With its long history, it was also one of the Jia Ma Empire's three great families.

A Profound Tier cultivation method of a specific attribute might be something ordinary people could never obtain even after striving their entire lives, but it was hardly a problem for the Mite'er Family.

As long as enough gold was paid, the Mite'er Family could even take out an Advanced Profound Rank cultivation method from its years of collection.

Now, in response to the request of a mysterious figure who could produce two century-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs at once, what grade of Profound Tier cultivation method would he receive? Master Gu Ni knew that the family had its own evaluation process.

After restoring his appearance and returning home by the same route, Xiao Yan took the Qi-Gathering Powder and headed straight for the Xiao Family's back mountain.

He often came to this place. In fact, beneath a concealed cliff on the back mountain, he had accidentally discovered a cave.

Across from it lay the incomparably dangerous Magic Beast Mountain Range, while beneath the cliff was a bottomless abyss. The only way in was a rarely traveled path, which he had concealed with branches and broken stones.

Therefore, Xiao Yan was quite confident that no one would disturb him midway through his breakthrough here.

Sitting cross-legged within the cave, Xiao Yan poured the Qi-Gathering Powder from the jade bottle. He slowly drew a breath, mentally prepared himself, and then swallowed the pill.

The moment the Qi-Gathering Powder entered his stomach, a warm, pure energy burst forth, making Xiao Yan's body tremble violently.

His hands swiftly formed Dou Qi hand seals. The Dou Qi in his body moved at his will, rapidly entangling the powerful medicinal force before beginning a frenzied refinement process that briefly brought his cultivation speed to the fastest level of his life.

Within the small cave, the tranquil air surged violently. Strands of pale white natural energy seeped out and continuously entered Xiao Yan's body.

With the aid of the two energies, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body rose rapidly. However, the medicinal force had released too much energy at once, quickly filling his meridians and causing waves of spasming pain.

Xiao Yan possessed a resilient temperament, and his strength had already reached the level required to consume Qi-Gathering Powder. As the pure medicinal force was continuously refined, his meridians were strengthened, while the amount of Dou Qi expanded at a visible rate.

As this refinement continued, the medicinal force of the Qi-Gathering Powder began to weaken, while Xiao Yan's Dou Qi gradually swelled to a critical point.

Having learned about this situation from the family's books, he endured the waves of piercing pain from his meridians and gritted his teeth. Dou Qi Vortex, condense!

The hand seal he had maintained for some time suddenly changed. Xiao Yan pressed his middle fingers together, forming a strange hand seal.

Once the seal was formed, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted from Xiao Yan's lower abdomen, drawing in the Dou Qi that filled his meridians without end.

Relying on his exceptional soul strength, Xiao Yan ruthlessly compressed the Dou Qi again and again.

The milky-white Dou Qi gathered into a mass began to resist, but before the forceful drive of his soul strength, its resistance was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. After a brief stalemate, it began to shrink helplessly.

It shrank from the size of a watermelon to about the size of a palm. Before long, Xiao Yan, who was cultivating with his eyes closed, actually saw a slowly rotating mass of milky-white energy in his lower abdomen, resembling a nebula.

Xiao Yan was immensely excited. This was an ability only Dou Zhe-level cultivators could grasp: inner sight!

His mind focused on the small vortex, and Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. Although the vortex was still tiny, the energy contained within it was absolutely incomparable to what he had possessed at Ninth-Stage Battle Qi.

"Next, I need to cultivate a method." Xiao Yan opened his eyes with a smile.

As far as he knew, the highest-grade cultivation method in the Xiao Family suitable for his fire-and-wood attribute was the Advanced Yellow Rank Flame-Refining Incineration. It was somewhat better than the Flame Mantra, whose initial grade was only Low Yellow Rank, but compared to a Profound Tier cultivation method, the gap was enormous.

Xiao Yan had already entrusted the Mittel Auction House with finding a cultivation method. With Ya Fei's abilities, she might not be able to obtain an Advanced Profound Rank cultivation method, but getting a Basic Profound Rank one should not be much of a problem.

However, he did not intend to use ripened medicinal ingredients for another exchange.

Trading medicinal ingredients for cultivation methods had been an immature idea from when he had first tested the Palm-Heaven Bottle's functions in the Dou Qi Continent. He had soon realized the drawback of repeatedly trading high-age medicinal ingredients for items: it attracted far too much attention.

Moreover, Profound Tier cultivation methods had obvious characteristics. For example, when the Xiao Family's Intermediate Profound Rank Mad Lion Fury Aura was used, an illusory lion's head appeared on the user's face. The Misty Cloud Sect's Basic Profound Rank Azure Wood Sword Art could cause Dou Qi to emit tiny yet sharp sword qi.

As Wutan City's renowned genius, Xiao Yan had countless eyes fixed upon him. If he still used medicinal ingredients to trade for a cultivation method, he believed that the moment he used it, Ya Fei, having received the news, would immediately deduce that he was the person who had traded medicinal ingredients for things.

Xiao Yan had told Ya Fei that he would come purchase it once there was auction news, but if his purse was insufficient and he could not outbid others, there would be nothing he could do.

"I'll use Flame-Refining Incineration as a temporary measure first, then prepare to head for the treasure cave." Xiao Yan stood and stretched his body, thinking silently.

That cave on the cliff near Thousand Medicine Hall's herb-gathering site contained wealth worth several hundred thousand gold coins alone, more than enough to buy an Advanced Profound Rank cultivation method, not to mention its other treasures.

After leaving the cave, Xiao Yan heard clan members talking as he descended the mountain. Only then did he learn that his breakthrough had taken quite a while and that today was also the day of the family's test.

When Xiao Yan arrived at the square, five large words were shining on the testing Demonstone Stele.

After looking at it, the examiner announced as usual, "Xiao Ning, Battle Qi: five stages; level: intermediate."

Xiao Ning turned around and spotted Xiao Yan in black robes at the edge of the square. A broad smile appeared on his face.

By most people's estimates, Xiao Yan should break through to Ninth-Stage Battle Qi this year, after which he would begin condensing a Dou Qi Vortex to become a Dou Zhe. However, condensing a Dou Qi Vortex had a significant failure rate. Unlucky people could fail more than a dozen times.

And this was his chance to catch up to, or even surpass, Xiao Yan!

Vanity was something everyone possessed. As the grandson of the family's First Elder, his status was no worse than that of the clan leader's son. Why should only Xiao Yan enjoy the clan members' admiration?

"Next, Xiao Yan."

Hearing the examiner call out, Xiao Yan walked over and placed his palm on the pitch-black Demonstone Stele with practiced ease.

After a brief silence, the Demonstone Stele erupted with dazzling light, and four large words appeared upon it for the first time ever.

Dou Zhe, one star!

As they looked at the four golden words gleaming on the Demonstone Stele, the crowded square fell briefly silent in stunned disbelief. Then, sharp gasps rose in waves like a sudden gale, and everyone's expressions froze in that instant.

"How is that possible?!" Xiao Ning's mouth hung open, his face filled with disbelief. He had always wanted to surpass Xiao Yan by taking advantage of Xiao Yan failing to condense his Dou Qi Vortex, and he simply could not accept this.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, one-star Dou Zhe!" Shocked by the result he was seeing on the testing Demonstone Stele for the first time in his life, the examiner shouted aloud in astonishment.

A ten-year-old Dou Zhe—there were only two words to describe such cultivation speed in his mind: terrifying!