"You think you can defeat us just because you say so? You think breaking through to Dou Ling makes you capable of anything?" Xiao Yan demanded.
"Not anything," Lu Bai said calmly. "But defeating the three of you won't be a problem. I'm a Dou Ling, and you aren't. That's the difference."
"Not necessarily." Xiao Yan took Xiao Xun'er's hand.
They exchanged a resolute look and shouted together, "Unity Return Art!"
They had practiced this secret art many times. Using it again came far more easily than the first time, and far faster.
Xiao Xun'er's brilliant golden Dou Qi surged into Xiao Yan's meridians. Though there was little of it, it wrapped around the Jade-Green Dou Qi filling them.
As more golden Dou Qi poured in, it seeped through Xiao Yan's skin and formed a well-fitted suit of armor that looked forged from gold. Its layers were distinct, its design striking, and it carried an emperor's majesty.
As the helmet formed, golden Dou Qi wove Xiao Yan's flowing black hair into nine flexible whips with pointed tips. A green four-pointed star gemstone sat atop the helmet, a trace of Xiao Yan's own Dou Qi made visible.
Everyone was puzzled. They knew Xiao Yan's strength: a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi, a genius among cultivation geniuses. He would certainly reach Dou Ling someday, probably before long. But how could he have done so now?
Clad in Dou Qi Armor, Xiao Yan radiated an air that made people want to bow before him. New and senior students alike stared wide-eyed.
"Dou Ling. One-star!"
Shock broke through Lu Bai's composure. Recovering, he snorted. "That's only power borrowed temporarily through a secret art. How can it compare to strength I cultivated myself?"
"The Fire-Energy Hunting Competition is still on. We'll know the outcome soon enough."