"Listen, kid, that was only a Tier 5 Magical Beast. Like you, it had only just advanced. It was perfect for practice, so why did you use Cikong right away?"
Who knew whom this kid had learned it from? He opened with a killing move at the drop of a hat.
Especially now that Wu Bai had advanced to Dou Wang, that self-created move of his had grown even more terrifying.
Never mind anything else-its speed alone meant that unless his opponent was also an Alchemist, even a Dou Huang expert would have no chance to react.
"...It was instinctive. Teacher, find me another one."
"Mm, let me find you one with thicker flesh."
As he spoke, the Yellow Springs Demon Saint spread his perception to its fullest extent.
This was his own disciple. He might grumble, but his actions were honest enough.
Wu Bai flew for another quarter of an hour before another enormous beast appeared in his field of vision.
This time, it was a giant bear.
Before long, the quiet Magical Beast Forest came alive.
Thunderous crashes, swaths of trees toppling, furious roars...
It went on for quite some time. Only when that streak of blood-red flew out beneath the moonlight did the forest finally regain its peace.
After extracting the magic core, Wu Bai flew to the top of a large tree and opened his shirt by the light of the moon.
One look at the red mark covering almost his entire chest made Wu Bai suck in a sharp breath.
"That really hurts. That damned bear was seriously strong."
The Yellow Springs Demon Saint floated out and dripped Wound Medicine onto his chest. Wu Bai slowly spread it himself, occasionally baring his teeth and sucking in a breath.
Seeing this, the Yellow Springs Demon Saint comforted him with a chuckle. "You did very well already. You only just advanced, yet you fought that stupid bear to this extent. You took five or six blows head-on and only ended up with some redness and swelling."
"Mm, but I still lack close-combat experience. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to take a single hit."
"Heh, that's not necessarily true. These magical beasts have remarkably distinctive innate instincts when it comes to close combat."
Before magical beasts assumed human form, their physical bodies were their only advantage. They fell flat in every other respect.
One reason they could continue to survive was their terrifying innate instincts, which could also be called beast instinct.
In close combat especially, even humans with extensive fighting experience could suffer at their hands.
"Let's keep going, Teacher. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it."
"All right."
To quickly adapt to his strength while continuing to make up for his shortcomings, Wu Bai abandoned his previous fighting style of playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses.
He did not retreat because of the pain and leave his weaknesses untouched. Instead, he chose to meet the difficulty head-on.
As a cool breeze swept past, Wu Bai raised his head. The darkness before his eyes was beginning to recede.
"Whew..."
Letting out a long breath, Wu Bai, now fully accustomed to his strength, flew toward the academy before the sky grew light.
Along the way, Wu Bai quietly marveled.
Earthflame Body truly lived up to its reputation as a high-grade Earth-tier cultivation technique that trained both qi and the body. After a whole night of close encounters with magical beasts, Wu Bai realized he could really take a beating!
An ordinary Dou Wang who spent the night the way he had would have broken bones all over by now.
The sun rose, the darkness of night vanished completely, and a new day officially began.
Emerging from the bathroom, Wu Bai threw himself onto the bed. "Ah..."
He let out a long groan, utterly content with the soft bed.
Wu Bai was now like someone who had soaked in a hot bath after a workout, then lain down on a soft, spacious bed, rapidly recovering his energy.
The Yellow Springs Demon Saint floated out again and dripped a drop of cold water onto Wu Bai's forehead.
Watching Wu Bai instantly perk up, he smiled faintly. "It took you almost eleven months to advance to Dou Wang. In another two months, you need to make a trip outside. This is important, so don't forget."
"Hm? What is it, Teacher?"
Wu Bai blinked in confusion. Was something major happening in two months?
Was Hun Tiandi about to become a Dou Di?
That soon?
"We must obtain the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map at the auction in the Black-Corner Region. If your special talent can only be used once, then we'll find somewhere to cultivate in peace. If not, and you can revive the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint as well, then the two of us will have some grand plans to make..."
"Uh...Teacher, just tell me what I need to do."
Wu Bai scratched his head. He was a little lost listening to this; his teacher's plans reached too far ahead.
The Yellow Springs Demon Saint pointed at him with a smile and scolded him laughingly. "You little brat. Which one of us actually foresaw the future?"
"It makes no difference. Naturally, it would be best if you could become a Dou Di, Teacher. Then I could be a dog swaggering behind its master's might."
Wu Bai licked his lips, took out his water flask, and drank several mouthfuls of clean water.
He did not have much confidence in himself. Even with some opportunities secured ahead of time, becoming a Dou Sheng and being able to protect himself would be good enough.
Against a force like the Hun Clan, merely protecting himself would be good enough.
The ones who could truly decide the final outcome would still be top-level Dou Sheng like his teacher.
"Teacher, I've already thought it through. What I need to do from now on is collect as many old objects as possible, especially objects used by experts who once stood at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent."
"If I can revive eight or ten experts on your level, then it won't matter how things develop afterward."
Hun Tiandi was strong, was he? Nihility Devouring Flame was strong, was it? Two Nine-Star Dou Sheng were formidable, were they?
But if I brought out ten Nine-Star Dou Sheng outright, how would you deal with that?
Hearing these sincere words from the bottom of Wu Bai's heart, the Yellow Springs Demon Saint first froze, then began to laugh.
"We're talking about Dou Di. Don't you want that, kid?"
"Dou Di...I'm in no hurry. Let's talk about it after that family of mine dies of old age."
Wu Bai curled his lip. He had no desire to carry that bunch to glory.
The Yellow Springs Demon Saint's smile froze on his face, and his expression grew immensely complicated.
The door suddenly opened. Delighted to discover that Wu Bai had returned, Han Yue dispelled the complicated atmosphere in the room.
Before long, the Inner Academy students hurrying toward the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower noticed someone flying overhead.
At first, they thought it was an academy elder.
But as the figure slowly descended, everyone realized there were actually two people, their silhouettes overlapping.
When Wu Bai set Han Yue down on the ground, everyone finally saw clearly. That was no elder flying overhead-it was a student who had advanced to Dou Wang, taking his girlfriend for a joyride through the sky!
"Who's that Dou Wang? Do we have someone like him in our Inner Academy?"
"I don't know him. Do you?"
"..."
It was rather embarrassing, really. Despite spending almost three years in the Inner Academy, Wu Bai knew only a handful of its students.
Few had ever seen him, either.
Fortunately, the world had no shortage of clever people. They might not know Wu Bai, but they knew Han Yue!
This powerful woman, seventh on the Strong Ranking, was someone the Inner Academy students looked up to.
Everyone knew that this icy expert normally never showed anyone a pleasant face.
Everyone also knew that Han Yue had a boyfriend.
Judging by the rarely seen smile Han Yue had just worn, then, could that Dou Wang be her boyfriend-and also that mysterious Tier 6 Alchemist?
Before you continue