Dou Zhe-tier Inheritance

Buzz!

Just as Xiao Dong reached the critical moment of refining the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, space not far away twisted without warning.

A wisp of deathly gray divine consciousness stumbled out of a rift in the void. Within the gray light, the illusory face of an old man faintly appeared, ancient and imposing, radiating a supreme might woven from holiness and death.

The Holy Necromancer, Electrolux, the Calamity of the Undead!

"Stay your hand—"

Having just pierced the barrier between planes, Electrolux sensed the violent surge of energy below and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's struggle. His tattered consciousness stirred, and he was about to intervene.

He had meant to offer some advice: do not let hatred blind your heart; do not spill more blood.

But then—

The gray wisp drifting through the air jolted!

His gaze locked on the milky-white flame in Xiao Dong's palm.

Within that flame, the Holy Necromancer, who had once roamed another world with matchless pride, truly felt what it meant to face something that countered all things!

The flame burned more than flesh. It fed on souls. Any divine consciousness that dared approach would be reduced to ashes!

Electrolux's mind shook. Without the slightest hesitation, his gray wisp made an absurdly sharp turn in midair, became a faint gray streak, and slipped between the brows of Huo Yuhao, who lay unconscious beneath a tree. There, he hid himself away completely.

Sensing the gray streak beat a tactful retreat, Xiao Dong merely lifted an eyelid and sneered. He paid it no further mind. His hands shifted through a new set of seals, and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame suddenly contracted inward!

Boom!

With one last faint cry, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was fully refined by the demon flame. All that remained was a pure White-Gold Light Cluster, brilliant as a blazing sun, and a dreamlike ring suspended in the air, radiating ten golden patterns!

The Million-Year First Soul Ring!

"Merge!"

Xiao Dong drew a deep breath and inhaled. The vast mass of Tian Meng's essence and mental power became a streak of light that surged down his throat without resistance!

Rumble!

The instant that immense mental power poured into his consciousness, the Brain Martial Soul within Xiao Dong's mind erupted with dazzling white-gold radiance!

His Sea of Consciousness expanded at a terrifying pace—ten miles, a hundred... Vast mental power surged through it like waves. Even Xiao Dong could no longer gauge what level his mental strength had reached!

Buzz!

Around him, a white-gold soul ring bearing ten golden patterns, noble and holy beyond measure, slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Spiritual Detection, Spiritual Sharing, Mental Interference, Soul Shock!

All four of Tian Meng's divine skills were his!

"Phew... Now that's a satisfying feeling, being filled with power."

Xiao Dong slowly clenched his fist. Feeling the transformation within his mind, he could not help grinning. Compared with his Homelander-like body and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, the four skills were merely icing on the cake. But who would complain about having too many trump cards?

Buzz, buzz!

As the First Soul Ring was fully absorbed, the Soul Power bottleneck within Xiao Dong shattered. His cultivation broke past level twenty in an instant, while the long-dormant seal deep in his mind rippled violently.

Xiao Yan's inheritance—the Dou Zhe-tier seal—was unlocked!

Three mysterious scroll phantoms fell like meteors into Xiao Dong's consciousness.

Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, a Low Earth Tier Dou Technique!

Purple Cloud Wings, a Mid-Xuan-tier Flying Dou Technique!

Explosive Step, a Mid-Xuan-tier Movement Dou Technique!

Xiao Dong's thoughts swept across the three Dou Techniques. With his Brain Martial Soul running at full speed, he grasped them almost instantly.

"Explosive Step is a decent technique for bursts of speed. As for these Purple Cloud Wings..."

Xiao Dong shook his head with an amused smile. His Homelander Physique already granted him free flight at supersonic speed; the Purple Cloud Wings would only burden him. Then his brow rose, and a wicked curve touched his lips.

"I don't need them myself, but I could bestow them on the exquisite concubines or personal maids I gather later. They'd make quite a fine reward for training them."

While Xiao Dong was making plans, another vast, ancient torrent of knowledge suddenly surged from the depths of the golden inheritance into his mind.

Tier 1 Alchemical Technique!

The properties of basic medicinal herbs, methods of warming a furnace and extracting an essence, and techniques for forming pills and blending flames were branded deep into Xiao Dong's soul as though they were instinct.

"Alchemy, huh..."

As he felt the extraordinarily detailed pill formulas and methods in his mind, Xiao Dong could no longer hold back the delight in his eyes.

On the Douluo Continent, where the use of medicine was so crude and primitive it was outrageous, possessing the true alchemical arts of the Dou Qi Continent was nothing short of striking from a higher dimension!

Not only could he refine superb pills for breaking through cultivation realms, he could even make special pills to heighten pleasure in bed and leave those lofty saintesses and sect leaders utterly lost in bliss!

"Still, though the Dou Zhe-tier inheritance unlocked the Tier 1 Alchemical Technique, the effects of low-tier pills are rather meager..."

Xiao Dong pondered silently.

Tier 1 pills amounted to basic low-tier medicines such as Power Accumulation Pills and Qi Recovery Pills. For someone whose body already rivaled a humanoid divine beast, they would provide almost no boost.

To refine pills that could truly speed his advancement and defy fate, he needed to break through to higher levels as soon as possible and unlock Tier 2, Tier 3, and still higher alchemical techniques.

"I've reached level twenty. Time to find my Second Soul Ring. That ripe beauty Zhou Yi should have obtained the map showing where Mental Attribute Soul Beasts can be found by now."

A faintly playful smile touched Xiao Dong's lips as his gaze swept down to one side.

Not far away, at the foot of a tree, Huo Yuhao lay sprawled in the grass like a heap of mud, his clothes in tatters. His eyes remained shut, and he was still deeply unconscious.

Xiao Dong might have been domineering, letting those who followed him prosper and those who opposed him perish, but he was no mindless, bloodthirsty fiend.

"Little fellow, I've taken the trouble of claiming Tian Meng's gift in your place. As for the enemy you want revenge on, if I run into him, I wouldn't mind slapping him to death for you."

Xiao Dong gave the unconscious boy a brief glance, then looked away. He did not linger.

Boom!

He bent his legs slightly and unleashed the power of his body. A visible ring of violent air exploded beneath his feet, and he became a streak of black lightning tearing through the sky toward Shrek City.

Shrek Academy, the Outer Academy faculty office building.

Bright sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a study piled with parchment scrolls and weighty tomes.

A middle-aged man in a gray robe pushed up his broad black-framed glasses, confusion on his face.

Wang Yan, Shrek's foremost theorist, spent every day immersed in Martial Souls and Soul Beasts.

Across from Wang Yan stood a graceful, mature figure in white.

It was Zhou Yi, once again wearing her ugly, bark-like mask.

Yet the woman who was usually so feared stood with a stiffness and awkwardness that was hard to describe.