Two-Star Dou Zhe (Begging for Monthly Tickets!)

Chapter 11: Two-Star Dou Zhe

With a thought,

Hum!

The tier-one Fire Attribute magic core and two Burst Flame Flowers slowly rose into the air, hovering directly before Xiao Yuan.

The two Burst Flame Flowers spun around the Fire Attribute magic core as waves of scorching fire energy surged and roiled within it.

The escaping fire energy ignited the instant it touched the Burst Flame Flowers. The temperature in the room abruptly soared, and the papers beside the bed curled slightly under the heat as scorching currents of air washed over his face.

If an ordinary Dou Zhe directly touched such a violent Origin within a magic core, their meridians would be burned and ravaged by the flames in an instant.

But as Xiao Yuan circulated his cultivation art, a faint, dusky halo rose around him. The devouring power of the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art wrapped tightly around the fire magic core like an invisible vortex.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Break apart!!

He gave a low shout in his heart.

Crack!!

A faint cracking sound rang out. The magic core's hard crystalline shell fractured inch by inch, and surging crimson energy poured through the vortex into Xiao Yuan's meridians and countless acupoints like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

Fiery Dou Qi rushed into every limb and bone, immediately bringing waves of searing pain. The immense energy stretched his meridians taut, and a faint red flush spread over his skin.

At the left side of his chest, the Dragon-Pattern Jade Pendant grew slightly warm. A gentle red light spread from it and traveled through his meridians, helping neutralize a little of the violent fire energy and steady his wavering mind.

Xiao Yuan gritted his teeth and concentrated on controlling the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art, frantically breaking down and refining the fire-attribute energy.

Vast amounts of Dou Qi rapidly accumulated within his dantian. His cultivation at the peak of One-Star Dou Zhe began to tremble like thin ice roasting over a fierce flame.

Flame energy mingled with the medicinal properties of the Burst Flame Flowers battered the barrier without cease. The sea of Dou Qi within his dantian rose in ever-higher waves, and each collision made that thin membrane tremble more violently.

Scalding beads of sweat rolled down Xiao Yuan's jaw and dripped onto his bedding, only to evaporate in an instant under the intense heat. The dusky halo around him flickered, nearly scattered several times by the violent fire Origin.

Without the soothing power continuously flowing from the Dragon-Pattern Jade Pendant against his chest, his Consciousness Sea would likely have already been thrown into chaos by those frenzied flames.

Thud—!

A dull tremor sounded from deep within his body.

The realm barrier that had held him at One-Star Dou Zhe for so long finally buckled under the strain and shattered with a thunderous crash!

Vast, fiery Dou Qi instantly swept through his meridians, and the faint, dusky halo surrounding him suddenly swelled outward.

Two-Star Dou Zhe!

His cultivation had successfully broken through, but considerable pure energy remained within the magic core and Burst Flame Flowers. They had not yet been exhausted.

Billowing crimson power continued pouring into his dantian. His cultivation, which had only just reached Two-Star Dou Zhe, raced onward without pause toward the two-star peak.

Xiao Yuan dared not relax in the slightest. His breathing remained steady and deep, his mind firmly locked onto the Dou Qi circulating within him.

He knew perfectly well that the Fire Attribute was only the beginning.

Once he had completely absorbed this portion of fire-attribute energy, two more tier-one magic cores—wind and earth—awaited the devouring refinement of the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art.

Meanwhile, on the mountain behind the Xiao Clan.

The bleak evening wind rustled the branches and leaves, while dim twilight shrouded the entire forest.

A slender young man stood before the thick trunk of an ancient tree. It was Xiao Yan, who had come alone to cultivate.

His fists clenched tight, his eyes filled with barely concealed agitation and frustration. His arms suddenly tensed, and he slammed his fists into the hard trunk with all his strength!

Bam!!

The dull impact abruptly echoed through the forest. The trunk shuddered slightly, and withered leaves fell in showers.

Xiao Yan's fists, however, were already covered in dense red marks, and waves of sharp pain spread from his knuckles throughout his body.

He lowered his aching, numb arms and stared at his palms, his eyes filled with helplessness and dejection.

Three years.

Three whole years!

Ever since his talent had begun its bizarre decline three years ago, his cultivation had remained stuck at the third stage of Dou Qi, unable to advance even half a step.

Once, he had been the Xiao Clan's cultivation prodigy, a genius seen only once in a century, the focus of every gaze and basking in boundless glory. Now, he had become the greatest joke in all of Wutan City, a useless cripple everyone mocked behind his back.

With no one around, the frustration and resentment he had suppressed for so long finally erupted.

Xiao Yan tilted his head toward the darkening sky and growled, his voice filled with anger and helplessness.

"Why! Why the hell is this happening!"

"Why does everyone else advance a thousand miles a day, while I, Xiao Yan, have trained relentlessly for three years, day and night, without gaining even a scrap of cultivation!"

"Heavens! Did you bring me into this world just to toy with me like some useless piece of trash?"

He refused to accept it.

He had never been lazy or slackened his efforts. Every day, he climbed the mountain before dawn to breathe in Dou Qi, and late into the night, he still sat in meditation, working far harder than any other Xiao Clan disciple of his generation.

Yet Heaven was unjust. No matter how desperately he cultivated, the Dou Qi in his body vanished without a trace, like water drawn in a bamboo basket. The barrier to the fourth stage of Dou Qi loomed like an impassable chasm, trapping him firmly where he stood.

Just moments earlier, he had circulated his cultivation art several times to force a breakthrough, only to fail again. His Dou Qi fluctuated chaotically, showing no sign of a breakthrough and instead bringing waves of aching, stabbing pain to his meridians.

Frustration, resentment, and bewilderment clogged his chest, pressing down so heavily that he could barely breathe.

Just as Xiao Yan's spirits sank to their lowest point, gentle, measured footsteps came from the woods behind him.

"Yan'er."

A warm, steady voice quietly rang out, thick with affection and concern.

Xiao Yan stiffened and abruptly turned around.

Twilight filtered through the branches and leaves, revealing a tall, straight-backed middle-aged man standing quietly among the trees. He wore the brocade robes of the Xiao Clan's leader, his face firm and composed, his features weathered by hardship. He was the Xiao Clan's current patriarch—Xiao Zhan.

There was no telling how long he had stood behind him. As he looked at the young man's reddened eyes and bruised, swollen fists, his own eyes filled with heartache and helplessness.

Clearly, he had heard every word of Xiao Yan's shouting and venting.

Xiao Zhan slowly approached. Seeing the young man's disheveled, despondent state, he offered no reproach, only a soft sigh.

"Taking your anger out on yourself again?"

Xiao Yan's nose stung. He hurriedly concealed the dejection in his eyes, turned his head aside, and spoke softly.

"Father, I'm fine."

He did not want his father to see him so vulnerable and worthless. Once, he had been Xiao Zhan's greatest pride. Now, he had become a burden and a joke to the entire clan.

Xiao Zhan walked over to the tree, raised a hand, and gently patted his shoulder, his tone warm but firm:

"I watched you grow up. I know you've never slackened your efforts. These three years of stagnation are no fault of yours."

"Others only see that your cultivation has stalled and laugh at you for losing all your talent. But I alone know that, over these past three years, the hardest-working, most tenacious person in the entire Xiao Clan has been you."