Breakthrough, two-star Dou Shi

But once his joy faded, he could not help frowning again.

“Even with this breakthrough, taking on a Beast Spirit at the level of a Third Tier magical beast would still be a stretch.”

A two-star Dou Shi was certainly powerful, but he had personally felt the oppressive aura of that Third Tier Beast Spirit. The terror of its pressure still left him shaken.

He did not know what kind of magical beast it was. It had never shown itself, but the pressure it exerted had been all too real.

A Third Tier Beast Spirit had combat strength equivalent to a high-level Dou Shi, a formidable body, and vastly stronger beast flame. Even with his three Black Tier Dou Techniques—Mad Lion's Roar, Thunderclap Finger, and Thunderflash—

Facing it head-on would still be extremely risky. If it entangled him and drew the other Beast Spirits in to surround him, he would be trapped in a death sentence.

“I can safely handle the Second Tier child flames of the myriad Beast Spirit flame now, but at this stage, I absolutely cannot provoke the Third Tier ones.”

He quickly weighed his options.

His current advantage was that the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art could refine child flames to raise his cultivation. His Thunderfire Dou Qi had also fused with the tiger and serpent Beast Spirit imprints, giving him a strong chance against lone Second Tier Beast Spirits.

But his shortcomings were just as obvious. With so few Dou Techniques, he could only rely on three methods: disrupting the soul, evading with instantaneous movement, and piercing a single point.

Against numerous opponents, or one whose strength reached the Third Tier, he would easily be forced onto the back foot.

"I can't get greedy and rush ahead."

Xiao Yuan looked toward the distant mountain valley. Waves of heat still billowed upward, and he could faintly sense Beast Spirit auras rising and falling within the Valley.

“I'll keep moving around the outskirts and only target lone Second Tier Beast Spirits. I need to avoid alerting large groups as much as possible, and above all, not provoke any Third Tier Beast Spirits. Once I devour another two or three child flames and push my cultivation higher, only then will I be qualified to take on a Third Tier Beast Spirit.”

He moved the rock back to seal the cave entrance tightly, then suppressed his aura completely, leaving not the slightest ripple of Dou Qi.

Xiao Yuan drew a deep breath. Like a shadow, he slipped soundlessly into the dense forest, once again making his way toward the outskirts of the mountain valley occupied by the myriad Beast Spirit flame.

Using the trees as cover, he carefully approached the Valley's edge, scanning the scattered rocks for lone Second Tier Beast Spirits.

Before long, a low growl came from behind a pile of rocks ahead.

Xiao Yuan immediately held his breath and slowly peered around.

Behind the rocks, a familiar crimson figure lumbered into view, its heavy panting accompanied by the faint clatter of stone chips.

It was an Ironspine Boar Beast Spirit.

Hard, pitch-black bony spines covered its back. A faint crimson myriad beast flame coiled around the horn atop its head, and its scarlet eyes gleamed with brutal ferocity.

Judging by its scorched fur and the slight lightning-inflicted wound on its head, it was one of the three Second Tier Beast Spirits that had surrounded him earlier.

Presumably, after its pursuit failed, the Third Tier Beast Spirit had ordered it back to the outskirts to patrol alone and search for the enemy.

The Ironspine Boar Beast Spirit was now pacing aimlessly. The beast flame covering its body had dimmed considerably, clearly showing how much strength its earlier all-out pursuit had consumed.

Its surroundings were empty. The Flamefeather Eagle and Redclaw Wolf were nowhere nearby, leaving this wounded Beast Spirit completely alone.

At the sight, a cold gleam flashed through Xiao Yuan's eyes.

The road was narrow indeed when enemies crossed paths!

Earlier, with his Dou Qi exhausted, he had fled in disgrace, driven to the brink of death by those three Beast Spirits. Now that he had broken through to a two-star Dou Shi and his Dou Qi was brimming, this was the perfect chance to settle old scores and claim another child flame!

Xiao Yuan suppressed his aura completely and pressed himself into the shadow of a tree trunk, reducing even his breathing to the barest minimum.

After two hunts, he had already learned the habits of these Second Tier Beast Spirits inside out. Their souls were sluggish and their brute strength formidable, but soul-shaking attacks were their one weakness.

He slowly raised his right hand. Fine violet-crimson sparks faintly wreathed his fingertips as his lips parted slightly.

"Mad Lion's Roar!"

A low shout burst from his throat, and sound waves laced with sizzling thunder swept out silently, precisely enveloping the Ironspine Boar ahead.

Roar—!

The invisible soul impact of a lion's roar struck abruptly.

The Ironspine Boar, which had still been warily scanning its surroundings, suddenly stiffened. Its scarlet pupils lost focus in an instant, and the crimson beast flame rolling over its body abruptly froze. Its massive body stood rooted to the spot as its soul briefly fell into a stupor.

Now!

"Thunderflash!"

Violet-crimson lightning erupted beneath his feet. Xiao Yuan became a streak of swift lightning, crossing more than ten meters in an instant and closing in beside the Ironspine Boar's head.

After his breakthrough to a two-star Dou Shi, his speed was far greater than before. Before the lightning afterimage had even faded, he was already upon the Beast Spirit's vital point.

All his Thunderfire Dou Qi condensed at his fingertip. Tiger and serpent patterns faintly flowed within it, raising its power substantially.

"Thunderclap Finger!"

Hiss!

An exceptionally sharp bolt of violet lightning shot from his finger, tearing through the air with overwhelming penetrating force and driving precisely into a weak seam in the bony armor of the Ironspine Boar's skull!

Boom!

Lightning suddenly exploded inside the Beast Spirit's head.

The Ironspine Boar let out a brief, piercing howl. Its massive body shook violently, and the crimson beast flame covering it instantly dispersed and dimmed. Its hard bony spines cracked and fell away.

In no more than an instant, its massive body dissolved into a skyful of crimson motes, just like the previous Beast Spirits.

A newly formed crimson Beast Soul in the shape of a boar hovered in its place. Filled with savage, frenzied intent, it roared and charged at Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan remained calm, already well practiced in handling this.

The Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art circulated on its own. An invisible devouring force firmly restrained the restless Beast Soul. No matter how it battered his Consciousness Sea, his steady mind held it at bay.

Bit by bit, he dismantled and erased the Beast Soul's brutal will. The pure Origin of his third child flame flowed slowly through his meridians into his already brimming dantian.

Within his dantian, a thick, weighty boar pattern emerged alongside the tiger and serpent patterns. The three beast patterns intertwined, making his Thunderfire Dou Qi even more powerful and substantial.

The Ironspine Boar truly deserved its place among the strongest second-tier magical beasts. Though its overall quality fell short of the Rockscale Giant Serpent's, it still supplied him with an enormous amount of Dou Qi.

Xiao Yuan lightly clenched his fist, clearly sensing another rise in his combat strength. He had taken another great step toward becoming a three-star Dou Shi.

But after several successive bloody battles of life and death, his shortcomings had become increasingly clear to him.

From fighting the Crimson Flame Tiger and Rockscale Giant Serpent, to being surrounded by three Beast Spirits, to killing the Ironspine Boar alone just now, he had relied on only three Dou Techniques from beginning to end.

Mad Lion's Roar could only restrain souls and briefly control the battlefield; Thunderflash offered only movement and evasion, allowing him to maneuver around his enemies; Thunderclap Finger merely delivered a concentrated burst to pierce defenses at a single point.

His methods were too limited, leaving enormous flaws in both offense and defense.

Without a wide-area Dou Technique to clear the battlefield, he would be forced onto the back foot the moment more than two Second Tier Beast Spirits attacked him at once.