"Let's call it Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus."
Xiao Yan put away the two beast flames and gazed calmly at the shattered stones scattered across the ground. He had created this Dou Technique, Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, himself. Even with his Dou Zhe cultivation, unleashing it produced the equivalent of a One-Star Great Dou Master's strike.
Unfortunately, the technique's consumption was terrifying. A single use drained a third of his Dou Qi, meaning he could unleash it at most twice in a battle. It could serve as his trump card, but there was one thing he had to watch out for: its power was so great that, if he misjudged the distance, he might blow himself up along with his opponent.
Closing his eyes, he sensed the dantian in his lower abdomen. Two distinctly separate kinds of Dou Qi coexisted peacefully within it. His Dou Qi Vortex had also come to resemble a taiji diagram, with pink peach blossom flame Dou Qi on one side and bright yellow Divine Crow Flame Dou Qi on the other. Though they seemed as incompatible as fire and water, they complemented each other.
"Four-Star Dou Zhe."
This advancement had come from devouring the Divine Crow Flame. Looking back over the past year, his cultivation had risen as though riding a rocket. First, the pill Hun Tiandi had left behind had allowed him to return easily to the Dou Zhe realm. Then, devouring the peach blossom flame had advanced him to Two-Star Dou Zhe. Not long afterward, he had devoured the Divine Crow Flame and reached Four-Star Dou Zhe.
"You must consolidate your cultivation now." Yao Chen's soul form abruptly appeared above Xiao Yan, his expression grave.
"I think so too. My cultivation has been progressing far too quickly." Xiao Yan also frowned. Such rapid advancement was certainly gratifying, but it did not help build a firm foundation.
"What should I do?"
"You have two options. One is to slowly refine your Dou Qi and diligently practice your Dou Techniques to solidify your foundation. The other is to fight life-and-death battles. In a struggle between life and death, people always gain a deeper understanding of Dou Qi." Yao Chen suddenly revealed a sly smile. "Of course, there's a third method too..."
"Yao Lao, don't keep me in suspense..." Xiao Yan said with a wry smile.
"There's a heavenly flame called the fallen heart flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. For anyone who consumes and refines it, their Dou Qi is constantly tempered by its power. Not only do they never have to worry about cultivating too quickly, but the quality of their Dou Qi also far surpasses that of ordinary experts. You could call it a cultivation cheat." Yao Chen dangled the temptation before Xiao Yan.
"Where would I even find a heavenly flame? Stop joking, Yao Lao." Xiao Yan shook his head. As he was now, only the second path remained open to him: quickly consolidating his cultivation through life-and-death trials.
Finally, Xiao Yan took a deep breath. After leaving the secret chamber, he pressed a concealed mechanism, and a stone door sealed the chamber once more.
He followed the mountain path home. Few clan members were around, and the occasional passerby wore a hurried expression.
Xiao Yan knew this was the chain reaction caused by what he had done last night.
Sure enough, once he approached the Training Grounds, the number of clan members increased sharply, and all of them were at least Dou Zhe.
A quick glance told him that virtually all the Xiao Clan's Dou Zhe experts were gathered here.
Xiao Yan turned and left without drawing attention. He needed to settle his new "senior sister" first, then ask his father about their next move.
"Brother Xiao Yan!" Catching a glimpse of Xiao Yan out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Xun'er turned her head in delight and started toward him.
But Xiao Yan quickly disappeared around a corner. Judging by the direction, he was heading back to his courtyard.
Weren't all the Xiao Clan's Dou Zhe supposed to gather at the Training Grounds? I even prepared a protective talisman especially for him after hearing the news.
Xiao Xun'er touched the protective talisman in her hand. She had asked the new guard her family had sent to rush its creation. Although it had been made in great haste, it could still withstand a Dou Wang expert's full-powered attacks for three minutes without breaking.
At the Training Grounds, Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's patriarch, was addressing the clan members. He would likely send people out very soon.
Should I deliver it to him myself? Xiao Xun'er hesitated.
It's definitely not because I haven't visited Brother Xiao Yan's room in so long!
Having made up her mind, Xiao Xun'er set off immediately, heading toward Xiao Yan's residence with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
Meanwhile, in Xiao Yan's courtyard, Xiao Yi Xian was teaching Qing Lin a new way to circulate her energy. Seeing Xiao Yan return, she couldn't help raising her eyebrows.
"Another night's gone by, and your cultivation has improved again. You really do live up to your reputation as a genius renowned throughout the Jia Ma Empire." Xiao Yi Xian covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Don't tease me, Senior Sister. It's only thanks to the beast flame." Xiao Yan shook his head.
Xiao Yan held a ring of keys he had just obtained from the steward. He had already arranged a residence for Xiao Yi Xian, right beside his own courtyard. It had originally belonged to the Third Elder's grandson, but that boy had shown little promise. His Dou Qi was still about on par with Xiao Yan's a year ago. He had not even attended the testing ceremony two days earlier, instead packing his belongings and moving to a small town outside Wutan City.
"You can move in once the cleaning lady finishes." Xiao Yan handed the keys to Xiao Yi Xian.
"All right." Xiao Yi Xian accepted the keys, then suddenly leaned closer. "Something seems to have happened to your Xiao Clan. Do you need my help?"
A pleasant fragrance wafted into his nose, making Xiao Yan's composure slip. His willpower was clearly strong, however, and he soon recovered.
"No need. Just get some rest, Senior Sister," Xiao Yan replied stiffly. "Also, could you please stop using the Bewitching Technique on me? If I lost control and did something beastly, I'd inevitably sully your good name."
"Haha." Looking smug, Xiao Yi Xian straightened up again. She was about to tease him some more when she noticed a young girl at the courtyard entrance glaring furiously at her.
"Brother Xiao Yan, who is this woman?!" Xiao Xun'er's furious voice made Xiao Yan stiffen even further. Wanting to cry but finding no tears, he turned around, only to see a girl who looked as though she had been abandoned by a scoundrel.
Xiao Yan had already thought up plenty of excuses to deal with his father and Xiao Xun'er. What he had never expected was that Xiao Xun'er would discover Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin before he could introduce them.
"And this is...?" Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Xun'er in puzzlement. A One-Star Dou Zhe. Could she be the Gu Xun'er mentioned in Hun Miesheng's intelligence?
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Why are you in Brother Xiao Yan's room?" Xiao Xun'er stepped forward and demanded.
"Because he let the two of us stay here last night." Xiao Yi Xian held Qing Lin in her arms and spoke with an "aggrieved" expression.
Those words struck Xiao Xun'er like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. She stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief, tears instantly welling in her eyes.
Last night, we'd only just parted, yet in the blink of an eye...
"No, Xun'er, she's my..." Xiao Yan hastily tried to explain.
"You bastard!" Tears streamed from the corners of Xiao Xun'er's eyes. Furiously, she hurled the object in her hand at Xiao Yan, then rushed out through the gate.
"She's my senior sister!!!"
Xiao Yan's frantic shout echoed through the courtyard, but Xiao Xun'er showed no intention of turning back.
He shot Xiao Yi Xian a fierce glare, only to receive two pairs of innocent eyes in return.
"I'm numb." Helplessly, Xiao Yan crouched down and picked up the object Xiao Xun'er had thrown, which had nearly hit him.
It was a protective talisman.
Did she prepare this especially for me? Warmth filled Xiao Yan's heart.
I'll have to explain everything properly.
Before you continue