Xiao Yan closed his eyes, sinking his awareness into his body as he tried to sense the familiar Qi Vortex.
Yet the dou qi vortex he had once sensed clearly with a mere thought now seemed like a stone sunk into the sea, giving no sign of its existence. He frowned slightly, assuming his mind was unsettled, then drew a deep breath and focused inward once more.
This time, he carefully examined every corner of his dantian. Yet the result remained the same. The Dou Qi that should have occupied the Qi Vortex within his dantian had vanished without a trace. He could not find even the slightest wisp. It was as though he had never cultivated at all; his dantian was utterly empty, almost excessively clean.
A chill shot from the soles of Xiao Yan's feet straight to the crown of his head. His eyes flew open, his face turning deathly pale. Impossible! It really had been growing bit by bit. How... how could it suddenly be gone?!
"My Dou Qi! Where's my Dou Qi?!"
Xiao Yan sprang up from the ground, his voice trembling with despair. He paced in frantic circles, patting himself all over at random, as though he could somehow find the missing Dou Qi on his body.
"How could this happen? I finally managed to cultivate that little bit back... how could it be gone? It's all gone! The Dou Qi I worked so hard to recover! How could it just disappear like that?! What sin did I commit for Heaven to toy with me like this?!"
Three years ago, his Dou Qi had inexplicably vanished, plunging him from genius to trash. The painful memories of those days, when everyone mocked and scorned him, engulfed him once more like a surging tide. Was that nightmare