Xiao Baichuan spent a day packing his bags.
A few changes of clothes, the Storage Ring Gu Xun'er had given him, the gold notes earned from auctioning pills, and the medicinal ingredients he had plundered from the Xiao Clan's treasury filled an entire Storage Ring.
Yao Chen floated beside him, watching him bustle about while stroking his beard. For once, he offered no barbs.
"This little place really can't hold you anymore."
Xiao Baichuan slipped on the Storage Ring and dusted off his hands.
"Of course. If I stay any longer, I'll start growing mushrooms."
As for Jia Nan Academy's recruitment, he had little interest.
Jia Nan Academy could offer him too little help. If there was anything that interested him, it was only the Heavenly Flame beneath the academy.
But that was not something he could rush. His current strength was still insufficient to seize that Heavenly Flame.
As for the Xiao Clan's current situation, with the Misty Cloud Sect Master and Pill King Gu He having visited the clan one after another, combined with the talent Xiao Baichuan and Xiao Yan had displayed, its influence was no longer what it had once been.
Dominating Wutan City was well within its capabilities.
Xiao Baichuan found Xiao Zhan and told him he intended to leave to gain experience.
Xiao Zhan asked no further questions and simply patted his shoulder.
"Go on. Stay safe."
Xiao Baichuan nodded, turned, and left.
After stepping through the Xiao Clan's gates, he glanced back at the residence where he had lived for three years, then strode east.
His destination was clear.
Qingshan Town.
He was going to find someone, someone who would be a Dou Zun at the very least.
He had just traveled thirty li out of Wutan City and entered a mountain forest.
Yao Chen's voice suddenly came from the Storage Ring, his tone low.
"Boy, someone's following you."
Xiao Baichuan kept walking, his expression unchanged.
"What realm?"
Yao Chen fell silent for a moment, seemingly sensing carefully.
"Judging by his presence, at least a Dou Emperor."
"And he's extremely skilled at concealment. If my soul power weren't so strong, I wouldn't have detected him at all."
After hearing this, Xiao Baichuan already had his answer.
Dou Emperor cultivation, skilled at concealment, and still lingering near Wutan City.
Who else could it be but Ling Ying, who stayed by Gu Xun'er's side?
He paid it no mind and continued forward at an unhurried pace.
In the dense forest behind him, a black shadow moved silently along the treetops, like a fallen leaf drifting on the wind.
Ling Ying watched the young man's back ahead, a trace of hesitation flashing through his eyes.
The young lady had told him to find a way to investigate just who stood behind Xiao Baichuan, but the latter had suddenly left Wutan City today. This was his last chance.
Ling Ying decided to act.
He sprang forward, sweeping soundlessly out of the treetops as Dou Qi gathered at his fingertips and formed a pitch-black short blade.
His speed was astonishing!
The blade sliced through the air, aimed straight at the back of Xiao Baichuan's neck.
Xiao Baichuan heard the rush of wind.
But he had no time to react at all.
The gap between a Dou Emperor and a Dou Zhe could not be bridged by reflexes.
The blade closed in.
At that moment, the blade was only 0.01 centimeters from his throat!
Just a little farther, and it could have beheaded him right there, but the blade abruptly stopped.
Ling Ying hung suspended in midair, the short blade motionless beside Xiao Baichuan's neck.
His gaze swept rapidly over the surroundings, his soul power spreading out to carefully sense everything within a hundred-zhang radius.
A moment passed.
He sensed no trace of any powerful expert.
Ling Ying withdrew the short blade, sprang backward, and vanished soundlessly into the dense forest.
Not a single word was spoken throughout.
Xiao Baichuan stood where he was, his neck chilly and a layer of cold sweat already seeping over his back.
But his expression remained unchanged as he continued walking forward.
Yao Chen's voice came from the Storage Ring, carrying obvious confusion.
"What was that fellow trying to do?"
"He already had the blade at your neck. Why did he suddenly pull back and run?"
Xiao Baichuan's tone was casual.
"A probe."
"He wanted to force you to show yourself."
Hearing this, Yao Chen recalled the black Dou Qi that Dou Emperor had just used.
He immediately spoke up. "Could he be from the Soul Hall?"
Xiao Baichuan shook his head.
"No."
"He's the guard by Xiao Xun'er's side."
Yao Chen fell silent for two breaths.
He had long felt that the girl Xiao Xun'er had an unusual background and was nothing like a member of the Xiao Clan.
Now, it seemed he had been right.
"How did you know?"
Xiao Baichuan curled his lip.
"Guess."
"If you guess right, I'll tell you."
Yao Chen rolled his eyes.
"Suit yourself. I don't want to know anyway."
The man and the soul walked farther away, bickering as they went.
In the dense forest behind them, Ling Ying stood atop the trees, watching the young man's retreating figure gradually disappear into the distance.
Ling Ying withdrew his gaze, turned, and swept toward Wutan City.
He had to return and report to the young lady.
This Xiao Baichuan was more interesting than he had imagined.
For some time afterward, Xiao Baichuan hunted low-tier magical beasts throughout the mountain range, honing himself through actual combat.
Yao Chen did not idle either, teaching him three Dou Techniques in succession.
Suction Palm condensed Dou Qi into suction, allowing the user to swiftly draw objects into their palm. At full mastery, it could draw blood out of a person's body.
As an aside, this Dou Technique was a lucky bargain Ling Xi had picked up while taking Yao Lao out to sell medicine.
Cloud-Shocking Step concentrated Dou Qi beneath the feet and released it in an instant, granting an extremely fast burst of movement over a short distance.
Eight Extremes Collapse was a close-range, explosive Dou Technique with fierce, unyielding force, emphasizing the principle of breaking ten thousand arts with a single overwhelming force.
After mastering them, Xiao Baichuan was not satisfied with using them separately.
He spent several nights practicing repeatedly, eventually chaining the three Dou Techniques together.
He first used Suction Palm to restrain a magical beast while charging Eight Extremes Collapse, used Cloud-Shocking Step to close in during the charge, and finally dealt the beast a fatal blow.
After learning of this idea, Yao Chen remained silent for a full ten breaths.
"Your mind really is nimble, boy. You worked out a new way to use Dou Techniques so quickly."
After praising him, Yao Chen added a reminder:
"But using several Dou Techniques at once consumes an enormous amount of Dou Qi. Make sure you pay attention to how you allocate it."
Xiao Baichuan nodded, then went on to find a gathering place of ape-type magical beasts and had Yao Chen teach him to simulate combat against humans.
At the same time, he repeatedly practiced the Transforming Qi Palm Ling Xi had taught him, until he could strike the target acupoints accurately even with his eyes closed.
Deep in the mountain forest, a Blood Ape at the peak of the first tier stood on a massive rock, its eyes crimson and Dou Qi surging around its body.
Xiao Baichuan stood over ten zhang away, his expression calm.
The Blood Ape let out a furious roar and attacked first, pounding its chest with both arms as it charged toward him with heavy strides.
Xiao Baichuan raised his hand.
Suction Palm!
Dou Qi condensed into an invisible suction force, precisely enveloping the Blood Ape's chest.
The Blood Ape's charge abruptly faltered, as though someone had shoved it from the front, its limbs forcibly pinned in place.
It howled in fury, struggling to break free of the pulling force.
Seizing the instant its attention wavered, Xiao Baichuan unleashed a sudden burst of Dou Qi beneath his feet.
Cloud-Shocking Step!
His figure became a blur, crossing the ten-zhang distance in the blink of an eye.
The Blood Ape's pupils contracted, and it instinctively channeled Dou Qi to protect its entire body.
Xiao Baichuan thrust out his left hand.
Transforming Qi Palm!
With his fingers pressed together and Dou Qi precisely coating their tips, he struck five acupoints in succession through the Blood Ape's protective Dou Qi.
The Blood Ape's Dou Qi defense leaked away from all five points at once, like a punctured air sac.
Then Xiao Baichuan clenched his right hand-Eight Extremes Collapse.
Dou Qi condensed into a single point on the surface of his fist and erupted at close range.
Boom!!!
His fist slammed into the Blood Ape's chest, Dou Qi piercing through flesh and blood to reach its heart.
The Blood Ape's massive body stiffened for an instant, then crashed to the ground, never to make another sound.
Killed in one blow!
Xiao Baichuan withdrew his fist and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
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