Xiao Yan smiled at the young cultivator as he slowly opened his eyes. From what Xiao Yan could sense, the young man's cultivation was respectable; on the Dou Qi Continent, he could certainly have been considered a leading figure in his own right, having reached the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Huang. The giant wolf he had fought earlier was a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, a Moon-Howling Nether Wolf. This kind of magical beast fought with exceptional ferocity. As soon as it saw a chance to kill its opponent, it would charge in without hesitation and finish them off. Even if its opponent was about to strike a vital point, it would show no intention of dodging. Faced with this way of trading life for life, most people would retreat to advance, defending without attacking as they waited for an opening, then land a fatal blow. Unfortunately, very few could hold out that long. Under the Moon-Howling Nether Wolf's furious onslaught, they simply could not withstand its attacks. Unless their strength far surpassed the wolf's, no one would be foolish enough to oppose it with only slightly superior strength. Yet the man before Xiao Yan was rather strange. Though Xiao Yan had seen several corpses earlier, their status and strength appeared lower than his, and they had probably been brought out from the faction he belonged to.
The moment the young cultivator opened his eyes and saw Xiao Yan, he jumped instinctively. He sprang up from the bluestone slab he had been lying on and darted several zhang away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Only then did he seem to remember something. He hurried forward, cupped his hands in salute to Xiao Yan, and said:
"I am Liu Xiang. Many thanks for saving my life, sir. I failed to recognize my benefactor just now. Please forgive me."
Liu Xiang had spoken without the slightest hesitation; he seemed to be an honest and straightforward man. Xiao Yan did not blame him. After Xiao Yan explained his intentions, the two set off together toward the edge of the mountain forest. To avoid unnecessary trouble and learn about this world first, Xiao Yan did not carry Liu Xiang out by flight.
Along the way, Xiao Yan also developed a favorable impression of Liu Xiang. From their conversation, Xiao Yan learned that they were in the southwestern part of the continent, bordering the Ancient Desolate Forest to the south. Many extraordinarily powerful magical beasts lived there, some even capable of vying for the peak and surveying the continent. Their strength was no less than that of some of the strongest humans. They seemed, however, to have some agreement with the human race forbidding them from acting as they pleased. Otherwise, experts from both sides would hunt them down until they were dead.
Liu Xiang lived in a city called Qingyang City, a relatively small city in the southwest. He belonged to the Liu Clan, one of its two great clans. The two clans had fought openly and in secret for hundreds of years; the other was the Wu Clan. They had always been evenly matched, until ten years ago, when the Wu Clan head made a breakthrough. He injured the Liu Clan head in battle, leaving him with lingering injuries that had prevented his strength from advancing for years. Though the clan head had been left with lingering injuries, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse, and the Liu Clan's foundations remained. The lingering injuries had not completely healed, but they could be eliminated at once if the remaining medicinal ingredients were found. Unfortunately, over those ten years, the Wu Clan had shown no mercy once it gained the upper hand, constantly suppressing the Liu Clan and taking over most of Qingyang City's markets. Though the clan head's lingering injuries had nearly healed, the situation had grown critical. The remaining ingredients had yet to be found, and the Wu Clan was about to bring its forces to their gates. In desperation, Liu Xiang had no choice but to take some clansmen out to search for the ingredients. After two months, he had finally found the exact locations of them all. Several fierce battles later, few of the people he had brought remained, yet they still had not obtained the final ingredient, Soul-Protecting Grass. Liu Xiang and the others were frantic. The battle between the clans was imminent, but the clan head had yet to recover from his lingering injuries. With no other choice, they made one last desperate attempt, quietly making their move while the Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, the Moon-Howling Nether Wolf, was out hunting. For some unknown reason, however, the wolf discovered them. Already exhausted from their successive battles, they had no choice but to fight the magical beast when it found them. In the end, their entire force was wiped out. Had Xiao Yan not arrived in time, Liu Xiang himself would probably have ended up as meat in the wolf's belly by now.
Time passed unnoticed as the two walked and talked. Before long, they were approaching the city. Looking into the distance, Xiao Yan saw a black line on the far horizon. At some point, the green grass beneath their feet had also given way to a firm, hard road, clearly formed by the frequent passage of vehicles. Xiao Yan took a deep breath, sensing the familiar human presence between heaven and earth. His lips curved slightly, and he sighed softly:
"Things really do go more smoothly among humans! Being alone is just too dull! Little Brother Liu, I have things to do, so let's meet again another day! Until we meet again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan vanished from before Liu Xiang in a flash, without regard for his stunned expression. Only the echoes of Xiao Yan's words continued to reverberate through the air, telling Liu Xiang that someone had just been there. He already knew that person's name too: a young man called Xiao Yan, who appeared to be about his own age.
Liu Xiang stood there for a long time before finally coming back to his senses. He took a step forward and nearly fell, only then realizing that his legs had gone numb. He circulated the Dou Qi in his body to dispel the numbness and continued toward Qingyang City. This time, however, he used a Dou Technique to aid his speed. Streaks of pale green light lingered wherever he passed, while his figure had already vanished dozens of zhang into the distance. As he traveled, he kept muttering to himself:
"So... so fast. At that speed, the clan head could probably only keep up if he gave it his all, right? Doesn't that mean his strength is at least on the same level as the clan head's? That's terrifying. With talent like that, he must be a disciple from some great sect who's come out to gain experience. If my Liu Clan befriended him, even the Wu Clan would have to show us some deference. I have to tell the clan head about this at once."
With that, he sped up again, his figure flashing as he raced toward the Liu Clan in Qingyang City.
Liu Xiang was still outside the city, racing toward Qingyang City, but Xiao Yan had long since begun strolling through it. Smiling faintly at the bustling streets, Xiao Yan wound his way through the roads and crowds until he finally found a trading house specializing in the sale of information.
Xiao Yan entered the shop. On the counters around him were ordinary pieces of information about various factions. He casually flipped through them, then smiled. Taking a book in hand, he tossed down a handful of gold coins and walked out. After leaving the trading house, he carefully began reading the book, which was covered in a layer of dust.
The book was called Detailed Explanation of the Continent. It explained many things one needed to know about the continent, but Xiao Yan paid them little attention, turning straight to the part most important to him.
This land was called the Origin Martial Continent. In ancient times, it had been home to many capable people, with powerful experts appearing one after another and geniuses gathering in abundance. The continent was divided into two main parts, the Central Region and the Outer Region. The Outer Region was further divided into east, west, south, and north. The four regions were in turn divided into nine provinces, and the nine provinces into thirty-six commanderies and seventy-two prefectures. The book gave no detailed information about the Central Region. Xiao Yan was not surprised and continued reading.
What concerned Xiao Yan most was naturally strength. After all, strength was a pass to anywhere on the continent, so he read particularly carefully.
Most of the cultivation ranks on the Origin Martial Continent were basically the same as those on the Dou Qi Continent. When he reached the section on Dou Di, however, Xiao Yan frowned slightly.
On the Origin Martial Continent, the cultivation ranks diverged after Dou Sheng. Beyond Dou Sheng came:
Half-Emperor, Dou Di, Origin Transformation Realm, Origin Return Realm, Origin King, Origin Emperor, Yuan Zong, Yuan Zun, Yuan Sheng, Origin Di
These were the cultivation ranks of the Origin Martial Continent. For the most part, their principles were the same as those from Dou Zhe to Dou Sheng; the only difference lay in the Origin Transformation Realm and the Origin Return Realm.
The book explained that, unlike other realms, the Origin Transformation Realm and Origin Return Realm did not have nine stars. Instead, each had only three stages: early, middle, and late. The late stage was further divided into two minor stages, late stage and peak late-stage great perfection. Before reaching the Origin Transformation Realm, a person could cultivate using the Emperor's Origin between heaven and earth. Of course, the prerequisite was that they first adapt to the Origin Qi permeating the world. Xiao Yan's earlier breakthrough had gone as it did because his body was incompatible with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth. If not for that jade bottle, Xiao Yan still would not have known what to do.
The main reason people of the Origin Martial Continent could adapt to the Origin Qi of heaven and earth was that they had been born on this continent and naturally adapted early. By the time they grew up, they no longer needed to acclimate to it. Someone like Xiao Yan probably would not be able to truly adapt without spending some time on it.
The true purpose of these two realms was for cultivators to rely on their familiarity with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth to draw it into their bodies and make it their own.
The Origin Transformation Realm was a stage in which both Dou Qi and Origin Qi were cultivated. Once a cultivator reached the Origin Return Realm, however, they mainly cultivated Origin Qi.
The human body could not keep growing forever. If it could, how could there be birth, aging, sickness, and death? Dou Qi could strengthen the body, but once a person's strength reached that point, however high their cultivation, the vast Dou Qi within them would burst their body apart. The purpose of cultivating Origin Qi was to absorb and refine it to strengthen the body. People had discovered that Origin Qi was much gentler and denser than Dou Qi; no matter how much a cultivator had inside them, they would come to no harm. It had one shortcoming compared with Dou Qi, however: its killing power was far weaker. Fortunately, everyone from the Primal Return Realm onward had to use Origin Qi, so cultivators were not worried. As for Dou Di and the like, though they still cultivated Dou Qi, if they were truly compared, even ten peak Dou Di could not match one expert at the Origin Return Realm. From this, it could be seen that the gap between realms could not be offset by the relative strength of the power one possessed.
Cultivation at the Origin Return Realm was mainly intended to bring the body into harmony with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, until they became perfectly one. This was easier said than done. The Origin Qi of heaven and earth had to be refined and absorbed, then condensed into a white Origin Qi Pearl inside the body. The purer the Origin Qi Pearl, the higher its quality. A milky-white Origin Qi Pearl in particular contained incomparably pure Origin Qi. Anyone who could condense one was certain to have boundless prospects, and multiple super sects would definitely come to recruit them. If only one sect learned of it, that sect would do everything it could to block the information and take the person in as a disciple. Once the Origin Qi Pearl had been successfully condensed, reaching the great realm of Yuan Zong was as certain as a nail hammered into a board. That was why so many people stayed in the Origin Return Realm for so long, hoping for a moment of glory and a place within one of those super sects. If they succeeded, both they and the clans behind them could achieve unparalleled glory. The Origin Return Realm was their greatest reliance.
(Readers, you haven't been giving enough support, and this author is having a hard time! Please give me a recharge! Recommendation votes, please! I'm begging you! Recommendation votes!)