The instant Xiao Yan's finger touched the figure in front of him, Xiao Yan Soul Bead deep within his brow and mind began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. Immediately afterward, a massive surge of Spiritual Strength erupted from the Soul Bead and rapidly flowed into the four figures in front of Xiao Yan.
After this massive amount of Spiritual Strength was forcibly absorbed, Xiao Yan's mind was also forcibly drawn in.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye when Xiao Yan's fingers touched the golden figure. So much so that when Xiao Yan came to his senses and was about to scream in surprise, he found that he had actually appeared in another space.
His slightly open mouth slowly closed, and Xiao Yan gradually raised his gaze to look at the world before him.
A pair of jet-black eyes reflected a golden radiance. The boundless world was filled with enormous golden runes, resembling giant iron chains that stretched across the heavens and earth. From a distance, these runes were faintly coalescing into a circular shape, which Xiao Yan couldn't quite understand.
Each golden rune emits a faint golden glow. Most of the golden light in this space comes from these runes, like water vapor, turning into tiny golden particles that spread throughout the space.
As Xiao Yan continued to gaze intently, he could clearly see that within these enormous golden rings before him, there were some crooked and huge outlines, like an arc, but suddenly curving; like a straight line, but possibly suddenly wrinkling and turning into an arc. The entire huge outline had no logic, no trajectory to follow, no starting point to be found, and no idea where its end point was.
"Where exactly is this place?"
Gazing at the somewhat eerie scenes unfolding between heaven and earth, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt, and his smooth forehead furrowed slightly.
After careful observation, all Xiao Yan could see were four extremely large golden halos. Moreover, unknowingly, those halos seemed to be continuing to expand, along with the strange outlines within them. Here, Xiao Yan's figure looked like a tiny ant, raising his head but unable to see any part of this world. Yet, even this situation was getting worse.
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!"
Filled with rage, Xiao Yan couldn't help but let out a low growl. With a thought, he tried to summon the Dou Qi within his body, but then he realized that he was only in a state of consciousness at the moment, relying entirely on the Spiritual Strength. There was no way he could mobilize any Dou Qi at all.
Damn it!
He cursed under his breath. Although Xiao Yan wanted to withdraw his mind from this space, he immediately discovered that his consciousness had been cut off from the outside world!
Judging from the current situation, unless Xiao Yan can discover the mystery of this space, he will probably never be able to leave!
Just as Xiao Yan was extremely anxious, the void in front of him suddenly twisted violently, and then an old man in a golden robe appeared in front of Xiao Yan.
Upon seeing the old man, Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. He was greatly alarmed and involuntarily took a few steps back before cautiously looking at the old man.
Right now, in this strange space, Xiao Yan dared not be careless in the slightest. Who knew if the old man in front of him might have some tricks up his sleeve?
"Hehe, kid, don't worry. I'm just a remnant soul, barely clinging to life, waiting for the person who gets this scroll. I can't hurt anyone."
Seeing Xiao Yan retreating repeatedly, the old man couldn't help but chuckle. He stroked his beard with one hand, his old face beaming with a warm smile.
Hearing the old man's words, Xiao Yan's expression gradually relaxed. He let out a soft breath, his gaze still cautiously fixed on the old man before him. After several breaths, he frowned slightly and asked:
"You said you were waiting for someone, but who could it be?"
"Hehe, what a destined person."
The old man answered with a smile.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed suddenly, but he dared not be careless.
"The person the senior was referring to..."
It's you.
Before Xiao Yan could finish speaking, the old man spoke up, and Xiao Yan's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Senior, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I am currently trapped inside this scroll, unable to extricate myself. How can I be considered a person of destiny? Is being trapped here the only way to be destined? In that case, I would rather withdraw and remain a free spirit."
Xiao Yan's tone was icy. This so-called Four Saints Manifestation Art had not only brought him no benefit, but had also trapped him here for a long time. What kind of treasure was this? In Xiao Yan's opinion, it was simply a harmful trick!
"Hehe, little brat, you're not very old, but you're quite impatient. You can't judge things by appearances alone, nor can you summarize everything based on what you see. If you want to gain power, how can you not go through hardships and tribulations? Besides, this Dou Technique itself has its own special characteristics. If you want to cultivate it, you will naturally have to pay a price. Otherwise, do you think all Dou Technique can be easily cultivated once you get them?"
The old man seemed to have a plan in mind regarding Xiao Yan's words, and judging from his familiar manner, this was probably not the first time he had said something like this to someone.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned and calmed down. Although he was unwilling to admit it, the old man was right. When you gain something, you always have to make a corresponding sacrifice. There is no free lunch in this world.
Currently, while low-level Dou Technique are easy for Xiao Yan Xiao Yan to cultivate, the boost they provide is negligible. Similarly, while high-level Dou Technique are not easy to cultivate, their power is far beyond the reach of ordinary Dou Technique.
Perhaps, this space before him is the greatest test Xiao Yan will face before obtaining this Intent Class Dou Technique.
Although he had this idea in his mind, facing this vast space, Xiao Yan really didn't know how to find a way to break through it. This space was so vast that he would probably need endless time just to walk through it, let alone find a way to cultivate this Dou Technique.
"Heh, kid, sometimes, your eyes can be deceiving. Relying too much on your eyes might only lead you to bigger lies."
The old man spoke slowly, his words carrying a hint of warning.
When these words reached Xiao Yan's ears, the expression on his face changed slightly, and he immediately lowered his head to carefully consider the old man's words.
A moment later, when Xiao Yan raised his head again, he saw that the old man who had been in front of him just a moment ago had disappeared. The space in front of him was still slowly expanding. In Xiao Yan's eyes, everything was getting further and further away. He was like a speck of dust in this space, insignificant and seemingly invisible.
"Over-reliance on your eyes... your eyes can lie..."
Gazing at the vast and boundless space before him, Xiao Yan murmured these two sentences repeatedly, his dark eyes scanning the space around him, his breathing becoming heavy without him even realizing it.
Only after a long time did Xiao Yan harden his heart, forcefully closing his eyes and forcing himself to stop looking at the space before him. He banished all distracting thoughts from his mind, trying his best to forget everything about this space, including the scroll. He suppressed it all in his heart as if it had never happened. He neither opened the scroll nor obtained it. He calmly recalled the image of himself sitting cross-legged on the mountaintop, the gentle Xiao Yan blowing past his ears, and the intense fire energy in the world. Gradually, his emotions stabilized.
My turbulent heart gradually calmed down, like the surface of a lake after a hurricane, where the waves have subsided and the water is as still as a mirror, undisturbed.
"Call..."
His breathing gradually calmed down, each breath in and out was orderly, steady and powerful, and his breath was deep and resonant. From this, one could tell that this person was no ordinary individual.
After a long while, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, his mind completely calm. The matter of the Four Saints Manifestation Technique seemed to have been completely forgotten by him and thrown out of his mind.
When the first ray of light pierced through the slits of Xiao Yan's eyes and entered the depths of his pupils, the scene that greeted his eyes was an endless expanse of azure sky, like a deep sea. Then, the moment Xiao Yan fully opened his eyes, what appeared before him was a vast mountain range.
The sky was azure, and the earth was lush and verdant, with mountains clustered together. This vibrant scene was naturally the Xilin Mountain Range where Xiao Yan was located.
"Ah!"
A startled cry escaped his throat, and the expression on his face changed slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.
Regardless of whether the previous events actually occurred, they significantly improved Xiao Yan's state of mind.
As Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at what was in front of him, a pleased smile appeared on his lips.
Before Xiao Yan's smiling face, an ancient scroll was completely unfurled in the void, hovering in mid-air. The golden light emanating from it condensed into four figures in front of Xiao Yan.
Compared to before, these four figures were undoubtedly more solid. The runes on the four halos that originally floated around the figures had all condensed onto the four figures.
Looking at the four figures before him, Xiao Yan was calm this time, no longer as nervous as before. Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yan raised his palm, and a surge of powerful Spiritual Strength erupted from his palm, extending out like vines. Then, it was poured into the four figures before him.
"Buzzing..."
The moment those Spiritual Strength were poured in, the four golden figures also shimmered with golden light. Xiao Yan's mind stirred, and his consciousness surged into these four figures.
Immediately afterwards, the familiar scene reappeared before Xiao Yan's eyes. It was still a space filled with golden light, but compared to before, this space was now very small, only enough for a dozen or so people to stand back and forth. At this moment, four figures stood prominently in this space, and in front of these four figures, Xiao Yan's slightly illusory figure also stood gracefully.
The four figures were the same size as ordinary people, and even appeared to be more robust. They were expressionless, yet exuded a chilling aura that made people afraid to look them in the eye.
Despite this, Xiao Yan calmly met his gaze. The menacing aura that would be quite intimidating to ordinary people crumbled in front of Xiao Yan.
" The Four Saints Manifestation Technique is Intermediate Spirit Class Dou Technique that primarily relies on physical strength. It consists of four parts: Winged Elephant Art, Golden Elephant Art, Strength Elephant Art, and Giant Elephant Art."
Within the space, the aged voice he had heard before rang out again, causing Xiao Yan's expression to change slightly. He then listened carefully to the latter's words.
" The Winged Elephant Art represents speed. Cultivating it can greatly increase the explosive power of the physical body, allowing one to unleash astonishing speed within certain limits. When mastered, it can shatter mountains and rivers with a single kick, taking lives with a single stomp!"
" The Golden Elephant Art represents defense. With a body of Vajra, it is indestructible and unbreakable. When cultivated to its greatest extent, one can withstand Dou Qi with just their physical body, achieving physical sainthood!"
" The Strength Elephant Art is a force of attack; its fist can shatter heaven and earth, its power can shatter mountains and rivers; the might of a single punch is unstoppable!"
" The Giant Elephant Art allows one to change their body size. When the Colossus Technique is activated, the heavens and earth seem like ants, and all things are beneath one's feet! At its full power, its strength is comparable to Intent Class Dou Technique! However, to cultivate it, one must first master the first three techniques!"
"..."
After a lengthy explanation, Xiao Yan had a general understanding of the so-called Four Saints Manifestation Technique. Although the description was exaggerated, its general meaning was nothing more than speed, defense, strength, and physique. However, in general, each of the four techniques had its own characteristics.
Being able to focus on one point of cultivation undoubtedly greatly enhances control over physical strength. Normally, choosing one of the four aspects would inevitably neglect the other three. However, now that these four aspects are integrated, there are no other concerns when cultivating them. It's simply a matter of the order in which they are practiced. As long as Xiao Yan Xiao Yan diligently, he is fully capable of mastering the Four Elephant Art. Once he unleashes it, combined with his other abilities, he would likely be able to fight even Dou Di expert, and might even be able to defeat them!