Morning comes exceptionally early in Desert City. As soon as the sky begins to lighten, the scorching heat starts to rise from the ground.
Xiao Huohuo and Xiao Yan stood at the city gate, both of them already dressed in their prepared desert attire—gray-brown linen robes that effectively blocked the sunlight, and wide hoods that cast shadows to obscure their faces.
The prepared food and water were placed in Xiao Huohuo's Storage Ring.
"Following the map Hai Bodong gave us, let's go to the nearest marker first."
Xiao Huohuo unfolded the map with three flame symbols and pointed to a mark in the southeast direction.
"This place, about two hundred miles from Desert City, is known as ' Fire Lizard Valley,' where eruptions of subterranean fire are said to occur, possibly indicating the presence of Heavenly Flames."
Xiao Yan leaned closer to look at the map.
The parchment is meticulously detailed, not only marking the terrain but also including important notes in tiny handwriting.
" Fire Lizard Valley is inhabited by groups of Tier 3 Magical Beast, Fire Lizard. The valley contains sulfurous gas, so an antidote is necessary."
"We shouldn't waste any time on the more than 200-mile desert journey. Once we enter the desert, it'll be the perfect time to begin our special training."
The Yao Lao's voice rang in their ears.
"Special training?" Xiao Huohuo was taken aback.
Do you think the desert is just for traveling?
The Yao Lao's voice carried a hint of solemnity, "The desert environment is extreme, making it an excellent place to cultivate the control of Dou Qi. For the rest of the journey, you will train according to my requirements."
The first training exercise for the Yao Lao was " Treading Sand Without a Trace."
"Walking on the sand consumes extra energy with every step and leaves tracks."
The Yao Lao explained, "Try to concentrate your Dou Qi in the soles of your feet and release it in the most precise way possible, ensuring both speed and minimizing the depth of the sand sinking, while also eliminating footprints."
Upon hearing Xiao Huohuo immediately gave it a try.
He channeled his Dou Qi to the meridians of his legs, Xiao Xin releasing a wisp of Dou Qi from the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of his feet, forming a thin cushioning air cushion between his soles and the sand.
As soon as I took the first step, the sand sank by less than an inch, half the normal depth.
However, this comes with a rapid depletion of Dou Qi —maintaining this level of precise control consumes three times the energy of normal walking!
"Not bad, it's starting to look good," Yao Lao commented, "But the Dou Qi output is still too rough. Watch closely."
A warm energy flowed from the Storage Ring, traveling along Xiao Huohuo's meridians to the soles of his feet.
Under the personal demonstration of the Yao Lao, Xiao Huohuo felt an unprecedented way of controlling the Dou Qi —it was not spread evenly, but formed a ring-shaped vortex at the edge of the soles of the feet, with only the weakest Dou Qi maintaining contact in the center.
With the second step, the sand sank only half an inch, and when the foot was lifted, the surrounding flowing sand quickly filled the shallow pit, leaving almost no trace.
"This is the essence of ' Treading Sand Without a Trace '."
The Yao Lao spoke up, saying, "In the desert, the wind and sand move, and any trace will be naturally erased."
What you need to do is not to leave no trace at all, but to make the trace so faint that the wind and sand can naturally cover it up in a short time.
The guidance from the Yao Lao wasn't just for Xiao Huohuo; Xiao Yan, who was standing nearby, also began this stage of cultivation under the Yao Lao's direction.
Just as the Yao Lao had instructed, the Soul Power within his body gathered beneath his feet.
The two began trying again and again.
Xiao Huohuo's first few steps were a bit clumsy, his Dou Qi fluctuating, sometimes leaving too deep footprints, sometimes losing control and nearly slipping.
But after more than ten attempts, he gradually mastered the trick.
Xiao Yan watched from the side, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
The way Soul Power is used in the Douluo World is different from that of Dou Qi, but the principles are similar.
He tried to concentrate his Soul Power on the soles of his feet and found that he could achieve a similar effect. Moreover, due to the inherent characteristics of Soul Power, the effect seemed even better—his footprints were almost invisible.
"Your power system is indeed interesting."
Yao Lao also noticed Xiao Yan's performance, his tone filled with curiosity:
"This energy, known as ' Soul Power,' seems to have a natural advantage in terms of precise control."
While instructing the two, Yao Lao observed the composition of the Soul Power beneath Xiao Yan's feet. It was completely different from Dou Qi, and somewhat similar to Spiritual Soul Power, but it was not Spiritual Soul Power.
The three—or rather, two people and one soul—trained and traveled through the desert.
The Yao Lao was also constantly making adjustments to Xiao Huohuo.
At noon, he asked Xiao Huohuo to take off his shirt, and then applied a special medicine to his body. The burning sensation stung Xiao Huohuo, but it accelerated his absorption of Fire Attribute Dou Qi.
When they encountered sand dunes, he required the two of them to climb them using the least amount of Dou Qi they could muster, and to precisely calculate the energy expenditure for each segment of the journey.
Even during breaks, he would make Xiao Huohuo practice "internal circulation of Dou Qi ".
Allowing one's internal Dou Qi to circulate and recover on its own without absorbing external energy is an essential skill for coping with the energy-scarce environment of the desert.
"The desert environment is harsh, but it is also a treasure trove for cultivation."
The Yao Lao spoke earnestly, "Here, every bit of Dou Qi is invaluable. Learn to maintain your fighting strength in the harshest environments, and you'll have the confidence to cope with whatever situation you encounter in the future."
Xiao Huohuo devoted himself entirely to training.
Sweat kept sliding down his forehead, hitting the sand and creating tiny wet spots that quickly evaporated.
His control over his Dou Qi improved at a visible rate. The sand-walking state, which originally required 30% of his Dou Qi to maintain, only required 15% after three days.
Xiao Yan was also observing and learning.
Although his Soul Power system was different, Yao Lao's teachings on energy control, environmental utilization, and combat rhythm were equally inspiring to him.
He would occasionally ask questions, Yao Lao would answer one by one— Yao Lao also had a great interest in this "other Xiao Yan " from another world.
On the evening of the third day, the two rested in a sheltered rocky area. Xiao Huohuo had just sat down to eat his dry rations when Yao Lao's voice rang out again.
"You can't let your guard down while eating. Now, use your soul to sense the area within a hundred feet around you, while maintaining the internal circulation of your Dou Qi, controlling your chewing speed and breathing rhythm—remember, in a dangerous environment, any relaxation can be fatal."
Xiao Huohuo, but still did as instructed.
As he gnawed on the hard jerky, he spread his Spiritual Soul Power out like a spider web, sensing the subtle vibrations beneath the sand and the changes in the scent of the air.
As for Xiao Yan, since this was a Martial Soul clone, he didn't need to eat; all he needed was to have plenty of energy.
Moreover, thanks to the Soul King's powerful perception, Xiao Yan had already noticed the anomaly not far away.
Just as Xiao Huohuo took his third bite of jerky, his soul senses detected an anomaly—something was moving under the sand dune seventy meters to his right!
"Something's up," Xiao Huohuo whispered, but his hands continued to work, chewing his food, appearing no different from a normal rest.
Xiao Yan didn't turn his head, but narrowed his eyes slightly, his Soul Power quietly circulating within his body.
The creatures beneath the dunes seemed to be observing them as well.
A moment later, three yellowish-brown scorpions emerged from the sand. Each one was three feet long, with its tail hooks raised high, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light.
"It's Sand Poison Scorpion, Tier 2 Magical Beast, with potent venom," Xiao Huohuo quickly provided the information.
"Their attack method involves stealthily approaching and then thrusting with their tail hooks; their venom can paralyze targets below the Da Dou Shi within three breaths."
Three Sand Poison Scorpion approached slowly in a triangular formation, their legs moving almost silently on the sand.
Seeing that Xiao Yan was still eating his dry rations, Xiao Yan stood up and decided to let him have a proper meal.
When the Sand Poison Scorpion entered within a thirty-meter radius, Xiao Yan made his move.
He didn't even stand up; he simply raised his right hand, palm up.
"First Soul Skill, Cold Fire - Condensed Soul Stab."
The yellow color moves slowly and rhythmically with you.
Three pale ice cones materialized out of thin air, each only the length of a finger, crystal clear as crystal.
The ice cone did not shoot out immediately after it took shape, but instead slowly rotated in Xiao Yan's palm.
This scene surprised both Yao Lao and Xiao Huohuo —the release of the Soul Skill was so casual yet precise, clearly demonstrating that Xiao Yan's control over this ability was already superb.
The Sand Poison Scorpion seemed to sense danger, increasing its crawling speed while its tail hook began to accumulate venom, emitting a bright, eerie blue light.
Twenty meters.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed.
The three icicles vanished suddenly!
It didn't truly disappear; it just happened too fast!
Three almost invisible white trails were drawn in the desert air, instantly traversing a distance of twenty meters!
The Sand Poison Scorpion didn't even have time to react!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Three soft sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Three ice spikes pierced precisely into the center of the heads of three Sand Poison Scorpion, where their central nervous system was located.
The moment the ice spike pierced through, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame erupted with chilling energy!
The Sand Poison Scorpion's body instantly stiffened, a layer of white frost condensed on its surface, and even the venom accumulated on its stinger was frozen into blue ice crystals.
The entire process, from the release of the Soul Skill to its end, took less than a breath.
Xiao Yan withdrew his hand and looked at the dazed Xiao Huohuo, as if he had just casually swatted a few mosquitoes.
Xiao Huohuo was dumbfounded.
This effortless fighting style reveals that Xiao Yan's combat awareness is far richer than Xiao Huohuo had imagined.
After a moment of silence, the Yao Lao commented:
"Precise, efficient, and with minimal resource consumption... this fighting style is very interesting."
Xiao Yan, how much Soul Power does each use of your Soul Skill consume?
After listening to Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before speaking, "That attack just now, based on my current cultivation level, consumed about one percent of my Soul Power."
If I fight with all my might, I can use my first Soul Skill nearly a hundred times in a row.
"One percent..." The Yao Lao's voice was filled with surprise.
"This consumption ratio is far lower than that of other Dou Technique of the same level. Moreover, I see that the power of your Soul Skill is already close to that of Yellow Tier High Level Dou Technique."
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and explained:
"In our world, the power of Soul Skill depends not only on the amount of Soul Power invested, but also on the age of the Soul Ring, the quality of the Martial Soul, and personal comprehension."
Although my First Soul Ring is only four hundred years old, with my current strength, its actual effect has already been greatly enhanced.
" Soul Ring... Evolution..." Yao Lao mused, "It seems your world's cultivation system does indeed have its unique aspects."
After this encounter, Yao Lao adjusted the training program.
He began to have Xiao Huohuo observe Xiao Yan's fighting style, so that he could learn that precise calculation and one-hit-kill tactical thinking.
"Fighting is not about showing off strength, but about solving problems."
The Yao Lao instructed, "If you can defeat an enemy with one unit of strength, never use two. Xiao Yan does this very well; you should learn from him."
In the journey that followed, Xiao Huohuo deliberately imitated Xiao Yan's tactical style. When encountering low-level Magical Beast, he no longer pursued dazzling Dou Technique to crush them, but instead looked for their weaknesses and dealt with them in the most effortless way.
On the seventh day, they approached an oasis area marked on the map.
The humidity in the air has increased significantly, and occasionally the shadows of drought-resistant plants can be seen.
According to Hai Bodong's map, there is a small oasis in this area, which is an important supply point for desert travelers.
" Magical Beast usually gather near oases because water is precious," the Yao Lao warned the two. "Be vigilant."
The two slowed down, and Xiao Huohuo fully activated his soul perception.
Sure enough, when he was still three miles from the oasis, he sensed some life force—not human, but Magical Beast.