Chapter 14: Advancing to Dou Zhe, Absorbing the Saint Demon Flame!
Even Su Qian, a Dou Zong, secretly felt his heart tremble as he sensed the majestic energy within that purple cocoon of light.
He knew that Zi Yan was breaking through to rank 5—the human equivalent of the Dou Wang realm. It was often said that on the Dou Qi Continent, the Dou Wang realm was the first true watershed.
Only by stepping into Dou Wang could one be considered as having entered the ranks of the continent's 'powerhouses.' In the Black-Corner Region, Dou Zong were rarely seen; a Dou Huang was already an overlord of a region, and Dou Wang were the top-tier combat strength of the major factions.
Even Jia Nan Academy's elders were primarily composed of Dou Wang—ample proof of just how precious a Dou Wang was.
Su Qian himself had also passed through the Dou Wang stage. He knew deeply just how terrifying the energy Zi Yan was now erupting with truly was.
What race was she, exactly?
At this moment, a profound question lingered in Su Qian's mind, lingering and refusing to dissipate.
Just then, the cocoon of light, which was pulsating with a steady rhythm, caused faint ripples in the surrounding heaven and earth with every beat. The free-floating energy in the world was then entirely drawn into the cocoon of light.
With each pulsation, the light of the cocoon grew brighter. Moreover, as time passed, this suction force was becoming more and more terrifying.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Qian's hands rapidly formed hand seals. Jiang Yun could perceive that the surrounding space seemed to have been bound together in some manner.
As Su Qian's palm abruptly pressed down, it was as if the very air of the entire expanse of space had been ruthlessly crushed downward. Invisible threads, like a spider's web, tightly enveloped the room.
"The commotion of Zi Yan's advancement is too great. To avoid causing a disturbance, I've placed a seal upon this room."
Having completed this, Su Qian turned back to look at the thoughtful Jiang Yun and slowly spoke.
He cast an odd glance at Jiang Yun, who had snapped back to attention, but Su Qian didn't suspect anything. He merely assumed it was a child witnessing an advanced technique, stirring an admiration for power.
"Zi Yan's advancement might also be an opportunity for you. Work hard. Don't make this old man wait too long for you in the Inner Academy!" Su Qian patted Jiang Yun's shoulder encouragingly, and his figure slowly faded away within the room.
Jiang Yun now looked down at his own palm. His hand began to rapidly form seals. Had Su Qian still been present, he would have discovered that these were precisely the simple spatial lockdown he himself had just performed.
This was a technique of the Dou Zong level. Yet Jiang Yun, a mere 7th Stage Dou Zhi Qi, having watched only once, could already imitate it with some semblance of skill. Had Su Qian learned of this, he might well have questioned his entire existence.
As the seals formed, Jiang Yun's movements grew slower and slower, until at a certain moment, he pressed down with one hand and instantly felt as if something had changed within this stretch of space.
"It doesn't seem... all that difficult?" A puzzled murmur echoed through the quiet room. Had anyone overheard, Jiang Yun would have long since been stuffed into a burlap sack and beaten. It was simply too infuriating.
Dismissing the spatial lock, Jiang Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead. Attempting to study spatial power while still in the Dou Zhi Qi stage was still far too strenuous.
"At this stage, cultivation level must remain the priority. These can only serve as means against opponents. Cultivation is the key." Jiang Yun looked down at his palm and spoke softly.
Then, Jiang Yun walked slowly deeper into the room. He had already reached the 7th Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, only two steps away from Dou Zhe. Once he broke through to Dou Zhe, he could begin learning a multitude of techniques.
Now, with Zi Yan advancing and the ambient energy at its richest, was the perfect time to cultivate earnestly.
He sat cross-legged in the room. Feeling the energy of heaven and earth, which had more than doubled in density around him, Jiang Yun formed hand seals and began training in the Dou Zhi Qi.
As Jiang Yun entered his training, the room abruptly fell silent. Only two heartbeats, one loud and one soft, echoed back and forth. Those powerful, energetic beats signaled the extraordinariness of their owners.
Half a year later!
Within the room, Jiang Yun, who had kept his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened those bright eyes. At this moment, he could feel the abundant Dou Qi within his body. He had unmistakably reached the peak of the 9th Stage of Dou Zhi Qi. The Dou Zhi Qi stored in his dantian could no longer increase even by a fraction; he could break through to Dou Zhe at any time.
"It's time to advance to Dou Zhe!" Feeling the surging power within him, Jiang Yun spoke with solemnity. Sensing the increasingly active aura beside him, Jiang Yun knew that Zi Yan was likely close to succeeding. If he couldn't break through to Dou Zhe and gain the ability to refine medicinal ingredients before she emerged, it would be another round of chaos.
Although advancing to Dou Zhe carried a risk of failure—severe cases could even cause one's cultivation to regress—this was where Qi Gathering Powder came into being.
But Jiang Yun, born with the Innate Nine Divine Meridians and possessing peerless talent, had extremely condensed Dou Zhi Qi within his body. Failure was fundamentally impossible for him, let alone with his terrifying soul power as a safety net.
Thus, Jiang Yun was one hundred percent confident in this advancement!
Immediately, Jiang Yun's hands formed hand seals. The Dou Zhi Qi within his body moved according to his will and began rapidly circulating. Streams of pale white Dou Zhi Qi gathered from outside toward Jiang Yun. For a time, it was as continuous and unending as flowing water.
The most crucial step in advancing from the 9th Stage of Dou Zhi Qi to Dou Zhe was condensing the Dou Qi Vortex. Successfully condensing the Dou Qi Vortex meant becoming a true Dou Zhe.
And as Jiang Yun released the Dou Zhi Qi he had painstakingly suppressed within his body and madly devoured the surrounding Dou Zhi Qi, the Dou Zhi Qi inside him began to rapidly swell, rushing swiftly through his meridians.
His entire body became like a funnel, madly devouring the surrounding Dou Zhi Qi.
Under the relentless compression of his soul power, the quantity of Dou Qi grew less and less, but its quality continually rose, becoming thicker and more viscous. At this point, the absorbed Dou Qi was almost failing to keep up with the speed of compression.
Sensing that the absorption of Dou Qi had slowed, Jiang Yun once again separated a strand of soul power, driving the Dou Qi wrapped within his meridians to flow swiftly toward his dantian. Simultaneously, he used his soul power to keep the compressing Dou Qi in constant motion, like a vortex, enhancing its absorption capacity.
This was where he had to thank Zi Yan. Had she not been in the midst of her own advancement, causing the surrounding energy of heaven and earth to be exceptionally dense, at Jiang Yun's speed, he might have been caught in a dilemma due to insufficient ambient energy.
The Dou Zhi Qi swelled and soon filled the vast majority of Jiang Yun's meridians, reaching the limit of what he could contain.
"Almost there." Jiang Yun willed it, and his hands began to form hand seals at flying speed.
As the hand seals changed, the Dou Zhi Qi within Jiang Yun's body, as if receiving a command, rapidly surged toward his lower abdomen.
The pale white Dou Zhi Qi condensed in his lower abdomen, ultimately transforming into a strange, intertwined black and white dual color.
Jiang Yun focused his mind. His soul power began to spread wildly as he forcefully compressed the swirling mass of black and white Dou Qi within his lower abdomen.
The black and white Dou Qi vortex resisted fiercely, but Jiang Yun's soul power crushed it down with absolute, unyielding force.
When that mass of Dou Qi contracted to the size of just a palm, it abruptly solidified and began to revolve rapidly and rhythmically in a set direction.
Simultaneously, a powerful energy erupted outward from Jiang Yun's body.
Dou Zhe realm—achieved!
After a moment of dizzying disorientation...
Jiang Yun once again arrived within the Qing Ming Tower. With the experience of his first visit, he was already familiar with the process and simply waited quietly in place.
In no time at all, the tower spirit's body gradually solidified before him.
"Senior Qing Ming!" Jiang Yun called out obediently. The very sight of Qing Ming involuntarily made him think of his grandfather, still among the Xie Ling Clan, and he wondered how the old man was faring now.
"Heh heh, it's been half a year. Yun'er, you've grown taller and sturdier."
"In half a year, Yun'er, you've already broken through to Dou Zhe. Not slow at all... not slow at all..." Qing Ming examined Jiang Yun carefully. The smile on his face hadn't faded since Jiang Yun's arrival.
As the lifelong weapon of Jiang Hong, from the very moment He had birthed a spirit, He had also inherited all of Jiang Hong's memories. He could be said to have watched Jiang Yun grow up.
Coupled with Jiang Hong's influence, His affection for Jiang Yun was also exceptionally strong.
"Dou Qi's nature is more violent than spiritual energy, and it has the effect of tempering the body. Over the past half year, I've tempered my body to the very limit for this age."
Jiang Yun was also very happy—not only because he was about to begin refining the Saint Demon Flame, but also because in Qing Ming, he felt the care of an elder.
"Excellent. To reach the summit, nothing can be left neglected!" Qing Ming cast an approving glance at Jiang Yun. To have such insight at such a young age—the future was promising indeed!
"Grandpa Qing Ming, I'm already a Dou Zhe. Can I begin absorbing the Saint Demon Flame now?"
"You can try now, but Yun'er, you still lack one crucial thing!"
"A cultivation art!"
Hearing Qing Ming's words, Jiang Yun nodded. "During this time, I've also looked through a few cultivation arts of the Dou Qi Continent. Although they were only Huang class, one can glimpse the whole through a single spot. The cultivation arts of the Dou Qi Continent share similarities with the spiritual arts of the Great Thousand World. It seems spiritual arts can also be cultivated here, only the form of energy has changed!"
"You're not wrong. The purpose of all cultivation arts is to borrow the energy of heaven and earth for one's own use. This principle holds true in any world." Qing Ming affirmed Jiang Yun's reasoning, but still reminded him, "However, now that you've just entered the Dou Zhe realm, it's best not to choose a cultivation art of too high a class."
Jiang Yun nodded in agreement. Every stage had cultivation arts and Dou Techniques suited to it. It wasn't that cultivating a Heaven class art at the Dou Zhe stage would necessarily make one stronger.
The profound mysteries of a Heaven class art were far too complex—how could a mere Dou Zhe possibly fathom them? The energy required for a Heaven class Dou Technique was something even a Dou Zun could only barely manage. At any level before that, using a technique beyond one's capacity would bring only harm with no benefit.
Otherwise, wouldn't every member of those Dou Di clans be clutching Earth class or Heaven class arts? Xiao Yan probably wouldn't even have made it past Ling Quan.
By Jiang Yun's estimation, for the Dou Zhe stage, Mysterious class or low Earth class cultivation arts were optimal, with Mysterious class Dou Techniques serving as one's hidden trump cards.
Therefore...
Jiang Yun slowly sat cross-legged and began cultivating a spiritual art he had retrieved from his memory. It was a Divine-tier spiritual art, equivalent to an Earth class cultivation art on the Dou Qi Continent, named...
The Crimson Fire Treasure Tome!
The first conversion of Dou Qi wouldn't take too long. So, after merely one hour, Jiang Yun, still seated cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.
After practicing the cultivation art, Jiang Yun appeared somewhat more spirited than before. His young, tender face carried a faint luster akin to warm jade, making him look alert and full of vigor.
"Bang—"
A swirl of interwoven black and white Dou Qi coalesced in the acupoint within his palm. According to the laws of the Dou Qi Continent, the higher the class of a Dou Qi cultivation art, the deeper the color of the Dou Qi.
Then... did his own Dou Qi, so pale as to seem white yet so deep as to seem black, count as high... or low?
"The Saint Demon Flame is domineering indeed!" Qing Ming had now also grasped the basic principles of the Dou Qi Continent. Seeing Jiang Yun's Dou Qi, He couldn't help but sigh.
Jiang Yun withdrew his Dou Qi and looked up at Qing Ming.
Qing Ming nodded, His expression solemn. "That wisp of Saint Demon Flame—although it is merely a sub-flame of the true body—was still enough to heavily injure a Heavenly Sovereign. It was suppressed by me and Jiang Ya together back then. Even though its source has been damaged, we can never be too cautious with it!"
"One careless slip, and you could lose your life at any moment. Do you still wish to attempt this?"
Jiang Yun took a deep breath. He thought of Jiang Hong, of the clansmen who had died before his eyes in utter despair. He thought of Zi Yan as well. His face filled with unwavering resolve. "This junior understands. But this junior has reasons that compel him to become stronger! And the determination to succeed!"
"Follow me!"
Jiang Yun rose and followed Qing Ming toward the tower's base.
As they slowly approached the target, Jiang Yun could feel the surrounding air already beginning to grow scorching hot, as if it could roast a person dry at any moment.
Yet Qing Ming's footsteps did not pause. He continued along the passage toward the tower's base.
Drenched in sweat, Jiang Yun's breathing had already become rapid. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans slowly trickled down his young, tender face. Watching Qing Ming moving further ahead, Jiang Yun gritted his teeth and slowly kept pace.
Jiang Yun did not know how far he had walked. He only knew that by now, there was not a single dry spot on his clothes. He felt as if he were soaked entirely in water.
"Very well, you've passed my test!" Just then, a gentle voice came. Jiang Yun felt a hand rest upon his head. In the next instant, a cooling energy washed through his entire body. Jiang Yun immediately felt as if he had come back to life.
Looking up, he saw a massive sealing stone platform in the distance. There sat a flame of interwoven black and white, bound by dozens of thick chains of energy.
Countless tiny sparks filled the entire bottom floor, and the terrifying heat had spread all the way to the four floors above the tower's body.
"Did you see that? That is the Saint Demon Flame. Had you not been able to withstand even that sliver of its heat, I would never have allowed you to attempt refining it!"
As Qing Ming spoke, he raised a hand and grasped at the air. He instantly snagged one of the countless sparks within the space, letting it dance and flicker slowly in his hand.
"Let's go. This is your objective now!" Having captured the spark, Qing Ming pulled Jiang Yun back along the path they had come.
Jiang Yun turned his head back to look at the pulsing Saint Demon Flame, secretly vowing in his heart that one day in the future, he would surely refine it.
Jiang Yun looked at the tiny dancing flame before him. If the Saint Demon Flame sealed at the tower's base was a gigantic stone sphere, then the flame before his eyes was but a single grain of rice.
The difference was beyond stark!
But for a tiny Dou Zhe like Jiang Yun, it was just right!
"I'm starting!" Having finished regulating his breathing, Jiang Yun glanced at Qing Ming. Without further hesitation, he grabbed the flame and abruptly hurled it into his mouth.
As the flame entered his body, Jiang Yun instantly felt that there was no part of him, from head to toe, that was not in agony. He was nearly convulsing from the sheer pain.
The flame was scorching his internal organs, meridians, and more within Jiang Yun's body.
Just when Jiang Yun was in excruciating pain, at a certain moment, the Nine Divine Meridians within him suddenly erupted with terrifying power.
Jiang Yun seized the opportunity and violently drove the Saint Demon Flame toward his dantian.
Once it entered his dantian, the Saint Demon Flame had no chance left to resist. Jiang Yun circulated his Dou Qi, accelerating its flow.
As he continued to refine it, Jiang Yun's Dou Qi became even more condensed. At this moment, the Saint Demon Flame occupied the very center of his dantian, with the surrounding black and white Dou Qi revolving slowly around it.
Each time the Dou Qi of the surrounding heaven and earth entered his dantian, it would be scorched once by the Saint Demon Flame, growing even purer. Throughout this process, Jiang Yun's compatibility with the flame also constantly deepened.
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(End of Chapter)