Battle Through the Heavens

After lying on the icy, cold, rock floor for a long time, Xiao Yan finally managed to catch his breath. The genuine happiness plastered across his face was hard to conceal as he tested out his numb legs before once again entering a training posture.

Xiao Yan breathed out gently and slowly closing his eyes he let his thoughts gradually delve into the mysteries of his body.

Inner View: a support technique unique to those of Dou Zhe level and above. The greater one’s strength, the deeper one would be able to explore and penetrate the deeper mysteries of one’s body.

His thoughts ventured into his abdominal area, where a milky white palm-sized Vortex slowly stirred. Cream-white energy swirled around the Vortex in a nebulous mist.

Observing the tiny Vortex with his thoughts, Xiao Yan nodded his head –he was satisfied. Although the Vortex was tiny, the energy contained within it was more than ten times more potent than what he had when he was 9 Duan Qi!

Dou Zhe and 9 Duan Qi had different natures. The energy assimilated before becoming a Dou Zhe was actually called Dou Zi Qi, after becoming a Dou Zhe, the assimilated energy was now known as true Dou Qi!

Though there was but a one word difference between their names, the true difference was more like comparing heaven to earth: completely incomparable.

Xiao Yan consciously directed his thoughts to take control of the Vortex. Under its control, a thread of milky white Dou Qi was swiftly extracted from the Vortex and allowed to swirl around.

Continuously controlling the Vortex, making it spew forth and absorb back the Dou Qi with his thoughts, Xiao Yan’s mastery slowly increased. Only when he was satisfied did Xiao Yan finally stop this game-like training and withdraw his thoughts out of his body.

His tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, revealing a milky white light that lingered for about ten seconds before fading away within his black pupils.

Xiao Yan then opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of murky and impure air, after which his complexion brightened noticeably.

Rolling his head from side to side to stretch his neck, cracking sounds could be heard which drew out a grin from Xiao Yan. As he lifted his head to gaze at the ghostly figure of Yao Lao who was floating just outside the cave, Xiao Yan smiled brightly and said: “Success.”

“Hmpf, it is your good fortune to have successfully condensed a Qi Vortex on your first try.” Yao Lao replied in an indifferent tone as he nodded his head.

“More like I depended on my own abilities?” Xiao Yan retorted as he loosened his shoulders. Suddenly, he remembered something as a fawning look appeared on his face. Stretching out a hand, he asked somewhat bashfully: “Teacher, I have already reached the Dou Zhe level, isn’t it time to give me a Qi Technique?”

Yao Lao rolled his eyes. His body floated into the cave and he slowly sat before Xiao Yan. He thought for a while before he asked with a solemn expression: “What Qi Technique do you want?”

“Well, the……the thing that’s more strange than a Heaven Tier Qi Technique, the one that can.. that can evolve.” Xiao Yan scratched his head and asked in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

Hearing Xiao Yan, a look of conflict flashed across Yao Lao’s face and unexpectedly, he remained silent.

“Master, what’s wrong? Did you lie about that Qi Technique?” Seeing the look on Yao Lao’s face, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but nervously ask.

“The Qi Technique that I told you about, can indeed evolve, I didn’t fool you.” Yao Lao whispered.

Hearing Yao Lao confirm his question, a sense of happiness rushed to Xiao Yan’s face. Twisting his hands, he carefully asked: “Then can you let me use it?”

“This strange Qi Technique can indeed evolve but the risk is very high.” Yao Lao exclaimed after being silent for a long time.

Seeing the look on Yao Lao’s face, Xiao Yan slowly pulled his hand back and asked, “How high?”

Yao Lao smiled bitterly, “In my life, I have never seen anyone train this Qi Technique or heard about anyone that uses this Qi Technique. So, I don’t know how high the risk is, however, with my experience and upon seeing the difficulty of this Technique, I would say that the maximum success rate would not be more than 20%…. ”

“20%?” Xiao Yan’s face stiffened, “It’s that low?”

Yao Lao sighed and nodded, “I’m afraid that it is that low.”

Smiling bitterly and massaging his forehead, Xiao Yan was still reluctant to give up on the chance to learn an evolving Qi Technique. The temptation for a Qi Technique that could evolve into a Heaven Tier Qi Technique was simply too big.

“Teacher, can you give me an overview of this Qi Technique?”

Yao Lao rubbed his palms together and whispered after a while, “This Qi Technique’s requirements to “evolve” is related to the Heavenly Flames that I’ve told you before.”

Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed and he kept silent while listening carefully.

“Okay, I obtained this Dou Qi technique through an accident. This Qi Technique originally was nameless. However, I gave it a name called “Flame Mantra”. Speaking up to here, Yao Lao tried to hide the mixed expression on his face. It seemed the process to obtain this Dou Qi technique was not as easy as he had told previously.

“Flame Mantra can indeed evolve, but one of its preconditions is that it needs a “Heavenly Flame” as raw material. With each evolution, it needs to swallow one type of “Heavenly Flame”!” Yao Lao’s voice became somewhat rough: “You need to know that “Heavenly Flames” are some of the most violent forms of energy in this world. Even if you find it, no one can guarantee that you will be able to swallow it. In the past when I discovered this “Bone Chilling Flame”, I was almost burned alive to nothingness by it…

“The scariest part of this Method is the need to assimilate the various “Heavenly Flames” …… any one of the Heavenly Flames could place a Dou Huang on the precipice between life and death, I dare not imagine what would happen to a person who had two types of Heavenly Flames in their body……”

Gazing at the unfathomable look that Yao Lao had, Xiao Yan was also frightened stiff, swallowing Heavenly Flames to evolve? God dammit, you can’t even be sure of whether you will be able to consume the flame or if the flame will consume you! The creator of this Qi Method must have be one crazy person.

“Although this Technique is dangerous beyond your wildest dreams, I do not doubt its potential. If it is truly mastered…… in the Dou Qi Continent, with the exception of a few irregulars…… no one else would be your match.” Yao Lao sighed.

Xiao Yan nodded, slightly awed at its potential. If someone were able to control a few types of Heavenly Flames, even a Dou Sheng would not dare take that person lightly. Of course that is only if that someone does not first get consumed by the Heavenly Flames……

Eyeing Xiao Yan, Yao Lao hesitated for a while before asking: “Now, do you…… still want to learn it?”

Xiao Yan slightly shivered in silence.