Breaking the Masked Man

The Battle Spirit stage is the final stage before becoming a Battle King. This stage is more like a refinement of Battle Qi, which can be condensed into a physical object to fight enemies.

Just like the golden flame blade that Yao Yan condensed using the Xuan-rank high-level fighting skill - Fiery Blade, he achieved this step by taking a shortcut. If he did not have a beast fire like the Illusionary Golden Fire in his body, it would not have been easy to achieve this step. This can be considered as him gaining control of the ability that only fighting spirits can control in advance.

Condensing Battle Qi!

Of course, this is also related to Yao Yan's current somewhat abnormal physical qualities. With his previous physical talent, he wouldn't have been able to do this.

Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then with a thought, the golden flame blade floating in his palm instantly transformed into a golden flame, which then flowed like golden magma, covering his entire body in an instant. He closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment. The next moment, the illusory golden fire covering his entire body became solid, exactly the same as the state of the flame blade before.

He opened his eyes, tapped his arm, and immediately heard a metallic sound, indicating that his defense was quite good.

"This state is almost like the Golden Light Mantra."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yao Yan's eyes, and he thought to himself.

However, maintaining this state consumes a lot of soul power, and the fighting technique needs to be kept running at all times.

Thought for a moment.

Yao Yan dismissed this little trick; the methods he was currently devising were useful, but not very effective.

He understood the essence of Dou Qi very well. The cultivation system of Dou Qi Continent was all-round enhancement. As long as the level increased, the strength of the body would also increase at the same time. Whether it was speed, defense or strength, they would all be amplified. Dou Techniques could only make up for this gap to a certain extent.

Just like the difference between later-stage Dou Sheng level cultivators, a one-star difference is overwhelming.

"Let's study this later. Let's look around first and make sure it's safe before we talk about it."

Yao Yan thought for a moment, then circulated his fighting spirit throughout his body and flew towards the surrounding dense forest. He needed to check out the surrounding environment first; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would be staying here for quite some time.

……

Yao Yan didn't know exactly how big the Shennong Mountains were, only that it was an enormous mountain range, perhaps only those Dou Zun level experts could barely measure it. For him, who was still a Dou Zhe, a single valley would be enough to keep him occupied for several hours.

It wasn't until evening that Yao Yan returned to the cave, carrying a first-tier magical rabbit in his hand. He skillfully skinned it and started a fire to roast it.

His storage ring was not lacking in cultivation resources, but he had to find his own food.

While the fire is grilling.

Yao Yan got up and walked to the cave entrance, using the vines on the mountain wall to cover the entrance. Then he took out a bottle of medicinal powder from his storage ring and sprinkled it down. The powder was made by imitating the scent of high-level magical beasts. It was not valuable, but its effects were excellent. It could repel some low-level magical beasts that didn't know their place. This was a method he learned from the Yao Clan's Iron Guard.

As for high-level magical beasts, those of the fifth rank and above are no less intelligent than humans, and their scent alone cannot conceal anything.

There was no need for Yao Yan to worry about monsters of that level; he trusted the herbalist to handle it.

Since the other party dared to abandon him here, it means there are no high-level magical beasts in this area. His search this afternoon also revealed this fact. There are no traces of human activity in this area. It is a desolate place with few resources. The highest-level magical beasts here are only second-tier, so they are not difficult for him to deal with.

Even second-tier magical beasts dare not confront it head-on once it uses the Illusionary Gold Fire.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yao Yan extinguished the flames, sat cross-legged, and entered a meditative state. The surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) quickly covered his entire body. However, compared to Dan Ding City, the天地能量 in this valley was much thinner, barely enough to support his cultivation. Fortunately, he had pills to assist him, so it wouldn't affect him for the time being.

Time always flies when you're cultivating. Before you know it, the moonlight streams into the cave through the gaps in the vines.

At the same time, the howling of wolves echoed outside the cave.

At first, Yao Yan ignored it, but as the wolf howls drew closer, he realized something was wrong and interrupted his cultivation. At the same time, a golden flame flashed in his eyes. The feeling of being interrupted in cultivation was unpleasant, but the approaching wolf howls made him dare not continue cultivating.

He is now in the Shennong Mountains, a place far from the safe haven of Dan Ding City.

"how come……"

Yao Yan glanced at the medicinal powder sprinkled at the cave entrance and frowned. He believed that the Iron Guard of the Yao Clan would not joke with him about such a thing. Besides, he had a good relationship with the other party at the time and had even refined a second-grade Qi-restoring pill for him to restore his fighting spirit.

He closed his eyes and released his soul power. Over the years, his soul power had been greatly enhanced due to the bloodline of the Medicine Clan's Dou Di. If it weren't for the limitation of Dou Qi, he would even have wanted to try refining fourth-grade pills.

Soon, he could sense the slightest movement of the wind and grass within a radius of several hundred meters.

A dozen or so wolf-like magical beasts were slowly approaching the cave.

"This is a second-tier Frostwolf?"

Yao Yan's gaze swept back to the powder at the cave entrance. Given the powder's deceptive properties, how could a second-tier frost wolf dare to approach? Perhaps some fourth-tier special magical beasts might be able to.

He had no interest in fighting a pack of second-tier frost wolves late at night.

He hesitated for a moment.

Yao Yan immediately raised his hand and released the Illusionary Golden Fire, without concealing its temperature and aura. He wanted to use the high-level magical beast aura inherent in the Illusionary Golden Fire to send a signal to the second-tier Frost Wolves outside that this place was very dangerous!

"Woo~"

With the appearance of the Golden Flame, the howls of the frost wolves outside immediately became fearful, as magical beasts are extremely sensitive to auras.

Yao Yan's control of the Illusory Golden Fire originated from a seventh-tier magical beast - the Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast. The deterrent effect of such magical beasts, which contain a trace of dragon blood, on lower-tier magical beasts is self-evident.

"Roar!"

Just then, a fierce wolf howl drowned out the frost wolf's cries.

Yao Yan's eyes narrowed, because a more powerful wolf-shaped magical beast appeared in his soul perception—a third-tier Frost Wolf King.

"I'm really lucky..."

Yao Yan couldn't help but laugh at himself. No wonder these second-tier frost wolves dared to approach the cave. It wasn't that there was a problem with the medicine powder, but rather that a wolf king who controlled the pack had appeared outside. Wolf kings of third-tier magical beast packs like this were already quite intelligent. Perhaps they sensed the energy changes here, or perhaps something else, and the wolf king led a group of minions to hunt them down.

Wolf-like magical beasts have always been a group of magical beasts that like to hunt in packs.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 12: Bullied by Wolves

Despite sensing the power of the wolf pack outside, Yao Yan remained unfazed. He wasn't about to be intimidated by a group of low-level magical beasts. After all, he had witnessed the existence of peak experts from the Dou Qi Continent, and this small scene wouldn't frighten him.

Regardless of other factors, at least in terms of mentality, he considered himself to be among the best in the world.

If anyone had gone through what he did, they probably wouldn't feel fear anymore.

Let alone a group of second or third-tier magical beasts outside, even if the Soul Emperor appeared in front of him, Yao Yan probably wouldn't panic.

"We can't beat them, should we call for backup?"

Yao Yan was well aware of his own strength. He could barely handle one or two second-tier frost wolves, but facing the third-tier Frost Wolf King and its pack, he estimated that he would be ganged up on and killed in a single encounter. The difference in strength between the two was too great. This was equivalent to a Grand Master bullying a Fighter, which was simply a one-sided crushing.

He believed the herb farmer was hiding in the shadows watching them, and that if he called for help, the farmer would appear to solve his problem.

But he wasn't sure if Hun Xuzi was watching.

If he finds out that he asked the herbalist for help on the very first night, it will undoubtedly lower his rating in the herbalist's eyes. After all, it's one thing to be unable to win, but to not even be willing to try is undoubtedly too cowardly. There's no way that such a person is worth training.

Yao Yan held back. He didn't shout for help, but calmly released the Illusionary Golden Fire in his palm to its fullest extent. The scorching flames directly illuminated the entire cave, and the violent aura contained in the beast fire raged.

He wanted to test whether the third-tier Frost Wolf King would be afraid.

The Illusionary Gold Flame is a genuine high-level beast flame; how could a third-tier magical beast not be afraid of it?

"Roar…"

Just as Yao Yan had guessed, the Frost Wolf King did hesitate, letting out a low growl. A hint of fear appeared in its cold eyes, but it was unwilling to leave just like that, because it had sensed the energy of heaven and earth gathered inside the cave earlier. It seemed to be some kind of rare treasure that might help it break through.

It is already at the peak of the third tier, and it is just a little bit away from breaking through to the fourth tier!

Monsters may fear the suppression of bloodline level, but their desire to increase their strength is instinctive.

"Woo~"

The second-tier Frost Wolves were clearly less intelligent. They were startled by the violent aura of the Illusionary Gold Flame. The fear that originated from their bloodline made them tuck their tails between their legs and retreat backward, not daring to approach at all.

Upon seeing this, the Frost Wolf King roared angrily, trying to bring them back.

Unfortunately it failed.

Not all monsters will risk their lives to break through their strength, especially when facing an opponent with a significant power gap.

As the wolf pack scattered, the Frost Wolf King naturally dared not rush forward alone to test the waters. At the peak of the third tier, it already possessed considerable intelligence and knew how to face danger. If it had a wolf pack, it would dare to fight against a fourth-tier magical beast, but it dared not risk its life for unknown dangers.

It stared intently at the location of the cave for a moment, then turned and slowly retreated.

Since the younger brothers had lost their will to fight, the leader naturally didn't want to rush in.

Inside the cave.

Yao Yan's expression was strange. He hadn't expected these wolf-like magical beasts to be so easily frightened. They were scared after only releasing the Illusionary Golden Fire for a short while, and didn't even bother to test him before turning around and leaving. He couldn't help but laugh, "Their intelligence isn't low, but it doesn't seem very high either, huh~"

If it were a high-level magical beast, it would probably see right through his pretense and his attempt to intimidate others.

Low-level magical beasts obviously lack this intelligence and are still stuck in the most primitive way, only able to judge the strength of their opponents by their aura.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Yao Yan was hiding in the cave. The other party could not see him and could not judge his true aura. If he were standing outside, the third-tier Frost Wolf King would probably not be so easy to talk to. It would probably take a couple of bites to test the waters.

Hidden in the void above the valley, the herbalist observed the entire scene below, unsure of what to say.

He didn't know if Yao Yan was genuinely unafraid or just pretending, or if she had guessed that he was watching from the side.

Thought for a moment.

The herb farmer closed his eyes; since nothing was wrong, he naturally wouldn't cause any more trouble.

……

The next day, Yao Yan discovered that his danger had not been completely over. There were many more second-tier frost wolves around the cave. They dared not approach, but they did not seem to want to leave either, as if they were keeping an eye on the cave.

Sensing this, Yao Yan fell silent, realizing that he had underestimated the intelligence of these beasts.

"A one-star Dou Zhe is still too weak."

Yao Yan felt the vortex of fighting spirit within his body and sighed softly. He never expected that one day he would be blocked at the door by a group of magical beasts, and he was powerless to do anything about them.