Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

"How are you feeling? How does it feel?"

Neither the soul weapon brought by the Dragon's Decree nor the 'soul ring' of this strange continent was appearing for the first time, let alone using this strange soul ring to 'strengthen' the soul weapon. Therefore, after noticing that Xiao Yan had opened his eyes, Yao Lao came forward.

"...Teacher, I told you this was the Blazing Mountain-Breaking Rhinoceros, didn't I?"

After experiencing the soul skill brought by absorbing this soul ring, Xiao Yan's expression became strange.

"Just the appearance... wait, you mean?!"

Just as Yao Lao was about to reiterate that this special plate-armored rhinoceros only resembled that magical beast, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Xiao Yan, who had stood up, with surprise.

"That's right, the soul skill that this Blazing Mountain-Breaking Rhinoceros gave me is Armor-Piercing, which can ignore the defense of Dou Qi of the same level!" Xiao Yan's words were filled with undisguised surprise.

The Blazing Mountain-Breaking Rhinoceros has inherent limitations; it's unlikely to become a seventh-tier magical beast in its lifetime. Therefore, its armor-piercing effect is only known among Dou Wang and Dou Huang. However, it doesn't have those limitations. Even if it becomes a Dou Zong, Dou Zun, or even a Dou Sheng in the future, this armor-piercing skill will still be very helpful!

"Are they of the same level or the same rank?" Yao Lao's simple question silenced Xiao Yan.

"It should be... at the same level, right?" After a moment, Xiao Yan replied, "We'll have to find a first-level soul beast or a soul master to test it out later to know for sure."

Same rank and same level are completely different concepts. If it is the same rank, then this armor penetration can play a good role when challenging enemies of higher ranks. If it is the same level... it can only be said to be a useless thing that is neither useful nor worth discarding.

"Yes, let's try it in a bit." The old doctor nodded. It was better to test this uncertain ability as soon as possible—although it was not easy to find soul beasts that could use soul power for defense.

"Does your soul skill require the Xuan Heavy Ruler to use, or can you use it freely as long as the Xuan Heavy Ruler remains your soul weapon?"

Another key issue is that the Xuanzhong Ruler, as a heavy weapon, does not actually need this armor-piercing effect. At low levels, no one is foolish enough to use their physical body to clash head-on with this weapon that looks quite heavy. At high levels... to be precise, once you reach the level of a Great Dou Master and can release your Dou Qi, the opportunities for close-quarters combat are not as numerous as when you were a Dou Zhe or Dou Shi.

"Although it seems that it can only be used when the Xuan Heavy Ruler is summoned and used as an attack method, I think that after testing it a few times and understanding how the battle qi is circulated when this soul skill is released, I can use it as a normal battle skill."

After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yan gave his assessment.

The common knowledge on this continent is that soul skills can only be used by relying on martial souls, but no matter how you look at it, soul skills are just similar to fighting skills, right?

Once a fighting technique is successfully mastered, it can be released as long as there is still fighting energy. Soul techniques are equivalent to fighting techniques, and soul power is equivalent to fighting energy. So, shouldn't soul techniques be the same as fighting techniques, and can be released directly as long as there is still soul power?

"Hmm, it would be best to be able to use it directly... By the way, has the Battle Qi Cyclone changed?"

"No, the size hasn't changed at all, it's like it's underdeveloped." Xiao Yan smiled wryly, "However... there's also an unexpected surprise."

"What unexpected surprise?"

"My battle aura now contains a trace of metal!"

"Gold element... having multiple elemental attributes in battle aura isn't a good thing, is it? Or is this trace of gold element perfectly fused with your fire element?"

The alchemist was no stranger to the multi-attribute physique; in fact, it could be said that all alchemists possessed both fire and wood attributes, although the slight wood attribute within an alchemist's body did not affect their cultivation.

If the amount of metal in Xiao Yan's body is lower than that of wood, he might not be able to tell since he has never specifically sensed the wood attribute.

Since it can be determined that there is an increase in metal element in the body, and it is good news, then there is no doubt that the increased metal element must be the kind that is perfectly integrated with the fire element.

“As expected, I couldn’t fool you, teacher,” Xiao Yan smiled helplessly. “That’s right. The metal attribute is perfectly integrated with the fire attribute. If the power of the same fire attribute fighting technique was 100 before, the power of the technique now is at least 120.”

"That's good news." The old doctor's eyes lit up slightly.

Chapter 11 The Third Soul Ring

Two years later, in the Star Dou Great Forest.

In the dense, sunless forest, a thousand-year-old lightning rabbit fled in panic, its innate teleportation skill being used almost every few seconds, all in an attempt to shake off the ferocious wolf behind it.

The moment Lightning Rabbit's feet touched the ground again, as if triggering some mechanism, a ball of purple flame quietly shot out, and in an instant, the plump Lightning Rabbit was completely frozen.

A second later, the silver wolf landed beside the frozen Lightning Rabbit.

Looking at the immobilized Lightning Rabbit, a hint of human-like mockery flashed in the wolf's eyes.

The wolf, named Iceflame Wolf, was a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast. Today, while patrolling its territory, it happened to encounter a lightning rabbit that had somehow appeared in its territory. Almost the instant it saw the lightning rabbit, Iceflame Wolf decided to make it its lunch.

"Oh!"

Before the Ice Flame Wolf could finish off the Lightning Rabbit, the trees nearby suddenly shook, and in an instant, a rain of leaves began to fall on the small clearing.

The sudden change caused the Iceflame Wolf's fur to stand on end. However, before it could even move, a figure suddenly plummeted from mid-air, a fist brimming with ferocious energy smashing down on the Iceflame Wolf's head.

Staring at the fist brimming with ferocious energy, the Ice Flame Wolf opened its fang-filled, menacing maw without hesitation, predictably intending to unleash its innate flames.

But in the next moment, the Ice Flame Wolf's brain suddenly felt as if it had been struck by a giant hammer, and the flames that should have been spat out got stuck in its throat.

However, the Ice Flame Wolf hesitated for a moment, but the fist aimed at its head did not stop at all. In the instant the Ice Flame Wolf paused, it slammed hard into the Ice Flame Wolf's head.

With a muffled groan, the Iceflame Wolf's hard head suddenly exploded, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.

After killing the ten-thousand-year-old Ice Flame Wolf with an Eight Extremes Collapse and a Soul Collision, the figure slightly raised his head, revealing a handsome young face. It was Xiao Yan, who had been staying in the Star Dou Great Forest for two years.

Compared to two years ago, Xiao Yan now exudes a more robust aura, and there's also a faint scent of blood on him. Clearly, his two years living in the primeval forest haven't been easy; at least, he hasn't missed out on any life-or-death battles.

"Teacher, please protect me."

Looking at the black soul ring floating up from the Ice Flame Wolf's body, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly before speaking softly.

"Have you made up your mind?" Yao Lao's figure appeared, but the expression on his face clearly showed his opposition to Xiao Yan absorbing this soul ring. "This Ice Flame Wolf is only a third-tier magical beast. The beast fire obtained from it cannot possibly allow the Burning Technique to evolve."

Judging from the perspective of magical beasts, this ten-thousand-year-old Ice Flame Wolf is only a third-tier beast, and the lowest of the third tier. According to the deduction, if the Burning Technique is to evolve, in addition to a different kind of fire, at least a fifth-tier or higher beast fire is needed.

“I know…” Xiao Yan said, somewhat frustrated, “but it’s probably too late to find a higher-level soul beast with its own natal flame now…”

"I'm starting to lose control of my fighting spirit."

Yao Lao's expression changed slightly. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, he noticed that the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) was more active than usual, which indicated that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had reached the critical point of the next stage.

"Is he about to break through again?"

"Yes, my soul power is almost out of control." Xiao Yan pursed his lips and nodded in distress.

Sensing the active energy in the surrounding world, Yao Lao hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let's absorb it directly... We'll find a better one for the beast fire later."

In the end, Yao Lao could not stop Xiao Yan from absorbing the Ice Flame Wolf's soul ring. He could only stand quietly beside Xiao Yan, feeling the energy of heaven and earth rushing into Xiao Yan's body.

Later, Xiao Yan's surroundings became almost like a black hole, frantically absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, as if trying to drain all the energy within a hundred miles.

During the first month of those two years, Xiao Yan was still cultivating his Dou Qi as usual, until he accidentally discovered that this month of cultivation had allowed him to break through to the fifth level of Dou Zhe.

Breaking through to the fifth star level in just one month, even if it's only the fifth star level of the Dou Zhe stage, is unimaginable—especially since the concentration of the world's energy on this continent is even lower than that of Wutan City.

After learning about this, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao spent a month trying to find out the reason, but they made no progress. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi quietly broke through to the sixth level of Dou Zhe.

Now, the two of them were really panicked. After a brief discussion, Xiao Yan began to use his soul power to suppress the increase in his Dou Qi level. He also devoted all his usual Dou Qi cultivation time to tempering his body. He even started to cause trouble for soul beasts equivalent to first and second tiers, attempting to smooth out the inexplicable increase in Dou Qi through battle.

During this time, he also left the Star Dou Great Forest, wanting to go to the academies in some big cities of the Star Luo Empire to find relevant information. As a result, he found that his wanted posters were plastered all over the streets and alleys, and that he had become a Fallen One for the crime of massacring civilians.

The fact that someone is a Fallen One can actually be proven by themselves, provided that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi level is normal and he hasn't broken through to the sixth star of Dou Zhe in these two months.

Faced with this situation where it was difficult to prove his innocence and he was likely to become an enemy of the world, Xiao Yan had no choice but to retreat to the Star Dou Great Forest and place his hopes on finding the "cause of the disease" himself.

A year ago, Xiao Yan's soul power, which was close to the mid-stage of the mortal realm, could no longer suppress his Dou Qi, which was about to break through to the Dou Shi realm. Without much thought, Xiao Yan killed a nearby bird-type soul beast with both fire and wind attributes and absorbed its soul ring.

Over the course of a year, Xiao Yan confirmed the enhancement effect of the spirit ring on the Xuan Heavy Ruler. Although the enhancement brought by the spirit ring of a hundred-year-old spirit beast was not obvious, it was still possible to deduce that after absorbing the second spirit ring, the feedback from the Xuan Heavy Ruler would be enough to push his spiritual power to the level of the middle stage of the mortal realm.

It was no surprise that a mid-level mortal soul force could limit the Dou Qi level of someone below the Dou Shi level. However, neither Xiao Yan nor Yao Lao expected that in just one year, Xiao Yan would lose control of his Dou Qi again.

"What on earth is going on...?"

Even now, Yao Lao still finds it somewhat ridiculous. If others knew that Xiao Yan was using his soul power to suppress the growth of his fighting spirit, they would probably call him an ungrateful bastard.

"I also want to know what's going on," Xiao Yan muttered as he quietly opened his eyes.

Two years of physical training, along with the silent advancement of soul power to the high level of the mortal realm, meant that the absorption of this soul ring and the breakthrough in battle qi did not cause much of a stir—except for the wildly surging energy of heaven and earth.

"Should I congratulate you on becoming a true Dou Shi?" Yao Lao laughed as he looked at Xiao Yan's sullen face.

"If I had a choice, I would rather not become a Dou Shi." Feeling the Dou Qi within his body failing to give him a sense of fulfilling power, Xiao Yan sighed deeply.

Becoming a Dou Shi means that Xiao Yan is no longer at the lowest level in the Dou Qi Continent. If he were still in the Dou Qi Continent, he would probably be extremely excited. However, unfortunately, in this Douluo Continent, this inexplicable improvement in his realm makes him feel quite apprehensive.

Standing still, Xiao Yan suddenly extended his right palm and clenched it tightly. Instantly, purple Dou Qi appeared on his body. After appearing, the Dou Qi suddenly receded and, in an instant, slowly adhered to the outside of Xiao Yan's clothes, as if forming a layer of Dou Qi defense.

"Purple battle aura..."

Frowning slightly, Yao Lao looked at the wisps of chilling flame rising from the Dou Qi veil summoned by Xiao Yan. "You devoured the beast fire of the Ice Flame Wolf?"

"Hmm, a third-tier beast fire, but the attributes are quite good."

If the ice-attribute flame were a bit stronger, it might become the next Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

Xiao Yan comforted himself in this way while retracting his Dou Qi gauze robe.

"No, what I want to ask is, have you already used the Burning Technique to devour this purple flame?" Yao Lao corrected Xiao Yan's mistake.

"Is there a difference?" Xiao Yan was a little confused. Although he knew a lot about beast fire and strange fire, this was his first time encountering beast fire, and he didn't know the difference between using the Burning Technique to devour it and directly devouring it.

"It looks like he used the Burning Technique to devour the purple flame," Yao Lao said, rubbing his temples with a troubled expression. "Do you know how dangerous it is to devour this kind of beastly fire?"

"Real fire may burn the meridians, and the ferocity of beast fire may erode the mind."

Xiao Yan deduced the first point when he saw that the Burning Technique required the flames to be circulated according to the Burning Technique's energy flow path when it devoured the flames. The second point was a guess based on the description of the beast fire.

"Since you knew, why did you rush to devour it?" It would have been better if Xiao Yan hadn't known the danger involved, but knowing the danger and still doing something so reckless angered Yao Lao.

"You're being irresponsible to yourself!"

In all the years they had spent together, this was the first time Xiao Yan had ever seen Yao Lao get angry. At this moment, he dared not be naughty anymore and obediently accepted Yao Lao's reprimand.

"But, on this continent, there's nothing that can replace the magic core, isn't there?"

After Yao Lao finished his reprimand, Xiao Yan cautiously said, "The Pulse Protection Pill and the Ice Heart Pill require second-tier magic cores of the wood and ice elements, respectively. Although the energy of the spirit ring is similar to that of the magic core, haven't we tested that the spirit ring is a pure energy body? And apart from the martial soul, nothing can attract the spirit ring?"

“…Then you shouldn’t have devoured the purple flame without making any preparations,” Xiao Yan’s words left Yao Lao speechless for a moment. “Even using a medicinal ointment would have been better than making no preparations at all!”

Because no substitute for the magic core can be found, both Xiao Yan and Yao Lao can only refine the medicine in its most basic state. To make it easier to carry and preserve, they will evaporate the water to make it into a dry form. When needed, they will add an appropriate amount of water to make it into a paste.

However, it's uncertain whether the ointment without a magic core will be effective.

“But there were no surprises this time, were there?” Xiao Yan said awkwardly.

"Sigh, be more careful next time." Faced with this situation where there was no rice to cook, Yao Lao could only smile helplessly and remind Xiao Yan to be more careful next time.

"Someone is approaching this way, be careful."

Just as the old apothecary was about to give a few more words of advice, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he transformed into a stream of light, returning to the ring.

"There's someone here?" Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. In any case, this place had already been a habitat for ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. Anyone who approached this area alone would have to be at least a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Saint.

With the wind attribute granted by his second spirit ring, and the movement techniques taught by Yao Lao, Xiao Yan was confident he could avoid those approaching, but...

Xiao Yan unleashed his soul power, and after detecting a human figure within its maximum range, his eyes flickered slightly—