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

Noticing the expression on Xiao Yan's face, Yao Lao asked with some curiosity.

"No... how should I put it... I guess it was a success?" Xiao Yan's expression was strange, and he didn't know how to describe his current feelings.

About an hour ago, Xiao Yan prepared to attempt to become a Dou Zhe, mainly preparing for failure. After all, according to Yao Lao, although his Dou Qi was at the tenth level, it had a noticeable "floating" feel to it.

While it might be a bit far-fetched to say that he's only at the Dou Qi stage, there doesn't seem to be a more suitable adjective. In short, it's highly likely that his breakthrough this time will fail.

"Why use words like 'should'?" Yao Lao rolled his eyes. "Can't you feel the fighting spirit vortex within your body?"

"It's precisely because we can sense it that we use 'should'..." Xiao Yan muttered softly, "Ahem, teacher, normally speaking, the initial size of the Dou Qi vortex..."

"When you look inside your head, the size of the fighting energy vortex you feel should be about the size of a fist, right?"

"Um... how should I put it..."

Upon hearing this question, Yao Lao was momentarily speechless. His own Dou Zhe stage was a hundred years ago, and he had naturally forgotten the size of the initial Qi vortex. When teaching students, he wouldn't specifically look at the size of the Dou Qi vortex when he was still a Dou Zhe.

“When I broke through to the Dou Zhe realm before, the size of my Dou Qi vortex was about the size of a fist,” Xiao Yan noticed Yao Lao’s embarrassment and subtly changed the subject, “But this time…”

"No matter how you look at it, it's only the size of a longan."

"The size of a longan..." Yao Lao frowned unconsciously. Although he didn't remember the size of his original Dou Zhi Qi vortex, it couldn't possibly be only the size of a longan.

"Relax your mind."

Yao Lao reached out and grabbed Xiao Yan's right arm.

"okay."

As Xiao Yan responded, powerful soul force erupted from Yao Lao's body and then slowly entered Xiao Yan's body.

More than ten minutes later, Yao Lao withdrew his soul power and released his grip on Xiao Yan's right arm. However, the strange expression that had been on Xiao Yan's face earlier also appeared on Yao Lao's face.

"How is it? Is there a problem?" Xiao Yan asked cautiously.

"This is the first time I've ever heard of such a situation..." Elder Yao said with distress, "It is indeed a complete battle vortex, without any problems... except for its size."

"Is it because the energy of heaven and earth on this continent is insufficient?"

"If it's really not enough, then your breakthrough this time should be considered a failure, not a failure where there are no problems except for the size of the battle vortex."

Yao Lao directly refuted Xiao Yan's guess.

"Then... it can't be because I haven't absorbed my spirit ring yet and am not used to the conditions of this continent, right?"

"...It's hard to say, after all, your situation with the Dou Qi vortex is unprecedented." Yao Lao didn't dare to completely deny Xiao Yan's second guess.

"Then...shall we go get our first spirit ring now?"

Although that shiny spirit ring looked silly during battle.

It's really silly that the spirit ring flashes when you use a spirit skill.

However, Xiao Yan still had considerable enthusiasm for this novel thing!

Of course, it would be even better if this spirit ring could really strengthen the Xuanzhong Ruler!

"you sure?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's eagerness to try, Yao Lao put aside his doubts about the battle qi vortex and asked a question in return with a cheerful smile.

Of course!

"Really?" the old medicine master asked again.

"certainly?"

"Are you sure you don't want to think about what else you might have forgotten?" Yao Lao reminded Xiao Yan, whose voice was getting softer and softer and whose tone was becoming increasingly unconfident.

"No...right?" Xiao Yan blinked. "No, cultivation techniques!"

Finally, under Yao Lao's persistent questioning, Xiao Yan remembered what he had forgotten.

"Ahem," Xiao Yan coughed lightly, then suddenly a fawning look appeared on his face. He stretched out his hand and said somewhat shyly, "Teacher, you see, I've already reached the Dou Zhe level. Shouldn't you give me a Dou Qi cultivation technique?"

Although it was Yao Lao who reminded Xiao Yan to choose a cultivation method, he suddenly fell silent when Xiao Yan actually stretched out his hand in front of him.

After pondering for a while, Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan with a solemn expression: "What kind of cultivation technique do you want?"

"Ahem, it's... it's that thing that's even weirder than a Heavenly Rank cultivation technique, the one that can evolve." Xiao Yan scratched the back of his head and said awkwardly.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, a strange expression flashed across Yao Lao's face, and he unexpectedly fell silent.

"Teacher, what's wrong? Could it be that you tricked me with that cultivation technique?" Looking at Yao Lao's expression, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask somewhat nervously.

"That cultivation technique can indeed evolve; I wasn't lying to you about that," Elder Yao said softly.

Upon hearing Yao Lao's renewed admission, Xiao Yan's face lit up with joy. He rubbed his hands together and cautiously asked, "Then can I cultivate?"

"This technique is extremely strange. It's true that it can lead to evolution, but the danger level is extremely high!"

After another long silence, the old doctor sighed.

Xiao Yan felt uneasy at Yao Lao's appearance, so he slowly withdrew his hand and asked timidly, "How tall?"

With a wry smile, Yao Lao shook his head and said helplessly, "Since I obtained this technique, I have never seen or heard of anyone practicing it. Therefore, I do not know the real answer. However, based on my experience of living for so long, the success rate of mastering this strange technique to its peak seems to be no more than 20%."

"Twenty percent?" Xiao Yan's face stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh. "It can't be that low, can it?"

With a sigh and a bitter expression, the old apothecary said, "I'm afraid it really is only this low."

"After all... its evolution condition is to devour different flames."

A strange fire?

Xiao Yan's face stiffened. Devouring strange fire to evolve? Are you sure you don't want him to be the fuel for the strange fire?

"So... do you really want to cultivate this technique?" Looking at Xiao Yan's stiff face, Yao Lao hesitated for a moment before asking.

Xiao Yan pursed his lips and fell silent.

During the seven or eight years they spent together, Xiao Yan had also guessed about Yao Lao's identity. From Yao Lao's occasional slips of the tongue and various collections, Xiao Yan felt that Yao Lao was at least a Dou Zong level expert before his death.

Thinking back to our first meeting, he mentioned this special cultivation technique because of a casual remark he made, and now he seems unwilling to practice it himself...

"Teacher, this cultivation technique must be very important to you, right?"

While Yao Lao was considering whether to use the mysterious girl 'Xiao Xun'er' as bait, Xiao Yan suddenly asked softly.

"..."

Xiao Yan's question surprised Yao Lao. After a brief hesitation, he nodded and said somewhat awkwardly, "From my perspective, I really hope you can cultivate this Burning Technique... which is the cultivation method that can evolve."

"You should know that I'm currently only in a soul state, right?" Yao Lao asked, shrugging.

Xiao Yan nodded.

"In my current state, according to common sense, I should be dead. However, because my soul power is much stronger than that of ordinary people, I have survived in this strange way..." Yao Lao smiled self-deprecatingly, with a hint of bitterness in his smile.

“I don’t like this illusory life. I have some things that I have to do personally, so I need to get out of this spiritual state.”

"Teacher wants to be resurrected?" Xiao Yan blinked, astonished. "There doesn't seem to be anything in this world that can bring the dead back to life, does there?"

"Under normal circumstances, that is indeed the case."

Nodding, Yao Lao's eyes subtly hardened: "However, according to some cryptic descriptions in the 'Burning Technique,' if one successfully cultivates it, it seems possible to use several different kinds of strange fires that work together to forge a body capable of housing a soul. At that time, possessing a new body, I could be considered to have undergone another kind of rebirth..."

"I've endured so many years in that endless darkness within the ring, hoping one day to meet someone whose soul power meets the requirements. I'm lucky; I finally met you." A barely perceptible sadness was hidden on the old man's withered face.

Looking at Xiao Yan, whose dark eyes were fixed on him, Yao Lao smiled bitterly and said, "Hehe, just take these words as idle chatter from this old man..."

Shaking his head self-deprecatingly, Yao Lao stretched out his withered palms, and with a slight shake of his hands, two somewhat illusory scrolls, one black and one red, appeared on his palms.

"The red scroll is a low-level earth-rank fire-attribute cultivation technique, and the black scroll is the 'Burning Technique'," Yao Lao smiled and waved his hand, his withered old face softening slightly. He said softly, "You can choose for yourself. Consider your own factors. As long as you remember, no matter what you choose, you will be my disciple, and I will not blame you for it."

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yan reached out and grabbed the black scroll.

"There are still more than six years before I can go back," Xiao Yan said softly while sensing the contents of the Burning Technique. "Even if I cultivate a low-level Yellow Rank technique, I'll still have the strength of a Dou Shi by then, right?"

"Once we get back, we'll go find a different kind of flame. If we can't evolve it, we can always try another one... that's perfectly fine too."

After fully explaining his reasons for choosing the Burning Technique to Yao Lao, Xiao Yan sat down cross-legged and began to transform his Dou Qi.

Inside the narrow cave, Yao Lao watched Xiao Yan, who was closing his eyes to transform his Dou Qi. He rubbed his reddened eyes, knowing that Xiao Yan's choice of this dangerous technique was partly due to his own reasons. A warmth welled up in his aged heart, and he sighed softly, murmuring:

"Don't worry, I will definitely train you to become the most outstanding alchemist..."

The first transformation of Dou Qi doesn't take too long, so just two hours later, Xiao Yan, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.

After practicing the Dou Qi technique, Xiao Yan seemed to be more energetic than before. His delicate face glowed with a warm, jade-like luster, and he looked very spirited.

Blinking, Xiao Yan looked at the cave, which seemed much brighter, and smiled slightly. He knew that this was due to the enhanced senses brought about by cultivating the technique.

"Did you succeed?" the old medicine master asked with a smile.

"Hmm." Nodding, Xiao Yan stretched out his fair palm, and a light yellow Dou Qi quickly flowed out from the pale yellow vortex in his body, finally settling on the acupoint on his palm.

Pale yellow is the signature color of low-level fire-attribute techniques of the yellow rank. The higher the level of the fighting spirit technique, the darker the color.

Looking at the yellow light emanating from the Weibo on his palm, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and pretended to be sad, saying, "Before the Burning Technique evolved, my Dou Qi cultivation method was the lowest level. Any peer who cultivated normally must have a much stronger cultivation method than me!"

While speaking, he would occasionally glance at Yao Lao's expression, as if he wanted "benefits" but didn't want to say it outright.

Seeing Xiao Yan's appearance, Yao Lao, who knew his personality very well, shook his head helplessly. "Alright, alright, once you've fully mastered the Eight Extremes Collapse, I'll teach you new fighting techniques. Don't you know the principle of 'don't bite off more than you can chew'?"

"Being greedy requires having a lot of it first..."

Xiao Yan muttered to himself, "Since I started to sense the Dou Qi, the only Dou Technique I've ever practiced is the Eight Extremes Collapse!"

"What? You don't want it?"

"No, no, I just wanted to ask what level it is," Xiao Yan licked his lips and asked awkwardly.

"It won't be lower than the Eight Extremes Collapse."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's face lit up with joy. The Eight Extremes Collapse was a high-level Xuan-rank fighting technique. The only thing higher than it was the Di-rank, and he had never dared to even think about Di-rank fighting techniques before!

"Wait, where are you going?" Seeing Xiao Yan walking out of the cave with a silly grin on his face, Yao Lao hurriedly called out to him.

"Huh? Go kill a hundred-year-old soul beast to absorb its soul ring."

Xiao Yan found it somewhat strange.

"Just pick any one?" the old herbalist asked.

"Oh, not really. We'll probably find an earth or metal elemental soul beast. Regardless of whether it can strengthen the Xuan Heavy Ruler, at least these two elements won't have such a significant weakening effect on it."

Xiao Yan hadn't been wasting his time taking the courses at the Soul Master Academy over the past two years. Although a hundred-year-old soul beast was at most a first-tier magical beast, he still didn't know if the soul ring would have any effect on the Xuan Heavy Ruler, so his first soul ring naturally had to be chosen based on 'common sense'.