Bab 9: Chapter 9: Yao Lao, Overstuffed

"Dou Qi Foundation Building Technique," divided into two cultivation modes:

Passive Cultivation Mode: Can automatically cultivate while walking, sitting, or lying down. The Dou Qi absorbed and refined is purer than that of the "Dou Qi Breathing Technique," and the speed increases by 50%, enhancing the expansion and strengthening of the meridians.

Active Cultivation Mode: Practiced in a cross-legged posture with specific hand seals. When actively urged by the practitioner, the cultivation speed is doubled compared to the "Dou Qi Breathing Technique," further enhancing the expansion and strengthening of the meridians.

Xiao Yan smiled slightly; indeed, his comprehension was extraordinary! Knowing that the Dou Qi within him was about to be devoured, he certainly couldn't just wait around. Enhancing the cultivation effects of the "Dou Qi Breathing Technique" was absolutely necessary. He was no longer the ignorant child he once was when it came to cultivation.

Having mastered some knowledge of cultivation and focused on practicing the "Dou Qi Breathing Technique" for years, he had even created this method himself. In terms of Dou Qi cultivation alone, not even the Dou Emperor experts could match Xiao Yan's experience. This was because those Dou Emperor experts were all astonishingly talented and could never focus solely on Dou Qi cultivation for years like Xiao Yan had. Additionally, the comprehension of those Dou Emperor experts wasn't on par with Xiao Yan's, creating an even greater gap. Xiao Yan's exceptional talent, if quantified, would be at least N+1 levels higher than those top-tier experts—a truly pinnacle level of comprehension.

"Hehe, time to experience being a Dou Practitioner," Yao Lao chuckled. The Bone Flame Ring he resided in flickered with a white light and immediately began to devour Xiao Yan's power. The Dou Qi vortex within Xiao Yan suddenly poured out wildly, causing his eyebrows to twitch as he snapped back from his moment of enlightenment with the "Dou Qi Foundation Building Technique."

Changing his hand seals, Xiao Yan immediately began cultivating this new technique. In an instant, boundless energy from the heavens and earth surged around Xiao Yan, becoming denser and denser. Such energy was enough for a person with nine stages of Dou Qi to break through and become a Dou Practitioner. Xiao Yan welcomed it all, his body like a bottomless black hole, absorbing and refining everything that came.

Absorbing the pure Dou Qi, Yao Lao's severely injured soul finally began to recover. Sensing the endless Dou Qi within Xiao Yan, Yao Lao, now healing and feeling much better, was startled by the sudden change. He had practically watched Xiao Yan grow up and knew his physique was extraordinary. Such a talent could become a master even if he cultivated a low-level yellow-rank technique.

The cultivation techniques on the Dou Qi Continent were not gifts from the heavens but were created by the astonishingly talented predecessors using their own comprehension. Xiao Yan was precisely this kind of genius! "Could it be that my act of absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi further stimulated his physique?"

Yao Lao, as the top alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent, was well-versed in all matters. Among the terrifying physiques on the continent, the Calamity Poison Body could only be activated after consuming poison. Xiao Yan's physique was several times stronger than that of the Calamity Poison Body. Who knew what changes his physique would undergo now? Yao Lao hesitated briefly, then accelerated his devouring of the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan.

At this moment, the energy gathered around Xiao Yan's body was overwhelmingly terrifying, far surpassing the energy typically gathered by practitioners using ordinary Dou techniques. Dou Qi's current stage focused on expanding and strengthening the meridians, emphasizing not the speed of absorbing energy but enhancing one's foundation, which was far from cultivating Dou techniques that involved condensing a Dou Qi vortex. Xiao Yan was now practically cultivating at the level of a yellow-rank technique! If Yao Lao didn't speed up his devouring, he feared Xiao Yan might explode from the overwhelming energy.

Noticing another significant surge of Dou Qi loss, Xiao Yan, now adept at his new cultivation method, increased his speed even further. Earlier, he had been unfamiliar with cultivating the "Dou Qi Foundation Building Technique" for the first time. Endless energy from heaven and earth rushed in; even a Dou Practitioner's advancement was nothing compared to this.

Yao Lao was stunned, ready to go all out in devouring the energy, only to be shocked to find that the massive influx of energy into Xiao Yan's body was rapidly being refined into the purest Dou Qi. This Dou Qi didn't rampage through Xiao Yan's meridians but slowly merged into them. After expanding the meridians, the energy then nourished Xiao Yan's bones, strengthening his flesh and cells.

Such energy absorption would be normal for a Dou Practitioner cultivating a profound-rank technique. Yet, this was the most fundamental Dou Qi cultivation. Despite Yao Lao's soul body continuously absorbing, Xiao Yan could feel his strength steadily declining. The Dou Qi vortex disappeared, falling to nine stages of Dou Qi... eight stages... seven stages... six stages...

Stopped? Maintaining the perfected "Dou Qi Foundation Building Technique," Xiao Yan couldn't help but be a bit surprised. Only at six stages of Dou Qi? Why didn't Yao Lao absorb more? Yao Lao would have liked to reduce Xiao Yan to three stages of Dou Qi, but he was no longer the mighty Yao Zun who once dominated the Dou Qi Continent. He was now a near-vanishing remnant soul.

Xiao Yan's terrifying physique contained far more Dou Qi than an average person, and while he absorbed, a large amount of energy from the heavens and earth kept replenishing him. If he continued absorbing, his remnant soul wouldn't be able to bear it. He needed to absorb slowly. To put it plainly, Yao Lao was now overstuffed.

Xiao Yan sighed as he got up, feigning disappointment over a failed breakthrough. Calming his emotions slightly, he quietly slipped out of the small courtyard. Age four was a crucial milestone; it was time to nourish the meridians! It was already late at night. Even though the Xiao family had hidden guards, Xiao Yan could detect them in advance with his powerful soul perception.

Leaving the courtyard, Xiao Yan casually held a piece of grass in his mouth as he strolled leisurely down the quiet path. Everything was beginning to fall into place; he just had to wait for Yao Lao to recover completely. The Dou Qi that Yao Lao had absorbed wasn't for nothing. Not only would it help Yao Lao heal his injuries, but it would also restore his soul power to its peak. By then, though Yao Lao would still be a soul body, his strength would make the likes of Yun Shan and Wu Protector nothing more than a joke.

Moreover, the expansion and strengthening of Dou Qi could continuously enhance the body's physical attributes, making future devouring of the Heavenly Flames far less painful. The cool night breeze brought a sense of clarity to Xiao Yan's mind. He paused slightly, muttering to himself, "If I only use Dou Qi to nourish the meridians, wouldn't that be wasting my unparalleled comprehension?"

(End of Chapter)