*Chapter 18: Epiphany and Advancement, Eight Extremes Sky Cannon*

Yao Lao added, "After entering this Magical Beast Mountain Range, besides searching for herbs and magic cores, I will guide you on what to obtain."

"Everything else will depend on you. Unless you are in a life-or-death situation, I won't intervene."

Xiao Yan moved his wrists and walked into the forest ahead, not the least bit surprised by Yao Lao's words. He knew it would be like this.

Within the forest lay a large clearing where a giant leopard, its body ablaze with fiery red fur, rested.

The leopard was robust, its fiery red fur glistening in the sunlight like a burning flame. Its bulging muscles highlighted the beast's terrifying strength.

"You just walked right in?" Yao Lao, who had returned to the Bone Flame Ring, spoke in surprise.

"It's just a small leopard. I prefer to get straight to the point!" Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings and quickly spotted the two herbs Yao Lao had mentioned.

"Blazing Fire Grass and Sunflower, both seem to be around 30 to 50 years old. These two herbs alone would sell for at least a thousand to two thousand gold coins in the market. If I had to buy all the materials I need, I couldn't afford it."

Xiao Yan, knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, instantly recognized the value of the two plants and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Roar~!" Sensing an uninvited guest evaluating its precious treasures, the Blazing Flame Leopard furiously opened its eyes, which resembled two burning flames.

"You better take care of yourself. This Blazing Flame Leopard is incredibly fast, and some rare ones even possess the ability of bloodline frenzy. Once they use it, their already swift speed increases further, and their strength also amplifies."

With a chuckle, Yao Lao fell silent inside the Bone Flame Ring.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan suddenly stamped his foot onto the ground, unleashing a tremendous force that caused the earth to sink three inches, cracks spreading rapidly.

With a thunderous sound, Xiao Yan shot forward like a cannonball, turning into a black blur as he rushed toward the Blazing Flame Leopard, which was several times larger than himself. His fist glowed with a dense yellow light. "Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Though Yao Lao claimed he wouldn't interfere, he was secretly observing Xiao Yan's surroundings through the Bone Flame Ring.

Such incredible speed! If it weren't for the Heavy Xuan Ruler suppressing his movement, this Blazing Flame Leopard wouldn't even know how it died.

The leopard, just getting up, was utterly unprepared for such speed from a mere human.

But it was no weakling. Flames surged around its body, muscles swelling to an exaggerated extent as its fur glowed bright red.

Turning its massive body ninety degrees, the Blazing Flame Leopard dodged Xiao Yan's strike. Its thick tail swung behind it like a flaming whip, producing a sharp cracking sound as it aimed viciously at Xiao Yan's face.

Xiao Yan's sharp soul perception constantly scanned his surroundings, allowing him to detect every move of the Blazing Flame Leopard.

From a young age, Xiao Yan's soul strength was far superior to that of ordinary people. After cultivating techniques that further enhanced his soul power, he had nearly reached the level of Mortal Realm Low Grade.

Though the Mortal Realm Low Grade was just the most basic soul realm, it surpassed over ninety percent of the alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent.

Many alchemists would go their entire lives without understanding the concept of soul realms.

Xiao Yan twisted his body sharply, his right elbow striking out with a sharp whistling sound. "Hidden Force!"

His elbow heavily struck the Blazing Flame Leopard's fiery red body, producing a booming sound that echoed through the forest like thunder.

A force akin to overturning mountains surged forth, sending the Blazing Flame Leopard flying and raising a cloud of dust.

Bang! Bang!

Two consecutive muffled sounds rang out in the dust cloud, originating from within the Blazing Flame Leopard's body, before it crashed heavily into an ancient tree.

The entire forest seemed to tremble, and the air was filled with the smell of burning flames.

Bang!

A third muffled sound followed, softer than the previous two, yet powerful enough to make the ancient tree sway.

Yao Lao was startled. "His understanding of the Eight Extremes Collapse has deepened, three layers of hidden force!"

However, there was still some distance between the strikes, giving the Blazing Flame Leopard time to neutralize them. Yao Lao felt slightly regretful, but considering Xiao Yan had only been practicing the Eight Extremes Collapse for a single day, his progress was nothing short of miraculous.

"Phew~" Xiao Yan exhaled a breath of stale air. This low-grade Yellow Rank technique, Burning Art, sure had limited Dou Qi.

He already had an idea to fix this flaw, but it would require some time to implement.

Suddenly, the air vibrated as a blinding flame appeared within the dust cloud. A wave of heat surged out, dispersing the dust.

"Careful, it's going berserk!" Yao Lao warned.

At this moment, the Blazing Flame Leopard's entire body blazed more intensely as if it had set itself on fire. Its eyes glowed like two crimson lanterns, and even its breath spouted flames.

One could clearly see that its left hind leg was bloodied, revealing bone white as cracks spread across it, as if it might shatter at any moment. This was evidently Xiao Yan's handiwork.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. That previous strike had landed on the Blazing Flame Leopard's hind leg. The force was indeed impressive but not fatal, especially against a magical beast with such a formidable physique.

*[Through your mastery of the Eight Extremes Collapse and Hidden Force, you have gained an epiphany. You have comprehended the battle technique, "Eight Extremes Sky Cannon."]*

*[Eight Extremes Sky Cannon: Combines all layers of hidden force into a single blast. The power of the eight combined forces is enough to rival a low-tier Earth Rank battle technique.]*

Xiao Yan's mouth curved into a smile. Heaven-defying comprehension wasn't limited to meditation and reflection; real combat could also activate his miraculous insight.

Having practiced the Eight Extremes Collapse a few times already, his exceptional comprehension enabled him to break through the limitation of force intervals in a small but crucial way.

Facing this kind of severe injury for the first time, the Blazing Flame Leopard was not only physically berserk but also mentally enraged.

Rage overshadowed the pain in its body, driving it into a frenzied attack.

Despite its severely injured hind leg, the berserk state still granted it even more speed than before.

With a roar, a fiery flash resembling a crimson lightning bolt charged at Xiao Yan, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

Xiao Yan felt a wave of heat rushing toward him. His pitch-black eyes locked onto the Blazing Flame Leopard, and he swung his fist with all his might, aiming straight for the leopard's biting head. "Eight Extremes... Sky Cannon!"

All three layers of hidden force converged into a single strike, as Xiao Yan channeled every ounce of his Dou Qi in a torrent.

The Blazing Flame Leopard's eyes widened in disbelief. It had already gone berserk, its speed enhanced further. How could this human's attack still be one step ahead?

*(End of Chapter)*