Chapter 6: The Eight Extremes Collapse

After leaving the White Tiger Duke's estate, Xiao Yan continued northward, heading toward the Star Dou Forest. The road was straight, and he walked quickly along its edge.

As he traveled, Xiao Yan's sharp gaze took in his surroundings. Ever since his Spirit Eyes martial spirit had awakened, his vision was far superior to ordinary people's; up close, he could see details invisible to most, and from a distance, he could see twice as far as a regular person.

In the categorization of martial spirits, there was a minor classification that belonged to neither beast nor tool spirits, known as body spirits. Upon awakening, these spirits were part of the body itself, such as hands, feet, or eyes.

Nearly all body spirits were powerful, but they were also exceedingly rare, making them highly valued whenever they appeared. However, Xiao Yan's Spirit Eyes martial spirit was an exception.

The Spirit Eyes martial spirit belonged to the mental category, and when he awakened it, his innate soul power was only at level three. Much of that was due to his previous cultivation of Dou Qi; otherwise, his innate soul power would have been even lower.

Time passed quickly, and soon, under a dark night sky, a crescent moon hung alone, casting cold, clear light upon the land.

In a forest in the northern part of the Star Luo Empire, a small campfire flickered gently, bringing a touch of warmth to the quiet night.

Beside the fire, a black-robed boy leaned against a tree trunk, a stick in his hand, absentmindedly poking at the flames as they crackled.

Counting today, Xiao Yan had been traveling for five days since leaving Star Luo City.

"We've been on the road for five days now; we should be close to the Star Dou Forest." Xiao Yan took a parchment map from his coat and spread it out. After comparing it with the mountains flanking the road, he concluded that the forest was not far off.

"So, any progress in your Dou Qi cultivation these past few days?" the elderly voice sounded from the ring on Xiao Yan's finger.

"Still nothing. It seems I'll have to wait until I obtain a spirit ring and break through the martial spirit bottleneck to figure out what's causing the issue," Xiao Yan said, sounding frustrated.

"With my strong soul perception, I sense that this world is influenced by a powerful force—likely the world's natural rules. Just as you gained a martial spirit, something you didn't have on the Dou Qi Continent, when you arrived here," Yao Lao explained.

"In other words, until you grow significantly stronger, you're bound to follow this world's set rules for cultivation."

Xiao Yan nodded, a wry smile on his lips. "Master, I must say, compared to the Dou Qi Continent, this world falls quite short."

Yao Lao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Indeed, this world is lacking compared to the Dou Qi Continent. You're feeling the suppression of this world's rules largely because only your soul crossed over. Your current body is still of this world."

"Moreover, when you crossed over, your cultivation level was low—barely at the third stage of Dou Qi. If your soul strength had been like mine, you wouldn't be constrained by the world's rules, and your martial spirit might have evolved into something entirely new."

"Master, I'm curious. What is your current strength?" Xiao Yan asked, intrigued.

Yao Lao chuckled, glancing at the curious expression on Xiao Yan's face. "Though my soul was badly damaged when we crossed into this world, with my current strength, defeating an average Titled Douluo wouldn't take me more than ten moves."

"Wow, that powerful?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in astonishment. In his understanding, a Titled Douluo was the pinnacle of power in this world, yet Yao Lao claimed he could defeat one effortlessly in ten moves.

"Master, since you're so formidable, and we're about to enter the Star Dou Forest to hunt spirit beasts, aren't you going to teach me some Dou Techniques?" Xiao Yan smirked, giving Yao Lao a sly look as he extended his hand.

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Yao Lao smiled and shook his head. "Fine, since I've taken you as my disciple, I'll teach you a Dou Technique so you won't end up as spirit beast fodder."

Xiao Yan's spirit lifted, eager to see what kind of technique his mysterious teacher would impart.

"Your Dou Qi is currently at the fifth stage, so I'll start with a Profound-tier attack technique. Its requirements aren't too high, so with your current strength, you should be able to use it effectively," Yao Lao said.

"Thank you, Master!" Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with excitement. A Profound-tier technique was more than he'd hoped for.

"Xiao Yan, close your eyes and focus. I'll transfer it to you now." With a simple command, Yao Lao reached out, pressing a finger lightly against Xiao Yan's forehead. A sharp pain flared briefly in Xiao Yan's mind as an influx of information flooded his consciousness, making his head feel as if it were about to burst.

"Eight Extremes Collapse: Advanced Profound-tier Dou Technique, a close-combat skill known for its formidable offensive power. When mastered, each strike contains eight layers of energy, stacking to produce a force comparable to an Earth-tier low-level technique."

As the initial surge of information subsided, Xiao Yan carefully absorbed the knowledge Yao Lao had imparted, then inhaled sharply, his face turning serious. "Master, this is an Advanced Profound-tier technique. How does it compare to the spirit skills of this world?"

"Spirit skills?" Yao Lao laughed. "There's no comparison. Skills obtained by hunting spirit beasts can hardly stand beside Dou Techniques. Comparing them would be like comparing stars to the moon."

The night continued, the moon shining brightly amid a sky full of stars.

---

The next day.

Under the scorching sun, the earth cracked in places from the intense heat. A solitary figure, a black-robed boy, walked steadily along the wide dirt road.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Xiao Yan stepped into the woods along the roadside, finding a patch of shade under a tree where he intended to meditate and recover. Suddenly, a flash of pink darted past him, causing Xiao Yan to jump with excitement.

"A rabbit!" Seeing the pink figure, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled a short blade from his waist. The blade was about a foot long, sheathed in dark green leather, crafted from tough hide.

This blade, called the White Tiger Dagger, was the only memento left to Xiao Yan by his mother before she passed.

Slowly drawing the blade from its sheath without a sound, he approached the pink rabbit. His Spirit Eyes activated, his vision sharpening as he aimed and threw the dagger like a bolt of lightning.

Every detail in his sight magnified, and the world around him seemed to slow.

In the next instant, the dagger struck the rabbit, piercing cleanly through it. Xiao Yan walked over quickly, picking the rabbit up by its ears and murmuring, "It's a Soft-Boned Rabbit spirit beast, barely ten years old…"

"Finally, some meat! Now, should I roast it… or prepare it some other way?"

"I can't let the head go to waste. This calls for some spicy rabbit head, haha."

With the White Tiger Dagger's sharp edge, skinning and gutting the rabbit was easy. In less than fifteen minutes, Xiao Yan had the Soft-Boned Rabbit prepared and had gathered branches to build a small fire.

Before long, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air as the rabbit turned a golden color, with droplets of golden oil slowly dripping off.

"Smells amazing!"

"Wow, roasted rabbit! My favorite!"

At that moment, a clear, pleasant voice rang out, making Xiao Yan pause.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw two people approaching from the road. Leading them was a girl around fifteen or sixteen with long hair tied back in a ponytail, large and lively phoenix eyes, a pert nose, and a nearly perfect oval face.

Dressed in light blue, she exuded youthful energy.

Behind her was a boy about the same age.