Chapter 26: Epiphany During Battle*

As Xiao Yan let out a low shout, the flame mark at the center of his brows suddenly surged with energy.

A blazing red light emanated from his forehead, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan seemed to be covered in a faint red layer of energy.

The red glow flashed and was absorbed into Xiao Yan's body. The crimson energy coat became faint and translucent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

Pure Dou Qi flowed through his body, bringing new strength to Xiao Yan's exhausted frame.

With a heavy stomp on the ground, a burst of counterforce shot through his wrist. Leveraging this strength, the Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hand swept out with tremendous force.

The five mercenaries had not anticipated that Xiao Yan, seemingly at the end of his strength, would suddenly gain an even more powerful force. They were instantly blown back as if caught in a violent storm.

"Dou Qi Garment, a Dou Master?!" a middle-aged mercenary exclaimed in horror, as if he had seen a wild beast.

He Meng was momentarily stunned, but having just been deceived, his mind now worked more nimbly. With a slap to the mercenary's face, he roared in anger:

"Dou Qi Garment is the standard preliminary action of any Dou Master before a fight. If this kid was a Dou Master, he would have used it long ago; there's no need to wait until he's cornered. Moreover, how could someone this young possibly be a Dou Master? Did he start cultivating in the womb?"

The middle-aged mercenary had no words in response; something indeed seemed off.

He Meng analyzed with his experience, "This must be some secret technique that sacrifices life force to gain power. It won't last long."

"Form up! Drag him to death!" He Meng became increasingly excited. Just how many treasures did this black-robed youth carry?!

Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind, "Your second Dou Qi whirlpool is impressive. It instantly replenished the Dou Qi you consumed. You're currently just a Dou Zhe. If you reach the Dou Master or even Great Dou Master level in the future, and can keep using this, you'll have a huge advantage in battle."

Having used his own creation in combat, Xiao Yan did not immediately attack again. Instead, he took the opportunity to feel the difference between theory and practice.

What that mercenary said had some truth. After unleashing the Flame Seal, a layer of Dou Qi similar to a Dou Qi Garment indeed appeared on his body. However, due to his low Dou Qi reserves, it had little power. If his Dou Qi increased in the future, it might exhibit effects surpassing the Dou Qi Garment.

Yao Lao gave a final stern reminder, "The remaining six mercenaries aren't pushovers. Don't let your guard down at the last moment."

Seeing the six mercenaries lined up in a single file, Xiao Yan roughly understood their intention. It was indeed a relatively safe response in their current situation.

"Let's give it a try!" Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan gripped the Xuan Heavy Ruler and dashed forward.

Moving as fast as a phantom, He Meng could only rely on his keen instincts to preemptively counter, "Huang Tier Advanced Dou Technique, Rock Crystal Gauntlets!"

His fists slowly spread open in front of him. As he tensed his legs, the hair on his head stood on end. A pale Dou Qi flashed rapidly in his eyes.

Pale muscles bulged continuously, and a fierce force quickly gathered in his large, sandbag-sized fists. Under the pale Dou Qi's influence, his hands appeared to be covered with a layer of crystalline gloves.

At the instant He Meng completed his Dou Technique, Xiao Yan had already arrived within three feet of him. With a heavy step on the ground, the Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hand was raised high above his head and came crashing down toward He Meng.

Sensing the incoming force, He Meng immediately raised his arms to block.

He Meng felt an unstoppable force transmit through his fists and into his entire body. The ground beneath his feet sank, and cracks rapidly spread outwards.

This force surged forward like a storm, subjecting He Meng's body to an unprecedented impact. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to stabilize himself, tightening his fists to fully unleash the power of his crystal gloves.

While they were locked in a stalemate, two mercenaries armed with iron spears from behind He Meng thrust forward. Wind-element Dou Techniques accelerated their strikes, aiming directly at Xiao Yan's shoulders.

The Xuan Heavy Ruler in Xiao Yan's hand swiftly shifted direction, deflecting the attacks with two crisp clangs. The ruler's heavy blade acted like a thick shield, blocking the lethal assault yet again.

Using the mercenaries' attack momentum, Xiao Yan gracefully retreated more than ten meters away.

Seeing Xiao Yan being forced back, He Meng smiled triumphantly, like a hunter closing in on his prey.

"More than twenty of my Wolf Head mercenaries died at your hands. You should be proud. But even if you're a Dou Master, don't think you can break through my formation!"

Such solid Dou Techniques! Xiao Yan stared at He Meng's slightly dim hands in astonishment.

"Don't think you're invincible just because you're a prodigy. Others have been cultivating for twenty to thirty years more than you," Yao Lao chuckled, analyzing, "With this man leading, unless you can blitz through all six of them in one move, it's going to be a bitter struggle."

"No need for such hassle." Slowly closing his eyes, Xiao Yan quickly reviewed the day's combat experiences in his mind. A spark of insight suddenly expanded within him.

*[You have used your Eight Extremities Sky Cannon experience to derive a new Dou Technique: Stellar Transformation – Wolf Fang Breaks the Void!]*

**[Stellar Transformation: The eight meridians converge into a Qi whirlpool, focusing your intent like a mountain. Once activated, it concentrates all your power into a single point, executing a burst assault. This technique forsakes defense for all-out offense, striking first to gain the upper hand.

Specific Move: Wolf Fang Breaks the Void!]**

Xiao Yan abruptly opened his eyes. His body slightly lowered as Dou Qi surged out like tidal waves, surrounding him in a glittering star-like glow.

The Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hand instantly became the center of a storm, as Dou Qi converged upon it, shining like brilliant stars in the night.

With Dou Qi rapidly gathering into the ruler, Xiao Yan focused his strength. With a swoosh, like an arrow leaving the bowstring, he shot toward He Meng at lightning speed, leaving an afterimage behind.

"Stellar Transformation: Wolf Fang Breaks the Void!"

In a flash, He Meng only saw a blur before instinctively raising his fists to block.

However, in that moment, a formidable force burst forth from the Xuan Heavy Ruler.

It was a dazzling burst of energy, spectacular like a falling star. It sliced through the air, leaving a long trajectory, obliterating every obstacle in its path.

He Meng could hardly believe it until the moment of his death. He had cultivated the strongest defensive technique, the Rock Dou Qi! Yet, Xiao Yan's attack had evolved dramatically within just a few breaths!

"This!" Even Yao Lao had not reacted in time; the six mercenaries... had died in an instant!

As the mercenaries' bodies fell to the ground, Yao Lao finally discerned the fast, lightning-like charging power of the Eight Extremities Sky Cannon within Xiao Yan's new Dou Technique. However, this was even more extreme than the original.

For nearly ten years, Xiao Yan had been training in Dou Qi. It was only recently that he began practicing Dou Techniques.

And with such a short exposure, he had already grasped the essence and created a new move.

His comprehension in Dou Technique cultivation was truly astonishing.

Xiao Yan gasped for breath; this was a massive consumer of Dou Qi. However, thinking of the spoils from the mercenary camp, he couldn't help but excitedly declare, "Time to collect the spoils of war."

*(End of Chapter)*