Leaping over a ravine, Xiao Yan slowly made his way towards the waterfall. He cautiously scanned his surroundings and, after confirming no sign of any beasts, heaved a sigh of relief. At the steep cliff, Xiao Yan carefully selected for a while before finally choosing a cave about four or five meters above the ground. Gripping the slippery stones, he nimbly climbed like a nimble monkey and swiftly entered the chosen cave.
The interior of the cave was slightly cool, but it was spacious enough for Xiao Yan to live in comfortably. After carefully examining the ground inside the cave and finding no traces of any beast, he felt somewhat at ease. After giving the cave a quick clean, he took out some supplies from his storage ring and set up a soft and dry bed.
After setting up the necessary living essentials, Xiao Yan used boulders to block the cave entrance, leaving only enough space for one person to pass. He would be staying here for a considerable time, and safety was paramount. With these preparations done, Xiao Yan dusted off his hands and looked at the dim cave. He pondered for a moment, then retrieved three moonlight stones from his storage ring, placing them in the niches on the cave walls. Instantly, a soft glow illuminated the cave.
Looking at the now-lit cave, Xiao Yan grinned and plopped down onto the soft bed, taking a deep breath. He then crossed his legs and placed his hands in the cultivation mudra, slowly replenishing his depleted Dou Qi and recovering from the fatigue of the past few days of travel.
As Xiao Yan entered a state of silence, his breathing gradually became steady, forming a perfect cycle. With each breath, a faint energy flow emanated from the surrounding space, entering his body through his respiration. After being refined by his meridians, the energy was stored in the Qi vortex in his lower abdomen.
In the quiet cultivation, Xiao Yan’s mind sank into his body, allowing him to clearly observe the flowing Dou Qi. His mind traversed several major meridians and finally reached his lower abdomen, where the Qi vortex, the base of his Dou Qi, slowly rotated into view.
Seeing this wondrous Qi vortex, Xiao Yan felt a slight sense of satisfaction. After nearly a year of cultivation, the initially palm-sized, milky-white Qi vortex had, due to the Dou Qi technique, transformed into a pale yellow color, and its area had expanded significantly. Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the concentration of Dou Qi in the vortex was now at least ten times stronger than before.
Watching the pale yellow Dou Qi continuously flow into the vortex, Xiao Yan smiled. He slowly withdrew his mind from his body and, after his Dou Qi fully recovered, opened his eyes. Stretching lazily, he felt refreshed and gripped his fists tightly. He could sense that, due to his recent intensive training, his strength was gradually advancing from a five-star Fighter to a six-star level. Perhaps in another month or two, he would reach the six-star level. By then, without the restriction of the heavy sword and with his several Xuan-class Dou Techniques, he might be able to contend with an eight-star Fighter.
Of course, this was under the assumption that the eight-star Fighter’s mastery of Dou Techniques was lower than his. After all, Xiao Yan’s technique was only the lowest Yellow Rank, which was his only weakness!
After adjusting his internal energy, Xiao Yan flipped his hand, revealing a black scroll—the advanced Xuan-class flying Dou Technique. Flying in the sky was everyone’s dream, and Xiao Yan was very interested in free flight. It was the best guarantee for escape. If not for Little Healer Immortal’s Blue Eagle that night, their escape from the heavily surrounded cliff would have been much more difficult.
In the Dou Qi Continent, winged Dou Qi belonged exclusively to experts at the Dou King level or higher. Others could only gaze at the sky in envy. However, the rare flying Dou Technique Xiao Yan had obtained by chance allowed him to transcend this limitation.
Holding the scroll, Xiao Yan licked his lips and untied the fine rope binding it. He then slowly unrolled it. The black scroll revealed two chilling black eagle wings. Although they were drawn on the scroll and not very large, they emitted a faint heat, indicating that this was not a simple painting.
The eagle wings were a dark black, with faint purple cloud patterns. Upon closer inspection, the wings seemed to be made of black steel, exuding a unique metallic luster. The feathers emitted a weak heat, and when Xiao Yan lightly blew on them, he was startled. Under the gentle breeze, the feathers fluttered as if they were real wings, a truly magical sight.
His gaze swept over the eagle wings, and Xiao Yan’s eyes suddenly landed on a line of small text. Blinking, he read it softly, “Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle, a fifth-level flying magic beast, said to possess the rare bloodline of the ancient phoenix. Its flight speed is among the top in all flying beasts, with a cunning and cruel nature, making it extremely difficult to capture. It only survives in the southern Cloud Ranges.”
“Fifth-level magic beast?” Xiao Yan’s heart trembled, and he swallowed. That was equivalent to a Dou King-level expert.
“This scroll contains the technique ‘Eagle Wing,’ also known as ‘Purple Cloud Wing.’ I and several friends spent three years to successfully capture a Flame Purple Cloud Eagle and, using a secret method, extracted its wings to form this scroll. This technique was drawn with Dou Qi before my death and can only be practiced by one person. Remember this!”
“Truly impressive, daring to catch a Dou King-level flying beast…” Xiao Yan marveled, wondering what kind of powerful individual had left these things behind.
Taking his gaze from the text, Xiao Yan carefully extended his hand and gently touched the slightly purple-black eagle wings. “They feel… real?”
The tactile sensation from the feathers astonished Xiao Yan. He stroked them again, but his face suddenly changed, and he yanked his hand back, exclaiming in shock, “There’s a soul inside these eagle wings?”
Xiao Yan’s soul perception was extremely keen. When he touched the wings, he clearly sensed a ferocious and violent soul within.
“Ah? Indeed, there is a soul, but it has no consciousness,” an elderly voice suddenly spoke from Xiao Yan’s ring.
“No consciousness?” Xiao Yan asked in confusion.
“I think this is due to the secret method used to create flying techniques. They separate the soul of the flying beast from its wings and fuse them together. Of course, this fusion requires a unique secret method. No wonder flying techniques are almost extinct; creating them requires understanding these strange things,” the Elder said.
“Then… there shouldn’t be any negative effects from practicing this, right?” Xiao Yan asked hesitantly.
“The soul you sensed should be the Purple Cloud Eagle. After so many years, its intelligence has mostly reverted to primal instincts. Just be cautious when using it, and you should be fine,” the Elder reassured him.
Relieved, Xiao Yan returned his gaze to the black eagle wings. After carefully reading the instructions on the scroll, he frowned, saying, “It says that during practice, the Purple Cloud Eagle’s soul might attack the practitioner. If you can withstand its soul attack, you can continue. Otherwise, you should give up.”
“Whew, it seems this flying technique is quite dangerous,” Xiao Yan sighed.
“You must pay a price for what you want,” the Elder said. “Your soul is strong enough not to worry about the Purple Cloud Eagle’s soul. Though it’s a fifth-level beast, it’s just a remnant soul now, unable to do much.”
Nodding, Xiao Yan clenched his teeth and, determined, slowly extended his hand. Placing both hands on the scroll, he pressed the soft wings and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
Soon, the savage eagle soul in the wings emitted a sharp, soul-shaking cry. The cry pierced through the scroll and, like a drill, fiercely attacked Xiao Yan’s brain.
Receiving a soul attack for the first time, Xiao Yan’s body shuddered, and his face turned pale.
“Focus and protect your mind. Let it attack!” the Elder shouted from the ring.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan formed a protective barrier around his mind, successfully blocking the sharp cries.
Seeing the soul cry ineffective, the Purple Cloud Eagle’s soul emitted a wave of savage emotion, rushing towards Xiao Yan’s psyche.
“Steady your mind! Don’t let it control your emotions, or you’ll become a mindless beast!” the Elder’s voice boomed.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan tightly guarded his mind, preventing the savage emotion from entering. This soul contest lasted over ten minutes, ending with the Purple Cloud Eagle’s defeat. Though Xiao Yan was far weaker than a fifth-level beast, the Purple Cloud Eagle, after countless years of suppression, was no better than a crippled beast.
When the savage emotion receded like a tide, Xiao Yan collapsed, his face pale and exhausted. This soul battle was far more draining than physical combat.
“Did I succeed?” Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Xiao Yan asked.
“Yes, you have the qualifications to practice this.” Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled in relief. Touching the wings again, he faced no further attacks. Following the instructions, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi circulated through his body, reaching his arms and then his hands.
When the Dou Qi appeared in his palms, the black scroll’s eagle wings shone brightly, turning into two tiny purple beams that flashed into his hands. The beams raced through his meridians, stopping at his spine, forcibly creating two new, tiny branches.
These branches extended from the main meridian, stopping at his spine. Xiao Yan, who had been dazed by the disappearance of the wings, suddenly screamed in agony. Sweat poured down his face, and he gasped, cursing, “What’s this thing doing?”
Curled up on the bed, Xiao Yan bit his lip, blood seeping from his mouth. After enduring the pain for a while, he finally passed out.
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