In the boundless forest, the lush greenery stretches like an endless sea. Atop a peak within the deep mountains, a young man in a black robe stood on a massive rock, his expression grave. His right hand quickly formed a peculiar seal, and he then roared, “Mountain Opening Seal!” As his shout resided, a bright light surged from his palm. With the surge of light, he pushed his palm forward forcefully. But as soon as he did, the intense light vanished like a fleeting dandelion. The palm strike merely created a slight gust of wind, which exploded into a small crater on the ground.
Looking at the crater, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head and sat down on the boulder, panting heavily. The amount of energy required to use the Mountain Opening Seal was too immense, making it impossible for him to sustain it continuously.
“Damn ‘Mountain Opening Seal,’ it’s so hard to master. And this is just the first seal; I can’t even imagine how terrifying the other four will be,” Xiao Yan muttered, leaning against the cold rock, his body devoid of strength.
Five days had passed since he opened the three meridians. During this time, Xiao Yan made little progress with the Mountain Opening Seal. The difficulty of mastering this technique far exceeded his expectations. To fully unleash the power of the Mountain Opening Seal, one must synchronize the internal flow of qi with the formation of the hand seal precisely. Otherwise, the energy would dissipate quickly as it appeared, leading to a drastic reduction in power.
This synchronization usually requires time and practice. It seemed unlikely that mastery could be achieved in a short period. Of course, the slow progress might also be due to this being Xiao Yan’s first attempt at such a complex skill. He recognized that after five days of practice, he had improved significantly from his initial attempts. However, he was accustomed to rapid progress, and the current sluggish pace was difficult for him to adapt to.
“Sigh… No wonder it’s a high-tier earthly skill. It seems I’ll have to take it step by step,” Xiao Yan sighed, calming his impatience. He then sat cross-legged, focusing his mind and entering a state of cultivation to recover his depleted qi.
Xiao Yan’s strength had reached the peak of Dou Wang, and his absorption of natural energy was far beyond what it used to be. Additionally, after refining and absorbing the Falling Heart Flame, the Burner Decision seemed to have evolved to a low-tier earthly skill. This was just a guess based on the speed of energy refinement, and he wasn’t entirely certain if it had truly broken through to that level. What he was sure of was that the Burner Decision was now much more powerful. Regardless of how much energy entered his body, the Burner Decision could refine it efficiently, turning it into pure qi and integrating it into his body.
His internal qi was so powerful that it was almost unmatched at the Dou Wang level. Aside from the Burner Decision’s continuous energy absorption, the eternal raging heart flame within him constantly refined his qi, making it more vigorous and explosive. In some ways, he could even match regular Battle Emperor with just the Burner Decision and his heart flame. However, facing stronger Battle Emperor, he would need to use combat skills, and for those at the pinnacle of Battle Emperor, like Han Feng who was on the verge of becoming a Battle Sect, he would have to go all out.
Yet, Xiao Yan wasn’t satisfied with this. He knew that upon returning to the Jia Ma Empire, he had to defeat Yun Shan, the true head of the Yun Lian Sect. Two years ago, Yun Shan had already become a Battle Sect. Now, with two years of separation, his strength must have increased. Xiao Yan knew that even using the large-size Buddha Anger Lotus would not guarantee victory. Thus, he needed a powerful skill to match a true Battle Sect. The Mountain Opening Seal was his only hope!
Therefore, no matter what, Xiao Yan would fully master the Mountain Opening Seal before returning to the Jia Ma Empire. Failing to do so would be too risky. He had been hounded out of the Jia Ma Empire once before, and he couldn’t let it happen again.
With these thoughts, Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open, a cold glint in his dark pupils. Yun Shan, wait; I, Xiao Yan, said I’d come back, and I will to avenge that blood debt!
Fueled by vengeance, Xiao Yan rose to his feet, rapidly forming seals as his internal qi surged.
“Mountain Opening Seal, I won’t give up on you!”
At the mountain peak, the young man’s face tightened as he stared at the scorching sun, tirelessly waving his hands, the strange seals flickering in the sunlight, leaving lingering shadows. With each repeated seal, a synergy between his dense qi and the seals gradually emerged.
In the Black Corner Region, in Maple City, the closest city to the Inner Academy, no other forces dared to enter after Han Feng’s death. Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Li brutally cleared the remaining resistance and took control of the city.
Over the past half-month, the Xiao Gate established by Xiao Li began to gain some notoriety. However, the other forces in the Black Corner Region maintained a cold, watchful stance, waiting for the reaction of the Gan Nan Academy.
They assumed the Gan Nan Academy would not allow any force to control such a strategic city. But to their surprise, the academy remained passive. This stirred unrest among several forces in the Black Corner Region, who saw Maple City, a major hub, as a tempting target.
Previously, they feared the intervention of the Inner Academy. But the lack of response suggested the academy had relaxed its vigilance. This emboldened a mid-sized force with a peak-four-star Dou Wang to make a move. They entered Maple City confidently, but by the next day, news spread that most of their men had been slaughtered by the Xiao Gate, and the survivors surrendered.
This shockingly swift annihilation and recruitment demonstrated the Xiao Gate’s formidable strength, making it a near-top-tier force. Such power was enough to deter some of the more ambitious factions.
However, the temptation of Maple City ensured that the peace would not last. Half a month later, Xiao Li received news that three top-tier forces in the Black Corner Region were mobilizing to take over Maple City from the Xiao Gate.
Such a coalition, while not rivaling the former Black Alliance, was still formidable, commanding at least three Battle Emperor. Alone, Xiao Li could not resist this force. As the three forces moved towards Maple City, a messenger bird took flight, heading swiftly towards the Inner Academy hidden in the mountains.
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