Chapter 236: The Mysterious Little Girl (Part 2)

Ancient Dragon roared, space shattered, waterfall reversed, mountains cracked.

The Dragon Roar lasted a full thirty seconds; had Xiao Yan's Soul Force not been strong enough, this spectral image of the Ancient Dragon Roar alone would have injured him.

Even though this image was imprinted on the Scroll by Soul Force, its power still remained.

All Cultivation Method and Dou Technique Scrolls contain such images, designed to aid learning—but the number of times one can observe them is limited; once the Scroll's Soul Force is exhausted, the image vanishes.

Xiao Yan exhaled slowly, stepped out of the vision, his expression deeply perplexed. He had already mastered the Qi circulation path of the Ancient Dragon Roar, yet he felt something was missing, something lacking—his mind raced like lightning, yet he could not find what he needed.

Xiao Yan was shaken; whether it was the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique or the Ancient Dragon Roar, he simply could not grasp their essence.

In contrast, the Three Thousand Thundering Steps were progressing smoothly; each Dou Technique Scroll of the Three Thousand Thundering Steps contains a trace of Wind-Thunder Force sealed by its Pavilion Master, and only by absorbing and assimilating that trace of Wind-Thunder Force can one truly master the Three Thousand Thundering Steps.

With his body strengthened by the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, Xiao Yan found the Wind-Thunder Body Tempering to feel like cupping therapy—somewhat painful, yet deeply soothing.

Thunderous energy could shake the Spiritual Soul, but Xiao Yan's Spiritual Soul was far too powerful—he resisted it perfectly.

Now, with daily diligent cultivation, mastering the Three Thousand Thundering Steps will not be difficult.

"Continue. You won't know how good the sound is unless you shout." Xiao Yan rubbed his throat; once he felt it had recovered somewhat, he stood up slowly and shouted again.

Just as Xiao Yan had shouted for ten minutes, a little girl in white robes walked out from deep within the forest.

"Huh? Little sister, are you lost?" Xiao Yan frowned. This place was deep wilderness, teeming with Magical Beasts—how could a little girl who looked barely eleven or twelve be here?

The moment she saw Xiao Yan, the girl's eyes darkened, and a chilling killing intent surged—she roared: "What the hell are you yelling for?!"

BOOM!! A terrifying sonic wave erupted from the girl, spreading wildly—CRASHING sounds of trees collapsing followed. Xiao Yan's eyes widened; he quickly covered his ears and wrapped himself in Soul Force.

The roar lasted over ten seconds before stopping. Xiao Yan stared, dumbfounded, at the girl before him—he was stunned.

"What the hell is this little girl? How terrifying is that roar? And… Dou Wang???" Xiao Yan was speechless, eyes bulging.

A Dou Wang at twelve? Are you kidding me?

Xiao Yan rubbed his eyes, pinched his cheek—no illusion, no dream.

Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings; the entire dense forest was now barren—all surrounding trees had been shattered into splinters by the Dou Wang-level sound waves, and large patches of earth had been ripped up.

"Um, little sister, you—"

Before Xiao Yan could finish, the girl in white robes glared at him with fury. Though her face was adorable, the eerie aura and overwhelming power radiating from her made Xiao Yan's nerves tighten.

BANG! The girl stomped the ground violently—cracks exploded across the earth, rocks flew, and in an instant, she became a white blur, appearing before Xiao Yan, her tiny pink fist slamming straight for his face.

"Incredible speed!"

Xiao Yan's heart jolted—he dared not underestimate this strange girl. Instantly, he activated the Furious Lion Roar; a layer of Blood Fury enveloped his entire body. Since becoming a Dou Spirit, he no longer needed to form armor from Qi—he condensed his Qi directly into a Blood Fury shield.

Seeing Xiao Yan use a Dou Technique for defense, the girl in white smiled coldly, then brought down her tiny pink fist—directly piercing through Xiao Yan's defense.

At the last possible moment, Xiao Yan crossed his arms to block. That tiny fist—half the size of his own fist—struck his forearms, and an overwhelming force, one that made him question reality, surged through him.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!! Xiao Yan was blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing through countless trees before finally stopping.

The girl in white raised her tiny fist, her adorable face smiling as she snorted: "Why are you screaming? You woke me up. This punch is your punishment."

"Not acceptable." Xiao Yan's voice came from afar. The next second, a blinding flame erupted—BOOM! He activated the Explosive Step, combined with EagleWings flapping to accelerate, and matched the girl's speed exactly, appearing before her in an instant.

"I didn't know you were sleeping. Why should I bear the blame?" Xiao Yan had never entertained the idea of being gentle with a girl—he respected only the strong, and this girl in white robes was unquestionably a top-tier powerhouse.

Facing Xiao Yan's punch, the girl in white didn't show fear—instead, she grinned, her eyes gleaming with battle-lust, and raised her hand in return.

Their fists collided—PENG! A thunderous impact rang out. Xiao Yan's heart sank—this punch felt like striking the earth itself; he felt his knuckles and finger bones cracking!

"Eight Extremes Collapse! Hidden Force Explosion!"

BOOM BOOM—eight explosive crashes. The girl in white frowned, stepped back two paces, then waved her hand—directly dispelling the hidden force of the Eight Extremes Collapse!

"Interesting. Your Dou Technique has some merit." The girl smiled with innocent delight.

Xiao Yan stood still, staring at the twelve-year-old Dou Wang girl, eyes narrowing as he muttered: "She didn't use any Dou Technique—she's purely relying on her physical strength! What kind of monster is this?!"

Xiao Yan was numb—not just his hands, but his whole body. A Dou Wang at twelve was shocking enough, but he'd never met anyone whose body strength surpassed his own!

Even without the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame enhancement, Xiao Yan's body strength equaled a Fourth Rank Magical Beast—but now, even after using Eight Extremes Collapse, she only stepped back twice, while his hand bones shattered.

"Hey, can you still fight?" The girl raised her fist at Xiao Yan, clearly aware he was injured.

When she first knocked him back, she'd held back to avoid injuring him—but now, in his counterattack, he'd broken his own bones.

Xiao Yan paused. The last time he'd fought seriously was against Nalan Yanran. Since entering the Inner Court, he'd never met anyone with talent surpassing hers—even Yao Sheng—he was certain Nalan Yanran could crush him at Seven-Star Dou Spirit.

But this girl—he was certain Nalan Yanran, even as a Dou Wang, couldn't defeat her.

This was the first person, besides Xun Er, whose combat power Xiao Yan believed exceeded Nalan Yanran's.

"Then you've underestimated me." ZZZZ— a tiny white carp appeared, spitting out a flame that wrapped around Xiao Yan's fist. Seconds later, his shattered bones healed completely.

The girl in white blinked, staring curiously at the white carp, then laughed: "Wow, you've got some fascinating things."

Xiao Yan smiled: "Not many. But enough to beat you."

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—he was itching for a fight. Real combat was the best way to cultivate Dou Techniques; this was a truth he'd always held.

"With your Dou Spirit strength? No. I don't want to hurt you and get scolded by those old folks." The girl waved her hand dismissively, uninterested in fighting Xiao Yan.

How could Xiao Yan let such a perfect training opportunity slip away? Black flame and red flame slowly surged from his body.

He roared inwardly: "Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes! Black Flame Transformation!"

"Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame—Beast Transformation!"

HUUU HUUU HUUU!! Xiao Yan's body was engulfed in Black Flame; his Qi surged instantly to the peak of Dou Spirit, even reaching Half-step Dou Wang.

And it didn't stop there—he fused the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame into his SpiritFlesh, elevating his body strength another tier, to the level of a Fifth Rank Demon Beast.

"Don't worry—I'll hold back."

Hearing Xiao Yan's provocative words, the girl in white's eyes ignited with Battle Intention. She hadn't encountered a worthy opponent in a long time.

Qi currents stirred; a breeze rustled the leaves. The girl in white moved like a True Dragon emerging from the sea—in that instant, she stepped forward, her speed multiplied several times over. The earth trembled, space followed—her fist slammed down, reversing heaven and earth.

The girl in white didn't use any flashy Dou Techniques, nor any powerful Body Technique—she simply punched forward, a straightforward straight punch.

That simple straight punch—its wind howled, roaring in Xiao Yan's ears.

The most direct punch, yet possessing absolute power—ferocious, dominant, destructive—a single punch to defeat the enemy.

"Good!" Faced with such a punch, Xiao Yan internally praised it, and without hesitation, he countered with another fist-to-fist strike—no Dou Technique, no Body Technique, nothing but pure, ordinary force, no moves at all.

True mastery needs no artifice; simplicity holds no ornament.

Clang! The two fists collided head-on, sending sparks flying—both their bodies had been forged harder than steel, and the sound erupted like a volcanic explosion, piercing and deafening.

Boom! Boom! Boom!! This time, Xiao Yan not only unleashed the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes to boost his power, but also summoned the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame—the force hidden within this seemingly plain punch was unimaginable; a typical Five Rank Demon Beast might have been blasted away by a single blow.

Yet neither could overcome the other in this clash; they locked in a grueling struggle, their terrifying strength radiating outward from their fists, ripping up the surrounding grass in waves.

"Ha!" The white-robed little girl shouted, stepping forward—Xiao Yan's eyes widened as he was blasted backward by an overwhelming force.

Even with the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame enhancing him, Xiao Yan's body still could not match the girl's strength. This shocked him deeply—he had never encountered anyone so terrifying.

He drew a sharp breath. He had cultivated step by step, beginning at age four with the foundational technique of Eight Extremes Shatter, training his body from the start—his foundation was rock-solid.

In raw physical confrontation, he had never feared anyone—but today, not only had he failed to budge this little girl, he had been pushed back by her.

Yet Xiao Yan was not discouraged. His close-range combat was formidable, and he did not rely solely on physical strength. Though his body had lost this round, he had cultivated powerful Dou Techniques.

"Eight Extremes Shatter—Ten Thousand Beasts Shatter Fist!"

(End of Chapter)