Chapter 261

After a moment, Xiao Yan's hand began to grow restless, slowly moving upward.

Feeling a softness, Xun Er's body jolted sharply; she shoved Xiao Yan away forcefully, her cheeks flushed like roses, breathing rapidly: "No… it's not allowed."

Hearing Xun Er's refusal, Xiao Yan grew much calmer, silently sighing in his heart.

"Xiao, Xiao Yan brother, because of some reasons with my body, I… I can't yet." Xun Er, fully aware of what Xiao Yan intended, felt her blush deepen, her heartbeat quickening as she hurriedly explained.

"And this scroll—Xiao Yan brother must keep it safe and never tell anyone, not even Uncle Xiao Zhan." Xun Er swiftly changed the subject, redirecting attention to the scroll, using it to block Xiao Yan's view.

Xiao Yan reached out and took the black scroll; feeling Xiao Yan's action, Xun Er finally exhaled in relief—yet even as she relaxed, a sense of anxious uncertainty seemed to linger in her heart.

Xiao Yan looked at the scroll, frowning; as soon as he touched it, he felt a heavy weight—this leather was certainly not ordinary.

"What is this?" Xiao Yan asked.

After catching her breath, Xun Er softly said: "It's a Dou Technique, usable only upon reaching Dou Wang level."

"Dou Wang?!" Xiao Yan's heart jolted; though he was already at the peak of Star Eight Dou Spirit, he was still slightly short of Dou Wang.

But a Dou Technique requiring Dou Wang level must be Earth-Class—and possibly even Earth-Class High-Level!

"This thing is too valuable." Xiao Yan frowned, but before he could finish, a resentful gaze shot toward him, causing him to awkwardly fall silent.

"Xiao Yan brother has never accepted a gift from Xun Er. This time, Xun Er hopes Xiao Yan brother will accept it." Xun Er sighed softly.

Xiao Yan shrugged and said: "Actually, I'm not the type to refuse soft meals—but since I'm eating them, I hope Xun Er will feed them right to my mouth."

?? Xun Er tilted her head, puzzled—could soft meals be fed right to the mouth?

Xiao Yan revealed a sly smile, sat on the chair, and pulled Xun Er over; after a startled cry, she found herself seated on Xiao Yan's lap.

"Xiao Yan brother?!"

"You've practiced this Dou Technique, right? I have no master to teach me, and my talent is poor—if you don't explain it to me, how long will it take me to master it?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, smiling like a fox.

Xun Er immediately retorted with exasperation: "Xiao Yan brother, you're ridiculous—if you count as having poor talent, I think many others should just bang their heads against the wall."

Yet Xun Er did not refuse Xiao Yan's request; she gently leaned against his chest, her jade hand softly unrolling the scroll.

Instantly, countless golden characters flooded into Xiao Yan's mind; even though he had anticipated it, his eyes still flickered when he saw the scroll's recorded rank of the Dou Technique.

Seeing Xiao Yan absorb such a vast amount of Soul Information without any discomfort, even Xun Er was astonished.

"Xiao Yan brother is truly remarkable—even ordinary Dou Wangs would suffer unbearable pain absorbing such a massive amount of Soul Information."

"What can I do? Soul Force is the Alchemist's core skill."

Xiao Yan naturally knew it wasn't because he was an Alchemist—it was because he cultivated the Soul Decree.

After digesting the Soul Information, Xiao Yan murmured to himself: "Emperor Seal Decree, Earth-Class High-Level, said to have been created by an ancient Dou Emperor, consisting of five forms: Mountain Splitting Seal, Sea Turning Seal, Earth Overturning Seal, Sky Erasing Seal, Ancient Emperor Seal—each seal interconnected; when all five are perfected, they possess the power to reverse rivers and seas, devour the sky and swallow the earth; when fully refined, they rival Heavenly Rank Dou Techniques! But to cultivate this seal, one must reach Dou Wang level—or else the cultivation fails and suffering ensues!"

"Created by a Dou Emperor?!"

Xiao Yan looked down at the beauty in his arms—this soft meal truly was delicious!

Hearing Xiao Yan's surprised tone, Xun Er smiled happily, her little leg swinging back and forth as she tilted her head up at Xiao Yan: "Xiao Yan brother, are you satisfied?"

"You tell me…"

Xiao Yan was speechless—it was a technique rivaling Heavenly Rank!

Though only Mountain Splitting Seal and Sea Turning Seal were present, this was still an Earth-Class High-Level Dou Technique—when Ling Ying used it, he truly split mountains with a single palm!

Hearing Xiao Yan was satisfied, Xun Er began to carefully explain the key points and difficulties of Mountain Splitting Seal and Sea Turning Seal.

What surprised Xiao Yan was that Xun Er had already cultivated both hand seals—left hand, Mountain Splitting; right hand, Sea Turning—and she seemed extremely proficient, able to form the seals effortlessly.

"So this is the Dou Di Bloodline? Cultivating Dou Techniques is as easy as drinking water. No wonder those Dou Emperor Families value it so highly—with this bloodline's aid, becoming a powerhouse is almost inevitable." Xiao Yan's understanding of the so-called Dou Di Bloodline deepened.

He too possessed Dou Di Bloodline—a tiny remnant left by his Ancestor; though extremely faint, since acquiring it, Xiao Yan noticed slight improvements in his comprehension and cultivation speed.

After speaking until tired, Xun Er did not return; she nestled against Xiao Yan and fell asleep quietly. Xiao Yan held her jade hands, embraced her, and also slept peacefully.

The two slept sweetly, clinging to each other.

Until a ray of sunlight shone through the window, Xun Er blushed deeply and left the room.

Inside Xun Er's Gui Fang.

"Miss, you really gave that scroll to Xiao Yan Young Master?" In the faintly fragrant room, Ling Ying stared in astonishment at the girl before her, holding a teacup, her luminous eyes still retaining a barely perceptible blush.

In response to Ling Ying's question, Xun Er merely nodded casually, as if she had given away something utterly ordinary.

"That… that Dou Technique is of great importance even within our clan." Ling Ying chuckled bitterly—it was no longer just generosity.

Xun Er smiled faintly, then waved her hand: "Ling Lao, don't tell anyone else—not even Father."

"Alright…" Ling Ying hesitated, then sighed helplessly—he knew better than anyone that if this news reached the clan, it would stir up unknown turmoil.

Like the Soul Sovereign and the Wind-Thunder Pavilion, the Emperor Seal Decree was forbidden to be transmitted outside the Gu Clan; if discovered, it must be reclaimed.

"Miss, word has come from the clan… they…"

Xun Er's eyes turned cold; she raised her hand to cut off Ling Ying's words: "Tomorrow is the day of Heart Flame Body Forging—even my Heart Flame Body Forging has many benefits. Let's speak after it's completed."

"Yes, Miss." Ling Ying spoke, then vanished.

"Xiao Yan brother, everything Xun Er can do has been done. The true path to becoming a powerhouse now rests on you alone—I hope when we meet again, you will have become a true powerhouse, strong enough for Xun Er to look up to." Holding the warm teacup, Xun Er whispered softly to herself, her heart filled with reluctance.

The next day arrived—the day the Inner Court's Strong List Top Ten entered the bottom of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta to undergo Heart Flame Origin Body Forging.

"The Elder in charge of Heart Flame Origin Body Forging is also present—just in case, wait in your room." Xiao Yan released Qing Lian and said.

On Qing Lian, Mei Du Sha, transformed into the Seven-Colored Devouring Sky Serpent, slowly opened her eyes, gave Xiao Yan a cold glance, then closed them again.

Xiao Yan was used to Mei Du Sha's coldness; after tidying up, he stepped out the door.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er arrived as agreed; when they reached the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, the other eight had already arrived.

Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, Zi Yan snorted coldly—she hadn't expected she'd actually tied with Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan smiled and walked over to Zi Yan: "What's wrong? Angry?"

"Hmph, no I'm not. It's just a tie—you didn't win." Zi Yan turned her head away, snorting.

Ding ding ding, Xiao Yan pulled out a Pill Bottle from his robe pocket, containing ten pills resembling candies.

Seeing the medicinal pills, Zi Yan instantly became like a greedy child, drool dripping from her lips, her eyes sparkling with stars.

"Here, this is for you. Don't be mad, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Zi Yan nodded vigorously — as long as there's food, everything's negotiable.

Taking Xiao Yan's Pill Bottle, Zi Yan immediately popped one into her mouth and began eating it with great relish.

"Heh, looks like everyone's here too. Well then, I won't waste any more words." Su Qian's gaze swept a circle around them. Without further preamble, he waved his hand, and with a series of creaking sounds, the heavy tower door slowly swung open.

Each carrying their own peculiar feelings, they followed the Grand Elder into the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, descending along the spiraling staircase all the way down.

"This is the eighth floor?" Xiao Yan counted silently, realizing that the group of them had already descended past the seventh floor.

What surprised Xiao Yan considerably was that the eighth floor was actually the end — there were no more stairs leading further down.

Only those of Elder rank could reach the eighth floor; even Zi Yan could only make it to the seventh.

The strange fire energy surrounding the eighth floor was already comparable to the No. 1 Cultivation Room. After following the Grand Elder into the eighth floor, they cut straight across, walking for roughly ten-plus minutes.

"We're here!" Su Qian's calm voice, as he strode briskly toward the end, instantly roused everyone's spirits. Hastening their steps, they finally surged forward in a frantic rush.

The moment their feet stepped out of the dim passage, the dazzling, intense light caused Xiao Yan and the others to instinctively shut their eyes — but immediately after, they snapped them open. Their gazes swept across this place, and their faces instantly filled with astonishment.

This was an extremely spacious and empty space within the tower, covering a vast area. By visual estimate, it was nearly wider than any floor above. Moreover, unlike the eighth floor, there were no Cultivation Rooms here — it gave off a hollow, empty feeling.

The Grand Elder pointed at ten jade platforms not far away and said, "Each of you find a jade platform and sit down."

Nodding to Xun Er, Xiao Yan found one of the jade platforms and sat down. Immediately, he felt a faint, cool sensation seeping in. Sitting here, even that scorching Infernal Heat from the outside seemed to be shut out.

Seeing that everyone had seated themselves on the jade platforms, the Grand Elder formed a hand seal, and an energy Barrier instantly enveloped Xiao Yan and the others within it.

"So there's a special energy lockdown here too. Looks like the Inner Court's defenses against the Falling Heart Flame are pretty tight." Staring at those seemingly illusory yet in truth extremely solid energy ripples, Xiao Yan said with sudden realization in his heart.

Once the energy shroud enveloped them, a cluster of flame — appearing formless yet visible to the naked eye — suddenly rose up.

The instant the formless Heart Fire appeared, the Swallowing Flame dwelling within his Spirit called out, wanting to come out and devour this Heart Fire.

"Don't cause trouble. If you eat it, I'll be in trouble later when I don't have enough to break through to Dou Wang."

Xiao Yan pulled two Pill Bottles from his clothing pocket, each containing a round, smooth Elixir.

The corners of his mouth curving upward, Xiao Yan's ambitions ran large. He didn't just want to temper his body — he also planned to use this opportunity of tempering his body with the Heart Flame's origin, combined with the help of Elixirs, to break through to Dou Wang in one go!

(End of this chapter)