A month of controlled sparring against hired Dou Masters had taught Feng Jiuge the rhythm of combat, the dance of advance and retreat. He had learned how to apply his skills, but it was a sterile education. He had faced fighters, not killers. He knew the difference was a chasm. To truly forge his power, he needed to face the raw, untamed ferocity of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"You're sure about this, Jiuge-gege?" Qing Lin asked, her voice laced with worry. They stood at the edge of a far more menacing forest than the gentle hills they usually frequented. The air here was thicker, carrying the faint, primal scent of blood and musk. This was the true outer region, a place where Second Class beasts roamed.
"I'm sure," Feng Jiuge said, giving her a reassuring smile. He adjusted the plain iron sword strapped to his back. "I'll be doing the fighting. You, Xiao Lin, will be our eyes and ears. Find a high, safe spot, and just watch. If I get into real trouble, which I won't, your job is to run. Understood?"
Qing Lin nodded reluctantly, her small hands clenched. She trusted him implicitly, but the danger was palpable. She scampered up a tall, sturdy tree, her wind-attribute agility making the climb effortless, and settled on a thick branch, hidden from view but with a clear line of sight to the clearing below.
Feng Jiuge took a deep breath, his senses expanding. His Heavenly Perception Pupils activated, and the world resolved into a complex web of energy signatures. He was a 7-star Dou Master now. It was time to see what that truly meant.
He didn't have to wait long. A rustling in the undergrowth heralded his first opponent. A two-meter-long Shadow Cat, a Second Class Beast known for its speed and stealth, emerged from the bushes. Its sleek black fur seemed to drink the light, and its yellow eyes fixed on him with predatory intelligence.
'Shadow Cat. Wind and Darkness attributes. Fast, and with sharp claws. Its weakness is a lack of raw power and defense,' Feng Jiuge analyzed instantly. He didn't rush. He stood his ground, letting the beast circle him, studying its movements.
The cat struck, a black blur streaking towards him. Feng Jiuge's Dou Qi flared. He didn't use his fire, wood or lightning. He channeled the pure Dou Qi energy to fight.
He executed the "Thunderflash Step," but fueled it with pure Dou Qi. The effect was different; less explosive, more fluid. He named it in his mind, 'Silent Evasion'. He sidestepped the pounce with inches to spare, the cat's claws raking the air where he had been.
"Too slow," Feng Jiuge murmured.
He didn't counterattack immediately. He continued to evade, using his enhanced speed to maintain distance, his Heavenly Perception Pupils tracking the flow of Dou Qi in the cat's body as it prepared its next strike. He saw the energy gathering in its forelimbs for another lunge.
'Now.'
Just as the Shadow Cat coiled to spring, Feng Jiuge decided to use his Dou Qi attribute. His Dou Qi was now infused with the crackling, aggressive energy of lightning. His iron sword hummed as he channeled power into it. He used the "Lightning Serpent's Fang" Dou Skill, but instead of a ranged attack, he coated his blade in the spitting energy.
He dashed forward, closing the distance in a blinding flash. The Shadow Cat, committed to its pounce, couldn't react in time. The lightning-wreathed sword met its side. There was a sizzle and a yelp of pain. The lightning Dou Qi was a counter to the evasive nature of the darkness, momentarily paralyzed the beast.
That moment was all Feng Jiuge needed. His sword, now glowing with a gentle green light of wood-attribute Dou Qi, thrust forward, finding the opening his lightning attack had created and piercing the beast's heart. The fight was over.
He stood over the creature, his breathing steady. The entire exchange had been a calculated test of his ability to switch attributes on the fly to exploit an opponent's weakness. It had worked perfectly.
For the next few hours, he continued his hunt. He fought an Earth Armor Rhinoceros, using lightning Dou Qi to stay out of its powerful charges and fire Dou Qi to chip away at its defenses. He battled a pair of Venomous Swamp Lizards, using his wood-attribute Dou Qi to create "Bark Shield" barriers that blocked their toxic spit before finishing them with overwhelming lightning attacks.
His fighting style was forming. It wasn't about brute force. It was analytical, precise, and brutally efficient. Observe, analyze, counter, eliminate.
As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, he ventured deeper. It was then that he felt it—a powerful, oppressive aura that made the very air feel heavy. From his perch, Qing Lin gasped, her eyes wide with fear.
A hulking beast crashed through the trees. It was a Crimson-Eyed Armored Boar, easily four meters long and two meters high at the shoulder. Its hide was like overlapping plates of dark grey stone, and its eyes burned with a malevolent crimson light.
It was a peak Second Class beast, but Feng Jiuge's Heavenly Perception Pupils told him more. There was a richness to its bloodline, a faint trace of an ancient, more powerful earth beast. This creature's true strength was comparable to a 2 or even 3-star Dou Grandmaster. One full realm higher than him.
Any other Dou Master would have turned and fled without a second thought. But Feng Jiuge stood his ground. He felt no fear. Instead, as he looked at the powerful beast, a strange, profound confidence bloomed in his chest. His senses, honed by a year of torturous self-experimentation, were screaming at him. 'You can win this.'
The boar let out a deafening roar and charged, the ground shaking with its steps. Feng Jiuge's mind went into overdrive.
'Earth attribute, extremely high physical defense. Bloodline grants it enhanced strength and likely an earth-based Dou Skill. Speed is its weakness.'
He channeled lightning Dou Qi, his body becoming a phantom as he dodged the initial, thunderous charge. The boar smashed through a thick tree as if it were a twig.
He darted in, his sword crackling with lightning. He stabbed at a joint in the boar's armored leg. Sparks flew, and the sword screeched against the hide, leaving only a shallow white scratch. The boar grunted in annoyance, swinging its massive head and forcing him back.
'Standard lightning attribute Dou Qi isn't dense enough to pierce its defense,' he noted.
He switched tactics. His Dou Qi turned a vibrant green. "Wood Vine Bind!" he commanded. Thick, resilient vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the boar's legs. For a moment, the beast was held fast. But with a furious roar, it flexed its immense muscles, and the High-Tier Yellow Class vines snapped like dry twine.
As it broke free, the crimson light in its eyes intensified. It stomped its hoof, and a dozen sharp spikes of rock erupted from the ground, shooting towards Feng Jiuge.
'Bloodline skill!'
He used his "Bark Shield," reinforcing it with all his wood Dou Qi. The stone spikes slammed into the wooden barrier, shattering it and sending him stumbling back, his arm numb from the impact.
This was it. His normal tactics were failing. The gap in raw power was too great.
'Time for the real test,' he thought, a fierce light entering his own eyes.
He took a deep breath. He stopped suppressing the disparate elements within him and allowed them to merge. A brilliant, tri-colored light—green for wood, red for fire, and violet for lightning—erupted from his body, swirling around him in a vibrant, humming corona. His Dou Qi, already dense, compressed further, becoming something else entirely. It was heavy, sharp, and incandescently powerful.
This was his trump card: the true power of the Tri-Unity Genesis Art.
The Armored Boar sensed the change. It paused, a flicker of uncertainty in its crimson eyes. The small human before it now felt infinitely more dangerous.
Feng Jiuge could feel the immense strain on his body and the rapid drain on his reserves. He had to end this quickly. He looked at his simple iron sword. It wouldn't be enough. He needed to focus this new, overwhelming power.
The principles of his Dou Skills, the understanding of circulation he had gained through a year of pain, all coalesced in his mind. He didn't need a pre-written scroll. He could write his own.
'Wood for stability and piercing structure. Fire to superheat and weaken the target's defense. Lightning for the final, explosive delivery of force.'
He held his sword aloft. The tri-colored Dou Qi flowed from his body, not coating the blade, but converging on its very tip. The energy twisted, compressed, and solidified into a single, blinding point of light. The air around it warped with heat and pressure.
"Self-Created Dou Skill," Feng Jiuge breathed, the name coming to him in a flash of inspiration. "Tri-Point Annihilation!"
He moved. The "Thunderflash Step," fueled by this new, explosive energy, was instantaneous. He didn't seem to run; he simply appeared before the Armored Boar.
The beast roared, swinging its mighty tusks, but it was too late. Feng Jiuge thrust the sword forward. The tri-colored point of light at its tip met the boar's thick, armored forehead.
There was no grand explosion. There was only a low, hissing sound. The boar's nigh-impenetrable armor melted like wax, sizzled, and then vanished as the point of light sank into its skull.
For a second, the world was silent. Then, the light inside the boar's head erupted. A muffled bang echoed from within, and the beast's massive body went rigid. The crimson light in its eyes flickered and died. It crashed to the ground, utterly lifeless, a single, perfectly clean hole drilled through its head.
Feng Jiuge stumbled back, panting heavily. The tri-colored light faded from his body, leaving him feeling drained and hollow. That single attack had consumed nearly seventy percent of his Dou Qi.
'But it worked,' he thought, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. 'With my Tri-Unity Dou Qi, my combat power isn't that of a Dou Master. I can threaten, and kill, a mid-level Dou Grandmaster.'
This was possible only because he understood his own body and the flow of Dou Qi more intimately than most masters ever would. His year of self-inflicted torture, of reverse-engineering his own meridians, had given him an unprecedented foundation for creating skills on the fly. An attack was just a focused application of will and energy circulation—and he was a grandmaster of both.
His combat confidence, once a budding sprout, now bloomed into a sturdy tree.
After another week of such intense training, Feng Jiuge and Qing Lin left Wu Tan City behind.
Their destination was Qingshan Town, a settlement nestled right against the vast Magical Beast Mountain Range.
They settled into an inn, and Feng Jiuge began to listen. It didn't take long to hear the name that was on every mercenary's lips.
"I'm telling you, the Little Fairy Doctor is a true beauty! An angel descended to our dusty town," a burly member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Company declared loudly in the inn's common room.
"More than a beauty, she has a heart of gold," another added. "Her medical skills are a gift from the heavens. She's saved my life twice."
Feng Jiuge sipped his tea, unsurprised. 'Xiao Yixian. She's here, as expected. Around eighteen years old now. She shouldn't know about the treasure cave yet. That discovery was prompted by her search for a White Orchid Fruit for her pet Blue Eagle.'
He felt no rush. The treasure wasn't going anywhere. His priority was to continue honing his skills.
For the next few weeks, he and Qing Lin established a new routine. By day, they would venture into the outer parts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He would fight First Rank monsters, practicing his control and stamina, while Qing Lin, under his watchful eye, gathered medicinal herbs, her uncanny luck leading them to rich harvests.
At night, he would rent a quiet, private courtyard with a simple cauldron. He began to concoct pills. Not just for their own use, but for sale. He started with simple Healing Pills and Qi Gathering Pills, First Tier staples. His refinement technique was flawless, the quality of his pills consistently high. He sold them for a fair price, and his reputation began to grow.
Soon, there were two famous "doctors" in Qingshan Town. The Little Fairy Doctor, with her gentle healing touch, and the mysterious young alchemist, Master Feng, whose pills were remarkably potent. As a Dou Master, one of the stronger existences in the town, and a skilled alchemist, no one dared to cause trouble for him and Qing Lin.
It was inevitable that their paths would cross.
One afternoon, a young woman in a simple white dress approached the small stall he had set up. She had a kind, gentle face, clear, intelligent eyes, and an ethereal aura that seemed to set her apart from the rough-and-tumble town. It was the Little Fairy Doctor, Xiao Yixian.
"You are Master Feng?" she asked, her voice as soft and pleasant as a spring breeze.
"I am," Feng Jiuge replied with a nod.
"I have heard much about your pills. The quality is exceptional," she said, her gaze curious and filled with a deep, professional respect. "I have always been fascinated by the art of alchemy. It is a pity I do not possess the required attributes to practice it myself."
There was a genuine sadness in her voice. Feng Jiuge knew why. She lacked the wood or fire affinity necessary for traditional alchemy.
"The requirements of the world are not always absolute," Feng Jiuge said, his words catching her by surprise. "There are other paths. Difficult paths, but they exist. One can learn to control the flames of magical beasts, for example. With a Wood-attribute Beast Flame and a Fire-attribute Beast Flame, you could bypass the need for an innate affinity."
Xiao Yixian's eyes widened, a spark of hope igniting within them. "Beast Flames? Is that truly possible?"
"It is," Feng Jiuge confirmed. "I have read about certain beast flames that would be perfect for such a task. When I am strong enough, perhaps I can help you acquire them. Then, you too can walk the path of an alchemist."
A beautiful, heartfelt smile bloomed on her face. "Thank you, Master Feng. You have given me a new hope today."
From that day on, she became a frequent visitor. She would come by to discuss medicinal herbs, and a quick, easy friendship formed between the three of them. Qing Lin, who was usually shy, found a kindred spirit in the gentle older girl.
The trio—the wise-beyond-his-years alchemist, the timid girl with a secret, and the kind-hearted doctor—became a common and welcome sight in Qingshan Town.
At night, Feng Jiuge's true work continued. He devoured the energy of his beast cores, his cultivation soaring. In just one month of this routine, he blazed through the upper echelons of the Dou Master realm, moving from 7-stars to the absolute peak of 9-stars. His foundation remained as solid as a mountain.
Qing Lin, benefiting from his targeted pills laced with traces of refined wind energy, kept pace. Her progress was just as monstrous, reaching the 8-star Dou Practitioner level.
One evening, as he felt the sheer density of the Dou Qi in his Dantian, Feng Jiuge knew it was time. He had the strength, he had the allies, and he knew the location.
He had already used his Heavenly Perception Pupils to scout the area described in the novel. He had found the cliff, the hidden waterfall, and had even located the guardian—a Peak First Class Rock Snake—slumbering in a nearby cave.
"Yixian, Xiao Lin," he said the next morning. "There is a place I wish to investigate. I've heard rumors of rare herbs growing there. I'd like you both to come with me. We may face a guardian beast, but together, we should be fine."
They readily agreed. He led them to the hidden cliff face. The Rock Snake emerged as they approached, but it stood no chance. Feng Jiuge, with his overwhelming power, suppressed it easily while Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin launched coordinated attacks, defeating the beast without much effort.
Behind a curtain of vines, they found the entrance to the cave. It was dark and damp, but filled with the faint scent of old treasures.
"Let's see what we can find," Feng Jiuge said, lighting a torch.
Xiao Yixian, with her knowledge of herbs, was the first to find something. It wasn't a plant, but an old, rolled-up scroll. She unrolled it, her brow furrowing as she began to read.
Feng Jiuge let her be, his Heavenly Perception Pupils scanning the entire cave. He didn't want to miss a thing.
His search yielded one item of great interest that were hidden inside the walls of the cave. It was a heavy, jet-black sword tucked away in a dusty corner. It felt cold and solid in his hand, far superior to his simple iron blade.
He then focused on the items displayed in the cave. There was a thin, intricately carved wooden box.
Inside was a scroll that pulsed with a faint, free-spirited energy. He opened it. 'Flying Dou Technique: Eagle Wings'. A High level Mysterious Class skill. A treasure beyond measure.
Finally, his gaze fell upon a loose stone at the back of the cave. He pried it open. Tucked inside was a small, stiff piece of beast hide.
It was old, brittle, and covered in strange, flowing lines.
A fragment of a map. He understood what it was instantly. A piece of the map to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. He quietly slipped it into his storage ring.
It was then that he heard a soft gasp. He turned to see Xiao Yixian. She was pale, her hands trembling as she held the scroll she had found. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Yixian, what is it?" Feng Jiuge asked, walking over to her. Qing Lin rushed to her side, taking her hand.
"This scroll… the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture…" Xiao Yixian sobbed, her voice breaking. "The symptoms it describes… the occasional weakness, the purple tinge to my Dou Qi when I overexert myself… It's all here. It says I have something called the 'Woeful Poison Body'. It says I will poison everything I touch, and that I will die a painful death when the poison fully erupts."
Her world had just been shattered.
Feng Jiuge placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Qing Lin hugged her tightly, offering silent support. He looked at the scroll with her. "Let me see."
He read the text. It was exactly as he remembered. A curse, but also a key.
"Yixian, listen to me," he said, his voice calm and steady, cutting through her despair. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with terror and hopelessness. "Don't be too worried about the Woeful Poison Body. It is indeed terrifying, but that's a narrow view, meant for low-level cultivators like us."
He spoke patiently, explaining with a certainty that was magnetic. "The world is vast. What is a deadly curse in this small corner of the empire might be a supreme gift elsewhere. I know for a fact that solutions for this physique exist. More than that, this body allows you to absorb any poison to rapidly advance your cultivation. You can grow stronger faster than almost anyone. Once you are powerful enough, finding a permanent cure will be a simple matter. This is not a death sentence, Yixian. It's a path to power, albeit a dangerous one."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "But you must not awaken it. Not yet. The process is volatile. You need to be stronger, and we need to be prepared. I will tell you when the time is right. I will help you control it."
Qing Lin looked from the distraught Xiao Yixian to Feng Jiuge's unbelievably calm and knowledgeable face. She felt a deep sense of security. Her Jiuge-gege always seemed to know everything, to have a plan for everything.
Xiao Yixian stared at him, her sobs subsiding into hiccoughs. His words were a lifeline in her sea of despair. The terror hadn't vanished, but it was now overshadowed by a fragile, burgeoning hope.
He hadn't just offered empty platitudes; he had given her a reason, a plan, and a future. She looked at this twelve-year-old boy, who spoke with the wisdom of beyond his years, and for the first time since reading the scroll, she felt that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.