Xiao Clan, Back Mountain Cave
Eight-star Dou Zhe!
From three stars to eight in one leap—Xiao Bai knew this was due to the Yi Wood True Thunder in his body. His physique had also grown far stronger, though he wasn't sure to what extent.
This ordeal clarified why the talisman decree had suppressed him for five years.
Without those five years of absorbing five-element energies to nourish my organs and temper my body, I'd have died today.
Toward the decree in his sea of consciousness, Xiao Bai felt both gratitude and frustration.
Gratitude for the immense opportunity. His earlier sensing revealed that with each major breakthrough, the decree would grant a new thunder seed. Frustration for its lack of warning. It struck without notice, catching him off guard.
Every time he felt refreshed, it delivered a blow, thrusting him between life and death. I never know what it's planning or when it'll act. Thrilling, to say the least.
Glancing outside, he saw the sky darkening.
His breakthrough had taken nearly five hours. Exhausted from two near-death experiences, Xiao Bai decided to head back, his mind weary.
Stepping out of the cave, a cool breeze sharpened his senses. Feeling the power coursing through him—leagues beyond when he arrived—he smiled, the grin widening.
Suddenly, his expression froze. I almost forgot something critical.
Jumping from ninth-stage Dou Zhi Qi to eight-star Dou Zhe in one go might draw unwanted attention, especially from the Xiao Clan's lurking "Wolong and Fengchu."
I need a way to mask my cultivation. This leap is too drastic—it'll raise suspicions!
If his Dou Qi were unstable, it might be less suspicious. The Dou Qi Continent was vast; rare treasures could propel someone across multiple realms. But Xiao Bai's foundation was rock-solid. The first three stars came from five years of accumulated Dou Zhi Qi, and the additional five were earned through life-or-death refinement.
While refining the Yi Wood True Thunder, he'd endured agony to compress his surging Dou Qi repeatedly, preventing his cultivation from overshooting to Dou Shi.
Are there treasures in the Dou Qi Continent that could explain this? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't afford to seem exceptional and invite scrutiny. I really do have a treasure! Though he didn't know the decree's rank, he suspected even a Dou Sheng would covet it.
In the Xiao Clan, Xiao Bai trusted only Xun'er. But her bodyguard, Ling Ying? If that guy finds out, he'll report to Gu Yuan faster than I can blink. At best, Xiao Bai might lose his freedom. At worst? I don't want to think about it. Dwelling on it might strain things with Xun'er.
Then there was the essence-draining old man. In the original story, he seemed decent, but that was from Xiao Yan's perspective. In the Dou Qi Continent, killing for treasure was commonplace—even Xiao Yan had done it. Xiao Bai had no bond with the old man. Who knows how he'd react?
Betting my life on someone's morals is a bad move. If the decree's exposed, it's like a child waving gold in a crowded market.
Returning to the cave, Xiao Bai sat on the boulder, hand propping his chin, brow furrowed, pondering solutions.
After much thought, he realized the only viable option was the soul cultivation method from the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon—the one he'd deemed unreliable.
The Heavenly Heart Sensing Chapter.
"Through human will, comprehend the Heavenly Dao. With one's heart, reflect the Heavenly Heart. Align with heaven, respond to humanity, and behold the world and all beings—the genesis of divinity."
This was the chapter's opening, and why Xiao Bai found it dubious. The Dou Qi Continent has no Heavenly Dao or Heavenly Heart. This isn't some cosmic saga with divine blades or celestial marks. Seeing the world and all beings? Even a Dou Di's soul isn't that powerful.
Fine, I'll give it a shot. The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon was already a "localized" version for this world. This would just be another adaptation.*
Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Bai cleared his mind and followed the method, focusing his soul to sense the elusive heavens.
"The heavens hold true qi; spirit, soul, and intent align. In utmost stillness, the Heavenly Heart reveals itself, and divine clarity arrives."
His mind grew calm, time blurring—perhaps an incense stick's duration, perhaps an hour.
His soul drifted into a strange void, empty save for occasional wisps of white qi floating past.
A wisp collided with his soul, merging and strengthening it slightly. Without a sense of time or space, Xiao Bai floated aimlessly, unaware, his soul absorbing stray wisps that bolstered it bit by bit.
At last, as if reaching a threshold, the void expelled his soul. Alongside it came a silver mark.
The mark followed his soul into his sea of consciousness, drifting toward the center. Suddenly, a purple spark from the decree struck it, ejecting the mark from the sea. It settled on Xiao Bai's brow, forming a silver pattern resembling a closed vertical eye.
Regaining awareness, Xiao Bai's eyes flickered with confusion, as if the void's events were forgotten. Glancing at the cave entrance, he saw daylight flooding in.
This technique's a scam. I just meditated and fell asleep! he grumbled.
Probing his soul, he jolted. What the—?!
As a transmigrator with the decree in his sea of consciousness, his innate soul was strong. Before cultivating, he'd sensed his soul at mid-Mortal Realm, which had thrilled him. Now, it had jumped to late-Mortal Realm.
Am I a one-in-a-million soul cultivation prodigy? Growing my soul by sleeping through this technique? Or is the Heavenly Heart Sensing Chapter misnamed? It should be the Great Dream Heart Sutra!
Rubbing his chin, he mused, Should I try again? At this rate, I could reach Di Realm soul in no time. If I emerge with a Di Realm soul, who'd dare raise their voice at me? Heh heh heh!
Filled with visions of grandeur, Xiao Bai's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. He dove back in.
First attempt—failure.
Second attempt—failure.
Third attempt—failure.
Tenth attempt—failure.
The spark in his eyes dimmed. The three great delusions of life: I'm the protagonist. She likes me. The bushes are empty. Modern wisdom hadn't lied. He accepted he wasn't a protagonist, lacking that fabled halo.
Sigh. Guess I'm just an ordinary cheat-user.
Standing, hands clasped behind his back, he gazed skyward, nearly tearing up.
After a moment of melodrama, he recalled his original problem. Fortunately, it was manageable now.
Having entered the Heavenly Heart Sensing Chapter, he could use its soul-sealing technique. It allowed him to seal an enemy's soul with soul power, amplified by thunder for greater effect.
Xiao Bai planned to adapt this to suppress the Dou Qi fluctuations in his dantian.
In the original story, Xiao Yan's soul reached Mortal Realm Completion as a new Dou Zong, thanks to his innately strong soul. Most early Dou Zong likely had late-Mortal Realm souls, like Xiao Bai's now. A seal cast with this soul strength should fool a remnant soul and a blind Dou Huang. At the least, he'd sense any forceful probing, rather than being caught unaware.
Finished, Xiao Bai adjusted his clothes and touched the blood-tear stains on his face. He planned to wash them off at the back mountain's lake. Others' opinions didn't bother him, but Xun'er was another matter.
If she sees this, it'll be trouble. She wouldn't scold or pry, but her aggrieved expression would pierce him with guilt and heartache. Only a heartless cad could withstand that. Xiao Bai wasn't a cad—just a touch… broadly affectionate.
Is it wrong for a man to be a bit loving? I only want to give these good girls a warm home!