The sky above the Monster Mountain Range had turned golden, as though the heavens themselves were holding their breath.
Xiao Ranyu sat cross-legged atop a cliff, his body wrapped in a faint halo of surging Dou Qi.
His shirt fluttered in the wind, torn and burned from weeks of intense training. His breath was steady—but inside, chaos brewed.
That final sliver of control…
That last barrier…
He grasped it.
And crushed it.
> BOOM—!
A shockwave rippled from his body like thunder, shaking trees, scattering birds, and making the ground quake underfoot.
The seal was broken.
His true realm—Dou King—was restored.
But more than just a return…
> "This strength... is far beyond what I had before sealing," he muttered, slowly opening his eyes.
Golden light swirled in his irises like the sun itself.
His body felt light, powerful—like it could tear the heavens if he willed it.
> "If I fought my past Dou King self from a year ago… I'd crush him with one hand."
He clenched his fist.
> "No... Even at Dou Spirit, I could have destroyed him."
---
Not far away, hidden behind a tree, Huolian's eyes widened as a sudden pressure swept over her.
It wasn't just Dou King aura—it was something far denser, more terrifying.
> "That... That's Dou King?" she whispered internally.
> "No… No, that's not right…"
She took a step back, her fur bristling uncontrollably.
Her instincts screamed. Every bloodline memory inside her told her one thing:
> Danger.
His aura wasn't unstable.
It wasn't overwhelming.
It was perfect.
Refined to the point it didn't leak or tremble—it commanded.
Even at her peak strength in the same realm in her original world, she would feel an urge to retreat.
> "What... is he? What kind of monster has this realm and still refines it this extent?"
She swallowed hard, her tails curling behind her as she watched him rise slowly from the ground.
There was no violent burst of energy. No dramatic shout.
Just one calm step forward, and the entire cliff cracked beneath his foot.
> "He… He's not just a Dou King."
> "He's a Dou King, strength controlled to perfection."
She remembered his earlier words.
> "My original realm is Dou King."
But now that she felt it—this refined, precise, suffocating presence—it hit her.
> "He wasn't just saying that. He meant it literally. He's returning to Dou King. Not becoming it."
> "Who seals their cultivation and fights from scratch just to build control like this?!"
---
Xiao Ranyu turned toward the forest, sensing a familiar presence.
> "Still hiding, Fox?"
He smiled.
> "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today."
Huolian immediately vanished into the bushes.
> "Not a chance. Not today."
> "Not until I figure out what you really are…"
And for the first time, the proud Celestial Fox—who once looked down on all Dou Qi Continent life—felt something very unfamiliar toward a human:
A hint of fear.
And a strange, inexplicable flutter in her chest.
---
Xiao Ranyu sat atop a sun-warmed boulder, his crimson hair dancing in the breeze as a faint golden light flickered across his skin.
He had finally done it.
The last strand of his sealed power unraveled like silk from a spool, and the familiar feeling of Dou King strength surged through his meridians. But now it was denser, sharper, more refined than ever before.
> "So this is me... unsealed."
"No, stronger than ever."
He flexed his fingers.
A shockwave rippled through the surrounding rocks with just a twitch.
> "When I was a Dou Spirit before, I could beat my old Dou King self senseless. That says a lot…"
A smirk crept onto his face.
Then a system notification blinked into view.
> [Achievement: Perfect Strength Control – Complete!]
[Reward: 800,000 System Points]
His point total, once a measly 0, now soared to a satisfying 800,000.
> " It's time to purchase that ...."
Flicking through the store, he stopped the moment his eyes landed on it.
> [Flame God Tempering Scripture]
Rank: Heaven (High)
Compatibility: 99%
Cost: 480,000 Points
Without hesitation, he purchased it.
>[Ding! Purchase successful.]
[Remaining Points=320000]
A flood of searing knowledge poured into his mind.
[Flame God Tempering Scripture] – Stage I: Bone Refinement (Red Ash Cycle)
> Requirement: 10 consecutive days of 3-hour daily exposure to a controlled Heavenly Flame environment.
Effect: Flame-conductive, shock-absorbent bone structure.
Benefit: Allows the host to withstand up to 7 Nirvana Cycles with Heavenly Flame without collapse.
---
> "Ten straight days in a Heavenly Flame environment, huh?" Xiao Ranyu muttered.
> "Sounds like torture. Well can't do anything about it.If I want to become stronger,I have to endure it.But where can I find suitable environment ....."
He was thinking, then suddenly remembered something from his memory.
> "Wait… the Green Lotus Geocentric Flame. The 19th-ranked flame. Buried deep within the Tagor Desert, beneath a volcanic magma lake... and surrounded by the perfect flame-tempering conditions."
His eyes brightened
"After everything is over here,go straight to tagor desert"
Not far behind him, Huolian perched silently atop a jagged ridge, her tail swaying in with the wind.
She was thinking
> "Thirteen years old… Dou King realm?" she muttered.
"Even among the Celestial Fox Clan, someone reaching three realms by fifteen would be hailed as a heaven-defying genius."
Her crimson eyes narrowed.
> "But he didn't reach realm three. He reached realm five."
She exhaled slowly, tension building in her chest.
> "He was hiding all this… and even now, he treats it like nothing."
She stared at the boy who uses her tail as a pillow.
For the first time she doesn't feel like a genius.