Within the silent courtyard room, the tranquil air suddenly rippled. Wisps of pale spiritual energy seeped out, continuously drilling into Yan Qingshan's body, strengthening his Dou Qi.
Yan Qingshan gritted his teeth, enduring the collision of internal and external energies. The Qi-Gathering Spiritual Fluid he had ingested was taking effect, the immense energy beginning to compress and sublimate his Dou Qi. While this process was relatively safe, it was also undoubtedly painful, especially for his meridians.
He silently endured the constant throbbing pain in his meridians. Fortunately, his days of arduous training had not been in vain; his long medicinal baths had greatly strengthened his physical condition. While the pain was unbearable, it did not, for the time being, place too much strain on his body.
Within his Dantian Qi Sea, streams of pure energy from the spiritual fluid were furiously refined by his Dou Qi, assimilating and strengthening his aura and continuously condensing and compressing his Dou Qi.
This is a necessary process for advancing to the Doushi stage. Accumulating sufficient energy for the Doushi stage requires over a month of preparation before even reaching the Doushi stage.
Failure in the Doushi stage, and if luck is against you, you might even drop back to the eighth stage, wasting months of hard work. Therefore, it's common for many to attempt dozens or even dozens of attempts before successfully reaching the Doushi stage.
The third-grade Qi Gathering Powder, a medicinal elixir, contains energy that is potent even for Grand Doushi masters, but its mild properties allow it to be used even at the Doushi stage. Of course, Doushi practitioners would waste most of the medicinal power.
The energy contained within the Qi Gathering Powder is immense, enough for a Doushi practitioner to make over a hundred attempts, making failure virtually impossible.
While Yan Qingshan's concoction might not be as effective as the genuine Qi Gathering Powder, the energy contained within it is more than sufficient for a Doushi practitioner to reach the Doushi stage, so his chances of success this time are still very high.
Within Yan Qingshan's body, the Dou Qi continued to grow to a peak. After it reached a critical point where it could no longer expand, a change finally occurred within his Dantian Qi Sea. The surging Dou Qi within him, accompanied by his hand seals, abruptly and rapidly contracted towards his Qi Sea.
It was as if a vortex had formed within his Dantian, infinite Dou Qi energy being infinitely compressed into a single point. As that point slowly swirled, it was as if his entire being had been elevated to another state, a sudden, world-shaking sensation.
"This is... a Dou Zhe!!!"
Yan Qingshan collapsed into the icy bathtub. The cold water sobered him up a bit. Despite his elation, he regained composure, slightly closing his eyes to sense the state within.
Inner Vision is an ability martial artists acquire only after reaching the Dou Zhe level. The higher their strength, the more thorough their understanding of their inner state.
Now, a palm-sized, milky white vortex of energy slowly swirled within his Dantian Qi Sea. Around it, a layer of milky white energy, resembling a nebula, enveloped the vortex.
There's a fundamental difference between a Douzhe and a ninth-level Douzhiqi. The Douzhe cultivates Douzhiqi, while what a Douzhe cultivates later is true Douzhiqi. Though the two differ by only a single character, their essence is vastly different.
"Shuguang, show me my specific stats!"
Yan Qingshan thought, and a stream of information rapidly appeared in his mind.
Host: Yan Qingshan.
Cultivation: One-Star Douzhe.
Strength: 1.3.
Status: Fatigue
. Agility: 1.2.
Spiritual Power: 13.
(Data collection target: Average of one-star Douzhe in Qingshan Town. The median for one-star Douzhe is 1.0 for all indicators.)
"Time is running out. Must prepare!"
Yan Qingshan sensed the power within his body for a moment, then his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, his mouth slightly parted, and he exhaled a breath of drowsy, foul air. A slight rosy glow returned to his complexion.
Yan Qingshan quickly rose and tidied everything as quickly as possible. After leaving a letter on the table in his room, he unpacked his long-prepared bag. As a white light began to appear on the horizon, he took advantage of the still-thick darkness to leave Wanyaozhai, heading north into the Demonic Beast Mountains.
Yan Qingshan left Wanyaozhai without saying goodbye. This was something he had planned long ago, even months in the past. He had packed his bag and letter before today, intending to leave as soon as he successfully achieved the Douzhe breakthrough, minimizing contact with others.
Cautious, he had planned this even before his breakthrough, completely avoiding any disturbance or trouble. Qingshan Town was a small town, considered the lowest-end human settlement on the Douqi Continent, second only to the more disadvantaged mountain villages. Yet, even in such a small town, there were a significant number of Douzhai, including Doushi.
Most Douzhai in Qingshan Town reached their breakthrough after the age of twenty. Even the so-called geniuses of past generations were only eighteen or nineteen at the youngest. There had never been anyone like Yan Qingshan, barely fifteen.
Once word of his breakthrough got out, he'd be at the center of controversy, attracting countless covetous individuals.
He didn't have the strength to protect his secret, and a fighter who had just broken through would inevitably have unstable auras, making it difficult to avoid being recognized. So, before his breakthrough, he'd made a plan: once he successfully broke through, he'd leave a message and depart for a while, returning to Qingshan Town when he was confident.
Yan Qingshan had been preparing for this for a long time, meticulously crafting a plan. He'd left Qingshan Town a few days each month, and leaving again today wouldn't seem out of the ordinary or arouse suspicion.
...
The Warcraft Mountains were a desolate sight in winter, especially after the snowfall, blanketing the ground in a blanket of silver frost. Only a few lush evergreens offered hints of green amidst the veil of white.
Amidst the interplay of withered yellow and white, a trail of footprints stretched deep into the Warcraft Mountains. A young man in a gray-and-white fox coat, wielding a sword, cautiously treaded through the desolate forest. This figure was, of course, Yan Qingshan.
"At this rate, we should be there by noon,"
Yan Qingshan checked his map and memory, confirming his direction.
Disguised as a herbalist foraging for the mountains during the snowy season, Yan Qingshan had reaped considerable rewards along the way. His bag on his back bulged with gold, and in just a short while, he'd earned at least a thousand gold coins.
Yan Qingshan had walked cautiously, his route carefully planned, resulting in a relatively safe journey. Several potential dangers were foreseen and avoided.
At noon, he reached a dense forest. Beyond the forest lay a cliff, and between the cliff and the forest lay a flat clearing, where he paused.
"Let's set up camp first!"
Yan Qingshan paused, gazing out from the clifftop. Taking in the vast expanse of snow, he cautiously chose not to rush. Instead, he gathered some firewood and set up camp in the clearing.
Although he checked carefully and noticed no prying eyes, he remained cautious and refrained from descending the cliff. Instead, he acted as a winter herbalist would, finding a suitable spot to set up camp. Though it was early in the afternoon, his actions were unobtrusive.
The sun sets quickly in winter, and the herbalists who ventured into the mountains during the winter were different from those who worked as mercenaries. Mercenaries primarily sought magical beasts, while herbalists sought herbs and, more importantly, prioritized safety. They generally planned to set up camp well in advance, unlike mercenaries who waited until they were ready to rest and find a campsite.
After Yan Qingshan prepared his campsite, he hid in the bunker and began to prepare the things he needed. After confirming that no one was watching him, he tied one end of the rope to his campsite, came to the edge of the cliff, and slowly slid down the cliff.
Yan Qingshan controlled his figure and carefully slid down the cliff, stopping in front of a strange steep cliff. There was a strange pine tree that stretched out from the rock face, which was a place that could barely be used for a foothold. Behind
this strange tree, there was a tangle of dead vines and shrubs. If you looked carefully, you could hear the sound of wind in the gaps between these shrubs. There was also a large cave behind it, a cave that was difficult to find. If Yan Qingshan had not known the target and observed carefully, he might have missed it that day.
"Danger!!!"
Yan Qingshan had just pushed aside the vines with one hand when all the pores on his body suddenly contracted. A warning flashed through his mind. He tapped the tip of his toes against the rock wall, then yanked on the rope, sending his entire body lurching upwards three feet. With his other hand, he swung a porcelain vase, smashing it towards the attacker.
With a whooshing sound, a long, snake-like object, the same color as the rock wall, shot out and bit. It missed Yan Qingshan, but it managed to shatter the vase, sending a faintly fragrant powder wafting through the air.
"Rock snake?"
Yan Qingshan, forced against the rock wall by inertia, twisted and adjusted himself, and saw the attacker clearly: a Level 1 magical beast, a rock snake, a serpent-like creature that lives within the rock walls.
The rock snake's soft, flat body not only allowed it to easily crawl through rock crevices, but also, thanks to its wings-like form, it could glide between cliffs. Furthermore, this magical beast possessed a variant of the earth element, now possessing the stone element. Its body was as hard as stone, impervious to ordinary swords and knives, making it extremely formidable. After
missing its strike, the rock snake spiraled mid-air, twisting and hissing at Yan Qingshan. Its triangular eyes gleamed a bloody cold light, and its body radiated a dark yellow aura. "Swish!" the rock snake hissed again, its narrow, flat organs, like wings, flapping as it spun towards Yan Qingshan. Its sharp, white fangs flashed a chilling gleam in its maw, sending a chill through the air. "Bang..." Just as the rock snake was within a foot of Yan Qingshan, he stomped his foot back, grasped the rope, and spun to avoid it, using inertia to evade the attack. However, the close proximity prevented the rock snake from adjusting its position, and it slammed into the rock wall like a flying knife, sending flying stones scraping against Yan Qingshan's skin and causing painful scratches. Yan Qingshan didn't dare to be careless. As he spun around, a cloud of powder shot out from his hand again, completely enveloping the rock snake's position. The rock snake's frantic struggle was suddenly greatly affected. After twisting and swaying in the white powder for a moment, its body became stiff and stuck in the rock crevice, unable to move. Yan Qingshan didn't dare to be careless. He took out his sword and chopped it with force from a distance. The half of the rock snake's body outside the crevice was almost severed, half of its spine exposed. But even with such injuries, it only twitched slightly, and it seemed that it was really dying.