Chapter 2

The moon was like a silver plate, and the sky was filled with countless stars.

At the top of the cliff, Xiao Yan lay on the grass, a blade of grass in his mouth, chewing it gently, letting the faint bitterness spread in his mouth...

He raised his somewhat pale hand, blocking it in front of his eyes, and gazed through the gaps between his fingers at the huge silver moon in the sky.

"Ah..." Thinking about the test in the afternoon, Xiao Yan sighed softly, lazily withdrawing his hand, his hands supporting his head, his eyes somewhat dazed...

"Fifteen years already..." A low murmur suddenly escaped from the young man's mouth.

In Xiao Yan's heart, there was a secret known only to him: he was not from this world, or rather, Xiao Yan's soul did not belong to this world. He came from a blue planet called Earth. As for why he ended up here, he could not explain this bizarre experience. However, after living for some time, he gradually realized that he had been transported to another world!

As he grew older, Xiao Yan also gained a vague understanding of this continent...

The continent was called the Dou Qi Continent, where there were no common magic systems as found in novels. Instead, Dou Qi (Martial Qi) was the only theme of the continent!

On this continent, the cultivation of Dou Qi had, through countless generations of effort, reached its peak. Due to the continuous development of Dou Qi, it eventually spread to the general public, making Dou Qi closely related to human daily life. Thus, the importance of Dou Qi on the continent became irreplaceable!

Because of the extreme proliferation of Dou Qi, numerous cultivation methods branched out from the main line. These methods naturally varied in strength.

After summarization and classification, the Dou Qi Continent divided the levels of Dou Qi cultivation methods from high to low into four ranks and twelve levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow!

Each rank was further divided into three levels:初级, 中级, and 高级 (初级, Intermediate, and Advanced)!

The level of the Dou Qi cultivation method one practiced was a key factor in determining future achievements. For example, someone practicing a Profound Intermediate level method would naturally be stronger than someone of the same level practicing a Yellow Advanced level method.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the criteria for determining strength were based on three conditions.

First and foremost, one's own strength was the most important. If one's strength was only at the level of a one-star Dou Zhe (Martial Warrior), even if they practiced a Heaven Advanced level rare method, it would be difficult to defeat a Dou Shi (Martial Master) practicing a Yellow level method.

Secondly, it was the cultivation method! If two people of the same level had a significant difference in the level of their cultivation methods, the advantages in a competition would be immediately apparent.

The third factor was called Dou Ji (Martial Skill)!

As the name suggests, this was a special skill for utilizing Dou Qi. On the continent, Dou Ji also had levels, generally divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.

The number of Dou Ji on the Dou Qi Continent was countless, but most of the commonly known Dou Ji were only at the Yellow level. To obtain more advanced Dou Ji, one had to join a sect or a Dou Qi academy on the continent.

Of course, some Dou Ji were derived from cultivation methods obtained through fortuitous encounters, and when used together, they were even more powerful.

Based on these three conditions, one could determine who was stronger. In general, if one could obtain a higher-level Dou Qi cultivation method, the benefits in the future would be obvious...

However, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to obtain high-level cultivation methods. The methods circulating among the common people were mostly at the Yellow level. Some powerful families or small to medium-sized sects might have Profound level cultivation methods. For example, the highest-level method in Xiao Yan's family, "Raging Lion's Fury," was a wind attribute Profound Intermediate level Dou Qi cultivation method, and only the clan leader had the right to practice it.

Above the Profound level was the Earth level, but such advanced methods might only be possessed by those transcendent forces and great empires...

As for the Heaven level... it had not appeared for several hundred years.

Theoretically, for ordinary people to obtain high-level cultivation methods was almost impossible. However, nothing was absolute. The Dou Qi Continent was vast, with countless races. In the north, there were the barbarian tribes, known for their immense strength and the ability to merge with beast spirits. In the south, there were various high-intelligence advanced magical beast families, and the notorious dark races known for their cunning and cruelty...

Due to the vastness of the continent, there were also many unknown hermits. At the end of their lives, some of them, with their eccentric personalities, might hide their lifetime achievements in some place, waiting for a worthy person to discover them. On the Dou Qi Continent, there was a saying: "If one day you fall off a cliff into a cave, don't panic. Take a few steps forward, and perhaps, you will become a powerful person!"

This saying was not false. In the nearly thousand-year history of the continent, there were many stories of people becoming powerful through fortuitous encounters.

The consequence of this was that many people waited by the cliffs every day, ready to jump to obtain world-class cultivation methods. Of course, most of them returned with broken arms and legs...

In short, this was a continent full of miracles and the creation of miracles!

Of course, to cultivate Dou Qi, one had to become a true Dou Zhe (Martial Warrior) first. For Xiao Yan, that goal seemed very distant...

"Spit." Spitting out the grass root, Xiao Yan suddenly jumped up, his face distorted, and he roared at the night sky: "Damn it, did you bring me here to play with me as a waste? Damn!"

In his previous life, Xiao Yan was an extremely ordinary person among the masses. Money, beauty, these things were like parallel lines to him, never intersecting. However, when he came to the Dou Qi Continent, he was pleasantly surprised to find that due to his two lifetimes of experience, his soul was much stronger than that of ordinary people!

It was important to note that on the Dou Qi Continent, the soul was innate. It might become slightly stronger with age, but there were no cultivation methods to specifically strengthen the soul. Even Heaven-level methods could not do so! This was common knowledge on the Dou Qi Continent.

The strengthening of his soul also endowed Xiao Yan with a talent for cultivation, and thus, he became known as a genius.

When an ordinary person realized they had the potential to become the focus of many, if they lacked sufficient self-control, it was difficult to maintain their true self. Clearly, Xiao Yan, who was just an ordinary person in his previous life, did not have such superhuman self-control. Therefore, after he began cultivating Dou Qi, he chose the path of becoming a genius, rather than growing quietly!

If there had been no unexpected events, Xiao Yan might have continued to grow as a genius. However, unfortunately, at the age of eleven, his genius status was gradually stripped away by a sudden change, and he became a laughingstock in the eyes of the public overnight!

...

After roaring a few times, Xiao Yan's emotions gradually calmed down, and his face returned to its usual melancholy. No matter how angry he was, he could not recover the Dou Qi he had cultivated so hard.

Bitterly shaking his head, Xiao Yan felt somewhat wronged. He did not know what had happened to his body. During regular checks, he found nothing wrong. His soul became stronger with age, and his ability to absorb Dou Qi was even more vigorous than it was at its peak a few years ago. All these conditions indicated that his talent had not diminished, but the Dou Qi that entered his body disappeared without a trace, a mysterious situation that left Xiao Yan disheartened...

Sighing bitterly, Xiao Yan raised his hand. On his finger was a black ring, very ancient, made of unknown material, with some indistinct patterns. This was the only gift his mother gave him before she died. He had worn it for ten years since he was four. As a memento of his mother, he had a deep attachment to it. Gently touching the ring, Xiao Yan smiled bitterly: "These past few years, I have truly let my mother down..."

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan suddenly turned his head and warmly smiled at the dark forest: "Father, you're here?"

Although his Dou Qi was only at the third level, Xiao Yan's soul perception was much more sensitive than that of a five-star Dou Zhe. When he mentioned his mother, he had sensed a slight movement in the forest.

"Ha ha, Yan'er, it's so late, why are you still up here?" From the forest, after a moment of silence, a man's concerned laughter echoed.

The branches swayed, and a middle-aged man leaped out, a smile on his face, gazing at his son standing under the moonlight.

The middle-aged man wore a luxurious gray robe, his gait exuding a sense of authority, and his thick eyebrows added to his imposing presence. He was the current clan leader of the Xiao family and Xiao Yan's father, a five-star Great Dou Zhe, Xiao Zhan!

"Father, you haven't rested yet either?" Looking at the middle-aged man, Xiao Yan's smile became even warmer. Although he had the memories of his previous life, his father had always doted on him since his birth. After he fell into despair, his father's affection only increased. This behavior made Xiao Yan willing to call him father.

"Yan'er, are you still thinking about the test this afternoon?" Taking a few steps forward, Xiao Zhan smiled.

"Ha ha, what's there to think about? It was expected." Xiao Yan, mature beyond his years, shook his head, but his smile was somewhat forced.

"Ai..." Looking at Xiao Yan's still somewhat youthful and handsome face, Xiao Zhan sighed, then said after a moment of silence: "Yan'er, you're fifteen years old, right?"

"Yes, Father."

"In another year, it seems... it will be time for the coming-of-age ceremony..." Xiao Zhan smiled bitterly.

"Yes, Father, in another year!" Xiao Yan's hand tightened slightly, and he replied calmly. He knew very well what the coming-of-age ceremony meant. If he could not pass it, he would lose the qualification to enter the Dou Qi Pavilion to search for Dou Qi cultivation methods and would be assigned to manage the family's various businesses. This was the clan's rule, and even as the clan leader, his father could not change it!

After all, if one could not become a Dou Zhe by the age of twenty-five, they would not be recognized by the clan!

"I'm sorry, Yan'er. If your Dou Qi does not reach the seventh level in a year, I will have to assign you to the family's businesses, as the clan is not solely under my control. Those old fellows are always waiting for me to make a mistake..." Looking at the calm Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan sighed apologetically.

"Father, I will try my best. In a year, I will definitely reach the seventh level of Dou Qi!" Xiao Yan smiled, comforting his father.

"A year, four levels? Ha ha, if it were before, it might have been possible, but now... there's almost no chance..." Although he was comforting his father, Xiao Yan's heart was filled with self-mockery.

Xiao Zhan, who was also very familiar with Xiao Yan's situation, could only sigh in response. He knew how difficult it was to cultivate four levels of Dou Qi in a year. Gently patting his head, he suddenly smiled: "It's late, go back and rest. Tomorrow, there will be a distinguished guest in the family, don't be impolite."

"Distinguished guest? Who?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"You'll know tomorrow." Winking at Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan laughed and left, leaving Xiao Yan feeling helpless.

"Rest assured, Father, I will do my best!" Touching the ancient ring on his finger, Xiao Yan looked up and murmured.

At the moment Xiao Yan looked up, the black ring on his finger suddenly emitted a faint, strange light, which disappeared in an instant, unnoticed by anyone...

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