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Cultivators in the Dou Qi Continent generally do not focus much on body refinement. Cases like Xiao Yan using Heavenly Flames to temper his body and overpower opponents like Liu Qing through sheer physical strength are rare and primarily due to the special nature of the Flame Mantra. Most Dou Qi Continent cultivators strictly follow the traditional path—advancing through cultivation realms and switching techniques as prescribed by their predecessors.
Xiao Yan had the Flame Mantra, and Qian Renhan had the enhancement of soul bones. Although only three out of the nine soul bones he brought from the Douluo Continent remained—the Fallen Angel Wings, the Silver Dragon King's skull, and the external soul bone of the Evil Eyed Tyrant Lord—those that were destroyed had already provided significant benefits. For instance, the six foundational soul bones had merged into his body after he became a god. When the Ancient Emperor crushed them using the Sky-Grasping Claw, it caused permanent damage to Qian Renhan's physical body—akin to having part of his bones severed and unable to regenerate.
Together with the skull and the two remaining external soul bones, they made his Nine-Rotation Dou Zun body comparable to a Half-Saint.
With the experience of a seasoned Half-Saint supporting him, Qian Renhan completed his cultivation in just a few minutes. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the Ancient Emperor's cave surged into his body. His meridians expanded by half, and his Dou Qi reservoir, originally the size of the Arctic Ocean, rapidly extended toward the scale of the Pacific, while its density multiplied several times over.
"To even gain proficiency in techniques this quickly… what an incredible ability," Zhukun once again marveled inwardly. His gaze shifted to the pile of shattered blood-red armor, and his brow furrowed. He could faintly sense an extremely weak and mixed-blood Dragon Clan aura emanating from the fragments.
Zi Yan ran up to Qian Renhan and said, "Senior, you're done cultivating? Then can you take me out of here? I don't want to stay with him any longer."
Hearing this, Zhukun's heart filled with sorrow. He wasn't there to protect his daughter when she was bullied as a child. He also failed to fulfill her first request—to destroy the three members of the Gu Clan. As a father, he truly felt worthless.
"Zi Yan, he's still your father in the end. It's not that he doesn't want to leave—he simply can't. If he hadn't acted just now, you would've been captured and turned into someone's mount." Qian Renhan patted Zi Yan's head. This was the first time he had done so—his first physical interaction with her, and his first genuine attempt to care for her.
Zi Yan instinctively resisted the gesture, pouting and turning to look at Zhukun's grief-stricken face. She recalled how he had said he'd been trapped here for a long time. After a long moment of hesitation, she finally said, "Then I'll give him one chance." She then stretched out her hand toward Zhukun and added, "You're really powerful, so you must have a lot of tasty food. Hand some over!"
Zhukun couldn't help but laugh. As expected of a member of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan—always obsessed with food. "Child, of course your father has delicious things. But my storage ring is full of tier-nine pills—you wouldn't be able to digest them yet. Once you reach the Dou Saint realm, you can eat as many as you want. Those pills taste way better than the ones you have now."
Upon hearing that, Zi Yan continued munching on the pills in her jade bottle with a resentful pout, mumbling, "I need to grow up faster."
"Senior Zhukun, I will never forget the grace of your rescue," Qian Renhan said, clasping his hands respectfully. "If I ever have the means to repay you, I will do so without hesitation." Then, in a softer tone, he added, "Zi Yan, you should stay here. Due to what happened earlier, the Gu Clan has put me on their kill-on-sight list. The pills I gave you are enough to help you break through to Dou Huang, but following me now is far too dangerous."
"When you reach a sufficient level of cultivation, you'll naturally sense where the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan resides. At that time, your father can open a spatial passage to send you out. Once you return to the clan, you'll be completely safe."
"No! I don't want that. Senior, don't leave me here alone!" Zi Yan still couldn't bring herself to stay with Zhukun for long. The trauma from childhood was too deep. Occasional visits were fine, but prolonged interaction was too much for now.
But Qian Renhan truly couldn't take her with him this time. The ancient agreement among the Eight Great Clans forbids Dou Saints from casually intervening, and Five-Star Dou Saints are barred from entering the secular world. Still, agreements are just that—agreements. Did they really think everyone was as noble (read: naïve) as the old master?
From the Gu Clan's perspective, Qian Renhan possessed methods to rapidly boost his strength. Given the blood feud between them, they were determined to capture him and force his hand. In such a scenario, his Nine-Rotation Dou Zun level was meaningless—a few Half-Saints could easily overwhelm him.
Stretching out his hand, Qian Renhan summoned a spatial channel with a surge of pitch-black soul power. This wasn't the spatial energy mastered by Dou Zun under the laws of heaven and earth, but rather a spatial talent akin to that of the Taixu Ancient Dragons. This ability came from the soul rings and soul bones of Di Tian, the Silver Dragon King, and the Evil Eyed Tyrant Lord that had shattered and merged into his body.
Using this kind of innate ability drastically reduced the chance of being detected by the Gu Clan—much like how Zi Yan, even at the peak of Dou Wang, could travel freely without being noticed by Su Qian.
Just then, Zhukun waved his hand, and the spatial rift that Qian Renhan had opened closed instantly. He could tell that Qian Renhan's earlier words were sincerely meant for Zi Yan's safety. There wasn't a trace of falsehood in his concern. Although Zhukun wanted to spend time alone with Zi Yan to nurture their father-daughter relationship, what mattered most to him was her emotional well-being.
"Qian Renhan, let me ask you—have you ever killed a member of the Dragon Clan?" Zhukun narrowed his eyes. That innate spatial ability displayed earlier was absolutely not something a human should possess. Yet Qian Renhan was unmistakably, one hundred percent human in bloodline.
"I have," Qian Renhan answered calmly. In the Douluo World, lizard-like beings were considered true dragons—members of the Dragon Clan. He had indeed killed some. This was the path he had chosen, and lying would only damage his Dao Heart. Besides, in front of an ancient monster at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint, even staying silent wouldn't conceal the truth.
"What?!"
The temperature in the Ancient Emperor's cave plummeted suddenly. Despite being surrounded by magma, it felt like an ice cellar. A murderous aura engulfed Qian Renhan completely.
"What are you doing?! I'm warning you—if you dare to harm Senior, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life!" Zi Yan shouted at Zhukun, pointing at him in a panic.
In the next moment, the overwhelming killing intent filling the cave gradually dissipated.
"For the sake of you protecting my daughter, I won't pursue this matter," Zhukun said at last.
He gave Zi Yan a helpless glance. His display of killing intent had only been intended as a show of force—he never truly meant to harm Qian Renhan. From the abilities Qian Renhan had demonstrated, and his heartfelt concern for Zi Yan, the Dragon Emperor had already formulated his next plan. The fact that Qian Renhan could use spatial abilities was a pleasant surprise, and the very reason Zhukun had wanted to test him with a show of strength.
As for those so-called Dragon Clan members Qian Renhan had slain—they were the result of countless generations of mixed-blood offspring, dragons interbreeding with all sorts of other species. Their bloodlines were so diluted that Zhukun didn't even consider them to be part of the same clan.
Qian Renhan furrowed his brows slightly, looking at Zhukun with a trace of confusion. What kind of game was this old Dragon Emperor playing?
Zhukun then asked, "Qian Renhan, are you aware of the Dou Di Realm?"
Qian Renhan gave a slight nod and replied, "It's the realm above Nine-Star Dou Saint—a level where one's strength alone can suppress everything."
Zhukun smiled mysteriously. "Between the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint and the Dou Di Realm, there is actually one more level. This realm is known as Half-Emperor."
"Though a Half-Emperor is not yet a Dou Di, their power still far surpasses that of peak Nine-Star Dou Saints. But there's something missing in this world—because of that, not even Half-Emperors, let alone Dou Dis, can be born easily."
Zhukun had every right to speak with authority on the difficulty of reaching the Half-Emperor realm. He had been stuck at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint for countless years and had remained trapped within the Ancient Emperor's cave for just as long, his cultivation stalled without the slightest breakthrough.
(End of Chapter)