Chapter 49: Third Level of Battle Aura!

After leaving the main hall, Xiao Yan turned to Qian Mo and asked, “Master, since you have that so-called Qi Origin Pill, why won’t you give me one? That way I could fly up there.”

Qian Mo swung her hand, giving him a light slap as she replied coldly, “Look at your father’s age and then look at yours. At your age, you should be honing your skills through hard work. As long as you haven’t broken through to the Dou Zun rank, you can forget about receiving any shortcut pills from me!”

“What? Dou Zun? At this rate, when will I ever get there?” Xiao Yan shouted, utterly disheartened.

At that moment, it felt as if an invisible bolt of lightning struck him from above.

“Tch! No ambition. You’re letting a mere Dou Zun rank stand in your way? If that’s the case, you’ll truly disappoint me! My disciple cannot be like this!” Qian Mo once again spoke with icy indifference.

Now was precisely the time to put pressure on this brat, otherwise he’d think everything was too easy.

“No, Master! I will definitely achieve it, and within ten years at that,” Xiao Yan declared, clenching his fists with unwavering resolve.

“Good. Now you haven’t let me down,” Qian Mo said blandly.

“Since you have already stepped onto the path of cultivation, I will now impart to you a body refinement technique,” Qian Mo continued, pressing a finger to Xiao Yan’s forehead. “This technique is called: The Great Brahma Golden Body.”

He went on, “The Great Brahma Golden Body is a body refinement art that can be endlessly advanced. What I’m giving you now is the most basic, lowest grade version—Yellow Rank, Lower Level. You must practice it from the very beginning.”

As the words fell, a golden radiance flashed through Xiao Yan’s body, fusing with his blood and bones. When he opened his eyes, a deep golden light shone within them—a light that could well be called the radiance of Buddha.

This Great Brahma Golden Body was precisely what Qian Mo had comprehended from the wordless jade wall of Tianyin Temple in the world of Zhu Xian.

In the original tale, Xiao Yan started out with only the Flame Mantra, but since I am here now, it would be too crude to give him only that. Not only will I have him practice the Great Brahma Golden Body, but also the Flame Mantra. After all, he lacks nothing in terms of strange fire; why not let him make the most of it?

“Yan’er, how does it feel?” Qian Mo asked, observing the changes in Xiao Yan’s body.

Though these arts were from different worlds, if even the ancestors of Tianyin Temple could learn the Great Brahma Parinirvana, then Xiao Yan certainly could as well. The foundation of body cultivation was essentially the same everywhere; it was simply a matter of whether a world had such arts or not.

“Master, I feel an unprecedented sense of comfort,” Xiao Yan replied, clenching his fists and carefully savoring the transformation, describing every sensation to Qian Mo in real time.

“Since there are no problems, let me set a goal for you: From now until you reach the Dou Practitioner rank, you are to practice only this body refinement art. Before you become a Dou Practitioner, you must refine the Great Brahma Golden Body to the Lower Level of the Profound Rank to be considered qualified. Until then, whether you’re fighting or being attacked, you may only rely on your flesh and fight in close quarters. You must kill with your bare hands! Do you understand?” Qian Mo instructed coldly.

“If anyone bullies you, bully them right back! If anything happens, I’ll be here for you. As my disciple, you are not to be bullied by anyone!” Qian Mo’s voice was again icy and commanding.

“Yes, Master! I will not let you down!” Xiao Yan answered. Far from being cowed, he was instead filled with even more burning determination, his gaze resolute as never before.

In his heart, he swore not to disappoint his master. He was determined to become the strongest in this world—even if he was still weak now, he had time, and such a strict master by his side.

“Enough. It’s late. Go to the back mountain. I’ve prepared a bath for you,” Qian Mo said, returning to her usual gentle smile.

“Yes, Master!” Seeing Qian Mo smile, Xiao Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied.

“I’m starting to feel that I’m well suited to be a teacher. If nothing unexpected happens tonight, he should break through to the third stage of Dou Qi,” Qian Mo muttered to herself as she returned to the ring.

Back Mountain

“Master, we’re here!” Xiao Yan announced.

Qian Mo emerged from the ring and arrived at a clearing. With a wave of her hand, she conjured exactly what she wanted: a perfectly sized rectangular bathing tub.

A bottle of water appeared in Qian Mo’s hand. Though it looked small, it was a product of the system, capable of generating an endless supply. She filled the bath, then summoned a plume of strange fire—none other than Yao Lao’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

“Master, what kind of fire is that? It looks amazing! And dangerous,” Xiao Yan exclaimed with curiosity.

“This is a Heavenly Flame. Heavenly Flames are natural spiritual phenomena formed by heaven and earth, possessing extremely high temperatures. This one is called the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, ranked eleventh among the Heavenly Flames. It’s barely passable. In the future, you’ll inherit it,” Qian Mo explained simply, glancing at Xiao Yan before continuing, “For now, focus on training your Great Brahma Golden Body.”

“I understand, Master!” Xiao Yan thought, steeling himself to train even harder.

Soon, the water in the tub was boiling. “Take off all your clothes and get in,” Qian Mo instructed.

“Ah! Oh.” Xiao Yan quickly stripped bare and squeezed his small frame into the tub.

Qian Mo’s lips curled up at the sight.

Splash—

“Sit cross-legged and operate the Great Brahma Golden Body. Absorb it well. Not only does this technique offer great defense, but its regenerative ability is also formidable. Use it wisely in future battles. Unless your life is in danger or you face an overwhelmingly strong opponent, I will not intervene,” Qian Mo reminded him.

“Yes, Master!” Xiao Yan immediately began circulating the Great Brahma Golden Body, soaking up the energy and banishing the day’s fatigue.

“Alright, it’s time,” Qian Mo said, producing a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Elixir and pouring it into the water. The liquid quickly dispersed, fully merging with the hot bath before being absorbed into Xiao Yan’s body.

As Xiao Yan continued to absorb and refine, golden light surged from within him. “He’s about to break through—the third stage of Dou Qi. Half a month, and he’s reached the third stage of Dou Qi. The Great Brahma Golden Body should also be advancing to its first step. After all, the lower tier of Yellow Rank is easy to advance. He should reach the peak of the lower tier this time, just a step away from the middle tier. A bit more physical pressure and he’ll break through. But I won’t help him yet; it’s better saved for future body tempering.”

Dou Qi circulated rapidly through Xiao Yan’s body, his Qi field constantly absorbing and refining.

“Aha! Break through for me!” Xiao Yan shouted, pushing himself to the limit.

“Done,” Qian Mo remarked calmly.

As soon as she spoke, Xiao Yan broke through to the third stage of Dou Qi, just as she predicted. Five years old, half a month into cultivation, and he’d already reached the third stage.

For anyone else, breaking through three stages in half a month—relying solely on the body without other techniques—would be impossible.

“I already broke through to the third stage of Dou Qi?” Xiao Yan punched a nearby tree with a Qi-fueled fist.

Bang—

The entire tree toppled to the ground.

“Poor tree, you weren’t meant to die. So I’ll bring you back,” Qian Mo said, shaking her head at the fallen tree.

With a flick of her finger, a beam of light flashed, and the tree stood upright once more.

“Wow!” Xiao Yan couldn’t help but gasp.

...

(End of this chapter)