Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension

"Why are you so heavy!" Xiao Yu, struggling to breathe under Xiao Yan's weight, had no time to worry about the so-called magical beast. She pushed against him with all her might.

However, with the Heavy Black Ruler strapped to Xiao Yan's back, her strength was nowhere near enough to move him.

Luckily, the hot spring pool wasn't too deep; otherwise, they would have sunk straight to the bottom.

Xiao Yan hushed her softly, "Don't move, or the magical beast will hear us."

Seeing his serious expression, Xiao Yu hesitated, wondering if there really was a magical beast nearby.

A moment later, whether there was a magical beast or not, Xiao Yu couldn't say—but if she stayed like this any longer, the beast in front of her might start misbehaving.

"You little pervert! So young, yet your head is already filled with bad thoughts!" With a sudden shove, Xiao Yu pushed Xiao Yan away. Her delicate face flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes at him with a pout.

"Ahem... I'm innocent!" Xiao Yan coughed awkwardly, his face slightly reddened as well.

Glancing around, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief before explaining, "There really was a magical beast chasing me, and I rushed here in a panic."

Xiao Yu gracefully leapt out of the hot spring, ignoring the water droplets on her skin, and slipped into a water-blue dress. Her long, jade-like legs, as smooth as fine mutton-fat jade, now bore a few faint red handprints.

With a sudden shout, Xiao Yu swung one of those long legs fiercely toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan quickly pushed off the bottom of the spring, dodging the attack and closing in on Xiao Yu.

In the blink of an eye, he effortlessly neutralized her strike, bringing the two of them face-to-face, their breaths mingling.

Instantly, the blush on Xiao Yu's face deepened, making her delicate features even more captivating.

"You little pervert, let me go!" Xiao Yu's voice was tinged with both anger and shyness. Without Xiao Yan's shoulder for support, she would have collapsed to the ground.

With a playful smirk, Xiao Yan lightly scratched the sole of her jade-like foot. "I'll let you go, but you have to promise not to attack me again."

Letting out a sound akin to a startled cat, Xiao Yu quickly nodded.

Xiao Yan gently helped her find her footing before stepping back and shaking the water from his hair.

"You little pervert, do you really think I'm that dumb? Every night for the past few years, someone sneaks into my room to nourish my bones and meridians—another little pervert," Xiao Yu pouted, biting her lip. "Once I break through to Dou Practitioner, I'll teach you a lesson first, and then I'll deal with him!"

Xiao Yan forced a smile, feeling both guilty and confused. How did Xiao Yu know? I've always been very gentle... Could it be... that time I stole some rouge?

His gaze drifted momentarily to her glossy lips before he cleared his throat. "I don't know about anything else, but there really was a fierce black eagle chasing me just now."

Xiao Yu snorted, turned around, and walked away barefoot, heading down the mountain for training.

Watching her departing figure, Xiao Yan murmured, "Did she believe me or not?"

With Xiao Yu's temper, she should have fought him by now, but instead, she left with a mix of annoyance and restraint.

"Even with my brilliant comprehension, I guess I'll never understand a woman's heart."

Sighing, Xiao Yan took advantage of the hot spring to clean himself and his robes. With a burst of Dou Qi, his clothes quickly dried.

Following the direction Xiao Yu had taken, Xiao Yan soon arrived at his usual cliffside spot.

Xiao Yan had just arrived when a young girl in a green dress suddenly emerged from a nearby path and gracefully stood before him.

"Xiao Yan-gege, have you been practicing your cultivation technique?" Xun'er's delicate eyes scanned him, a hint of doubt surfacing on her exquisite face. With her hands clasped behind her back, she leaned in slightly, closing the distance between their faces to mere inches, speaking with a playful, knowing smile.

Xun'er's soul power had always been exceptionally strong. She could easily discern the strength of anyone within the Xiao family who practiced Dou Qi—except for the one closest to her.

She had thought that once Xiao Yan broke through to the Dou Practitioner level, his power would become more apparent, allowing her to gauge it. Yet, to her surprise, she still couldn't see through him.

Having trained his soul power from an early age, Xiao Yan's mastery far exceeded Xun'er's. Concealing his strength had always been effortless, and after his recent enlightenment in the Breath Concealment Technique, his presence had become even more elusive.

As the warm, fragrant breath from Xun'er brushed against his face, Xiao Yan was momentarily dazed. He quickly suppressed the fleeting thoughts in his heart, gently patting the head of the girl who was almost the same height as him, and nodded slightly.

Xun'er's eyes curved into crescent moons, as beautiful as the night sky. She reached out her fair, delicate hands and, as she always did, carefully smoothed out the slight wrinkles in Xiao Yan's robe.

Looking down at her flawless face, a stray strand of hair fell gently over her smooth forehead, occasionally lifted by the breeze to reveal a pair of bright, lively eyes. The way her gaze shifted was utterly captivating.

Xiao Yan found himself staring blankly at Xun'er, his breathing gradually growing heavier, and an undeniable warmth rising in his eyes.

"Xiao Yan-gege... what... what are you looking at?" After finishing with his robe, Xun'er finally noticed his heated gaze. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she softly scolded him.

"Ah? Uh..." Startled back to his senses, Xiao Yan's face also turned slightly red. However, with his thick-skinned nature, he coughed twice and casually replied, "Nothing... I just think Xun'er is becoming more beautiful."

Hearing this, Xun'er let out a soft hum, neither denying nor confirming his words. However, the corners of her rosy lips subtly curved into a pleased smile.

"The family's top-tier fire attribute cultivation technique is indeed good," Xun'er said, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "But when first cultivating Dou Qi, the higher the level of the technique, the greater the long-term benefits. A high-tier Yellow Rank technique... is simply too low."

Seeing Xiao Yan's composed expression, Xun'er lightly tapped her slender fingers, and an ancient scroll, glowing with a fiery jade hue, appeared in her hand.

Although she knew Xiao Yan-gege had a mysterious expert backing him, that expert only existed in spirit form. Xun'er wasn't entirely sure whether he could still provide Xiao Yan with a suitable fire attribute cultivation technique, so she decided to personally bring one.

"This is a high-tier Xuan Rank fire attribute technique: Flame Manipulation Art!" Xun'er gently stroked the scroll and said softly, "Xiao Yan-gege, don't let pride stop you from accepting it. I know you're not a stubborn person, and a high-level technique will greatly benefit you in the future, so..."

Xiao Yan chuckled, taking the scroll without hesitation. "Little missy, you're quite the rich one, huh? A high-tier Xuan Rank technique like this costs at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins!"

Although it was possible to create one's own techniques through extraordinary comprehension, having access to the knowledge of predecessors could accelerate growth and yield even greater results.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, a rosy hue crept up Xun'er's delicate face. "Xiao Yan-gege, you should switch to this technique here and now. I'll guard you."

Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, not expecting Xun'er to be so direct.

The Flame Art may have been looked down upon by many, but it was one of the only two known methods to achieve Dou Emperor status—how could he possibly replace it?

"Hehe, thank you, Xun'er," Xiao Yan replied with a gentle smile, leaning in close to her delicate ear and whispering, "But I've already obtained a better technique."

(End of Chapter)

────────────────────────────────────

"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."

"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."

"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"