BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Word Count: 2,168 Words

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A moment passed, and Xiao Yan's hands began to wander, slowly moving upward. Xun Er's body suddenly shook as his fingers grazed a soft spot. She forcefully pushed him away. Her cheeks turned a deep red as she breathlessly whispered, "No... we can't."

Xiao Yan calmed down considerably upon hearing her refusal and sighed inwardly.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, due to... certain reasons with my body, right now... right now we still can't." Xun Er's face grew even redder as she realized what he intended. Her heart raced and pounded in her chest as she hastily explained.

"And this scroll, Xiao Yan ge-ge must keep it safe and not reveal it to anyone else, not even Uncle Xiao Zhan." Xun Er quickly changed the subject, redirecting his attention to the scroll and using it to shield his eyes.

Xiao Yan reached out to take the black scroll. Xun Er breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Yet a subtle sense of loss lingered in her heart amidst this relief.

Xiao Yan frowned as he examined the scroll. Holding it gave a sense of weightiness; this leather was definitely not ordinary.

"What is this?" he asked.

Xun Er softly replied after regaining her composure, "It's a Dou Technique that can only be cultivated upon reaching the Dou King realm."

"Dou King?!" Xiao Yan's heart trembled. Although he was already at the peak of the 8-star Dou Spirit stage, just a step away from Dou King, a Dou Technique requiring one to be at the Dou King realm must be Di Class, possibly even intermediate or high Di Class!

"This is too precious..." Xiao Yan frowned. Before he could finish speaking, however, he met a pair of reproachful eyes, prompting him to swallow his words awkwardly.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge has never accepted a gift from Xun Er before. This time, Xun Er hopes you can accept it." Xun Er sighed softly.

Xiao Yan shrugged and said with a grin, "Actually, I'm not someone who refuses to 'eat soft rice.' But since I've accepted it, I hope Xun Er can feed it directly to me."

??? Xun Er tilted her head in confusion. How could this 'soft rice' be fed directly?

Xiao Yan revealed a sly smile. He sat on a chair, suddenly pulled Xun Er over, and amidst her surprised exclamation, she found herself sitting on his lap.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge?!"

"This Dou Technique, Xun Er has cultivated it before, right? I don't have a master to guide me, and my talent is poor. Without Xun Er explaining it to me, who knows how long it will take me to learn it." Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, his smile as cunning as a fox.

Xun Er couldn't help but retort with feigned annoyance, "Xiao Yan ge-ge, really! If you consider your talent poor, then many people might as well bang their heads against the wall."

Despite her words, she did not refuse his request. She gently leaned against his chest and delicately unfolded the scroll with her jade-like hands.

Countless golden characters instantly flowed into Xiao Yan's mind. Even though he had been mentally prepared, his eyes couldn't help but flicker with surprise when he saw the level of the Dou Technique recorded on the scroll.

Even Xun Er was quite amazed to see that Xiao Yan could absorb such vast amounts of spiritual information without showing any signs of discomfort.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge is truly incredible. Even ordinary Dou Kings would experience immense pain trying to absorb so much spiritual information."

"Well, strong Spiritual Strength is an alchemist's fundamental skill, after all."

Xiao Yan knew, of course, that this was not just because he was an alchemist, but also because he had cultivated a Soul Training Method.

After digesting the spiritual information, Xiao Yan murmured, "God Seal Technique, High Di Class. It is said to have been created by an ancient Dou God. It consists of five distinct styles: Open Mountain Seal, Sea Flipping Seal, Overturning Land Seal, Sky Burying Seal, and Ancient God Seal. Each seal is linked to one another. When one reaches complete mastery of all five seals, one will be able to flip the sea, overturn the oceans, and swallow the Heavens and Earth! It is comparable to a Tian Class Dou Technique when cultivated to perfection! However, one must reach the Dou King realm in order to cultivate this technique. Otherwise, failure to form the seals will bring disaster upon oneself!"

"Created by a Dou God?!"

Xiao Yan looked down at the beauty in his arms. He had to admit, this 'soft rice' was truly fragrant!

Xun Er revealed a happy smile upon hearing his astonished voice. She swung her slender legs back and forth, looked up at him, and asked, "Is Xiao Yan ge-ge satisfied?"

"What do you think..."

Xiao Yan was speechless. This was actually comparable to a Tian Class Dou Technique!

Although it only contained the Open Mountain Seal and Sea Flipping Seal, these were High Di Class Dou Techniques. When Ling Ying had used them before, it was truly a palm strike that could split mountains!

Seeing that Xiao Yan was satisfied, Xun Er began to patiently explain the key points and difficulties of the Open Mountain Seal and Sea Flipping Seal.

What surprised Xiao Yan was that Xun Er had already cultivated both hand seals. Her left hand could form the Open Mountain Seal, and her right hand could form the Sea Flipping Seal. Moreover, she was extremely proficient, able to form the seals effortlessly.

'So this is the power of the Dou God Bloodline. Cultivating Dou Techniques is as easy as drinking water. No wonder those clans with Dou God Bloodlines value it so highly. With this bloodline's aid, it's hard not to become a powerful expert.' Xiao Yan gained a deeper understanding of the so-called Dou God Bloodline.

He too possessed a trace of the Dou God Bloodline, a smidgen left behind by his ancestor. Although it was very faint, he noticed a slight improvement in his comprehension and cultivation speed since acquiring it.

Xun Er talked until she was tired. She didn't go back to her room. Instead, she snuggled into Xiao Yan's embrace and quietly fell asleep. Xiao Yan held her delicate, jade-like hands and hugged her as he also drifted off soundly.

The two of them fell into a sweet slumber as they leaned against each other.

It wasn't until a ray of sunlight shone through the window that Xun Er left the room with a blushing face.

…

In Xun Er's chambers...

"Young Miss, did you really give that scroll to Young Master Xiao Yan?" In the subtly fragrant room, Ling Ying looked somewhat stunned at the young lady holding a teacup. Xun Er's clear, watery eyes still held an almost imperceptible trace of shyness.

Facing Ling Ying's question, she casually nodded, as if the item she'd given away was just something ordinary.

"But... that Dou Technique is of great importance even within the clan." Ling Ying smiled wryly. This was beyond mere generosity.

Xun Er smiled faintly, then waved her hand and said, "Old Ling, make sure no one else knows about this, not even Father."

"Very well..." Ling Ying hesitated for a moment before sighing helplessly. He knew that if this matter were reported back to the clan, who knew what kind of turmoil it would cause.

Just like the Hun Clan and the Wind Lightning Pavilion, the God Seal Technique was forbidden to be passed outside the Gu Clan. Once discovered, it must be retrieved.

"Young Miss, there's news from the clan... they—"

Xun Er's eyes turned cold. She raised her hand to interrupt Ling Ying and said, "Tomorrow is the day for the Essence Heart Flame Body Tempering. Even for me, undergoing the tempering with the Fallen Heart Flame has many benefits. We will discuss this matter after it's completed."

"Understood, Young Miss." With that, Ling Ying disappeared.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, Xun Er has done all she can. The true path to becoming a strong expert now depends on you. I hope that the next time we meet, you'll have become someone truly powerful, so strong that even Xun Er has to look up to you," Xun Er murmured softly while holding the warm teacup. Her heart was filled with reluctance.

…

The next day arrived. It was the day when the top ten of the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking would enter the bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower to undergo the Essence Heart Flame Body Tempering.

"First Elder Su Qian will also be present during the Essence Heart Flame Body Tempering. To be safe, you should wait in the room," Xiao Yan said as he released the Green Lotus.

On the Green Lotus, Medusa, transformed into the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, slowly opened her eyes. She shot a cold glance at Xiao Yan before closing them again.

Xiao Yan was accustomed to her cold demeanor. After making the arrangements, he left the room.

He and Xun Er arrived as scheduled. When they reached the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, the other eight people had already gathered.

Zi Yan snorted coldly upon seeing Xiao Yan. She hadn't expected to actually tie with him!

Xiao Yan smiled and walked over to her. "What's wrong? Are you upset?"

"Hmph, of course not. It was just a tie anyway; you didn't win." Zi Yan turned her head away and snorted lightly.

Clink, clink, clink. 

Xiao Yan took out a jade bottle from his robe pocket. Inside were ten round pills that looked like candies.

Zi Yan instantly resembled a greedy child upon seeing the pill candies, drooling with sparkling eyes.

"These are for you. Don't be angry anymore, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!" Zi Yan nodded vigorously. Everything could be negotiated when there was something tasty.

Taking the jade bottle from Xiao Yan, Zi Yan immediately popped a pill into her mouth and enjoyed it blissfully.

"Hehe, it seems everyone is here. Then I won't waste words," First Elder Su Qian glanced around and, without further ado, waved his hand. The heavy tower doors slowly opened with a creaking sound.

Each harbored their own thoughts as they followed the First Elder into the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and descended the spiral staircase.

'This is the eighth floor?' Xiao Yan silently counted and realized they had already descended below the seventh floor.

What surprised him was that the eighth floor was actually the end. There were no more stairs leading downward.

Only elders could reach the eighth floor, and even Zi Yan could only access the seventh floor.

The surrounding Heavenly Flame energy on the eighth floor was already comparable to that of the No.1 cultivation room. They followed the First Elder through the eighth floor, walking for about ten minutes.

"We've arrived!" Su Qian quickened his pace toward the end. His calm voice immediately lifted everyone's spirits, and they hurriedly accelerated their steps, eagerly rushing forward.

As they stepped out of the dimly lit passage, the blinding light caused Xiao Yan and the others to instinctively close their eyes. They quickly reopened them and scanned the surroundings with astonished expressions.

This was an extremely spacious and empty area within the tower, occupying a vast space. By estimation, it was more expansive than any of the floors above. Moreover, unlike the eighth floor, there were no cultivation rooms here, giving it an empty feeling.

The First Elder pointed to ten jade platforms not far away and said, "Each of you find a jade platform and take a seat."

Xiao Yan exchanged a nod with Xun Er and found one of the jade platforms to sit on. Immediately, a faint coolness permeated his body. Sitting here seemed to isolate even the external scorching heat.

After seeing everyone seated, the First Elder formed hand seals, and an energy barrier enveloped Xiao Yan and the others.

'So there's a special energy seal here as well. It seems the Inner Academy's defenses against the Fallen Heart Flame are quite stringent.' Xiao Yan mused inwardly as he observed the seemingly illusory yet extremely solid energy ripples.

When the energy barrier enveloped them, a seemingly transparent flame that could somehow be seen with the naked eye rose up.

The moment the formless Heart Flame appeared, the Nihility Devouring Flame within Xiao Yan's Acceptance Soul let out a cry, eager to emerge and devour it.

"Don't cause trouble. It'll be problematic if you consume it and I don't have enough to advance to the Dou King realm."

Xiao Yan took out two jade bottles from his robe pocket. Inside were two smooth, round pills.

The corners of his mouth curled up. Xiao Yan had grand ambitions. Not only did he plan to undergo the body tempering, but he also intended to seize this opportunity, leveraging the Essence Heart Flame Body Tempering and the aid of the pills, to break through to the Dou King realm in one fell swoop!