BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Word Count: 2,308 Words

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The dark red magma in the endless magma world suddenly began to churn violently, and an extremely raging energy permeated from within.

As the magma surged, it was as if something was about to break through the surface. After a moment, the boiling magma abruptly calmed down. However, Su Qian's gaze did not relax, as he could clearly sense that the raging energy was getting closer and closer to the magma's surface.

A thunderous boom echoed as a nearly transparent fire python burst through the magma. Its full body remained hidden from view. Its head alone, measuring ten feet across and wreathed in formless flames, emanated an overwhelming energy that made even space itself tremble violently as it appeared before Su Qian's solemn gaze.

The triangular pupils enveloped by the formless flames locked tightly onto Su Qian at the entrance of the deep cavern!

"This is bad! This beast is going to attack the seal!" Su Qian's expression changed drastically. He tapped his toes on the edge, and his figure flashed like lightning outside the energy barrier. His hands rapidly formed seals. Energy abruptly surged at the entrance of the deep cavern, finally forming a multicolored energy shield that tightly sealed the opening!

The Fallen Heart Flame sensed that Su Qian had strengthened the seal to prevent it from breaking through and immediately let out an angry screech as it violently slammed into the seal.

Bang!

A single collision caused cracks to appear in the seal, and wisps of transparent Heart Flame seeped from the barrier.

This was the unpurified Fallen Heart Flame! It was not meant for cultivation but for killing!

This kind of Heart Flame was colorless and shapeless as it floated in the air. Even spiritual perception couldn't detect it. It would directly burrow into the human body and start burning from within!

"Not good!"

The First Elder felt the Fallen Heart Flame escaping through the cracks in the barrier and sensed that things were going awry.

Even the slightest bit of Heart Flame could instantly kill a Dou Spirit expert, and it was impossible to guard against. Even Dou Qi defenses couldn't block the bizarre Fallen Heart Flame.

The First Elder finished forming seals with his hands. A thunderous shout suddenly erupted from his mouth that resonated mightily throughout the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and across the entire Inner Academy's sky.

"All elders, proceed to the tower immediately! All students, evacuate to at least one hundred meters away from the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower!"

The entire Inner Academy heard the thunderous shout echoing in the sky and fell completely silent at this moment.

The First Elder sent a spiritual transmission to Xun Er and said in a deep voice, "Xun Er, immediately take Xiao Yan away from here. He's too close to the Fallen Heart Flame and will become its target!"

Xun Er looked up at Xiao Yan, who was gritting his teeth and frantically condensing something. She knew he was just a hair's breadth away. It was the most critical moment. If she took him away now, not only would his previous efforts be wasted, but he might also suffer a backlash.

A resolute look flashed in her eyes. A golden light emerged from her body in the next second, and golden flames flickered in her eyes.

Xun Er gently raised her jade-like hand, and a brilliant golden flame appeared in her palm, as if something had broken free from its shackles. Faint multicolored glows flickered within her body.

Her face instantly turned pale after summoning the golden flame. It was evident that even she had difficulty controlling this flame.

"Go!" Xun Er waved her hand as though scattering beans to create soldiers, and countless golden flames flew out, instantly transforming into a golden sea of fire. The entire ninth floor was covered with golden flames.

Those formless Heart Flames that came into contact with the golden flames unleashed by Xun Er were like water droplets encountering fire. With just a touch, the Heart Flames were instantly incinerated!

Even the jade platforms on the ninth floor couldn't withstand the burning of these golden flames and melted into pools of liquid. The ground of the ninth floor, constructed from precious materials, began to show signs of melting.

Controlling these golden flames was evidently not easy. After just a minute, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

At this moment, Xiao Yan seemed to sense that Xun Er was supporting him. He suddenly opened his eyes, and an earth-shattering Spiritual Strength exploded from his body.

"Let's go!"

He didn't have time to explain. Dou Qi fire wings appeared behind him as he grabbed Xun Er's hand and whisked her away from the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

With his speed, they flew out of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower in less than three breaths and arrived at an open space.

The First Elder sensed that Xiao Yan and Xun Er had both left and let out a loud shout, displaying the strength of a Dou Ancestor to forcibly suppress the Fallen Heart Flame.

When the other Elders arrived, the entire Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was sealed off.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with unknown thoughts as he looked at the sealed tower.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, you've broken through to Dou King?!" Xun Er's beautiful eyes revealed surprise and joy. She couldn't help but feel happy for his rapid breakthrough.

Xiao Yan revealed a slight smile, gently stroking her silky hair, and said tenderly, "It's all thanks to Xun Er helping me buy some time."

In fact, he had already broken through to the Dou King realm. After all, he had the help of the Hegemon King Pill. What he had just been doing wasn't increasing his cultivation; he had been using the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique to gather spiritual essence.

And this spiritual essence was the Heavenly Flame's essence scattered in this space by the Fallen Heart Flame. Xiao Yan wanted to break through to the Perfected Mortal State in one go—that is, achieve the Spiritual Strength of a 7th-tier alchemist!

But unfortunately, due to the eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame, he only had enough time to break through to half-step Tier 7 and couldn't completely step into the Perfected Mortal State.

Nevertheless, he was extremely satisfied with the current results. Not only did he use the Essence Heart Flame to temper his Dou Qi and consolidate his foundation, but he also broke through from an 8-star Dou Spirit to a Dou King in one go, and his Spiritual Strength had increased to half-step Tier 7.

These results nearly made him grin from ear to ear.

"Hey, Xiao Yan, do you know what happened in the tower?" Lin Yan walked over from a distance with a grin on his face, having seen Xiao Yan flying out.

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then smiled and shook his head.

Seeing Xiao Yan shake his head, Lin Yan felt a bit smug and was about to spill some information. However, Zi Yan disdainfully interrupted him, having flown over upon sensing the eruption of the Heavenly Flame.

She curled her lips and said in her childish voice, "Isn't it just that flame at the bottom of the tower acting up? This kind of thing hasn't just happened once or twice over these past few years."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Zi Yan actually knew about the flame sealed at the bottom of the tower?

Lin Yan chuckled awkwardly, then frowned at Xiao Yan and said, "But this time seems a bit different. Although there have been energy upheavals in the tower in previous years, I've never seen the First Elder so solemn."

"Forget it. These matters aren't for us to meddle with. There shouldn't be any problems with the strength of the First Elder and the other elders," Xiao Yan said with a light laugh.

Whether he truly thought this way in his heart was unknown.

The confrontation between Jia Nan Academy and the Fallen Heart Flame wouldn't yield results in a short time. As such, Xiao Yan and Xun Er returned to the Xiao Hall.

The entire Xiao Hall erupted in celebration upon hearing the news that Xiao Yan had broken through to Dou King, with people shouting 'Hooray!' and 'Invincible!'

After resting for a day, Xiao Yan felt the terrifying power within his body and sighed, "Below Dou King, all are ants. These words are not false!"

He felt fortunate about the Dou Kings he had defeated in the past. Luckily, those Dou Kings were relatively weak. It would have been troublesome if he had encountered Dou Kings from the Dou God Clans.

…

At sunset, on a slightly sloping grassy ground, lush green grass spread like a verdant carpet to the horizon. Not far below, there was an extremely wide mountain gorge, very deep, with faint clouds and mist winding within, appearing like a celestial realm.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er reclined quietly on the grass, holding hands and appreciating the afterglow of the setting sun.

Xun Er slightly tilted her head. Her gem-like bright eyes gazed at the black-robed youth beside her, who had his eyes closed and wore a leisurely expression. The corners of her small mouth slowly curved into a subtle arc. After a moment, as if thinking of something, her eyes dimmed slightly, and she said softly, "Xiao Yan ge-ge, you must diligently practice that scroll Xun Er gave you."

Xiao Yan opened his eyes upon hearing her voice, turned to look at her, and smiled. "Of course. This is a Dou Technique Xun Er gave me. I won't rest until I've mastered it completely."

When Xun Er heard this, she finally smiled sweetly, her laughter crisp and pleasant like a mountain spring hitting rocks.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to ask why she had suddenly given him a Dou Technique, his half-step Tier 7 Spiritual Strength instantly sensed that a large number of powerful auras were rapidly approaching. These auras were extremely strong, and their target was the two of them!

Xun Er saw the sharp look in Xiao Yan's eyes and also sensed something. She suddenly stood up and looked toward the horizon.

Her eyes filled with anxiety after that. She hurriedly pushed Xiao Yan behind a large tree and said urgently, "Xiao Yan ge-ge, wrap yourself with your Spiritual Strength, and no matter what, do not come out."

"What's going on? Are these people coming for you?" A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Xun Er was the most important person in his heart.

"No, but Xun Er doesn't have time to explain now. Xiao Yan ge-ge, please hide first."

Xiao Yan could only nod when he saw her anxious expression. He used his Spiritual Strength to conceal himself.

Shortly after he concealed himself, over a dozen black dots suddenly appeared on the horizon. These black dots had a clear target, heading straight toward Xun Er's location.

As they approached, it became clear that these black dots were people. They wore black armor, and the one-horned flying horses they rode were also clad in black battle armor, presenting an imposing sight.

Especially the leader, whose strength had reached the Dou Emperor realm. Moreover, his aura was absolutely not that of an ordinary Dou Emperor. Perhaps even Hai Bodong or Jia Xing Tian wouldn't be his match!

"I am Ling Quan, the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Black Submerged Army. By order of the Clan Head, I have come to escort the Young Miss back!" The man who called himself Ling Quan stood atop a four-winged unicorn. He respectfully cupped his fists toward Xun Er and spoke in a deferential voice.

Xiao Yan's heart sank, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He finally understood Xun Er's unusual behavior recently, and why she had given him the God Seal Technique.

"I said I would return on my own. Why did you need to come all this way?" The arrival of Ling Quan and the others made Xun Er's face rather cold, and even her words carried a chill.

"It was an order from the Elder Council. We can only obey." Ling Quan smiled faintly and was about to continue when his gaze suddenly froze. He saw that Xiao Yan had actually walked out from behind the tree.

"Who are you?!"

Xiao Yan ignored him and walked up the hillside step by step, his expression extremely grim. A suppressed voice emerged from his throat, "Xun Er, are you returning voluntarily?"

The other nine black-armored members of the Black Submerged Army beside Ling Quan immediately surrounded Xiao Yan with several swooshing sounds.

"All of you, stand down!" Xun Er shouted coldly.

Xiao Yan stopped in his tracks and asked once again, "Xun Er, are you returning voluntarily?"

Xun Er's heart ached as if twisted when she saw the sharp expression on his face. How could she want to leave? But she bore the clan's mission on her shoulders, and after this departure, she didn't know when she would be able to leave the clan again.

Ling Ying saw Xun Er's heart-wrenching pain and appeared from the shadows. He sighed and said, "The Young Miss bears the clan's mission. The clan requires her to return, and she has no choice but to comply."

Xiao Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Xun Er hadn't chosen to leave on her own.

Then, a heavy black ruler appeared in his hand with a whoosh. His gaze was like a fierce spear as he locked onto Ling Quan.

Xiao Yan neither roared nor shouted. He appeared exceptionally calm. However, that gaze made people's hearts shudder.

"Today, as long as I stand here, I'd like to see who can take her away!"