BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

'Achieving perfect mastery can actually elevate the Spiritual State to the Soul State!'

The Spiritual State was an extremely important indicator for alchemists.

Alchemists found that Spiritual Strength became crucial because of the need to control fire precisely. Especially for high-tier alchemists, their control over fire must reach the level of manipulating individual particles. Refining high-tier medicinal ingredients was akin to finding a needle in a haystack, selecting one in a billion from within a single herb.

The first requirement to become an 8th-tier alchemist was for the Spiritual State to reach the Soul State.

He had learned from some of the alchemy books in his storage ring that the Spiritual State was divided into four levels: Mortal State, Soul State, Heavenly State, and Emperor State. The reason why 8th-tier pills were called Spirit Pills was because they already possessed a certain amount of spirituality.

An alchemist's Spiritual State had to reach the Soul State in order to imbue pills with spirituality.

Xiao Yan knew he had come to the right place. The rare Soul Training Method that the world seldom saw was right before his eyes! Moreover, it was a High Xuan Class Soul Training Method that was capable of allowing one to advance to the Soul State upon reaching perfect mastery!

This soul method was incredibly important to him. As an alchemist, he needed to strengthen his soul by any means necessary. He was well aware that having a naturally strong soul only provided him with an early advantage. If he did not work hard to improve, he would eventually become one of the many talents that faded into obscurity on the Dou Qi Continent.

'A High Xuan Class Soul Method requires a thousand soul points, and one must reach the Xuan Class evaluation to qualify for the exchange.'

'Xuan Class...'

Soul points could also be gradually accumulated by selling natural treasures and hunting magical beasts for their monster cores. However, one had to reach the Xuan Class no matter what in order to qualify for this exchange.

'As a sixteen-year-old 8-star Dou Practitioner, the opponents I encountered in the Low Huang Class trials were either of comparable cultivation to mine or slightly weaker. The Intermediate Huang Class trials, however, are likely to have slightly stronger opponents than me, at most a 1-star Dou Master that I could still handle. The High Huang Class trials should have low to intermediate-star Dou Master stage opponents. But for the Xuan Class, it would at least require overcoming a whole higher level of combat.'

Xiao Yan reflected on his fight a few days ago with Lu Xing from the Xuan Class. Although he had won, the victory hadn't been easy. The primary reason for Lu Xing's loss was that his Dou Techniques and Qi Method were too weak.

A significant part of the reason he could win was due to his powerful Spiritual Strength and his mastery of Octane Blast, coupled with the Di Class Dou Technique, Flame Splitting Tsunami. These two higher-class Dou Techniques bridged the gap in cultivation.

In other words, his victory was largely because Lu Xing's Dou Techniques were weak and not well-mastered. However, the Hall of Souls was far stronger than Jia Nan Academy and even possessed Soul Skills. He feared that it would not be that simple to cross an entire realm to defeat his opponent.

'I still have to try. Once I break through to Dou Master, challenging a Dou Grandmaster will be a dead end! Now that I am a Dou Practitioner, this is the best opportunity for me.' Xiao Yan understood in his heart. The further he advanced, the less likely it would be that he would be able to challenge across realms. To reach the Xuan Class evaluation, it was imperative to act early!

With resolve, Xiao Yan clenched his teeth and tightly gripped the token as he said, "I will continue to challenge the Intermediate Huang Class trial!"

A moment of mental disorientation followed, and the token in front of him flashed with white light. The next second, as the light disappeared, he found himself back in the original trial grounds.

"I was just in a soul body state?!" Xiao Yan noticed a bit of frost on his clothes. His body had not moved from its spot at all. It was because of the Soul Command that he had experienced an out-of-body state, allowing him to enter the passage behind him and visit the Treasure Hall!

He hadn't expected the Treasure Hall to actually be within the Hun Realm. Only soul bodies that possessed the Soul Command could pass through the Hun Realm passage, which explained why there was no one else in the Treasure Hall just now.

It was akin to receiving a signal on a cell phone, except this was a spiritual signal. The Hun Realm, existing within the void, could receive soul body signals from all over the Dou Qi Continent through the Soul Command.

The Hun Realm was unfathomably deep!

With a shake of his head, Xiao Yan pushed these thoughts aside and walked resolutely toward the next teleportation portal.

…

Just as Xiao Yan had thought, the strength of the opponents in the Intermediate Huang Class trial were 8-star and 9-star Dou Practitioners and the final trial was against a magical beast that had just reached Rank 2

This was a bit more troublesome for Xiao Yan, but it did not pose a real threat to him.

Octane Blast!

Xiao Yan leaped down from a high mountain and pierced through the fog of the canyon. Relying on his powerful spiritual perception, he zeroed in on his target in the fog and swooped down from the sky to strike a ten-meter giant python at the bottom of the cliff.

Hiss!!! The eight layers of hidden force from Octane Blast hammered on the python's hard scales. Ripple after ripple spread out, but the python's body scales actually dispersed the impact of Octane Blast.

'The High Huang Class trial is indeed difficult. A direct hit from Octane Blast and it's still unharmed!'

The giant python hissed, endured the pain, and swung its tail violently, swinging it around like a giant pillar. With a clang, Xiao Yan quickly took out the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his storage ring and placed it in front of him to block the strike.

The python's scales struck against the Heavy Xuan Ruler, sparking flames and sending him flying.

Twisting his body in mid-air, Xiao Yan landed steadily on his feet. He had already passed all the trials of the Intermediate Huang Class and was now challenging the High Huang Class trial. His opponent was a Rank 2 Black Steel Giant Python, a relatively advanced Rank 2 Magical Beast.

Hissing, the giant python didn't charge forward, but slowly retreated and faded into the fog. The Black Steel Giant Python was a terrestrial creature that was adept at sneak attacks. Striking a lethal blow when its enemy was least prepared was in its nature.

Xiao Yan gripped the handle of the ruler tightly as he cautiously scanned the surroundings. The thick fog in the area severely limited visibility. It was almost impossible to see anything with the naked eye, as there was nothing to see but a blanket of white fog.

'Snakes seem to detect prey by heat. That puts me at a disadvantage in this environment.'

Whoosh! A dark shadow rushed towards him, and Xiao Yan leaped high to dodge the giant python's tail attack.

With a loud bang, the ground suddenly split open as a massive shadow surged from underneath. The Black Steel Giant Python had unexpectedly used its tail to feint while its head was buried in the ground!

Its gaping maw opened wide, aiming to swallow Xiao Yan in one bite!

'Damn it!'

Xiao Yan quickly grabbed the Heavy Xuan Ruler, curled his body into a ball, and used the ruler to shield himself. With a crack, the Black Steel Giant Python bit down on the hard Heavy Xuan Ruler, but with the ruler protecting him, it couldn't kill him with its bite.

The python's head violently shook the Heavy Xuan Ruler, slamming it into the mountain with a thunderous crash, causing rocks to fall and bury Xiao Yan alive.

The Black Steel Giant Python once again vanished into the fog as its triangular pupils showed a hint of mockery.

Xiao Yan was like a bright flame in its eyes. It had already seen him sneak out of the mountain and hide behind a giant rock nearby, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

The Black Steel Giant Python moved silently above the giant rock, its forked tongue flicking lightly, knowing that its dessert for the day was secured!

Hiss! The Black Steel Giant Python let out a screech and lunged violently at the heat source. But at the moment of biting, it froze! There was no human, only a burning piece of clothing!

Where was the human?! There was no heat source nearby. Could it be that the human had died?!

While the Black Steel Giant Python looked around in confusion, the ground beneath it suddenly burst open. Xiao Yan emerged from underneath and appeared right at the python's vulnerable spot!

"Stupid snake, ever heard of the Icy Heart Pill?"

Octane Blast!