Soul Land: Xiao Yan Reincarnates as Huo Yuhao

The moon hung high like a silver disc, stars speckling the sky.

In the outskirts of Star Dou Forest, within a small, dark grove, a campfire crackled and popped, casting dancing embers into the night. Leaning against a tree, a young man chewed on a blade of Blue Silver Grass, letting the faint bitterness spread in his mouth.

Raising his pale hand, he shielded his eyes from the firelight, gazing through his fingers at the giant, bright moon in the sky.

"Teacher… do you think we'll ever return to the Dou Qi Continent?" Xiao Yan sighed, lazily letting his hand drop and resting his head on his arms. His gaze drifted, lost in thoughts of faraway loved ones.

"Return to the Dou Qi Continent?" A voice echoed from the ring on Xiao Yan's finger. "Perhaps… someday. But to tear open a spatial rift back to our world would likely require the strength of a Dou Zun, at the very least."

"Dou Zun?" Xiao Yan gave a dry laugh, "At my current level, reaching Dou Zun… who knows how long that would take."

Yao Lao's voice softened, "You're not alone in wanting to go back, Xiao Yan. There are unresolved matters waiting for me on the Dou Qi Continent. But right now, it seems impossible."

"By the way, with the bottleneck lifted from your spirit after obtaining the first ring, you should be able to gather and refine Dou Qi normally again, yes?"

Xiao Yan nodded, "Yes. Teacher, my Dou Qi has now advanced to the seventh rank, and my spirit power has reached level fourteen. Do you think there's a connection between Dou Qi and this world's spirit power?"

Yao Lao's face grew thoughtful, his gaze sharp as he looked into Xiao Yan's eyes, "Dou Qi and spirit power are both energies stored within the body. In theory, they should be able to convert into one another. If we're talking purely in terms of energy, that three-ring Soul Elder we met earlier would be about the same as a Dou Zhe on the Dou Qi Continent."

"When you reach level twenty in spirit power, your strength will likely match that of a one-star Dou Zhe."

"Thirty levels equal a five-star Dou Zhe, forty for Dou Shi, fifty for five-star Dou Shi, sixty for Da Dou Shi, seventy for five-star Da Dou Shi, and eighty for Dou Ling. From there, we can't apply a direct equivalency. Due to differences in cultivation paths, a low-tier Titled Douluo here may only be equivalent to a Dou Wang, while the strongest Titled Douluo might barely reach the level of a Dou Huang on our continent."

"Perhaps, because of differing worlds and the limitations of this plane, this world's primary cultivation is focused on spirits. To cultivate Dou Qi here, you'll need to train in spirit techniques as well, and acquiring spirit rings is necessary to break your spirit's bottlenecks."

Xiao Yan pondered aloud, "That million-year-old spirit beast granted me four spirit skills—Spirit Detection, Spirit Sharing, Spirit Disruption, and Soul Impact. Should I train in these skills as I continue cultivating?"

Yao Lao stroked his beard thoughtfully before replying, "This world is somewhat similar to our own. If you have time, you could certainly practice these techniques—better to have more skills at your disposal. But don't worry; even if you only cultivate Dou Qi, I can still guarantee you'll become one of the strongest in this world."

"Teacher, what's our next step? I think it won't be long before I break through to Dou Zhe. By then, you'll have to give me a top-tier cultivation method, right?" Xiao Yan laughed, rubbing his nose.

"Of course. But our next step is to strengthen your physical resilience—using the Eight Extremes Collapse requires a robust body." Yao Lao's eyes narrowed slightly, as if plotting something.

…

The following morning, a light mist lingered in the forest, unmoved by the morning sun. In a secluded area, Xiao Yan stood with his feet planted firmly in the ground, his legs buried in the soil up to his ankles. He clenched his jaw, sweat streaming down his face.

Yao Lao, in his ethereal form, sat cross-legged on a rock nearby. With a wave of his hand, the air shimmered, and a white beam of energy shot from his palm, cracking down on Xiao Yan's back like a whip.

Dressed only in shorts, Xiao Yan's upper body was bare, his back covered in bruises of green and purple hues.

"Aagh! Teacher, I can't take it anymore!" As another blow struck his back, Xiao Yan's body shook, his legs trembling as he nearly collapsed face-first into the ground.

Yet, beneath the excruciating pain, Xiao Yan could feel his thin, flowing Dou Qi growing more vigorous, seeping into his bones and meridians, quietly strengthening them.

"Endure it. Again!" Yao Lao showed no sign of stopping, and another white beam shot from his palm.

Thuds and pained grunts echoed through the small grove, creating a rather haunting scene for any passerby.

Yao Lao was precise in his strikes, pushing Xiao Yan to his limit without causing severe injuries, maximizing the effectiveness of strengthening his body.

As Yao Lao's relentless training continued, Xiao Yan's bruises multiplied until his body finally gave out, his legs buckling as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"Teacher, I've got my first spirit ring, and Dou Qi is flowing smoothly again. Where are we headed next?" Xiao Yan asked, panting heavily as he lay on the ground.

"Shrek City." Yao Lao replied after a moment's thought.

"Shrek City? What for?" Xiao Yan looked up, puzzled.

After a brief silence, Yao Lao transformed into a white streak and disappeared back into the black ring, "Though we're mainly focusing on Dou Qi, this world operates on spirit power, and I've decided it's best for you to cultivate that as well."

"Shrek City is home to the renowned Shrek Academy, known as the top academy on the continent. When it comes to training in spirit power, I may not be able to guide you much, but the academy might. Although, I have my doubts about the academy's reputation. If it proves disappointing, we can always leave."

"That's just one reason. Secondly, I need rare items to recover my spirit power, and Shrek City's auction houses might have the treasures we need."

"When you reach Dou Zhe level, I'll begin teaching you alchemy. Compared to real alchemy, the pills crafted in this world are like dung. I'll show them what true alchemy is."

The protagonist won't stay in Shrek for long; his ideology will soon clash with theirs, and he'll leave to pursue his own path

. Visiting Shrek is just to meet a few key figures for plot purposes.