Soul Land: Xiao Yan Reincarnates as Huo Yuhao

Immersed in the rapid surge of power, Xiao Yan suddenly felt his Dou Qi swelling to a critical point within his body, causing his meridians to twitch painfully, his face turning slightly pale.

"Xiao Yan, quickly condense a Dou Qi vortex, or you'll explode!" Yao Lao's urgent voice suddenly sounded.

Taking a sharp breath, Xiao Yan's hands quickly moved, forming a strange seal over his chest. His thumbs and forefingers interlocked, while his middle fingers pointed toward each other.

As he adjusted his hand seals, the turbulent Dou Qi within him felt a powerful pull, swiftly compressing toward his lower abdomen. When it shrank to about the size of his palm, it solidified and stopped moving.

"Compress it further!" Yao Lao urged.

Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan activated the spiritual energy surrounding his Dou Qi to its fullest. Moments later, a faint rumbling echoed within him.

"It seems I've formed the vortex," Xiao Yan whispered, surprised, as he opened his eyes. Focusing inward, he observed a small, palm-sized vortex in his lower abdomen, gently rotating.

A cloud-like white energy surrounded the vortex, carrying far more power than his former ninth-stage Dou Qi—its strength felt ten times greater. The gap was insurmountable.

Cracking his neck, Xiao Yan's bones made satisfying popping sounds. He looked up at Yao Lao's ghostly figure floating mid-air and grinned, "Teacher, I succeeded."

"Not bad; you managed to form a vortex on your first try," Yao Lao nodded, his expression calm. "That Dou Technique I was developing, the one that generates powerful suction—I've almost completed it. I'll teach it to you now."

"Great, Teacher!" Xiao Yan's eyes shone with excitement.

Yao Lao raised his hand and tapped Xiao Yan's forehead. Xiao Yan felt a sudden rush of information flooding his mind. After a while, he came to his senses.

"Devouring Palm: When mastered, it can tear apart mountains and rivers. Against an opponent, its suction can forcibly extract blood from their body."

"Extracting blood from a person's body?" Xiao Yan's face twisted in shock. "Teacher, this technique is incredible!"

"Pulling blood out of someone would only work against opponents weaker than you. If they're stronger, don't use this; it could allow them to counter you up close." Yao Lao cautioned.

Xiao Yan nodded in understanding, then asked, "Teacher, since I'm now a Fighter, will you teach me a cultivation technique and alchemy skills? What technique do you have in mind?"

"To become an alchemist, you'll need a fire-attributed Dou Qi for support. So, you'll need to practice a fire-type cultivation technique." Yao Lao stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"A fire technique? Since I'm your student, how about a Heaven-tier fire technique?" Xiao Yan grinned, reaching out his hand.

Yao Lao's face twitched slightly. He chuckled, "Heaven-tier techniques aren't so common! Those two from Tang Sect who wanted you to join—they only practice a Yellow-tier intermediate technique."

"Only Yellow-tier intermediate for Tang Sect's strongest technique?" Xiao Yan's jaw dropped, feeling slightly deceived. "So, Teacher, what do you have for me? If there's no Heaven-tier, surely you have an Earth-tier?"

Yao Lao's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I don't have a Heaven-tier, but I do have a technique even more mysterious. Are you interested?"

"More mysterious than a Heaven-tier technique?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed in doubt. "What kind of technique?"

"Yellow-tier low level," Yao Lao chuckled.

"Teacher, are you messing with me?" Xiao Yan's face fell.

Before he could protest further, Yao Lao flicked his forehead and said, "Listen before you complain! This technique can evolve."

"What? An evolving technique?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Teacher, are you joking? I've never heard of a technique that can evolve."

"You've spent your whole life in Wutan City. The Dou Qi Continent is vast, with countless wonders and mysteries. Evolving techniques aren't impossible." Yao Lao said meaningfully.

"Teacher, did you cultivate this technique yourself?" Xiao Yan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No… I haven't practiced it," Yao Lao replied, shaking his head.

"Then how can you claim it can evolve?" Xiao Yan's face twisted, his temper rising.

Yao Lao laughed, "That's what the technique manual says."

Xiao Yan's face twitched in frustration.

"All right, enough teasing. It really can evolve, but it's risky—the success rate of reaching the peak is less than 20%." Yao Lao admitted, his tone sobering.

"Less than 20%?" Xiao Yan's face paled slightly.

With a sigh, Yao Lao continued, "This technique's name is Flame Mantra. I came across it by chance. For it to evolve, you need to refine and absorb a rare energy known as Heavenly Flame. On the Dou Qi Continent, even one Heavenly Flame can bring a Dou Emperor to their knees."

Seeing Xiao Yan's hesitation, Yao Lao added, "Though there might not be Heavenly Flames in this world, consider this… if we ever return to the Dou Qi Conti

nent, this technique could be invaluable. The decision is difficult."