Chapter 2: Sinister Laughter

Yao Yan's home was located in the southern part of Danding City.

It was a medium-sized courtyard, fully equipped with all the essentials, including an alchemy room. If needed, several beautiful maids could be arranged to serve him at any time. Being a direct descendant with the bloodline of a Dou God from the Yao Clan, Yao Yan was quite favored among the branch members of the Yao Clan.

Even if he lacked talent, he could still be a stud. Although his parents didn't have a high bloodline concentration, there was always a chance that their offspring might turn out to be a genius.

In other words, Yao Yan would never lack beautiful wives in the future, as the clan would take care of that for him.

Of course, this was contingent on the Yao Clan's continued existence.

Unfortunately, the Soul Clan was too ruthless, and Hun Tiandi was too powerful. Otherwise, Yao Yan would have liked to declare, "I shall never coexist with the Soul Clan!"

...

Yao Yan pushed open the door to his home, glanced at the quiet courtyard, paused for a moment, and then headed towards the alchemy room. Since his mother's death, he had been living alone. Although some had offered to adopt him, he refused because he couldn't bring himself to call anyone else his parents.

Compared to that, living alone was more comfortable. Moreover, with Dou Qi, he, an adult soul, didn't need anyone to take care of him.

The alchemy room was quite empty.

In the center stood a human-height medicinal cauldron, its entire body a profound yellow. Beside it was a meditation mat.

This was the place Yao Yan spent most of his time.

Over the past twelve years since his transmigration, he either trained or immersed himself in alchemy, rarely interacting with his peers in the clan school. Compared to playing in the mud with those kids, training and alchemy were much more interesting. This was also why he ranked among the top in the clan school.

Hard work always pays off.

Yao Yan flipped his palm, and with the infusion of Dou Qi, a flicker of light shone from the storage ring on his index finger. Two bottles of pills appeared in his hand: Second-grade Solid Yuan Pills and First-grade Clear Mind Pills. The former nourished the body and Dou Qi, and could be used in conjunction with the Yao Clan's inherited technique, the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Art, to build a foundation for the body.

According to the elders of the Yao Clan, the path of Dou Qi below the level of Dou King was all about building a foundation. Only above Dou King could one truly be considered to have embarked on the path of a strong person.

The strength of the foundation would determine your future path.

Some people, eager for quick success in the early stages, would barely break through to Dou King, only to exhaust their potential and make no further progress. They would need external aids, such as pills, to advance, but even then, they would struggle to reach the level of Dou Emperor. As for Dou Ancestor and Dou Venerate, they could only dream about those levels, highlighting the importance of building a strong foundation.

It is said that the core direct descendants of the clan would remain at the Dou Practitioner stage for a long time, continuously deepening their potential with heavenly materials and earthly treasures until they reached the perfect state of their talent and potential.

They did not care about the speed of advancement in the early stages.

Of course, this was the playstyle of the direct descendants, a luxury Yao Yan did not have. However, the inherited techniques of the Yao Clan had similar effects, among which the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Art was the best. Although its training speed and early power were inferior to the other two open techniques, it had unparalleled advantages in foundation building.

It is said this was due to Yao Chen.

The Yao Clan had three open foundation-building techniques, all inherited from the clan: Condensing Fire Art, Blazing Fire Art, and Three Flowers Gathering Fire Art.

The first two techniques easily cultivated a powerful alchemical fire strength, while the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Art was different. Each step of its cultivation was extremely difficult. Some clan disciples who practiced it remained stuck at a stage for years, making it unpopular until Yao Chen's emergence a hundred years ago changed things.

Although this technique's training speed was slow and the alchemical fire strength it condensed was not strong, it was stable. Without the need for heavenly materials and earthly treasures, one could still build a perfect foundation. Moreover, once mastered, the thickness of Dou Qi, physical strength, and spiritual power were far superior to the other two techniques.

Initially, Yao Yan was skeptical about this until he practiced the technique and realized its uniqueness. He even suspected that this technique had something to do with the Yao Clan's Dou God.

Although classified as a low-level Huang technique, during its cultivation, it could absorb the sparse spiritual energy between heaven and earth to nourish the body's essence, spirit, and soul. It had the effect of a soul technique but was different in that it could nourish both the body and soul simultaneously.

Spiritual energy was different from the energy of heaven and earth in the Dou Qi continent.

Yao Yan's cultivation of Dou Qi in the shattered world is achieved by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth and converting it, while spiritual power is a more advanced force, belonging to the vast universe beyond the shattered world.

This point is unknown to the entire shattered world at present, and the special nature of spiritual power is also unknown.

Yao Yan also discovered this by chance, thanks to his soul power far exceeding that of his peers. Perhaps it is also related to his soul crossing over. Anyway, he can perceive subtle energy changes around him, coupled with the information he knows, to infer these things.

Perhaps this technique was left behind by the Medicine God after he went to the vast universe.

Unfortunately, it is ultimately just a basic Huang level technique. It is already the limit to cultivate it to the Dou Spirit level, and it is unknown how long it will take during this period. It's just that Yao Yan is a member of the Yao Clan, located in the Shen Nong Mountain Range where the energy of heaven and earth is abundant, plus a large number of pills...

In other places, such as the Jiama Empire, you simply can't afford it.

Cultivation is originally a struggle against heaven, earth, and time. No one will have the patience to slowly cultivate a low-level Huang technique.

This is also why, after the incident with Yao Chen, there are still not many people in the Yao Clan choosing the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Art.

Swallowing the two pills, along with the circulation of Dou Qi in his body, Yao Yan quickly entered cultivation. With every breath, the abundant spiritual energy between heaven and earth poured into his body, along with the rich energy of heaven and earth, covering his body like bathing in white mist.

Time flies, and soon the sky darkens.

When Yao Yan opened his eyes, the sky outside was full of stars, and the crescent moon hung like a hook.

"After reaching the level of Six-Star Dou Practitioner, the cultivation speed is getting slower and slower."

Yao Yan couldn't help but frown. Even though he knew this technique was special, based on accumulated strength, the speed was still unbearable. Which young person wouldn't be full of enthusiasm? Who would like this slow cultivation technique, crawling like a snail, watching peers surpass them one by one?

The thought of others already breaking through to Dou Master and Grandmaster while he was still at the Dou Practitioner level was unbearable.

Most importantly, you don't even know how long you need to grind at this stage.

"If only there was a progress bar..."

Yao Yan shook his head helplessly. He was not an old man after all. A young body naturally brings a young person's mindset. Everyone has a sense of competition, and he couldn't be indifferent and cold about everything.

"Perhaps I need to find a way to get some heavenly materials and earthly treasures."

Yao Yan hesitated. Although he was a member of the Yao Clan and didn't lack low-level medicinal materials and pills, he couldn't obtain the heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could nourish the body because they were always scarce and valuable. Especially in a place like the Yao Clan, where slightly higher-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures were almost monopolized by the core direct descendants of the clan.

For someone at the level of Dou Ancestor or Dou Emperor to search, how much leftover scraps would there be? Unless it's in a more distant place, but the level of danger there is not something Yao Yan's little arms can bear. He doesn't have anyone to help him search for such heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

For a moment, Yao Yan felt conflicted.

"Hehe, little guy, are you feeling unwilling?"

Just then, a strange laughter entered Yao Yan's ears, instantly freezing his expression, and almost making him blurt out "What the hell?!"

How is this possible?! This is the territory of the Yao Clan!! How dare they?!