An entire year turned beneath the heavens; spring's blossoms withered into summer's heat, autumn's leaves scattered to winter's frost—yet within the crystal above the Silvershroud Canopy Tree, Xiao Hua remained unmoved, like a star frozen in time.
Two elegant figures sat quietly in the air, not far from the crystal. Their eyes were shut tight, their bodies still as stone statues, waiting in silence for his awakening.
Hong!
A faint fluctuation suddenly pulsed from the crystal. Though weak, it was instantly sensed by the extraordinary perception of the two women.
Their tightly shut eyes trembled lightly before slowly opening, gazes drifting toward the crystal that had remained silent for an entire year.
"Is he finally waking up?" Lady Azure murmured softly, her graceful figure stretching as she rose to her feet.
"This must be the longest time he has ever remained in slumber," Xue Yue said, standing as her eyes fixed on the figure within the crystal.
She remembered clearly the times when he had fallen unconscious before, yet never had it lasted so long. Compared to his past retreat, this was the second longest—surpassed only by the several years he once required to step into the Dou Zong realm.
Honglong!
As they conversed, the fluctuations from the crystal grew denser with each passing breath, cutting short their discussion and drawing both women's attention to their slumbering little brother.
Hong!
Brilliant light suddenly erupted from the crystal. Nine-colored radiance surged forth, sweeping across the entire Inner Coil at astonishing speed, painting the world in dazzling hues.
Bang!
With the spread of that nine-colored glow came thunderous roars, carrying boundless might. The tremendous force surged outward, suppressing even the rich lightning within the entire Inner Coil of the mountain range.
Kacha—!
Moments later, deep cracking sounds echoed. The nine-colored brilliance and oppressive force swiftly receded, withdrawing as though returning to their origin—the crystal itself.
Bang!
The very next instant, the crystal shattered apart. From within, a figure slowly emerged, faint fluctuations of power rippling quietly from his body.
Lady Azure and Xue Yue exchanged a glance; they knew their little brother was finally awakening from his long slumber and retreat.
Bang!
With Xiao Hua's emergence, a vast and boundless aura suddenly erupted from his body, as though declaring his return to the world. The moment his strength surged forth, the entire space within the Inner Coil trembled violently.
A heartbeat later, a clear and resonant roar burst forth from within his body, surging straight into the heavens.
That roar carried an immeasurable tide of Dou Qi, like divine thunder rolling endlessly across the sky, reverberating through every corner of the Stormcoil Mountain Range.
Majestic ripples spread alongside that mighty roar—an aura that seemed to belong to the overlord of the world. The magical beasts dwelling in the Inner Coil shuddered instinctively, while the raging thunderstorms over the Peripheral Peaks fell into utter silence wherever the fluctuation swept past. That pressure was one none could resist.
"Di State Soul… and a Nine-Star Dou Sheng aura." Lady Azure's gaze softened as she nodded in satisfaction. "This child has finally stepped into such a realm."
"It seems the suffering he endured beneath the nine trials of the Heavenly Punishment Lightning was not in vain…" Xue Yue's voice was cool and measured, yet beneath that tone lingered a quiet warmth and unspoken affection.
"Hehe… I would have been truly saddened if all his efforts were wasted." Lady Azure chuckled softly, her voice laced with delight and quiet relief.
Xiao Hua's eyelids quivered before slowly opening, revealing his heterochromatic eyes. Within those pupils, faint flashes of nine-colored brilliance occasionally flickered, carrying a strange pressure and an irresistible pull to any who met his gaze.
Clarity gradually returned. He tilted his head back, stretching after a year of stillness, each movement accompanied by the crisp creaking of bones—like a dragon stirring from its slumber.
"Huu…"
Drawing in a long breath, Xiao Hua slowly exhaled. As he probed his body's condition, satisfaction and joy surfaced across his face. A vast and extraordinary strength coursed through him, far surpassing what he had possessed before entering his retreat.
"This… Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a Di State Soul… Truly remarkable…" he murmured softly, as a peculiar state of mind rose from deep within his heart. For a moment, it felt as if the entire Stormcoil Mountain Range lay within the palm of his hand.
Taking another deep breath, he steadied his emotions and slowly extended his hand. His fingers clenched into a fist.
Boom!
Far away, one of the stone mountains in the Peripheral Peaks suddenly crumbled into dust without warning. Xiao Hua's Spiritual Strength had already spread across every corner of the Stormcoil Mountain Range with but a thought. The area he now encompassed was countless times greater than before. Any place his soul touched, even tens of thousands of kilometers away, was within the reach of his strike.
The gap between the Di State Soul and the Perfect Heavenly State was but a single step. Yet that step was one of heaven and earth.
They could not be compared. Only upon truly experiencing the strength of the Di State would one understand why countless cultivators, despite devoting their lives, failed to cross this seemingly insurmountable barrier. For in truth—
One was a god, the other a mortal!
"Does this make me a Half-Step Dou Di, like Gu Yuan, Hun Tiandi… and my ancestor, Xiao Xuan?" Xiao Hua murmured softly, a faint chuckle slipping from his lips, tinged with amusement.
Those whose Dou Qi had reached the peak of Nine-Star Dou Sheng and whose soul had stepped into the Di State were regarded as Half-Step Dou Di.
In the ancient times, such a concept did not exist. At that time, once a powerhouse reached the peak of Dou Sheng and accumulated sufficient Origin Qi, they could directly attempt a breakthrough into the Dou Di realm. Yet with the depletion of Origin Qi in the present age, countless experts were forced to halt at the peak of Dou Sheng, unable to cross that final threshold.
Thus, the term "Half-Step Dou Di" was born—for those who possessed both peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng strength and a Di State Soul, yet were unable to ascend further.
Xiao Hua lifted his head and smiled faintly, shaking it in quiet resolve. "I am in no rush. I must first merge the Heavenly Lightnings into the Primordial Heaven Lightning."
"Moreover, I have yet to fuse with the remaining Primordial Heavenly Flames… and I must also claim the Celestial Ancient Frost. There are still many things I must resolve before I can even think about standing at the true peak of this plane."
Not to mention, there was still the mysterious Chaos Mantra, the Qi Method he practiced. He could faintly sense the restrictions within it, shackling his advancement and barring his path forward.
Thus, even without the other reasons, he could not yet step into the Dou Di realm. His instincts told him clearly—only by entering the second level of the Chaos Mantra could he truly attempt to break through.
"It is good that you are not rushing to blindly pursue strength." Lady Azure nodded softly. She naturally understood that there was another reason why Xiao Hua had refrained from absorbing and refining Origin Qi.
"From your words just now," Xue Yue spoke with interest, a trace of light flashing in her eyes, "have you finally possessed a way to summon the other Primordial Heavenly Flames?"
"I have indeed, Sister Xue Yue." Xiao Hua nodded with a faintly proud smile, though his tone carried a hint of helplessness. "But I will summon only four for now. To call them all at once would be far too dangerous…"
Lady Azure and Xue Yue exchanged glances, then both nodded in agreement. Even they understood—summoning all of the Primordial Heavenly Flames together would shake the Dou Qi Continent to its very foundations, altering its very landscape.
Xiao Hua stirred the System awake, intending to use four of the seventeen Tickets of Primordial Heavenly Flame he had obtained from the Gacha.
Yet as the translucent blue panel unfolded before his eyes, a notification appeared—informing him that both the Gacha Event and Sign-In Function had been removed now that he had reached the Dou Sheng class.
Upon reading this, Xiao Hua let out a faint sigh, disappointment welling in his heart. After all, most of the treasures stored within his Mysterious Heaven Ring had come from the Gacha.
Without the Sign-In Function, the only means left for him to acquire ACP was through his base ACP Rate, which he admitted was somewhat slow, even for him. Just as his disappointment deepened, another notification suddenly appeared.
[Congratulations on reaching Dou Sheng class. As a breakthrough reward, the System grants you the following:]
[1x Free Five-Level Upgrade of ACP Rate]
[20,000,000 ACP]
Xiao Hua blinked, momentarily stunned. He had never expected the System to prepare such a reward. What shocked him most was the first item—an instant five-level upgrade of his ACP Rate.
This was something not even available in the Shop. To receive it freely was a rare boon indeed. Moreover, he noticed that once he had gathered the complete set of Tickets for the Primordial Heavenly Flames, those very tickets had quietly disappeared from the Shop as well—another detail that piqued his curiosity.
As for the ACP… the sheer number left him astonished. To be directly gifted such a staggering amount was almost unbelievable.
Regardless, he accepted the reward without hesitation. At once, he used the ticket to upgrade his ACP Rate by five levels, increasing it to 450 ACP per 12 hours. Afterward, he glanced at his ACP Bank—
[20,532,660 ACP]
Xiao Hua's brows furrowed as he sank into deep thought, carefully contemplating how to spend his ACP so that not a single point would be wasted.
Seeing his serious expression, Lady Azure and Xue Yue both raised their brows slightly. Exchanging a glance, they chose to remain silent, patiently waiting. It was clear that something had captured his full attention, enough to make him temporarily forget the present discussion.
After some time, Xiao Hua finally made his decision. He opened the Talent section of the System—something he had not touched for a very long time—and selected six of his core fields: Alchemy, Spearmanship, Close-Combat, Refinery, Array, and Rune Genesis. Each of them he upgraded directly to the Perfect Celestial Realm.
This signified that his talent in these six domains had reached a level equivalent to the Great Ruler Realm, or the True God Realm in Yuan Zun's world.
Yet even after doing so, a considerable balance of ACP remained. After checking carefully, Xiao Hua pushed the upgrades even further, raising those six talents by one more level—into the Perfect Divine Realm.
However, unlike before, the System did not list an equivalent cultivation realm for this stage. Even Xiao Hua could not discern what level this so-called Divine Realm corresponded to, nor what lay beyond it.
Regardless, he chose without hesitation. Since the Divine Realm stood above the Celestial Realm, he would let his mastery in these six fields step into this higher, unknown domain.
With more than seven million ACP still remaining in his bank, Xiao Hua spent a portion purchasing treasures and rare items from the Shop—gifts he intended for his sworn brothers and sisters. He did not forget the Moonlit Chaos Mansion either, acquiring useful resources for his disciples and elders.
After this round of shopping, his ACP balance dwindled, leaving just enough for him to upgrade his ACP Rate three more times. With that, his rate rose to 500 ACP per 12 hours. Satisfied, he turned his focus back to the System and stirred it awake, preparing to use four of the Tickets of Primordial Heavenly Flame.
As the familiar notification appeared, asking for confirmation, Xiao Hua lifted his gaze toward his two elder sisters.
"Sister Azure, Sister Xue Yue—I will begin now."
Hearing his words, both women straightened their posture and nodded solemnly. They understood well—he was about to summon four of the legendary Primordial Heavenly Flames using his mysterious method. Without hesitation, they steadied their auras and prepared themselves to act at a moment's notice.
Seeing their readiness, Xiao Hua responded to the System within his heart, commanding it to use four tickets simultaneously.
[Which four flames do you wish to summon?]
The inquiry flashed before his eyes, yet Xiao Hua did not hesitate. Without the need for deliberation, he instantly chose the flames he desired.
"I choose the Primordial Red Lotus Ye Flame, the Primordial Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, the Primordial Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, and the Primordial Nihility Devouring Flame…"
Bang!
The instant his words fell, the energy of heaven and earth turned wild and violent. The void above suddenly collapsed, tearing open into an enormous abyssal maw that spanned several hundred meters, looming over the Inner Coil.
From within that rift, four distinct auras surged forth—each one blazing with unimaginable heat, enough to scorch the very essence of heaven and earth. Terrifying and boundless, their presence alone seemed to shake the world.
The fiery energy twisted the surroundings, turning the temperature into a searing inferno. It was as if a burning sun had descended upon the mountain. Even the air itself grew scorching, every breath akin to inhaling molten magma.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures instantly shot forward, cutting through the air. Behind them, nine Lightning Beasts erupted from Xiao Hua's body, charging into the yawning void above and disappearing within the crack.
Xiao Hua stood quietly, watching the scene unfold. Unlike in the past—when the extreme heat and searing flames would have overwhelmed him—his current strength allowed him to remain completely unfazed.
He waited patiently for his sisters' signal before making a move. He understood well that they needed time for explanations and clarification, and he could not afford to act recklessly and ruin everything. Moreover, the spirits of these four flames had once been a part of Lady Azure herself before they were split away.
Thus, in Xiao Hua's eyes, these four spirits were no different from Lady Azure. He would treat them as he treated her—like precious elder sisters, beloved in the same way as Xue Yue and Lady Azure.
"Child, you may come…"
After some time, Lady Azure's gentle voice called to him from within the spatial rift.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Hua surged forward and rushed into the rift.
As he drew closer, however, his body began to feel the burn. The circulation of his energy grew sluggish, and signs of his very flesh being scorched by the fiery heat became apparent. Earlier, when he was farther away, he could endure it without issue—but now, with every step closer, the pressure grew more unbearable.
His entire body blazed with six different flames, causing him to shine with six-colored brilliance, to protect himself from it. He had never thought that as a Half-Step Dou Di, he will still be suffer heavily.
This revelation is quite astonishing that he still felt so oppressed, his strength suppressed and his movements heavy under the might of the four flames. Even so, he did not retreat.
Upon entering, his gaze immediately fell upon Lady Azure, Xue Yue, and the nine Lightning Beasts. Yet what truly seized his attention were four additional delicate figures, all of whom were staring at him with profound curiosity.
Though each wore robes of different styles and colors, their faces and figures were unmistakable—they were exact identical to Lady Azure.
Behind the four figures blazed four radiant flames, each burning with a hue that matched the robes the women wore—clearly marking them as the spirits of those very flames.
"So, this is the child you three spoke of…"
"Quite remarkable—he survived all nine trials of the Heavenly Judgement Lightning, and even endured the descent of three Heavenly Lightnings at once."
"No wonder you were praising him so highly. I had thought it mere exaggeration…"
"It seems my sisters' judgment was not mistaken."
The four "Lady Azures" regarded Xiao Hua with calm, graceful eyes, their voices flowing one after another like ripples in a tranquil pond. Yet beneath that poise lay a genuine curiosity. They sensed within him the dormant might of the nine Heavenly Lightnings, the Celestial Ancient Frost, and the four Primordial Heavenly Flames—each of them found this "little brother" of theirs both fascinating and extraordinary.
"Hehe… thank you for the compliments, elder sisters." Xiao Hua scratched his cheek awkwardly, his composure wavering under their frank words of praise.
"Since our sisters have spoken, and you have proven yourself, we will not object to you refining our flames," one of them said softly.
"As for who shall remain the foremost, it will naturally be Azure, since she has already fully merged with the other four," another added.
"Just be certain to grow stronger," the third one teased lightly, her laughter like the flicker of flame. "Otherwise, you may find yourself reduced to ash… or frozen into an ice statue by Sister Frost."
"Enough. We should begin," the fourth one spoke with a faint sigh. "Even with Sister Frost and Sister Lightning holding the barrier, this lower plane cannot last much longer."
With that, the four women merged into the flames behind them, their figures vanishing into blazing radiance as they beckoned Xiao Hua toward the center.
Settling himself within the heart of the four flames, Xiao Hua drew in a steady breath and composed his mind. Then, without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed the four Primordial Heavenly Flames.
Bang!
At once, a torrent of scorching power erupted from within, surging through his Qi Veins like a boundless inferno. In that instant, four Heavenly Lightnings—Judgement, Extermination, Retribution, and Cataclysm—stirred awake, crackling to life as they circled his body like divine serpents of thunder.
Agony lanced through him—searing, piercing, unrelenting. Yet Xiao Hua endured it with tranquil calm. To him, pain was no stranger; it had walked with him through every step of his journey. In truth, it was his most familiar companion. Compared to the torment he had once endured, this pain was but a fleeting ember.
Without delay, he began refining the four Primordial Heavenly Flames. With the might of his new Celestial Feather physique, the process advanced rapidly; in mere moments, the flames were subdued, absorbed, and brought under his control.
Following Chaos Mantra's instruction, Xiao Hua directed each flame to merge with its corresponding Heavenly Lightning.
Flame danced. Lightning roared. They clashed and intertwined, weaving together in a delicate, perilous union. Xiao Hua's gaze never wavered as he oversaw the process, his spirit steady, his will unshaken.
Yet, oddly enough, he sensed no true danger. Even if he were momentarily distracted, failure would not claim him. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he murmured with quiet confidence:
"This will take less time than I imagined."
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