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Dawn had just broken.
Yang Fan slipped silently out of the town, the Heavy Xuan Ruler strapped to his back.
Since exiting the soul beast forest, he'd entered Fasinuo Province within the Tian Dou Empire.
According to the map, Holy Spirit Village was now less than 300 kilometers away.
Along the way, besides shouldering the ruler to temper his Dou Qi and soul power, Yang Fan seized every rest break to find a secluded spot and practice Chasing Stars, Blazing Fire—the first Dou technique Yao Lao had taught him.
His soul power surged—the spear tip ignited instantly.
He channeled Dou Qi into the shaft and thrust upward with thunderous force.
Flame erupted from the tip, striking a massive boulder ten meters away—and detonated on impact.
The rock split cleanly in two, a jagged fissure running down its center, while a meter-wide trail of roaring fire scorched the ground between them.
Yang Fan's overwhelming sensation? Complete exhaustion.
Yao Lao had been absolutely right—using even a single Earth-Tier Low-Grade Dou technique drained every drop of Dou Qi from his body.
Now, it took him at least ten minutes to fully recover his Dou Qi.
But in real combat, soul masters decided victory or defeat in an instant—even ten seconds was already too long.
To solve this problem, the most effective method was to learn a cultivation technique.
However, Dou cultivators differed from soul masters. To practice a cultivation technique, one first needed to condense a Dou Qi vortex and become a true Dou Zhe—that was the prerequisite.
Yang Fan once asked Yao Lao: "What soul master rank is equivalent to a one-star Dou Zhe?"
Yao Lao's answer was simple: "Above Soul Elder, below Soul Ancestor."
"Not bad… for now," Yao Lao said. "Rest up. We move on."
Yang Fan had excellent comprehension—just lacking raw power.
Yao Lao knew it wasn't his fault. After all, ambient Dou Qi in Douluo Continent was far thinner than on the Dou Qi Continent. Here, soul power reigned supreme.
"Master, tell me more about cultivation techniques," Yang Fan asked as he resumed walking, the ruler heavy on his shoulders. Once his Dou Qi recovered, he'd practice the spear technique again.
Step by step, stop and go—he was growing stronger without even noticing.
…
Five days later.
A village of over a hundred households appeared before him.
According to the map, this had to be Holy Spirit Village.
At the village entrance stood the infamous handprint—left behind when a Soul Saint had once struck the ground in warning.
Just then, Old Jack—energetic and spry—strolled over, hands clasped behind his back, humming a folk tune of unknown origin, clearly in good spirits.
"Grandpa, is Tang Hammer home?" Yang Fan asked politely.
Tang Hao was no pushover.
Even when the entire Spirit Hall had hunted him down years ago, they couldn't kill the bastard.
Though injured in a battle several years back, his current strength was still far beyond what Yang Fan and Yao Lao could handle.
If they wanted to get to the Blue Silver Emperor, they had to strike while Tang Hao was away.
"Tang Hammer?" Old Jack blinked in confusion—then realization dawned, followed by a scowl. "Dead!"
"Huh?!"
Seeing Yang Fan's baffled expression, Old Jack clarified, "Don't know where he's disappeared to. Hasn't been in the village for a while. If you need farming tools, head five miles west—find Blacksmith Wang."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Before leaving, Yang Fan discreetly asked for the location of Tang Hao's house.
The annual Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony had concluded a month ago. By now, soul academies had reopened—and Tang San had surely enrolled in Nuoding Academy.
According to the original story, Tang Hao had visited Tang San during the first semester.
That must be happening right now!
Yang Fan's analysis of the Blue Silver Emperor's location had deepened further.
He recalled that after fleeing to Holy Spirit Village, Tang Hao had buried A Yin deep within a mountain range surrounded by peaks—behind a massive waterfall.
With all these clues aligned, finding her shouldn't be difficult.
First, Yang Fan circled Tang Hao's house to confirm he hadn't returned in days—then launched his operation.
Step one: locate the encircling mountain range.
Easy—the only such range near Holy Spirit Village fit the description perfectly.
Step two: find the great waterfall within it.
Waterfalls required rivers and steep terrain.
So first, find the river—then follow it downstream.
Using this logic, Yang Fan found his answer in just two days.
The river's current grew swifter. A distant roar echoed in his ears.
As he drew closer, the sound intensified—and the air turned damp with mist.
Minutes later, Yang Fan stood at the edge of a sheer cliff, peering down.
The drop was over 200 meters—below lay a deep pool.
River water plunged relentlessly from the cliff, crashing into the basin and sending plumes of white spray skyward.
"This should be it."
Everything matched his intel perfectly.
Hearing the waterfall's roar, Yao Lao drifted out of Yang Fan's body, surveying the scene.
"Truly an excellent place for cultivation."
If not for their plan to obtain the legendary hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor, he'd have loved to let Yang Fan train here for his next breakthrough.
Yang Fan stared at the sheer cliff face—and froze.
Constant water flow had made the rocks slick and treacherous—leaving nowhere to gain a steady footing.
And the sheer force of the falling water would knock anyone off in an instant.
Now he understood why Tang Hao chose this spot.
Even if someone discovered the hidden cave behind the falls, few soul masters could ever reach it.
"Leave it to your master!"
Yao Lao floated calmly before the waterfall. With a casual gesture, he summoned the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his hand.
Pale-white Dou Qi sheathed the massive blade—then he swung horizontally.
Yang Fan saw no grand motion—but a silent wave of energy shot forth, cleaving the waterfall in half.
This must be the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler!
In that stunned moment, the river halted mid-air—revealing the cliff face beneath.
To ordinary eyes, the rock wall looked unremarkable.
But not to Yao Lao's soul perception.
With a flick of his left hand, solidified Dou Qi slammed into the stone.
A section that seemed seamless suddenly sank inward—revealing a hidden doorway.
Yang Fan's heart pounded.
Blue Silver Emperor!
Inside that cave lay the hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
He took a deep breath—and leapt straight off the cliff.
Spear in hand, he spun midair and drove the Flaming Soul Breaking Spear into the rock face, using its piercing power to slow his descent.
Stab. Withdraw. Stab again. Withdraw again…
After several repetitions, Yang Fan reached the mouth of the dark, hidden cavern.
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