[Now that I have mastered the cultivation method left by the Thunder Clan's Dou God and reached a realm beyond the Heavenly Rank, I shall call it Di Rank.]
…
"What!?"
When Xiao Ting updated his Journal, every girl holding a copy changed expression. Yun Yun, Han Yue, Cao Ying, Qing Lin, and Little Fairy Doctor were all shocked. Even Heaven-rank methods were already distant dreams in their eyes—methods beyond Heaven rank were simply unimaginable.
Yao Ling, Huo Zhi, Xun Er, and the other girls were merely surprised. What shocked them even more was that the Thunder Clan had actually left a cultivation method above Heaven rank inside Jia Nan Academy.
…
"Is the Thunder Clan really that generous?"
Huo Zhi thought in astonishment.
[Yun Yun]: Your Ancient Clan has become so wealthy that you don't even care about Dou God inheritance anymore and just hand it out to others.
[Huo Zhi]: Dou God inheritance isn't that rare for our main Ancient Clans, but it's not something we give away freely to outsiders.
[Yao Ling]: Being able to leave Dou God inheritance outside the clan… the Thunder Clan really can be called the strongest. They're even more arrogant than our Yao Clan.
[Cao Ying]: Just give up already. You've fallen so deep in love you've gone dark?
[Yao Ling]: Go away!
[Xun Er]: As long as the Ancient bloodline continues, there will always be at least one or two Dou God inheritors. The more Dou God are born, the more inheritors appear. For example, our clan's Ancient Emperor or Golden Emperor. However, even Heaven-rank techniques aren't passed on lightly. Father said techniques should never be transmitted casually.
[Huo Zhi]: Our Yan Clan openly inherits both the Flame Emperor and Fire Emperor bloodlines. There must be hidden bloodlines as well, but you can see how strictly Heaven-rank methods are protected.
[Yao Ling]: The rarity of methods is one issue, but the biggest problem is that even if you're given one, you might not be able to cultivate it. We all started with low-level Earth-rank methods. After breaking through to Dou King we switched to high-level Earth-rank. After reaching Dou Venerate we practiced low-level Heaven-rank methods and skills. After becoming Half-Saint we moved to mid-level Heaven-rank. Dou God inheritance—methods above Heaven rank—can only be attempted by those who have reached Five-Star Dou Saint.
[Xun Er]: The reason is simple. Compare Emperor-rank methods to Heavenly Fire. An ordinary person will either die or be severely injured upon contact. Only those with extraordinary power can even touch a relatively weak Heavenly Fire.
[Huo Zhi]: I don't know what Dou God inheritance the Thunder Clan left in Jia Nan Academy, but I doubt Xiao Ting will even try to cultivate it.
…
Huo Zhi's words were exactly what Yao Ling had been thinking.
It was said that the Battle Qi Continent once had an extremely prosperous era filled with powerful Dou God cultivators. Even now there were seven major Ancient clans. A thousand years ago there had been eight. Several thousand years ago, tens of thousands of years ago, there had been even more.
The three great Beast Clans also had powerful Dou God among their ancestors. In truth, there were quite a few Dou God bloodlines across the continent.
The real problem now was that the heaven-and-earth energy was steadily depleting and fewer spiritual treasures were being born. Members of the major Ancient Clans preferred to stay inside their own small worlds to cultivate.
The Yao Clan's arrogance wasn't innate—it had formed gradually, which was understandable. In fact, all seven Ancient Clans were arrogant and looked down on outside cultivators, but none were as arrogant as the Yao Clan.
What the Battle Qi Continent lacked wasn't Dou God inheritance, but resources—especially the highest-grade ones, which were extremely scarce.
According to Xiao Ting's Journal, even to reach Dou God one still needed the most important factor: "Origin Qi."
Therefore, when they learned Xiao Ting had obtained the Thunder Clan's Dou God inheritance rights, Yao Ling and Huo Zhi weren't particularly surprised.
Even if they taught him methods above Heaven rank, he would still need the ability to cultivate them. Even if he succeeded, the resources on the Battle Qi Continent's surface couldn't support him.
But the very next moment, Yao Ling and Huo Zhi's expressions changed dramatically. Xun Er wore a knowing smile.
[Thunder Flame Immortal Body]
On the surface, this was merely a quasi-Heaven-rank method. Unlike most Dou God inheritance techniques, anyone could cultivate it. True Dou God inheritance methods required the corresponding Dou God bloodline.
[Use thunder as a hammer to forge bones and nourish marrow!]
[Use fire as a furnace to burn away impurities and forge the truth!]
This was an extremely rare body-refinement method on the Battle Qi Continent, divided into three stages.
[Initial Stage – Skin Membrane Refinement: Only those who had reached Dou King could learn it. Upon completing the first stage, the body would be comparable to a seventh-grade magical beast—on par with a Dou Ancestor expert.]
…
All the girls: ! What an incredible Dou King! If he can complete the first-stage body, he'll be comparable to a Dou Ancestor!
…
[Second Stage – Thunder and Fire Forge Bones and Muscles: Find a special location where lightning runs deep into the bone marrow and lava seeps into the joints. The bones will be hammered like thunder, the tendons stretched like chains of fire. The entire skeleton will take on a golden-red jade luster. When walking, the joints will crackle like thunder, and the tendons will stretch and contract like flowing lava.]
[The Sun Fire Ancient Altar of the Ye Family met this requirement. By setting up a formation or refining a high-grade seventh-rank pill to attract pill tribulation lightning for body forging, the process could be completed—granting a body comparable to an eighth-grade magical beast, i.e., a Dou Venerate.]
…
Girls: "… "
…
[The mark of success: bones harder than black iron, capable of withstanding the crushing weight of mountains. Tendons tough as dragons, explosive power sufficient to tear the void apart by force. Every movement would carry the sounds of wind, thunder, and fire.]
[Third Stage – Thunder and Fire Forge Internal Organs: At the peak of the second stage, consume a three-colored or higher eighth-rank Thunder Fire Tribulation Pill, draw heavenly thunder and earthly fire into the body, and form a small thunder-fire vortex within the five organs and six viscera.]
[At that moment, the heart becomes the furnace, the liver the thunder pool, the lungs exhale thunderous flames, the kidneys receive fire essence, and the spleen—symbolizing earth—forms the base of the thunder furnace!]
[Upon success, strange phenomena would manifest. The internal organs would be wrapped in thunder and fire. Any highly toxic, foul gas entering the body would be burned away instantly. Vitality and blood would flow like magma; life force would approach immortality. One could drink magma, devour thunder essence, and feed upon the ultimate yang power of heaven and earth.]
[If perfected, the body would possess strength comparable to the peak of a ninth-grade Dou Venerate.]
[This technique did not rely on talent—only on resources and the ability to endure hardship. Those with thunder and fire attribute Battle Qi could achieve twice the result with half the effort.]
[I possess the Plane's Blessing. I will never lack resources, and I will not have to suffer much.]
…
All the girls: !!
So all they could do was wait and see.
Could Xiao Ting really obtain a body at the peak of ninth-grade Dou Venerate?!
Once that happened, breaking through to Dou Saint would become far easier—perhaps even natural.
However, this method actually had a fourth and fifth stage.
…
[The founder of Jia Nan Academy did not know this. Because the technique was so difficult to cultivate, he left it in the library as one of its greatest treasures.]
[This also gave the Thunder Clan disciples who later seized Jia Nan Academy an opportunity—but unfortunately, they failed to seize it.]
…
The girls suddenly understood. No wonder the Thunder Clan had introduced such a powerful art to Jia Nan Academy. If they didn't even know its true rank, it made perfect sense.
Did Xiao Ting know the conditions for the fourth and fifth stages? How powerful would they be?
…