Yang Fan inspected his body once more…
The 10,000-year Ghost Panther had granted him a solid soul skill:
Third Soul Skill: Flash!
It boosted both his speed and attack power by 200%.
Dual enhancement!
Now he could close distances rapidly while delivering devastating blows.
His grandfather had always said:
"Soul Breaking Spear soul masters must strike with lightning speed and razor-sharp offense—end fights quickly."
Because pure-attack soul masters feared prolonged battles above all.
"Here!" Yao Lao tossed him an ancient scroll. "Master this first."
Freshly promoted to Dou Shi, Yang Fan caught it eagerly.
No need to guess—anything from Yao Lao was top-tier.
As he unrolled the scroll, a long-dormant aura washed over him.
"Xuan-tier low-grade?" Yang Fan frowned slightly.
The scroll detailed a Xuan-tier low-grade Dou technique:
[Blowing Fire Palm]
Creates powerful air pressure. Suitable for fire-attribute Dou practitioners.
"You brat—do you disdain Xuan-tier low-grade techniques now?" Yao Lao scoffed. "At your one-star Dou Shi level, you're lucky to qualify for it!"
Harsh but true.
Higher-tier techniques consumed exponentially more Dou Qi.
If not for Yang Fan's Blue Emperor Soul Bone Pill (which granted unmatched Dou Qi recovery), Yao Lao wouldn't have taught him advanced techniques like Flame Splitting Tsunami or Octane Blast.
Even now, Yang Fan couldn't unleash their true essence.
"No, no!" Yang Fan quickly said. "Xuan-tier low-grade is great!"
He believed in Yao Lao's every decision.
Besides—he'd spent half a year in Sunset Forest. The Heavy Xuan Ruler had become his trademark. With the Elephant Armor Sect hunting him, he needed alternatives.
"Though Xuan-tier low-grade," Yao Lao added, "once mastered, Blowing Fire Palm rivals a fifth soul skill."
Yang Fan trusted this completely.
His soul perception touched the scroll—and its inscribed knowledge flooded his mind.
In moments, he'd fully grasped the technique.
"Try it," Yao Lao urged, eyes gleaming.
Yang Fan's palm erupted with orange-red flame. He thrust forward—
BOOM—!
A boulder ten meters away shattered into rubble.
"Not bad!"
Having learned Earth-tier techniques, Xuan-tier came easily. Yao Lao was pleased—not just with Yang Fan's aptitude, but the technique's power.
Calling it Xuan-tier mid-grade wouldn't be exaggerating!
Back on the Dou Qi Continent, experts had begged him to accept this very scroll… just to refine a single pill.
Alas—such privileges vanished in Douluo.
"Blowing Fire Palm!"
"Blowing Fire Palm!"
From that day, Yang Fan settled on a modest hill near the city.
Days blurred into relentless training.
Boring? Perhaps.
But he reveled in it.
…
Three months flew by.
Today—
Yang Fan stood before Tian Dou City's gates.
No black cloak. No Heavy Xuan Ruler. Just a sunlit boy's face.
Dressed in new attire bought en route…
Admit it—he looked every bit the noble young master!
Who'd guess this smiling youth hid Level 38 Soul Master and Two-Star Dou Shi strength?
Yao Lao had grown uneasy about Yang Fan's rapid growth, so these past three months were spent tempering his body in the soul beast forest.
Yang Fan strode into the city, steps light without the ruler's weight.
Yao Lao had warned: as his strength grew, the ruler's suppression would fade—soon, it'd be just a weapon.
Even Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid and Blood Incineration Paste had become obsolete.
Tian Dou City felt familiar—he'd lived here for a year.
His first stop? The largest apothecary.
For an alchemist, nothing mattered more than herbs and cauldrons.
"Young master, what do you need?" The clerk showed no condescension.
In Douluo, age meant nothing—only status and power.
With nobles swarming Tian Dou City, anyone could be a hidden scion.
Yang Fan slapped a densely written formula onto the counter. It listed dozens of herbs—including rare treasures like Polaris Hand and Hundred-Herb Dew.
"These—all of them?" The clerk gulped.
"Yep." Yang Fan slammed 50,000 gold soul coins onto the counter—his savings from a year of hunting soul beasts.
Just enough to cover the list.
The clerk's throat bobbed. "Please wait…"
Soon, a middle-aged man hurried from the back—a shopkeeper.
Whether the clerk mentioned Yang Fan's age or not, the boss froze upon seeing him. Then—forced smile.
"I'm the owner. We stock most of these, but Fire Spirit Root is limited. And Blazing Flame Heart Mushroom is out of stock."
Up close, Yang Fan sensed the man's soul power—roughly his own level.
"Give me what you have," Yang Fan said.
Raised in the Breaking Clan, he knew Fire Spirit Root's scarcity. His grandfather sometimes scoured three cities for one.
As for Blazing Flame Heart Mushroom? He'd expected shortages.
"Right away!" The owner counted the 50,000 coins, then refunded 10,000 due to missing items.
The deal seemed smooth—
Until a group stormed in, clad in crimson academy uniforms.
Leading them? Huo Wu.
Everyone's expression shifted subtly. All eyes flicked to Yang Fan.
"My apologies," the owner said carefully. "The Fire Spirit Root was just sold… to this young master."
Huo Wu and Yang Fan locked eyes—complex emotions swirling between them.
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