BTTH : Emperor Yang

A month later, Wei Yang broke through to nine-star Dou Shi.

Two months after that, he naturally advanced to Da Dou Shi.

This was much faster than the one-year estimate that Ye Xian'er had originally predicted.

At this moment, he had just turned sixteen.

His rapid progress was due to his exceptionally solid foundation. Since he began cultivating, he had advanced step by step without ever consuming medicinal pills or relying on external aids.

All of his Dou Qi had been accumulated through sheer effort, bit by bit. Naturally, there was no sense of instability in his strength. Nor had he excessively depleted his own potential. As a result, he had yet to encounter any bottlenecks—his breakthrough was completely natural.

Within his dantian, the previously liquid energy had completely disappeared.

In its place was a deep crimson rhombus-shaped crystal, no larger than a thumb, floating quietly in the center of his Qi vortex, perfectly still.

A faint golden radiance shimmered on the surface of the crystal.

Wei Yang gazed at it in astonishment, fixating on the deep crimson crystal, which seemed like the eye of a storm.

At the very moment this crystal appeared, he had clearly felt a comforting sensation emanating from the depths of his soul.

His soul was strengthening.

As a cultivator's strength grew, their soul would naturally become stronger over time.

And this crystal within his dantian—the Dou Crystal—was the key to reaching Da Dou Shi!

It contained an immense amount of energy, the result of highly condensed power being solidified.

Dou Zhe wielded energy in a gaseous state.

Dou Shi wielded energy in a liquid state.

Da Dou Shi wielded energy in a solid state.

In the eyes of many powerful cultivators, one had only truly stepped into the world of Dou Qi cultivation upon forming their Dou Crystal.

The Dou Crystal was the condensed essence of all Dou Qi within a warrior's body, containing an overwhelming amount of energy.

Wei Yang was mesmerized as he observed the newly formed deep crimson crystal.

After a long moment, he finally withdrew his consciousness.

Inside his room, Wei Yang's eyes suddenly snapped open, and deep crimson light burst forth from them.

At the same time, an intense aura erupted, forming a storm within the room.

Moments later, everything gradually settled.

"Hu~"

Letting out a long breath, Wei Yang felt an unprecedented surge of strength within his body. He muttered softly,

"So this is Da Dou Shi!"

With a thought, a layer of radiance emerged on the surface of his body, rapidly condensing into a deep crimson battle armor, covering him completely.

The armor's surface was engraved with golden patterns, exuding an air of majesty and power.

Dou Qi Armor!

This was the hallmark of a Da Dou Shi.

Though his current deep crimson armor was still in its early form and lacked complete solidity, the sheer power it radiated was already leagues beyond the Dou Qi Cloak of a Dou Shi.

"Da Dou Shi, huh…"

Wei Yang sighed in amazement before retracting his Dou Qi Armor. As his Qi withdrew, he appeared calm and restrained, a faint smile forming on his handsome face.

"A sixteen-year-old Da Dou Shi!"

He stretched his body, and a crisp cracking sound echoed from his bones.

Since beginning his cultivation journey, every breakthrough had come effortlessly and naturally.

Unlike in the original novel, where Xiao Yan constantly found himself in dramatic, life-or-death struggles to advance.

Xiao Yan frequently relied on medicinal pills to force breakthroughs, often resulting in numerous side effects.

While such experiences might seem thrilling and exciting, to Wei Yang, they were completely unacceptable.

To him, cultivation should be an enjoyable process of pursuing power, advancing step by step with stability.

Over-reliance on external aids would inevitably come with hidden dangers—it was essentially burning one's own potential.

If Xiao Yan weren't the protagonist, blessed with extraordinary luck and countless miraculous encounters, playing with fire like that would have already cost him his life.

Of course, Xiao Yan had no choice. With time running out, he was forced to push his strength forward as fast as possible.

Thinking about it carefully, Xiao Yan was actually a rather pitiful guy.

At that thought, Wei Yang couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

In the future, if he had the chance, he wouldn't mind helping out—as long as it was within his ability.

After all, they were fellow transmigrators.

Deep down, Wei Yang felt a lingering sense of loneliness in this world.

Even though he had lived here for over ten years, there was still a faint emptiness in his heart.

There was always a lingering sense of being in a foreign land.

That was why, upon knowing that Xiao Yan was from the same place as him, Wei Yang subconsciously felt a sense of kinship toward him.

Thinking of this, Wei Yang turned his gaze toward the Xiao Clan in Wu Tan City.

Now, Xiao Yan had already fallen from his pedestal for over a year. Once a genius, he had been reduced to a so-called "trash" ridiculed by all.

He had become the topic of idle chatter for the residents of Wu Tan City.

The more they had envied him in the past, the harsher they trampled on him now.

The story was about to begin.

Creak—

The door opened, and Wei Yang stepped out.

The moment he did, his eyes landed on a girl not far away—dressed in white, ethereal like an immortal. She stood there quietly, waiting for him.

Seeing Wei Yang emerge, her eyes lit up as she quickly ran toward him. "Brother Yang!"

"Xian'er." Wei Yang pulled her into his embrace and lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Did you miss me?"

"Mm."

Ye Xian'er nodded, rubbing her cheek against his chest, smiling brightly. "You've been in seclusion for three days this time."

"Three days already?" Wei Yang nodded.

"Did you succeed?" Ye Xian'er looked up at him curiously.

"Of course. Breaking through to Da Dou Shi is as easy as eating and drinking for me," Wei Yang chuckled.

"Eh…"

Hearing this, Ye Xian'er couldn't help but be dumbfounded. Her delicate face was filled with shock. "Brother Yang, you just turned sixteen, and you've already reached Da Dou Shi… This is insane! A sixteen-year-old Da Dou Shi—I've never heard of anyone like this in the entire Jia Ma Empire!"

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Ye Xian'er was still utterly stunned.

For most, reaching Dou Zhe at sixteen was already considered genius-level talent.

Take Jia Nan Academy's enrollment criteria, for example—a sixteen-year-old Dou Zhe would already qualify for the highest S-rank talent rating. (Don't question why the Dou Qi Continent has English ratings—the explanation rights belong to Tian Can Tu Dou.)

But Wei Yang? He had just turned sixteen and was already a Da Dou Shi.

Moreover, Ye Xian'er knew very well that Wei Yang had never taken any pills to boost his cultivation. His Dou Qi had been accumulated step by step through sheer hard work.

That was simply unbelievable.

Looking at Ye Xian'er's face, which was filled with shock, Wei Yang felt a sense of satisfaction and pride. He tightened his grip around her slim waist, pulling her closer, relishing the feel of her increasingly alluring curves pressed against him.

Ye Xian'er's face flushed slightly. She shot him a coy glance, but her eyes were full of affection and joy.

"Have you been training properly these past few days? Or have you been slacking off again?" Wei Yang ruffled her hair with a smile.

"Hmph! I haven't been slacking off!" Ye Xian'er pouted and wrinkled her nose playfully.

"Really?"

"Mm!" Ye Xian'er nodded seriously. Then, as if asking for praise, she added, "I'm almost at Dou Zhi Qi third stage! I feel like I'll break through in a few more days."

"Not bad. My Xian'er is a little genius too!" Wei Yang praised.

In less than a year, she had reached the third stage of Dou Zhi Qi!

Wei Yang felt somewhat ashamed in comparison.

If Xiao Yan heard about this, he'd probably turn red with embarrassment.

"Hehe." Hearing Wei Yang's praise, Ye Xian'er beamed with happiness, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Brother Yang, are you hungry? I'll cook something delicious for you!"

"Mm, okay." Wei Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the main hall. "Did anyone come to buy medicine these past few days?"

"Yes. I even treated four or five injured people."

"I told you, just sell them the medicine. We don't lack money—why bother treating them?"

If it weren't for Ye Xian'er's fondness for it, he wouldn't even bother selling medicine anymore. He truly didn't care about that little bit of money.

"They were badly injured, and since they came to us for medicine, I thought I'd help bandage them up while I was at it."

"You…" Wei Yang sighed helplessly.

He really couldn't bear to see his precious girl tending to a bunch of rough, burly mercenaries.

But there was nothing he could do—Xian'er genuinely enjoyed being a healer and treating people.