BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Word Count: 2,057 Words

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A Heavenly Flame Dou Technique, as the name implied, was a type of Dou Technique specifically designed for use with Heavenly Flames. This was a Dou Technique that Xiao Yan created himself, forming part of a unique series.

Back when Xiao Yan first created the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame, he continually modified and refined it, striving to make the technique as perfect as possible.

During this process, he discovered an interesting phenomenon. For him, the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame didn't have stages like 'entry level,' 'minor mastery,' 'major mastery,' or 'perfection.' As the creator of the Dou Technique, the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame was inherently perfect in his hands.

There was no issue of proficiency for him; he only needed to continuously perfect the Dou Technique itself rather than practice it repeatedly.

This was the advantage of creating one's own Dou Technique. For the creator, the technique was naturally the most suitable, and it did not require extensive practice.

Who could surpass the creator in understanding and proficiency of a Dou Technique?

Moreover, practicing high-level Dou Techniques was incredibly challenging. For instance, after sparring with Zi Yan for half a year, both the Ancient Dragon Roar and the Three Thousand Lightning Movement were still only at the entry level, quite a distance from reaching minor mastery.

Even someone with Xiao Yan's exceptional talent would inevitably take some detours without the guidance of a Master.

Therefore, he developed the idea of creating his own Dou Techniques.

But creating a Dou Technique out of thin air was extremely difficult; otherwise, everyone would be doing it. So Xiao Yan chose to take a clever shortcut.

He decided to create Dou Techniques that relied on Heavenly Flames as their core.

Each Heavenly Flame possessed wondrous and mystical abilities. If these abilities could be transformed into Dou Techniques, wouldn't that result in entirely new techniques?

Xiao Yan held the Essence Flame of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame in his hands. Apart from the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, this was the complete Heavenly Flame he used most frequently.

Most importantly, he had once borrowed the remnant Spiritual Strength of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger to unleash an incredibly powerful Beast Technique, which nearly obliterated the soul of Yao Ao, a high-grade 7th-tier alchemist.

This experience gave him a spark of inspiration.

Heavenly Flame Dou Technique—Beast Spirit Descent!

A vast aura suddenly erupted from Xiao Yan's body with a whooshing sound as he held the Essence Flame of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame aloft. It was Spiritual Strength.

No one expected that at this moment of exhaustion, after a massive consumption of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan's trump card would be something akin to a Soul Skill!

In an instant, torrents of Spiritual Strength poured out. Although this Spiritual Strength did not suppress anyone, it was immensely powerful!

Even First Elder Su Qian and Deputy Headmaster Hu Gan couldn't help but feel a tremor.

The other students felt a deep reverence emanating from the depths of their souls!

Peak Tier 6 Spiritual Strength! Even though First Elder Su Qian had reached Dou Ancestor strength, his Spiritual Strength was not as formidable as Xiao Yan's.

"What powerful Spiritual Strength!"

"Oh my! I almost forgot that this guy Xiao Yan is a 6th-tier alchemist!"

The elders in the Alchemy Department of the Inner Academy who knew that Xiao Yan could refine tier 6 medicinal pills all slapped their foreheads. They had all forgotten that this freak wasn't just monstrously strong in battle; his alchemy skills were even more monstrous. He was already a 6th-tier alchemist at the age of twenty-one!

This time, even Xun Er's expression turned solemn. As the young miss of the Gu Clan and one of its core members, she knew better than anyone how terrifying peak Tier 6 Spiritual Strength was. It was even harder to cultivate than Dou Emperor strength.

'Is Xiao Yan ge-ge using a Soul Skill?!' Xun Er's delicate brows knitted slightly. She knew that in the current Dou Qi Continent, there were no longer any Soul Skill inheritances. Only the Pill Tower still possessed a small number of Soul Skills obtained from encounters with the Hall of Souls.

This was because all other factions that possessed Soul Skills had already been eradicated by the Hall of Souls.

'No, this isn't a Soul Skill! What kind of Dou Technique is this?' A serious expression appeared in Xun Er's eyes. She sensed that Xiao Yan was using a very unique Dou Technique.

It not only consumed Dou Qi but also required vast amounts of Spiritual Strength. Even more astonishing was that all this power was fused into the Heavenly Flame, completely different from traditional Dou Techniques!

A whooshing sound rang out. The Essence Flame of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame in Xiao Yan's hands seemed to be satiated, rapidly expanded, and finally transformed into a massive tiger with eight fiery wings!

Moreover, this wasn't an illusory figure but a real, tangible entity!

"Is that the soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger, the former overlord of the Magic Beast Mountain Range?!"

"But it doesn't seem like a soul body. Although there's vast Spiritual Strength within the flames, it's very different from an ordinary soul body!"

Zi Yan was utterly stunned. Xiao Yan had actually summoned an incredibly powerful magical beast?!

"This isn't the real Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger. It is already dead, and even its soul has been obliterated. I merely used my memory and sought out the traces it left within the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to bring it back again."

Xiao Yan still remembered that during his battle with Yao Ao, the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger had exhausted all its Spiritual Strength to perform its final Beast Technique.

Now, although the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger was gone, Xiao Yan still retained its memories. By leveraging his powerful Spiritual Strength, he reassembled the traces preserved within the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.

"Come, Zi Yan! The Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger was a Rank 7 magical beast after all. With my current strength, I can only recreate its strongest strike from back then—Mad Demon Flame!"

Xiao Yan let out a loud shout and waved his hand. The Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger immediately opened its mouth, and an intensely scorching flame burst forth, just like when it had unleashed its Beast Technique and released the demon flame.

This was the strike of a Rank 7 magical beast. Even if it was just a recreation, it was still incredibly powerful and terrifying.

Zi Yan gritted her teeth as she faced the oncoming scorching flame. A brilliant purple light emanated from her body, and the magical beast blood within her began to boil!

A voice echoed in her heart at this moment, telling her that she was the king of magical beasts. No beast could challenge her supreme authority!

Suddenly, an extremely subtle yet overwhelming dragon might surged from within her. This aura could only be felt by Xiao Yan, who was facing her directly. It was a dragon might that made his heart tremble.

'Could it be that Zi Yan's true form is really that race?!'

"Ha!!" Zi Yan made her move in that instant. She threw out a punch; this punch had no variations, no techniques!

But the boundless bloodline strength within her condensed into that single punch. It was as if the entire space was at her command.

A clash between dragon and tiger!

The collision of flame and purple light resulted in an astonishing explosion of energy. A thunderous boom echoed as a terrifying storm swept through the air. Wherever the storm passed, even space itself trembled!

First Elder Su Qian's eyes narrowed as he instantly activated the defensive barrier to protect the spectators in the stands.

After a long while, when the storm subsided, First Elder Su Qian's eyelids twitched violently. Not to mention the battle platform—the entire square had disappeared, leaving behind only a massive, pitch-black crater.

Both Xiao Yan and Zi Yan had been blown away by the shock wave and crashed into the walls on opposite sides.

Undoubtedly, both of them were simultaneously knocked out of bounds.

First Elder Su Qian sighed helplessly. He manipulated a trace of Spatial Strength to extract Zi Yan and Xiao Yan from the walls and brought them to the judges' platform.

"Take them to the medical room to rest. They're not seriously injured; they've just fainted due to excessive consumption of Dou Qi and bloodline strength."

The First Elder looked at the unconscious Xiao Yan, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'This little fellow's strength is truly unfathomable. I'm afraid these two have already reached the peak of the Dou King stage.'

A gratified smile appeared on his face. The stronger Xiao Yan was, the more confidence they would have when the Fallen Heart Flame erupted.

In the end, there was no need for the First Elder to announce the results of the Strong Ranking Grand Competition. Xiao Yan and Zi Yan tied for first place, with Xun Er taking third.

Two freshmen who had just entered the Inner Academy this year, one tying with the formidable Zi Yan for first place, and the other easily defeating Lin Xiuya to claim third. This was undoubtedly enough to be recorded in the history of Jia Nan Academy.

After the conclusion of the Strong Ranking Grand Competition, the entire Inner Academy was still immersed in the shock brought by that earth-shattering battle. Everywhere in the academy, people were discussing the fights in the competition. Among them, the two battles between Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, and Xun Er and Lin Xiuya, were the most talked about.

Especially the former; whenever people mentioned it, their faces still bore expressions of awe and astonishment.

.…

That evening, Xiao Yan returned to his room after recovering from his injuries. He sat cross-legged in meditation, carefully reflecting on his battle with Zi Yan earlier that day. Wisps of energy seeped from the surroundings, continuously pouring into his body.

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, are you asleep?" Xun Er's soft voice drifted into the room.

Xiao Yan heard Xun Er's voice and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth. He turned over and got out of bed, then opened the door with a soft creak.

"What's the matter, Xun Er? Can't sleep?" Xiao Yan looked at the elegant and beautiful face before him under the faint reflection of the moonlight streaming through the window. The subtle fragrance wafting toward him made his heart flutter slightly.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's teasing, Xun Er pouted slightly and gave him a charming sidelong glance. This coquettish demeanor was entirely different from her usual calm and composed self.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge still treats me as if I were the little girl from before."

Xiao Yan looked her up and down before nodding. "You've indeed grown up."

A faint blush appeared on Xun Er's fair and delicate cheeks. She could sense the warmth in his gaze.

As his eyes grew increasingly warm, the blush on her cheeks deepened. After a moment, she retrieved a black scroll from her storage ring, stuffed it into his hand, and was about to turn and flee.

However, Xiao Yan was quick-eyed and swift-handed. He grabbed her jade-like wrist and, with a gentle pull, brought her into his embrace amidst her soft gasp.

Xun Er's face was almost dripping with redness as her delicate body fell into Xiao Yan's strong arms, feeling the warmth of his body through his clothes. After a brief moment of struggle, she could only give up futile resistance. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Xiao Yan ge-ge, we shouldn't..."

Xiao Yan wrapped his left arm around her slender waist and whispered softly, "We shouldn't?" as he looked at the shy girl before him, her breath sweet and fragrant.

His right hand reached up to gently cup her chin, tilting her face toward him.

Xun Er closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling with nervousness at the sight of Xiao Yan slowly leaning toward her.

Their lips met in a tender kiss under the glow of the moonlight, their bodies pressed close together.

Outside the room, Ling Ying shook his head and sighed. He could only pretend he hadn't seen anything.