"Disciple… do you know how vast this world truly is?"
Xiao Xun'er blinked, momentarily stunned by the question. Her gaze drifted toward Chen Xiaoming, puzzled. Is Master asking how big the Dou Qi Continent is?
Chen Xiaoming turned to meet her eyes. He let out a gentle sigh and shook his head. As his disciple, how could she allow herself to be confined by a single plane? Cultivation mattered, yes—but perspective mattered even more.
"Sigh... Xun'er, you hail from an Ancient Clan, so naturally, you're familiar with the cultivation hierarchy of the Dou Qi Continent."
"From the lowest—Dou Disciple—to Dou Practitioner, Dou Master, Dou Grandmaster, Dou Spirit, Dou King, Dou Emperor, Dou Ancestor, Dou Venerate, Dou Saint, and finally, at the very peak, the Dou God. Eleven levels in total."
"Perhaps to you, your Ancient Emperor Bloodline seems powerful. Perhaps your Heavenly Flame feels terrifying. But in my eyes, none of it amounts to much."
He paused, voice calm yet thunderous.
"To put it bluntly, even a Dou God's cultivation level is barely cannon fodder in the myriad realms across the cosmos—maybe a foot soldier at best."
Each word struck Xiao Xun'er like a hammer to the soul, her thoughts buzzing. Myriad realms...? She had no idea what that even meant. But for her teacher to dismiss even the mighty Dou God—the strongest being on the entire continent—as insignificant?
Wasn't a Dou God supposed to be unrivaled? The supreme peak of power?
She felt the need to calm down. Either she was losing her mind… or her teacher had already lost his. Though, if she had to choose, Chen Xiaoming seemed the more likely candidate for insanity.
"I knew you'd react like this. Here," Chen Xiaoming smiled faintly, lifting his hand. A crimson glow shimmered in his palm—a stone-like object radiating a fiery brilliance.
"This is a gift from your teacher."
Back when he'd traversed the Shrouding the Heavens plane, Chen Xiaoming had slain numerous Supreme Beings. He'd taken their possessions, among them several pure Sources and a few rare Variant Sources—though these were few and far between.
What now floated in his hand, roughly the size of a fist, was one such treasure: a Blazing Source.
After refinement through the system, such items had taken on unique properties in this Battle Through the Heavens world.
Chen Xiaoming had tried it himself. It was potent—a direct aid to cultivation, converting into the purest Dou Qi.
Xiao Xun'er had previously only used basic Purified Sources. Now, Chen Xiaoming decided this would be a good opportunity to give her a proper taste—both to elevate her cultivation and to broaden her understanding.
"This thing—you're not unfamiliar with it. It's called a Source. Essentially, it's concentrated energy that can be refined into pure Dou Qi. The stronger the Source, the greater the energy it contains."
He held the Blazing Source between his fingers, letting it pulse with heat, and explained patiently.
"You've only ever used ordinary ones. This, however, is a Variant Source—one rank higher. It's called the Blazing Source."
Xiao Xun'er's lashes trembled slightly. Her large eyes were fixed on him, the image of an attentive student absorbing every word.
"If a Dou Master were to absorb this, they could immediately ascend to the level of Dou Emperor—with zero side effects."
He spoke plainly, but the words crashed into her like a tidal wave.
Immediate breakthrough to Dou Emperor? With no backlash? That was impossible—wasn't it? Only the rarest ninth-tier pills on the continent could even hope to offer such a boost.
"And if I told you that this Variant Source is merely low-grade cultivation material in some worlds—used by minor cultivators?"
His calm statement was another bolt of thunder. Xiao Xun'er stood frozen, reeling from the implications. She still found it hard to believe.
Whoosh—
With a casual flick of his finger, the Blazing Source surged forward, merging seamlessly into her body. The moment it entered, the system began refining it, converting its energy into pure Dou Qi.
Immediately, the Dou Qi within Xiao Xun'er's body surged.
From Three-Star Dou Grandmaster, her power skyrocketed. Fiery red Dou Qi burst forth, swirling wildly around her.
In mere moments, a pair of blazing wings formed on her back, translucent and elegant. They trembled once—and waves of searing heat rippled outward.
Xiao Xun'er floated midair, stunned by the sheer growth of power within her. Her wings fluttered gently as she hovered, the Dou Qi in her veins still rising, refusing to slow.
Within minutes, she'd broken through to Dou Emperor—no, even further.
One-Star Dou Emperor.
Three-Star.
Five-Star.
Finally, at the peak of Six-Star Dou Emperor, her cultivation stabilized.
Hovering in the air, Chen Xiaoming nodded approvingly.
"As expected. With a single Variant Source, Six-Star Dou Emperor is about right."
Whoosh—
With a flap of her wings, Xiao Xun'er descended back to her master, her expression radiant with joy and tinged with gratitude.
"Hmm, not bad," Chen Xiaoming commented casually. "With this level, you can at least protect yourself. Once the affairs at the Pill Tower are settled, I'll help you advance again."
He ruffled her hair affectionately and chuckled. "So, silly disciple—now you understand how extraordinary Variant Sources are?"
Having experienced it firsthand, Xiao Xun'er couldn't deny the truth anymore. The energy had not only elevated her cultivation but also refined the quality of her flame Dou Qi, enhancing her resonance with her Heavenly Flame.
As a member of the Ancient Clan, she had never heard of such items on the Dou Qi Continent—let alone seen one.
She finally began to believe him. Maybe… this really was something ordinary cultivators used in another world.
And if cultivators there used Variant Sources casually… Xiao Xun'er felt a chill.
One Source to make a Dou Emperor. Ten, a hundred of them…? She didn't dare imagine further.
Perhaps, in that world… Dou Saints were common, and Dou Gods walked the streets.
Seeing her shaken expression, Chen Xiaoming was pleased. His method of teaching was clearly working. His disciple's strength didn't matter nearly as much as her vision.
After all, if it came down to it, he could just throw resources at her until her cultivation skyrocketed.
"Don't overthink it, Xun'er. I'm telling you this because I don't want you bound by that so-called Ancient Emperor Bloodline."
His voice softened, filled with genuine care.
"That bloodline? It's nothing special. Not even worth my notice. My disciple shouldn't limit herself with something so trivial."
"I'm not setting high expectations for you. Let's take it step by step—"
He smiled.
"—How about this for a small goal: Become a Dou God."
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