"This is a Dou Master; it's indeed much stronger than a Dou Zhe!"
Yan Qingshan felt the surging power within his body. In his excitement, his aura erupted, the hair on his back moved without wind, his clothes fluttered, and his overall momentum suddenly increased countless times.
"Dawn, data analysis!"
With a thought, a series of data formed in his mind, showing the current changes in his body.
Host: Yan Qingshan
Cultivation: One-Star Dou Master
Dou Qi Method: Xuan High-Grade Lionheart King Technique (One Lionheart Baptism)
Dou Qi Skills: Xuan High-Grade Mad Lion Roar, Xuan Low-Grade Phoenix Flight Step
Strength: 2.8 (20)
Status: Healthy
Agility: 2.6 (18.2)
Spiritual Power: 10 (70)
Main Attribute: Wood
Secondary Attribute: Thunder (Thunder Eyes)
(Data collection target: One-Star Dou Master, the median data for a One-Star Dou Master is 1.0)
(Note: The data in parentheses is a comparison made with the original One-Star Dou Zhe data)
Yan Qingshan was quite satisfied with his data. Because the ratio was updated, his data looked a bit thin, but in reality, his change this time was quite significant.
After advancing, his strength, agility, and speed doubled. At his level, one plus one was much more than two.
However, the comparison object of the data had changed. The data seemed to have decreased compared to the Dou Zhe stage. In the Dou Zhe stage, he could suppress most Dou Zhe of the same level with data up to three times.
But now, aside from his spiritual power, which was already much higher than his peers, his highest ratio of strength was only close to 3.0, and his speed was only 0.1 more than 2.5. It seemed that his advantage over his peers was gone.
This situation would become more and more obvious as his cultivation increased. After all, at the Dou Master level, he was no longer at the bottom of the continent. Obtaining Xuan-Grade techniques and Dou Qi skills might be difficult, but Huang High-Grade techniques were not difficult for a Dou Master.
The difference between Huang High-Grade and Xuan High-Grade was only one rank. The cultivation speed and Qi recovery speed might still have advantages, but the increase brought by the quality of true Qi was no longer as significant as before.
The higher the cultivation level, the more difficult it was to fight across realms. After reaching Dou Saint, one star represented one rank, and it was impossible to fight across stars.
Because at that level, everyone had almost no significant gap in techniques and Dou Qi skills. It was impossible to fight across the realm with high-level Dou Qi skills like before.
Dou Saint represented Tian-Grade Dou Qi Method and Dou Qi skills. At that level, their own Dou Qi Method were Tian-Grade, and they could obtain suitable Tian-Grade combat skills if they spent time.
The gap between Dou Saint and Dou God was too large. Dou God's skills were basically impossible for a Dou Saint to use, so fighting across Realms was almost impossible.
After thinking carefully, Yan Qingshan slowly got up. After checking that his body was fine, the smile on his face couldn't be concealed.
In less than a year, he had advanced from Dou Zhe to Dou Master. His cultivation speed was a miracle, but his combat power had a lot of room for improvement.
Yan Qingshan had only practiced two Dou Qi skills. He barely had the ability to escape and a trump card, but he had no combat experience.
He relied almost entirely on Dawn's assistance to act tough. His regular Dou Qi skills were only the combat techniques of Mad Lion Roar, which was a bit too thin.
During this time, Yan Qingshan thought a lot. He felt that he had entered a misunderstanding. In terms of Dou Qi skills, he didn't have to pursue higher-level trump cards too much.
At his current stage, he could learn two more mid- or low Xuan-Grade Dou Qi skills for regular combat, while Mad Lion Roar, a high-consumption skill, could serve as a trump card.
Yan Qingshan was thinking about how to get suitable Dou Qi skills. He could go to the Mitter Auction House, but he had asked them to collect at least Xuan High-Grade or even Di-Grade Dou Qi skills.
If he suddenly asked for mid- or low Xuan-Grade Dou Qi skills again, they might be suspicious. He hated trouble the most.
"Young master, you're out of seclusion!"
Qing Ling's soft and tender voice rang in his ears. While thinking, he had unconsciously come out. Seeing Qing Ling's clear and smiling face, his mood improved a lot. He walked over with a smile and patted the little girl's head.
"Ahem..."
Qing Ling shook her little head, enjoying Yan Qingshan's head pat. While they were interacting intimately, an untimely cough came from the side. Yan Qingshan turned his head and saw Xue Lan, the third wheel, staring at him unhappily.
Yan Qingshan snorted unhappily, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a young master as good-looking as me? If you keep looking, you'll also..."
"You broke through to Dou Master!"
Xue Lan didn't argue with him at this time. She asked tentatively, her voice trembling, as if she wanted an answer from him.
"Of course. Don't you know who I am? How could I fail to break through!"
Yan Qingshan answered simply. After cultivating the Xuan High-Grade Dou Qi Method and experiencing a Lionheart Baptism, his aptitude had transformed, and his understanding of this technique had reached an extremely deep level.
He had almost no barriers before he became a Dou Spirit, so this breakthrough to become a Dou Master was a natural result.
"You seem to be only sixteen, just passed your coming-of-age ceremony, right!"
Xue Lan couldn't help but marvel. She was indeed shocked. As a resident of Rock Desert City, a small city in the empire, she knew better than ordinary people what Dou Master meant.
Breaking through from Dou Zhe to Dou Master meant breaking away from the common level. Although Dou Master was still considered a lower-middle class on the continent, it had undoubtedly broken through the bottom level.
Even some town leaders were only Dou Master. He could make a living anywhere in the empire.
More importantly, how old was Yan Qingshan? He had just turned sixteen and became a Dou Master. His future would be so bright.
"Stop looking. You can't have it even if you keep looking. If you're so envious, you might as well cultivate properly!"
Yan Qingshan waved his hand in front of Xue Lan and continued, "By the way, what's your attribute? For cultivation in the Dou Zhe stage, it's best to have a Xuan-Grade or higher technique. You helped me a lot this time. I can find a Dou Qi technique for you."
"I... I'm wind attribute!"
Xue Lan bit her lip and hesitated, but finally lowered her head and spoke. She had her pride, but living in a place like Rock Desert City, she knew better than others how rare and precious a good Dou Qi technique was.
Her family wasn't bad in Rock Desert City, but not too good either. They barely had enough to eat and wear. The strongest cultivator in the family was only a High-Level Dou Zhe.
After breaking through to Dou Zhe, her family found her a Huang High-Grade technique, which was almost the highest level she could reach with her background.
Xuan-Grade techniques were beyond her reach. Now that Yan Qingshan offered to give her one, she instinctively wanted to refuse out of pride. But thinking of her family and her future, she chose to lower her head.
At this moment, she felt extremely ashamed and guilty, as if she had reported the news for the current benefit. She felt sad for her behavior.
A shadow suddenly appeared in front of Xue Lan, and then her smooth chin was lifted, and her head was turned to Yan Qingshan's smiling face.
"Why are you bowing your head? There's nothing shameful about being my young master's female bodyguard.
You don't think I'm giving you this technique for free, do you? I won't let you go until I squeeze out all your value!
Now, hold your head high and let me check if my future female bodyguard is well-endowed. I heard female bodyguards have to protect their masters closely..."
Yan Qingshan rubbed his hands with a playful smile, his words full of flirtatious meaning. He naturally knew why Xue Lan looked like this. After all, he came from a mercenary family.
Giving it directly would hurt her pride. It was better to mix up the relationship a bit, so everyone wouldn't be embarrassed.
"Who, who agreed to be your bodyguard? Don't mess around!"
Xue Lan pushed Yan Qingshan away, her jade face blushing, her beautiful eyes rippling with a hint of spring, a mix of refusal and welcome.
Yan Qingshan grabbed the 'struggling' jade hand in front of him and directly put a storage ring on it.
"If you take my things, you're my person. I'm just buying and selling by force. Do you have any problem with that!"
"Hmph, you, you... I'll only be a bodyguard, I won't agree to anything else casually."
After a moment of reserve, Xue Lan acquiesced to this relationship. She found a scroll of technique in the storage ring and carefully unfurled it.
"Low-Grade Xuan Dou Qi Method, Wind Spirit Technique, and a matching set of Low-Grade Xuan Dou Qi Skill, Wind Spirit Sword Technique. This, this is too precious!"
Xue Lan murmured. A mere Xuan Technique was already beyond her reach, and this one came with a matching Dou Qi skill, making it even more valuable.
Yan Qingshan shook his head beside her. "A Dou Grandmaster from the Mo family's storage ring. I didn't expect a Dou Grandmaster to be cultivating a Low-Grade Xuan Dou Qi Method. He must have had a miserable life!
You can practice this technique for now. When there's a chance, Di-Grade Dou Qi Method are hard to come by, but I can find a High-Grade Xuan Dou Qi Method and Dou Qi skill of the wind attribute."
"No, no need. This set is enough. It's already very good."
Hearing his words, Xue Lan suddenly looked up and met Yan Qingshan's eyes, then subconsciously turned her head away and said softly, clearly not wanting to trouble Yan Qingshan.
"Silly girl, you've sold yourself to me now. It's not up to you to decide!"
Yan Qingshan smiled and gently patted Xue Lan's head. The little leopard was not as easy to tame as the little snake girl and subconsciously retorted.
"I'm just your guard, protecting your safety. When did I sell myself?"
Xue Lan pouted, dissatisfied, but there was a hint of coy resistance.
"It's not up to you!"
Yan Qingshan ended the conversation with a sentence and walked past the two girls in another direction.
"Really, domineering and excessive!"
Xue Lan muttered with a pout, but the smile on her lips couldn't be concealed. She turned her head and pulled Qing Ling over, and the two sisters whispered to each other.