Inside a cave in the back mountain of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on a smooth boulder.
He had discovered this place when he was a child. The environment was serene, the interior spacious, and hardly anyone ever came here.
Placing two jade bottles in front of him, he took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and assumed a meditative posture with his five hearts facing the sky to adjust his internal state.
Once everything was ready, Xiao Bai began compressing the Dou Qi in his dantian. In the past, whenever he reached this step, the Dou Qi within his dantian would remain completely still. But this time was different. Under his compression, the Dou Qi inside his dantian slowly began to rotate.
A good sign. Xiao Bai was delighted. He picked up a Qi Gathering Powder and swallowed it.
As the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Powder spread through his body, the Dou Zhi Qi in his dantian began to spin faster, forming a small vortex at its center.
The vortex resembled a galaxy in the cosmos, spinning while continuously drawing in the free Dou Zhi Qi at the edges of the dantian, causing it to expand. The Dou Zhi Qi within his meridians also seemed to be affected by the vortex, surging toward the dantian.
The vortex of Dou Zhi Qi grew larger and gradually filled the central area of the dantian. The Dou Disciple energy within was continuously compressed into Dou Qi.
The moment all the Dou Zhi Qi in his body was compressed into Dou Qi, his entire dantian trembled slightly, and the vortex inside it stopped spinning rapidly.
A surge of Dou Practitioner aura erupted from Xiao Bai's body.
"Haha… Five years… Five years! I finally did it!"
Feeling the transformation within his dantian and the Dou Qi that was several times stronger than that of the ninth stage of Dou Disciple, Xiao Bai was overjoyed, letting out an exhilarated laugh.
Although he was 98% certain that his inability to break through was due to the talisman, there was still a lingering doubt. If it was truly because of the talisman, that was fine, but if it wasn't, things would be troublesome.
If he couldn't pinpoint the reason, it meant he would be unable to break through and grow stronger. Without the Xiao Clan's bloodline, he wouldn't even be able to ride the coattails of Xiao Yan when he became an emperor.
As for Xun'er… Just imagining her as a Dou Saint in the future, standing beside a mere ninth-stage Dou Disciple, even if Xun'er didn't mind, the entire continent would ridicule him to death. Xiao Bai had no intention of falling to such a state—he wasn't some arrogant fool.
And then there was Ya Fei. With her capabilities, she would have been considered a strong and independent woman in his past life. But in this world, where strength ruled above all, if she hadn't met the protagonist, she would have either remained a pawn of her family or become a plaything for the strong.
So why cling to someone else's power when he could become powerful himself?
Rumble!
Just as Xiao Bai was enjoying the sensation of his breakthrough, a sudden clap of thunder echoed in his ears.
"Purple Heaven Divine Thunder!" Xiao Bai blurted out upon hearing it.
"Huh? Why did I say 'Purple Heaven Divine Thunder'? Is there a thunderstorm outside?" Confused, he looked toward the cave entrance, only to see bright sunlight and a clear sky.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Xiao Bai hastily focused his senses on his Sea of Consciousness. The sight before him made him rub his eyes in disbelief, wondering if he had entered the wrong place.
His Sea of Consciousness was now filled with purple lightning, illuminating everything in a violet glow, as if he had stepped into a world of purple thunder.
Above the center of his Sea of Consciousness, the ancient talisman that had remained dormant for years was now surrounded by crackling purple lightning, making it appear majestic and sacred.
At this moment, it could no longer be called a mere talisman. It looked more like an imperial decree of a Thunder Emperor, exuding an awe-inspiring might that made Xiao Bai feel like an ant beneath the heavens, as if he could be annihilated by a single strike of purple lightning, leaving no trace behind.
"Talisman Bro… No, Talisman Lord! I know I've cursed you before, but considering that I spent 2,000 merit points to bring you back and we've lived together for so many years, please—control your lightning! Don't strike me! Where else will you find a host as handsome and good-natured as me, huh?"
Feeling the heavenly might emanating from the talisman, Xiao Bai knew he couldn't afford to provoke it and immediately submitted.
As if responding to his words, the purple lightning in his Sea of Consciousness began to distort, making Xiao Bai's heart race. However, instead of harming him, the lightning arranged itself in a profound pattern in the sky of his Sea of Consciousness.
Eventually, a few large characters took shape—Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon.
These were not the characters of the Dou Qi Continent but the Chinese characters from his past life.
Seeing them, Xiao Bai was ecstatic. This was a cultivation technique! Judging by the overwhelming presence of the Talisman Lord, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Xiao Bai stared intently at the lightning in the void, waiting for the contents of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon to appear. Once they did, he was determined to memorize every single word—cultivation techniques were no joke, and even a single mistake could lead to serious consequences during practice.
However, no matter how long he waited, only the same few words floated in the sky, with no further content appearing.
Cautiously, Xiao Bai asked the talisman:
"Master Talisman, what's next?"
The talisman flickered with electric light but gave no response.
"Master Talisman, did you fall asleep?"
The talisman continued to flicker, showing no reaction.
Xiao Bai was furious. Damn it! I already took my pants off, and this is all you're showing me?! But no matter how frustrated he was, he dared not voice his complaints.
He carefully examined the glowing words, but no matter how he looked at them, there was nothing more—just those few characters floating in midair.
Xiao Bai refused to accept this. He continued staring at them, unwilling to believe that they would just stay there forever.
But then, to his horror, he saw something that made his heart leap into his throat—the characters began falling from the sky, plummeting straight into his Sea of Consciousness. He had seen the lightning that formed those words before, and he knew how terrifyingly powerful it was. If not for the talisman controlling it, even the tiniest strand could have killed him a hundred times over. Now, with those massive lightning-formed words crashing down, how could he possibly survive?
"This is the end for me!"
Xiao Bai couldn't stop it. He could only watch helplessly as the words drew closer. Unable to bear it anymore, he shut his eyes.
"If I die like this, would I be the most pathetic transmigrator in history? Killed by my own golden finger? The other transmigrators would probably laugh themselves to death!"
"I hope that when I open my eyes again, I'll be back on Earth. This world is too damn cruel. Just moments ago, I was filled with ambition, thinking about seizing resources and growing stronger. And now? Tragedy!"
His mind raced with thoughts, but then he noticed something strange—he wasn't feeling any pain.
"Did I die too quickly to even feel it?"
Doubtful, Xiao Bai cautiously opened his eyes. He stood up, stretched his arms and legs, and carefully checked his body. Everything was intact—he hadn't lost any parts.
"Haha! I'm fine, I'm—!"
"Hngh!"
Before he could finish celebrating, Xiao Bai groaned and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.
A massive surge of information flooded into his mind, making it feel like his skull was about to explode.
Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon.
So that was it—the technique had already been contained within those words. It wasn't meant to be read but directly engraved into his Sea of Consciousness.
Xiao Bai gritted his teeth as sweat poured down his face like a stream. His head felt as if someone were scraping it with a knife, but he didn't utter a single sound. This was his opportunity—his foundation for the future. No matter how much it hurt, he had to endure it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the surge of information settled, and Xiao Bai felt significantly relieved.