43: Chapter 43 The Barrier of Fighters, the Skill of the Profound Rank

The tempering of the Green Lotus Core Flame's sub-flame was like the work of the most meticulous craftsman, carving away at the Dou Zhi Qi within Lin Yan's body time and time again.

Each circulation carried away a trace of hollowness, leaving behind a portion of solidity.

His seven meridians were already full and overflowing, shimmering with a luster as gentle as jade, while the membrane between the seventh and eighth meridians had become as thin as a cicada's wing after countless impacts, appearing almost transparent.

However, this final layer of membrane felt like an unbridgeable chasm.

No matter how Lin Yan urged his Dou Qi, absorbed external energy, or even mobilized the life force of the Living Spirit Flame to assist in the impact, he was always lacking that tiny bit, unable to break through completely.

A bottleneck.

This was a bottleneck that one would inevitably encounter when crossing from the Dou Zhi Qi stage to the realm of a Dou Practitioner.

It required not only the accumulation of Dou Qi but also an insight into the essence of one's own power—a transformation where "Qi" turned into "Force," permeating the entire body and condensing into one.

Many people with decent talent remained stuck at this step for months or even years.

Lin Yan's soul perception turned inward to inspect that stubborn membrane, his brow furrowing slightly.

His accumulation was long sufficient, and his insight into power, forged through several life-and-death battles and the tempering of Heavenly Flames, was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Why was he still unable to break through?

"System, analyze the cause of the current bottleneck."

"Analyzing... The host's total Dou Qi, purity, and soul strength all far exceed the standard of an ordinary peak-stage nine Dou Zhi Qi."

"Bottleneck cause determination: 1. Energy attribute conflict: The host's body contains the origins of ten sub-flames of Heavenly Flames. Although weak and initially harmonized by the system and the host's soul, their original attributes differ. When impacting the most minute meridian barrier, they generate extremely subtle energy interference and internal friction, affecting the cohesive force of the impact. 2. Coordination between soul and body: The host's soul power has surged due to the 'Pure Corrosion Soul Seal,' but the matching of physical strength (though tempered by the Living Spirit Flame) with the soul, as well as the precise control over the surging soul power, still needs adjustment. This results in a failure to perfectly unify 'Spirit' and 'Form' when impacting the critical bottleneck. 3. Lack of cultivation technique: The host currently lacks a formal cultivation technique, relying only on basic Dou Qi circulation methods. Efficiency is low, and there is a lack of deep-level guidance and transformation of the essence of Dou Qi, making it difficult to complete the qualitative change from 'Qi' to 'Force'."

The system's analysis hit the nail on the head.

In particular, the conflict of energy attributes and the lack of a cultivation technique were precisely Lin Yan's current weaknesses.

Possessing multiple Heavenly Flames was both an advantage and a burden.

Without a suitable cultivation technique to govern and harmonize these Heavenly Flame powers, relying solely on instinctive impact naturally yielded half the result with twice the effort.

"It seems that obtaining a Profound Tier cultivation technique can no longer be delayed."

Lin Yan opened his eyes, a flash of realization passing through them.

He had originally intended to break through to the Dou Practitioner realm first and then use his new cultivation level to obtain a technique more easily, but now it seemed the order might need to be adjusted.

Or... use a more drastic method to forcibly break through the bottleneck?

He looked into the system's inventory at the three "fire-condensing pills" obtained from the minor competition rewards, as well as the incomplete scroll of the Profound Tier low-level Dou Technique, "Eight Extremities Collapse."

The fire-condensing pill could purify fire-attribute Dou Qi and might temporarily suppress the subtle interference of other Heavenly Flame attributes, concentrating his power.

And although "Eight Extremities Collapse" was a Dou Technique, its force-exertion techniques involved the high-level condensation and eruption of Dou Qi within the meridians.

If he could comprehend it in reverse, it might provide inspiration for the "qualitative change" of his Dou Qi.

The risk was that the fire-condensing pill's medicinal power was concentrated on the fire attribute, which might stimulate the other Heavenly Flame sub-flames to produce adverse reactions.

Furthermore, forcibly comprehending cultivation concepts from a Dou Technique was like dancing on the tip of a knife; it was extremely easy to make a mistake and damage his meridians.

"There is no perfect plan; cultivation is essentially sailing against the current."

Lin Yan's eyes were firm.

He took out two fire-condensing pills and swallowed them in one gulp.

The medicinal pills entered his stomach and transformed into two torrents of scorching, pure medicinal power, rapidly merging into his meridians.

Lin Yan immediately circulated his Dou Qi to guide these two forces, not to directly impact the bottleneck, but rather like two elite armies beginning to "clear the field" within his meridians.

The auras of the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Fallen Heart Flame, and even the trace of the Void Swallowing Flame were stirred and strengthened by the medicinal power, while the auras of other sub-flames, such as the Living Spirit Flame and the Bone Chilling Flame, which were relatively gentle or contradictory in attribute, were temporarily "soothed" and "suppressed" by the medicinal power, retreating to the background.

Within the entire meridian system, the activity and cohesion of the fire-attribute energy instantly elevated by a notch!

At the same time, Lin Yan's mind sank into the comprehension of the "Eight Extremities Collapse" scroll.

No longer fixated on specific moves or force exertion, he instead experienced its core essence: "force stacking layer upon layer, condensing at a single point, and erupting suddenly."

He attempted to apply this state of mind to his control over his Dou Qi.

He imagined his entire body's Dou Qi as a hundred rivers returning to the sea, converging, compressing, and rotating at the end of the seventh meridian.

It was no longer the scattered impact from before, but rather forming a high-speed rotating, extremely condensed "Dou Qi drill"!

At the front of the drill was the sharp edge of the purest and most scorching fire-attribute Dou Qi, reinforced by the medicinal power of the fire-condensing pill!

"Now!"

Lin Yan shouted in his heart.

His will moved the "Dou Qi drill," carrying all his insights into the condensation of power and the high coordination of his soul power (forcibly suppressing the cold feeling brought by the Soul Seal and focusing on a single point), and violently drilled toward that final layer of membrane!

"Sss—!"

A sound completely different from before echoed in the depths of his soul!

It was no longer a dull thud, but a sharp, frictional sound like a solid object being penetrated at high speed!

That stubborn membrane, in front of this highly condensed, rotating, and attribute-unified "Dou Qi drill," finally began to tremble and deform violently.

At the center point, minute cracks appeared, resembling the fracturing of porcelain!

It worked!

Lin Yan's spirits soared.

Ignoring the bloating pain coming from his soul and meridians (while simultaneously controlling the medicinal power, various Heavenly Flame auras, soul power, and the high-difficulty Dou Qi form), he continued to increase the "drill's" rotational force and penetrating power!

"Crack..."

The faint sound of shattering was clearly audible.

Finally, at the moment the "Dou Qi drill" rotated to a certain limit, a needle-point-sized hole was completely pierced through the center of the membrane!

A beam of Dou Qi, condensed to the extreme and emitting a faint crimson luster, like the first ray of dawn, passed through the hole and shone into the entrance of the eighth meridian!

The bottleneck was broken!

In an instant, it felt as if some shackle within Lin Yan's body had been broken!

The pure, long-accumulated, and already liquefied Dou Qi in the seventh meridian, like a flood breaching a dam, cheered and surged into the newly opened, wider, and tougher eighth meridian!

Not only that, but the Dou Qi in all other meridians throughout his body seemed to react in a chain reaction, beginning to circulate and grow at an unprecedented speed!

In the outside world, the thin energy began to actively gather toward Lin Yan, passing through his pores, merging into his body, replenishing his consumption, and accelerating the transformation and rebirth of his Dou Qi.

His aura climbed steadily at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly crossing a certain critical point!

Dou Practitioner! A one-star Dou Practitioner!

A brand new, powerful sense of strength filled his entire body.

It was not just a massive increase in the total amount of Dou Qi and a leap in quality, but also a deeper sense of control over his own power.

He could clearly "feel" the trajectory of the Dou Qi flowing through his meridians and could more precisely control the magnitude and form of its output.

The coordination between his soul and body had also significantly improved at the moment of the breakthrough; although the cold feeling brought by the Soul Seal still existed, it was no longer as sluggish as before.

However, just as Lin Yan was immersed in the joy of the breakthrough and preparing to consolidate his realm in one go, an unexpected change occurred!

The other several Heavenly Flame sub-flames that he had previously temporarily suppressed with the medicinal power of the fire-condensing pill, especially the Living Spirit Flame and the Bone Chilling Flame, began to rebound after sensing the violent energy fluctuations in Lin Yan's body caused by the breakthrough and the "emptiness" brought by the newly opened meridian!

They were no longer quiet, each emitting energy with vastly different attributes, attempting to surge into the newly created eighth meridian and seize "territory"!

The newly created eighth meridian, not yet fully nourished and consolidated, was extremely fragile.

Several types of Heavenly Flame energy with different attributes, and even conflicting ones, surged in simultaneously, instantly triggering a violent energy conflict and sharp pain in his meridians!

"Hmph!"

Lin Yan groaned, his face turning pale.

The exhilaration from the breakthrough vanished, replaced by the excruciating pain of his meridians feeling as if they were being cut and stirred by several small knives simultaneously!

The newly formed Dou Qi also became chaotic.

"Greed leads to indigestion! Everyone, be quiet!"

Lin Yan roared in his heart.

His soul power erupted with full force, coordinating with the Dou Qi that had just broken through and possessed stronger control, to forcibly suppress and channel these rebellious Heavenly Flame energies.

The Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame, acting as the "main force," were also mobilized to help suppress and harmonize them.

But this was only a temporary measure.

Without a suitable cultivation technique to fundamentally govern and harmonize these Heavenly Flame powers, this conflict and internal friction would always exist, becoming the greatest hidden danger on his path of cultivation, and might even trigger catastrophic consequences in the future when impacting higher realms.

"A Profound Tier cultivation technique... I must find one as soon as possible."

Lin Yan gritted his teeth.

While enduring the sharp pain in his meridians, he arduously combed through the chaotic energy in his body, consolidating his realm as a one-star Dou Practitioner.

He knew that although he had broken through, his foundation had been left with a trace of instability due to the energy conflict.

Just as he was fully focused on internal inspection and regulating his breath, outside the cave, Xiao Yi Xian, who was responsible for keeping watch, suddenly issued a rapid and low warning!

"Lin Yan! Something is approaching! Many! They are very fast! Are they... bats? No, it's... a swarm of Blood-Sucking Poison Bats! And... there's a more powerful big guy driving them!"

Lin Yan opened his eyes abruptly, a flash of sharp light in his pupils, as he forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his body.

The commotion of the breakthrough had ultimately attracted these uninvited guests in the swamp!

He rose to his full height, feeling the surging yet slightly chaotic Dou Practitioner Dou Qi within him.

He looked toward the sky outside the cave entrance, which was rapidly darkening and shrouded in the sound of countless tiny wings flapping and sharp screeching, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc.

"Perfect. I'll use you all... to test the power I just broke through with, and by the way, vent some frustration!"