A Century Early in the Battle of Dou Qi

Shadows of clouds drifted across the sky, and thin, ragged clouds hung low beside the moon. The moon's watery brilliance poured down upon the vast land, casting an ethereal glow over the myriad trees, a breathtaking sight.

Beneath the moon, in the mountain forest and the Village, after Zhao Li and Dazhuang left, Dazhuang's courtyard fell silent once more. Only a few people who had lost their Life Force lay on the cold ground, waiting for those still celebrating nearby to discover them.

Perhaps, when that happened, those large pots in the courtyard would need to be boiled for a few more days...

After entering the deep mountains, Zhao Yannian didn't wander aimlessly like a headless fly. Mister, using the knowledge he had learned previously, determined the direction before continuing deeper.

An hour later, Zhao Yannian didn't know where he had ended up. He casually found some firewood and started a fire in the forest.

He squatted in front of his tent, holding a small stick, occasionally poking the pile of firewood. The firelight flickered, casting his shadow in a wavering dance.

"Damn it, why does all this stuff happen in the middle of the night? Do they seriously not want people to sleep?"

The late autumn night was still quite cold, especially in the mountain forest. Zhao Yannian, having suffered this unexpected misfortune and entered the mountains, felt some resentment, even though it was his own choice.

But thinking about his experiences in Huang Family Village over just two nights and one day, he felt somewhat lost. While summarizing, Zhao Yannian also muttered:

"Tsk, a celebration almost turned into a funeral. Oh, wait, it already did. Soldiers turned into bandits, villagers turned into brigands, so many twists and turns. But in the end, it was still me, your young master, who was the more skilled one."

Amidst the flickering firelight, time flowed by. The next day, the Dou Qi around Zhao Yannian suddenly trembled. Immediately, he opened his eyes, his gaze filled with excitement:

"Another breakthrough! As expected of me, a genius!"

Zhao Yannian adjusted for a while longer, and the Dou Qi within him gradually calmed down. He looked at the sky, extinguished the fire, and continued deeper.

He walked like this for over half a month. All the way, he climbed mountains when he encountered them and looked for bridges when he saw water, finally reaching a main road again.

After more than half a month of living in the mountains, Zhao Yannian felt like he was almost a wild man. He looked around and roughly calculated the distance:

"By my pace, this place is at least several thousand miles from the Imperial Capital. I remember there are several large Cities south of the Imperial Capital. I don't know where I've ended up, but I'll go check it out first."

Finally having left the mountain forest, Zhao Yannian roughly estimated his location. After a brief rest, he continued on his journey.

Zhao Li looked at Zhao Yannian, who was already a bit travel-worn, no longer the spirited young man in white from the beginning, and nodded inwardly:

"This kid is not bad. In just half a month, he's broken through a minor level. Tsk, I'd like to see what kind of trouble you, a mere Three-Star Dou Disciple, can stir up."

Although Zhao Li had set up contingencies for Zhao Yannian, he still felt somewhat uneasy and had followed him for over half a month.

After all, not everyone was a genius like him, right?

But after half a month of observation, Zhao Li also discovered that while Zhao Yannian's thinking was unconventional, he was exceptionally cautious and didn't seem like someone who would unnecessarily cause trouble. So, he felt he no longer needed to watch over him.

Thinking this, he flashed, crossing countless distances, and landed in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.

In ten years, the mountain range seemed to have undergone no changes. Everything was still as he remembered it.

Zhao Li felt a surge of emotion. Then, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and under the perception of his vast Soul Power, finally found Big Xiong in the outer reaches of the mountain range.

On the mountain peak that soared into the clouds, a waterfall cascaded from the mountainside. Amidst the swirling mist, Big Xiong stood straight at the edge of the cliff, his gaze deep.

Suddenly, his short ears twitched slightly, and his bear paw slammed out to the side.

Whoosh—

Only after he had done all this did a sharp sound of something cutting through the air reach his ears.

Bang—

Big Xiong only felt his palm strike something, emitting a muffled thud.

He felt his bear paw go numb, and his heart leaped in surprise. Looking closely, his eyes widened even further.

The thing that had made his bear paw numb was actually just a wine jar. The key was that he had instinctively struck out after sensing the movement, without holding back at all. With his strength at Peak Dou Emperor, not even fearing an ordinary Dou Sect, this wine jar hadn't suffered the slightest damage.

His body tensed, and his expression was somewhat wary. He asked in a booming voice:

"Who is it? What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh? Ten years later, and you're still like this bear?"

Zhao Li's frivolous voice came, causing Big Xiong to freeze for a moment. Then, time in his mind rapidly rewound, stopping at the person who had surpassed him in just a few short years.

Big Xiong looked up in astonishment, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes staring excitedly ahead.

"Little Li! Is that you?"

He was a little uncertain and asked in the direction the voice came from.

The Void trembled slightly, and Zhao Li appeared before Big Xiong, a forced, cold smile on his face, saying:

"Little Li? Tsk, Big Xiong, have you always been so bearish? Seems you really have been."

As Zhao Li spoke, he threw a punch at Big Xiong's face.

Big Xiong's heart leaped violently. Zhao Li's seemingly ordinary punch, clearly without any Dou Qi attached, made his hair stand on end.

He reacted quickly, raising his bear paw to cover his face and taking the punch head-on. Nothing happened.

Zhao Li had already withdrawn the force from his fist. He had only thought of the times Big Xiong's bear paw had greeted him every time they met, which was why he threw that punch. He laughed:

"You simpleton, why haven't you transformed yet? Didn't I leave you a Form Transformation Pill?"

Hearing this, Big Xiong's paws slid upwards along his head, scratching his scalp:

"How can turning into a human be as imposing and majestic as being a bear?"

Although he said this, he still rapidly shrunk, transforming into a dark-skinned, burly man, lowering his head to examine Zhao Li:

"Was it really that fun outside? You were gone for ten years."

This was Zhao Li's first time seeing Big Xiong transform. He saw a towering figure with dark skin, sharp, deep facial features like a Greek sculpture, and dark, profound icy eyes that looked wild and unrestrained. Over the past decade or so, he had also developed the regal bearing of a king surveying the mountain range.

Big Xiong looking exactly like his Uncle Xiong Ba didn't surprise Zhao Li much. He lightly flicked his sleeve, took out another jar of wine, and nodded slightly, adding a teasing remark:

"It was alright. I asked you to come, but you didn't. Sigh, you're so lazy and stay-at-home, how could you possibly understand?"

Saying this, he lifted the wine jar, clinked it against Big Xiong's, and took a large gulp.

Seeing this, Big Xiong drank a mouthful with Zhao Li, then gently shook his head and retorted:

"You don't understand the joy of a homebody bear. If you can't make it out there, just tell your Xiong brother. With one command from me, anyone in this mountain range spanning tens of thousands of miles will have to bow their head when they see you."

His tone was low, carrying a sense of being the only sober one in a world of drunks. After a slight pause, Big Xiong subtly changed the subject, steering the atmosphere towards something more cheerful.

"Big Xiong, you've changed. You used to be so reckless. Why do you look like a cultured bear now? Did you fall for some sister from a family?"

Zhao Li took another large gulp and couldn't help but tease Big Xiong, who was acting all profound.

These words made Big Xiong recall something, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Zhao Li became a little strange, leaving Zhao Li utterly confused.

After a while, perhaps feeling a bit unnerved by Big Xiong's stare, Zhao Li asked irritably:

"What's with that look? Do you want me to beat you up?"

Hearing this, Big Xiong quickly composed himself, but only for a moment before he actually started laughing. Seeing Zhao Li's somewhat displeased look, he quickly explained:

"I'm not laughing at you, I just thought of something funny."

"Oh—what's so funny? Tell me, so I can laugh too."

Zhao Li said "oh," dragging out the sound.

Big Xiong tried hard to suppress his laughter, took a large gulp of wine, choked, coughed a few times, and slowly recovered. Instead of answering, he asked:

"Cough, cough, right, what's your strength level now?"

"Dou Venerate, nothing worth mentioning."

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