In those scattered note locations, the Flame Demon was by no means the most powerful type of high-level monstrous beast; yet, Uncle Blake made retrieving the eggs from a hen’s nest sound as simple as that.

“What’s with that expression?” Enlak shook his head repeatedly. “Young people these days! The moment they hear about doing something, they shrink back. It’s just a tiny little thing…”

Qian Jin was completely certain: Uncle Enlak’s definition of a “small thing” meant it was anything but small, especially since he had stressed it was a minor issue twice already.

“For the mineral vein…” Qian Jin sighed. “Tell me, what… small thing is it?”

“It’s nothing much, really. I just enjoy seeing the look when Oulala’s eyes widen in surprise.” Enlak crossed his arms over his chest. “Go find that mysterious potion hag, shout ‘I love you!’ right in her face, and that’s it.”

What? Qian Jin’s legs suddenly went weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly at Enlak. “This truly is the smallest thing that could ever be considered a ‘small’ thing!”

Go shout ‘I love you’ at Oulala? Qian Jin shook his head repeatedly. He would rather take his blade and charge alone into the Demon Race’s Eternal Demon Palace—the current residence of the Great Demon King Lucifer—to challenge His Majesty one-on-one, than shout something like ‘I love you’ in front of Oulala.

Both were suicidal! Why not choose the quick death? Dying by Oulala’s hand—one could hardly understand what a ‘quick death’ meant, but one could certainly understand the flavor of wanting to die but being unable to, and having no chance to live.

“Of course it’s a small thing.” Enlak leaned his head close to Qian Jin’s, their eyes meeting. “When I watched you fight just now, you never retreated! You aren’t going to retreat now, are you? That’s an entire Dou Crystal mineral vein.”

Qian Jin looked at Enlak’s sharp eyes and desperately wanted to beat him up and force the location of the Dou Crystal vein out of him, but his power wasn’t enough to challenge the other man, so he could only resort to thinking.

A Dou Crystal mineral vein! An entire vein of Dou Crystal! Even if he couldn’t take it back to the True Policy Dynasty, it could still be of immense help within the Endless World! Qian Jin swallowed hard a couple of times.

It was too much; the allure of a complete Dou Crystal mineral vein was immense!

Isn't it just shouting ‘I love you’? For an entire Dou Crystal mineral vein, he’d risk it all!

“Fine! I’ll shout it.” Qian Jin turned and strode toward the door. The lure of the Dou Sequence was too great. If he could truly arrange the Dou Sequence within his Dou Heart, combat would not only be smoother but his fighting style would also become more unpredictable.

The quiet long street lay ahead. The door to Oulala’s Mysterious Potion Shop stood wide open. Oulala, clad in a long, loose robe, stood behind the counter amidst various test tubes, constantly bustling, meticulously observing the experimental potions she was mixing.

Seeing Oulala, half of the courage in Qian Jin’s chest instantly evaporated. He glanced back and saw Enlak’s wicked grin, and Oulala’s voice drifted to his ears.

“You’re early today?” Oulala didn't look up, speaking as usual. “The medicine is on the table. Strip down and soak for an hour first.”

The remaining half of his courage vanished completely with Oulala’s words.

“An entire Dou Crystal mineral vein…”

Enlak’s voice, filled with temptation, sounded like a demon inciting crime, stirring Qian Jin’s nearly extinguished bravery.

The Dou Crystal mineral vein! The Dou Sequence! The true Dou Heart consciousness!

Qian Jin took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and shouted loudly at Oulala: “I love you!”

I love you… I love you… I love you… I love you… The words Qian Jin mustered his courage to shout echoed above the quiet little village. Adams stepped out of the potion shop, staring blankly at Qian Jin, slowly raising his thumb in admiration, his expression clearly saying, ‘You’ve got guts.’

Having shouted the words, Qian Jin felt an indescribable surge of heroism in his chest. At worst, he would die! What was there to fear?

Enlak nodded lightly, a slight smirk playing on his lips, appreciating the gesture. Showing proper respect to one's teacher was necessary, but fear should never be a factor! A good teacher is like family; why should one fear family? A warrior's heart must harbor no fear whatsoever!

Simply having the belief to advance, advance, and never retreat, was not enough; one also needed momentum! One's own unique momentum! To possess momentum, one must first sweep away all apprehension.

“Love me?” Oulala nodded without looking up. “Got it. Go take your medicine.”

Enlak and Adams nearly jumped out of their skin. Were all mysterious apothecaries truly a band of madmen? Was this Oulala even a woman? This was her reaction to a declaration of love?

Qian Jin looked at the shocked expressions of Enlak and Adams and shook his head. These two teachers still didn't fully understand the old fox Oulala; she was no ordinary woman.

Soaking in the medicinal tub, the pain of countless cuts and stabs returned. Qian Jin silently submerged himself, enduring the inhuman agony that tempered his body, while simultaneously mobilizing the Dou Qi within him, refining it into delicate Dou Qi threads to pierce the aperture at the core of his Dou Heart, pumping the Dou Qi in to perform cycle after cycle of Dou Sequence arrangement—the Dou Sequence cycle belonging to the Wind and Cloud Golden Body.

Through countless battles, Qian Jin had thoroughly realized that to attack, one must possess the psychological readiness to be attacked; wishing to avoid being hit in a fight was a myth! When strengths were closely matched, sometimes the victor was simply the one who could endure more damage and recover faster!

The Wind and Cloud Golden Body undoubtedly held an advantage in this regard, and this Dou Sequence absolutely had to be arranged first! It would allow for greater composure when dealing with sneak attacks in the future.

After enduring the soaking remedy, the next step was learning the creation of mysterious potions. Exhausted, Qian Jin walked back to Uncle Blake’s blacksmith shop. Seeing the uncle smoking beside the forge, he finally understood how that one hammer strike of the uncle’s was achieved.

The Eighteen Hammers of Ascending Peak had a special circulation path and a technique for delivering force. Previously, he had never considered it a Dou Skill, as it differed significantly from the Dou Skills he had encountered. Now, it seemed the Eighteen Hammers of Ascending Peak could also be arranged within the Dou Heart.

However, this arrangement seemed not to be purely based on Dou Qi ordering; it appeared that force needed to be permeated into it. But how could one permeate force?

Qian Jin could tell that Uncle Blake had no intention of offering guidance verbally; the only solution was for him to figure it out himself.

“The best method is always to do it yourself, not to stare blankly and think!” Qian Jin took a deep breath, walked to the furnace, picked up the blacksmith's hammer, and struck the iron billet on the anvil!

Clang! The sound of metal colliding still rang out, and brilliant sparks still scattered. A faint smile appeared at the corner of Uncle Blake’s lips.

There was improvement! Qian Jin tightened his grip on the hammer. Although the difference was so minute that perhaps even a master smith couldn’t detect it, there had indeed been some enhancement. When the Dou Qi was being arranged, the method of applying force during the strike would autonomously follow the Dou Qi into the Dou Heart, joining the arrangement sequence.

Why was this happening? Qian Jin couldn't comprehend it. Everything Uncle Blake taught was often difficult to grasp. Just as the mysterious potions were mysterious, this blacksmith uncle was even more so—the smithing breathing technique, the Eighteen Hammers of Ascending Peak—each one was filled with inexplicable mysteries.

“If I don't understand it, then I don’t understand it,” Qian Jin set aside his doubts. Learning it first was what mattered! Enemies and opponents wouldn't fear you just because your theory was invincible! The Demon Race respected only those with large fists and great strength! This was also true in the True Policy Dynasty.

Time passed by at a rapid pace. The sixteen-hour limit was reached. Qian Jin pushed the sand off his body and climbed out of the deep sand pit, just as he saw Duan Feng Buer dragging Fen Tu Kuang Ge out of the sand.

The Ancient Desolate Sand Sea was icy cold at night. Although Fen Tu Kuang Ge was progressing quickly, he still couldn't completely resist the cold in the sand, which could freeze moisture-less sand until it was as hard as iron.

Lucifer Yuan Xunyu stood with her arms crossed, looking at Fen Tu Kuang Ge, whose lips were turning purple in the sand, and frowned slightly. Her beautiful single eye shone with surprise. “Is this how you train your Dou Qi?”

Duan Feng Buer laughed heartily and tilted his head back. “How is it? A creative training method, isn't it?”

Yuan Xunyu nodded subconsciously in astonishment, her voice carrying a faint, princess-like pride as she spoke coolly, “Is this training? Or seeking death?”

“If we don’t seek death now, are we supposed to let your Demon Race hack us to pieces on the battlefield?” Duan Feng Buer shook his head, flicking sand particles from his scalp. “The Star’s Embrace is quite empty; I don’t want to become one of them.”

Yuan Xunyu frowned slightly, showing a trace of displeasure. In the war between Humans and Demons, did the Demon Race suffer fewer casualties? The cemeteries for the fallen Lucifer royalty, who died in battle against the True Policy Dynasty, occupied entire mountainsides!

And this didn’t even count the Lucifer royalty who died from fatal injuries after returning to their territories!

“There will be a day… there will definitely be a day!” Yuan Xunyu clenched her beautiful fist tightly. “One day, I will eliminate all wars, I will…”

“Unify the Humans, Demons, and Barbarians to become the sole Empress.” Cheerful Flett walked down the mountain, repeatedly shaking his head as he looked at Yuan Xunyu’s proud yet heroic demeanor. This had always been her catchphrase, and surprisingly, even now, it hadn't changed a bit.

“Exactly!”

Yuan Xunyu tossed her long hair back, letting it flow with the wind, exuding an imposing heroic spirit and confidence that lent an indescribable, moving beauty to her already sexy figure.

Unify Humans, Demons, and Barbarians? Qian Jin wryly pursed his lips. How many warriors would have to die? How many brave fighters and martial demons?

Although the Barbarian Race had never awakened the ultimate bloodline in its history, it didn't mean they weren't powerful; they were practically a race born entirely for combat.

Whether it was the Demon Race or the True Policy Dynasty, a large number of beings existed who couldn't become warriors, maintaining other aspects of their societies.