Duan Feng’er shot forward, accelerating toward Qian Jin, catching him as he nearly fell, pulling him into an embrace while staring wide-eyed. "I say, what in the world is going on? Every time I bury you, you emerge with massive changes. Are you some kind of plant-type magical beast? But your injuries..." "It's nothing..." Qian Jin shook his head. "A good sleep, and I'll be fine."

A good sleep and he’ll be fine? Fen Tu Kuang Ge rushed over and twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this. Only someone like Qian Jin, whom even master apothecaries admired, dared utter such words. Injuries of this severity were practically equivalent to losing half his life.

Chek silently scrutinized Qian Jin’s facial expression. The injuries were indeed severe, but what was even more shocking was the strength that emerged from the sand. Just a short while ago, when fighting Qian Chenyu, Qian Jin had only managed a victory by grievously wounding himself through sheer physical endurance. This time, in such a compromised physical state, he had dispatched a fully operational, bloodline warrior of the Nine-War Demon Slaying Elven King lineage in just two strikes!

Even though Qian Chenguang was poisoned, and the presence of others nearby threatened him, putting him in a state of fear that prevented his spirit from reaching its peak, dispatching his opponent in two blows suggested a power level far exceeding that of a mere Nine-War Demon Slaying battle.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge drew the Shejun Bow in his hand and nudged the Nine Yang True Flame Iron out of the sand. He paused, bewildered. What was happening? Although the metal still radiated boundless heat, it somehow gave him the feeling that the metal itself had suffered a blow to its essence, as if a vast amount of heat had been drained away.

Qian Jin grinned, bent down, scooped up the Nine Yang True Flame Iron, and placed it back into the Dou Realm. Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s eyes widened again. The last time Qian Jin handled this metal, his palms blistered; this time, he grasped it effortlessly, completely unharmed. How was this possible? How could his body withstand such extreme temperatures now?

"Hah..." Qian Jin shook his wrist repeatedly. The Dou Heart of his Death Fighting Acupoint, after utilizing the action of grasping the Nine Yang True Flame Iron, felt entirely unresponsive to control. No matter how he urged it, it wouldn't move, merely spinning on its own. The only function it retained was arranging the sequence of the Latent Thunder Fighting Techniques stored within.

Used only three times, and already he couldn't control it? Qian Jin shook his head, abandoning the thought. Everything Uncle Black taught him seemed to be steeped in strangeness.

The Iron Forging Breathing Method was like that; the Eighteen Hammers of Ascent Peak was the same! When activating the Eighteen Hammers of Ascent Peak with this peculiar Dou Heart in control, it felt like this was the true Eighteen Hammers of Ascent Peak—a perfect fusion of technique and power, erupting with a force far greater than anticipated.

"Let's return to the cave," Lucifer Flowing Water supported one of Qian Jin's severed arms. "It's not safe here."

Qian Jin nodded wearily. He had just attained dual Dou Hearts and hadn't figured out what was happening. One moment, a bloodline warrior from the Qian family was hunting him; the next, no one could guarantee that others wouldn't come seeking the same quarry.

"Bury me again, and you all go into the cave."

The others stared at Qian Jin in astonishment. Had he developed an addiction to being buried in the sand? However, as long as everyone didn't congregate near the sand, even if members of the Qian family appeared nearby, they would likely have difficulty detecting Qian Jin's presence.

As for the metal mine? A few strong gusts of wind later, and countless grains of sand would obscure the cave entrance once more, making it appear from the outside like nothing more than a large dune.

Unless the searchers possessed the same ability as Qian Jin to discern the location of a metal mine based solely on minute differences in the sandy ground beneath.

Digging a hole, burying a person! Duan Feng’er skillfully placed Qian Jin back into the sand pit. After covering him, he clapped his hands and walked toward the cave.

Endless World! Qian Jin suddenly opened his eyes in the sand. The surrounding grains of sand dispersed to the sides under the control of the Dou Heart, creating a small, movable radius. He retrieved the magical hat from his Dou Realm.

"Phew, thank goodness for the Endless World."

Qian Jin looked at his ruined body. Such severe injuries, even if he concocted the potions himself, would likely require at least a month or two of bed rest—he needed to see Uncle Adams sooner for recovery.

A flash of black space, and he was in that familiar, quiet little village. Qian Jin dragged his broken body forward slowly, shaking his head repeatedly. Just a few days ago, at the Pan family, he thought he was quite proficient in potion-making. Now, having been genuinely injured, he realized he truly was a novice, just as Uncle Adams had called him.

"Injured again?" Adams put down the potion he was working on and looked at Qian Jin standing at the doorway. "Worse off every time you show up. Bones, Dou Meridians, Dou Acupoints—you’ve managed to damage them all this time. Next time, you’ll probably lose an arm coming to see me. Come in!"

The black earthenware jar, the size of a fist, contained the potion for repairing Dou Meridians. A faint sweetness crossed his throat, rapidly dissolving into his bloodstream, nourishing the damaged Dou Meridians and Dou Acupoints wherever the blood flowed.

Qian Jin immediately felt an indescribable comfort, a sensation as if he were about to take flight. He could clearly feel those damaged Dou Meridians and Dou Acupoints sprouting outward like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The newly grown Dou Meridians were sturdier, more reliable, and wider than before.

Dou Acupoints, Dou Meridians, bones, flesh, and organs...

Qian Jin’s tightly closed eyes flickered slightly. He realized he had never noticed a special force before—New Life! This sensation of rebirth held an innate yearning for life, constantly stretching and extending, similar to the relentless forward motion of his Dou Heart, yet subtly different.

Uncle Adams’s potions were as magical as ever. In a short time, the injuries to his Dou Acupoints, Dou Meridians, bones, flesh, and organs were completely healed, and surging waves of new strength flooded his body.

Qian Jin expelled a plume of turbid air, gently rotated his shoulders, listening to the faint popping sounds within his body, and once more mobilized his energy, feeling the Dou Qi within, as well as that newly generated special Dou Heart.

Scalding power tumbled and flowed between the Dou Heart and the one hundred and eight Death Fighting Acupoints. The heat that could practically roast a person merely felt like warmth flowing through the Dou Meridians, like basking in a spring breeze, utterly devoid of any tyrannical aggression.

Nine-War Demon Slaying Battle? Qian Jin frowned slightly, scrutinizing the power inside him. After this near-death experience, the strength of the Dou Qi in his living Dou Acupoints and Dou Meridians had actually reached the level of the Nine-War Demon Slaying Battle!

How could it be so fast? Qian Jin scratched the back of his head. The rotation speed of Dou Qi could increase through various special training regimens and cultivation methods, yielding different results, but the quantity of Dou Qi!

It should require the accumulation of time, slowly stimulating the body's potential, absorbing the Dou Crystals and Dou Stones to gradually increase the amount.

Aside from bloodline warriors awakening their lineage power, which caused an instantaneous, volcanic eruption of Dou Qi volume, it was almost impossible for ordinary people to achieve such growth.

"I certainly should have untapped potential, but this kind of increase..." Qian Jin shook his head lightly. "I didn't even feel my potential being stimulated, nor did I absorb and convert energy from Dou Crystals or Dou Stones. What's going on? Could it be..."

Latent Thunder Fighting Technique! Qian Jin lowered his gaze to his hands. Could it be that the Dou Qi from the Latent Thunder Fighting Technique Qian Chenyu exploded was not entirely annihilated or absorbed into the Iron Forging Breathing Method? Perhaps a portion remained within these one hundred and eight living Dou Acupoints?

Qian Jin closed his eyes, quietly sensing the Dou Qi within him. Dou Qi that had just entered the body felt slightly different from the Dou Qi that had resided within him for a long time. Though the difference was minuscule, it could be felt with careful concentration.

Indeed! How could this be? Qian Jin knitted his brows in thought, still unable to comprehend why this was happening. He had never heard of Dou Qi being gifted. If Dou Qi could be bestowed and inherited, then the warriors of this world would only need to inherit the Dou Qi of their predecessors to become unimaginably powerful.

Something that shouldn't happen had, in fact, truly occurred! Qian Jin racked his brain but could not figure out the reason for this sudden surge in strength. Was it the Iron Forging Breathing Method? If so, all of it should have been absorbed into the new Dou Heart. Why did so much power remain in the living Dou Acupoints?

"Is it the Wind and Cloud Dou Qi itself..." Qian Jin tapped his chin lightly with his fingers. "The 'Cloud' aspect of the Wind and Cloud Dou Qi can forcibly simulate certain bloodline techniques. I've never fully understood what's special about the 'Wind' aspect. Could it be that this 'Wind' refers to all kinds of winds? Including tornadoes..."

When a tornado appears, any object in its path is swept up, torn into minute fragments.

"What am I thinking about..." Adams's rough voice roared. "You're about to drink all the potion! Go to the Western Mountain and collect some for me! Here is the materials list..."

Qian Jin shook his head, temporarily abandoning his research into the fundamental reason for his sudden power surge. He took the list and his vision blurred slightly. What were these items? The heart of a Mid-tier Magical Beast, the Sky Howler; the red eye of a High-tier Magical Beast, the Bass Eye Demon; Dancing Companion Grass? While this wasn't a magical beast itself, it harbored a companion beast.

Wherever Dancing Companion Grass grew, the High-tier Magical Beast Crimson Melting Crane would also reside. Whenever the grass began to sway in the wind, the Crimson Melting Crane would dance along. Rumor had it that the Crimson Melting Crane was a descendant of a giant dragon that people had never truly witnessed, making it even more formidable than the Flame Demon among High-tier Magical Beasts.

"Is this a mission to send me to my death, or a mission to gather materials?" Qian Jin quickly scanned the long list of materials; quite a few were relatively easy to find.

Adams rolled his large eyes and shot Qian Jin a look. "You brat, you keep showing up here covered in injuries lately. I think you lack exercise, so I'm kindly finding a few worthwhile opponents for you to spar with. What's with all the nonsense? Go collect the materials..."

Qian Jin sighed, shook his head, and scurried away, "fleeing" the Adams Potion Shop with a wry smile. "Even if it's for practice, shouldn't I be finding opponents on a more equal footing? Compared to these magical beasts, I'm just a plate of food for them."