A bloodied throwing knife was held between the index and middle fingers of Yi’s hand as he regarded the gleaming weapon, turning it left and right. “A Dou Bing-grade weapon; impressive skill.”

Black Wind stared at the dead Feng Lianci Kuang, then at the dripping knife, finally grasping how the leader of the Fierce Stab Horse Thief Gang had met his end. The mist did not dissipate with Feng Lianci Kuang’s demise; instead, it grew thicker, radiating a chilling coldness from which heavy, ragged breaths emerged.

He was stuffed to the breaking point! He was truly going to burst!

Qian Jin’s entire body was covered in bulging blue veins, looking as though his blood vessels were about to tear through his skin at any moment. The Heart of Earth Fire was like a greedy, devouring beast, ignoring all context, only knowing how to swallow the Ice Flame Dou Qi within Qian Jin’s body, then directly diverting a portion of that Dou Qi into the other two Dou Hearts, while some was simply expelled through his pores.

Zhu Mo Second Battle… Third Battle… Fourth Battle… Fifth Battle… Seventh Battle…

Qian Jin felt his internal strength surge rapidly with pain and shock. This power didn’t originally belong to him, yet the Heart of Earth Fire was forcibly plundering it!

Such an instantaneous surge in Dou Qi strength was impossible for an ordinary Warrior, except during a Grand Dou Spirit Array. Only Bloodline Warriors, upon activating their awakened bloodline power, would stimulate the strength within their lineage, causing a rapid, sustained climb in power over a short period!

The powerful influx of Dou Qi, like a surging river, forcefully scoured and expanded his existing Dou Meridians. The mysterious medicinal agent, the Volcanic Potion, tempered over years, withstood the impact of the Dou Qi without allowing any true damage to any of the meridians.

In the span of mere seconds, Qian Jin felt as if a century had passed. The Heart of Earth Fire was still spinning within him, and when he looked, two bizarre Dou Sequences had appeared within it.

Qian Jin breathed heavily and cautiously activated one of those strange Dou Sequences, discovering that the Dou Qi emanating from his palm was ice-cold!

Was this that strange Ice Flame Dou Qi skill? Qian Jin paused, then noticed that although the temperature hadn't changed, the burning capability of the Ice Flame had doubled compared to before!

What was this? Qian Jin’s mind raced. Could the burning power of the Heart of Earth Fire be merging with this bizarre Ice Flame Dou Qi? Enhancing its scorching ability?

Qian Jin focused on the Heart of Earth Fire within his body. Had this Heart of Earth Fire transformed into a cold flame? No! It was still fiery! Hotter than at any previous moment!

But! This Heart of Earth Fire could unleash cold flames at any time. This Heart of Earth Fire was indeed different from before, yet its external appearance remained exactly the same as the beginning.

The mist gradually dispersed. Qian Jin’s shoulder injuries showed no damage beyond the wound itself; the Ice Flame power clinging to it had already been absorbed into the Heart of Earth Fire. Activating the ability of any single Dou Heart resulted in the Zhu Mo Nine Battles!

All three Dou Hearts appeared to be at a stage where they could condense into a higher level at any moment, yet they hadn't truly condensed.

What was this? Qian Jin didn't know how to categorize his current strength—Zhu Mo Nine Battles? Or three sets of Zhu Mo Nine Battles? The Heart of Earth Fire, having swallowed a large amount of the opponent’s Ice Flame, could be roughly calculated to possess nine explosive uses.

Why was this happening? Qian Jin pondered secretly. He would probably have to return to the Endless World to ask Uncle Black, who had taught him about the Heart of Earth Fire. Devouring others' Dou Qi and transforming it into his own was something that had never occurred in the entire history of Warriors, yet it was happening strangely today!

What was the rotation speed? Qian Jin desperately wanted to test it immediately, but he felt his body wasn't at its peak, and his calculations weren't finalized, so he temporarily abandoned the calculation.

Yi frowned, staring intently at Qian Jin, unable to determine if the young man had hidden his strength before, or if his power had suddenly surged on the battlefield.

On the battlefield? Yi shook his head. If this young man had already been at the peak of Dou Heart, just short of entering the Golden Dou Heart, perhaps under pressure, a breakthrough might occur—a so-called on-the-spot breakthrough. But the strength he initially displayed was only that of Zhu Mo Second Battle. It was impossible for an ordinary Warrior to experience such a sudden surge in power.

“Impressive.” Yi clapped his hands softly. “Young man, I hear you people are very fond of money?” Qian Jin pulled out ointment from the Dou Realm and applied it to his body. A faint, fresh scent immediately permeated the air around everyone, and a cooling sensation covered the pain of the wounds.

“Good medicine!” Yi smiled at Qian Jin. “May I have a look at the ointment?” Qian Jin tossed it casually, and Yi snatched it out of the air, examining it back and forth, clicking his tongue repeatedly. “Good medicine! Truly excellent medicine! Young man, can you give this ointment to me?”

“Cannot.”

All the horse thieves froze simultaneously. This young horse thief hunter truly dared to say anything! Even if he killed Feng Lianci Kuang, so what? The person speaking now was the leader of the Second Horse Thief Gang of the Borderlands!

For horse thieves, if you refused to give something they asked for, they usually wouldn't spend money to buy it; instead, they would… rob!

The word ‘rob’ had long been integrated into the very blood of every horse thief, forming an almost innate instinct.

Yi smiled, looking at Qian Jin. “Then…”

“Can trade.” Qian Jin pointed to the corpse of Feng Lianci Kuang at Yi’s feet. “This corpse is mine, and the ointment is yours.”

“The corpse?” Yi gently nudged the body with his foot. “You want the other things on the corpse, right? The Dou Qi Secret Scroll?”

Qian Jin nodded frankly. Everyone present was worldly-wise. Anyone who saw Feng Lianci Kuang’s bizarre Dou Qi would be intrigued. Only those who had truly fought him knew the extent of how strange that Dou Qi was.

Especially since this Dou Qi could actually be truly devoured and absorbed by the Heart of Earth Fire, it was all the more reason to study it, along with the Dou Sequence arrangement of the Dou Skill!

Qian Jin remembered that the first time Feng Lianci Kuang shattered his Dou Qi, that punch didn't actually land on his body; the mere residual power of the Dou Qi explosion caused such severe damage! If he had been hit squarely, even with the protection of the Wind Cloud Golden Body, his bones would likely have been pulverized.

“Then this little bit…” Yi gently rotated the ointment jar in his hand. “Seems insufficient, doesn’t it? If I use that Dou Qi Secret Method to recruit young Warriors with good aptitude and train them diligently, I should be able to forge a highly capable troop, shouldn’t I?” Qian Jin nodded once. “Of course, but if you get accidentally injured, that troop won't be able to heal you.”

“Me? Get injured?” Yi laughed, his voice rising very high. “Will I get injured?”

Qian Jin moved his somewhat sore and weak muscles, stepping closer to the leader of the Second Horse Thief Gang of the Borderlands. His eyes carefully assessed Yi, and under the astonished gaze of the onlookers, he raised his hand and placed it gently on Yi’s shoulder, feeling around.

Black Wind felt as if he were dreaming. This was Yi! In the Borderlands, besides the Horse Thief King, there was no one who could suppress this powerhouse! Yi, who had dared to strike and injure the Twelfth Prince of the Behemoth Clan!

Such audacity… truly immense! Black Wind had to admire Qian Jin’s nerve, daring to walk up to Yi and touch him without any warning!

“Indeed…” Qian Jin’s furrowed brow slowly smoothed out. He looked at Yi with a serious expression. “You… will get injured.”

The smile on Yi’s face froze, and his brow filled with confusion. Just a couple of touches allowed him to see this? He indeed had an injury, and it wasn't a recent one; this was an injury spanning many years. If not for this injury, his current strength should have been at the peak of Dou Soul, ready to step into Sainthood at any moment upon finding an excellent Dou Soldier!

Instead of the current Level Eight Dou Soul! Damn Level Eight Dou Soul! Layers of hatred flashed across Yi’s face—damn injury!

“It’s been many years,” Qian Jin scratched his head, looking at Yi with admiration. The old injuries on this horse thief leader should be like a swarm of greedy locusts, gnawing away at his strength day by day. Yet, examining his body, this man was actually fighting against the old wounds. Although he couldn't suppress them, those wounds eating away at his strength couldn't overcome his power either.

Many years? Yi suppressed his surprise and replaced it with a cautious expression as he scrutinized Qian Jin. A Warrior shouldn't be able to detect such a deeply hidden injury. Could he possibly be an Apothecary as well?

“It’s a bit tricky, but not impossible. The most difficult part is the poison that has remained in the body for years; it’s because of this poison that the old injury cannot heal.”

Qian Jin’s faint, almost muttered words struck Yi like a thunderclap. Yes! This kid was absolutely correct! He even knew about the years-old latent poison within his body! It seemed… he could treat his old injury?

Old injury? Gomez stared blankly at Yi’s back. This horse thief leader possessed this level of strength while harboring an old injury?

“Kid, can you really treat it?” Yi gazed intently at Qian Jin. Over the years, he hadn’t stopped secretly infiltrating the Demon Race or the True Strategy Dynasty, seeking out Apothecaries, all of whom claimed the injury was untreatable. As for an Apothecary Master, they required the cooperation of several masters specializing in different research fields for a potential cure.

Apothecary Masters generally specialized in one branch of pharmacy, but this injury required three or more specialized masters to treat. Finding three Apothecary Masters to cooperate simultaneously… that would require going to the General Apothecary Guild in the Divine Capital, or to the Fallen Angel City of the Demon Race.

Go to those two places? Yi knew very well that if he were recognized, experts who had reached the Saint realm would take his head to exchange for gold coins.

Qian Jin looked down at Feng Lianci Kuang’s corpse and gently shook his head. “This man’s corpse and his Dou Qi Secret Scroll are far less valuable than healing your injury. Once your injury is healed, you might instantly break through again, reaching a new peak.”

Yi exhaled deeply. These words clearly signaled that negotiations had begun, meaning this young man was genuinely confident in treating the injury, which was why he dared to discuss terms.

“What do you want?” Yi looked at Qian Jin. “As long as the request is not excessive, I can agree to it.”