Qian Jin felt a thrill of excitement. If this was truly the initial Soul Fighting state, it was the perfect opportunity to test the full power unleashed by his three Battle Hearts—could he contend with a Warrior possessing a first-tier Soul Fight?

Even the peak state of the Golden Soul Heart Warrior in the Nine Battles Against Demons was no longer his match. Even if three, five, seven, or eight of them attacked together, Qian Jin was confident he could secure the final victory. But what about a Warrior with a first-tier Soul Fight?

"Teach me?" Dorata raised his oversized head, nearly double the size of a normal person's, and let out a rough laugh. "Hahahaha! Very well! Let me see just how you plan to teach me a lesson..."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Dorata’s body convulsed violently. His Golden Soul Heart spun madly, instantly surging to the pinnacle of the Nine Battles Against Demons. Strands of golden Dou Qi erupted from his body. They coiled, condensed, and spun, quickly taking the form of a towering, two-and-a-half-meter figure resembling a Soul Fight.

"A Soul Fight?" Qian Jin frowned, shaking his head to deny the possibility. The aura of a true Soul Fight was far more potent, imbued with an overwhelming majesty. While the entity before him carried significant pressure, it lacked the genuine oppressive weight of a formed Soul Fight.

"Kid, I've heard of you," Dorata said, pointing his heavy hammer vaguely at Qian Jin. "Your name is Qian Jin, right? A few days ago, you even managed to defeat those trash Golden Soul Hearts like Te Jiaofei. Don't think that just because you beat them, you're the top dog below the Golden Soul Hearts. Today, I'll show you the immense power of the great Dwarf, the Giant Spirit Incarnation!"

Dorata took a sudden, deep breath, and all the surrounding air seemed to rush instantly into his lungs. The golden yellow Dou Qi entity, almost coalesced into a Soul Fight, streamed into both of his nostrils.

In the blink of an eye, Dorata’s skin began to pop and crackle, and his joints groaned loudly. His entire face contorted into a terrifying, savage mask as his body inflated rapidly, as if being pumped—expanding, expanding, and expanding further!

One meter sixty... one meter eighty... two meters... two meters two... two meters five!

In just an instant, Dorata transformed from a member of the Dwarf race into something resembling a warrior with Behemoth or Titan bloodlines. There was no trace of his former dwarven appearance; no dwarf stood two and a half meters tall! His thick arms were as massive as elephant legs, his muscles carved out like slabs of marble.

In that fleeting moment, a vast pressure, as if a celestial god had entered Dorata’s body, inflicted an infinite sense of oppression on everyone present!

"Celestial God Possession?" Te Jiaofei’s eyes widened, staring blankly at Dorata’s transformation. This dwarf had actually cultivated the Giant Spirit Incarnation to its second layer—the Celestial God Possession level?

The Giant Spirit Incarnation merely manifested an entity composed of Dou Qi resembling a Soul Fight, but the Celestial God Possession involved drawing that entity into the body for direct reinforcement and enhancement.

"Is this the Celestial God Possession from the Qian family ancestors' notes?"

Qian Jin’s eyes shone with excitement as he gazed at Dorata. He had only ever seen this ability in the Qian family’s ancient texts. He never expected to witness this Dou Technique in person today! This was the Celestial God Possession so highly regarded by his ancestors? A state that was almost a Soul Fight, a semi-Soul Fight state?

Dorata raised an eyebrow, a faint hint of surprise mingling with pride on his savage features. "You even know of Celestial God Possession?"

"I've heard of it." Qian Jin activated his three Battle Hearts simultaneously. The layers of Dou Qi spun faster and faster, and his entire focus locked onto Dorata in an instant. "I’ve always wanted to try it out—is it really as strong as the legends claim?"

Dorata smiled, his thick lips, resembling two sausages, splitting wide to reveal his yellowish large teeth. The iron hammer, which had seemed massive before, still looked sizable in his grasp. Layers of Dou Qi danced around it, writhing like dozens of small snakes.

"Wait a moment!"

Qian Jin raised a hand slightly, halting Dorata, who was poised to attack.

"Wait? Are you scared?" Dorata slowly straightened up, a triumphant smirk appearing on his face. "What's wrong, scared?"

"Scared?" Qian Jin laughed even harder. "I was just thinking, since you are so confident, why don't we make a wager on something?"

A wager? Dorata looked at Qian Jin with confusion.

"That's right! A wager!" Qian Jin emphasized his tone, gazing calmly at Dorata, though his heart was far from as tranquil as his expression suggested.

Celestial God Possession! No one knew the extent to which this technique could elevate Dorata's strength! It was rumored to be one of the Dwarf Clan's strongest Saint-tier Dou Techniques. If he could learn it, his actual combat strength would surely ascend to an entirely new level.

Dorata served the likes of Ba Huang Wu Sheng, but Qian Jin didn't believe this dwarf would willingly teach him the technique, or even trade techniques with him.

The Dwarves were an intensely insular people!

"What are we betting?" Dorata narrowed his eyes to slits. "What do you have that qualifies you to gamble with me?"

"We bet on Dou Techniques! Your Giant Spirit Incarnation and the Celestial God Possession technique set!"

A sudden edge of caution and killing intent flashed in Dorata’s eyes. Any time an outsider coveted a Dwarf Clan Dou Technique, the Dwarf would choose execution as the solution! Although this Celestial God Incarnation technique was tailored to the Dwarf Clan's specific attributes and unusable by other races even if obtained, this young man's proposition had definitely struck a nerve.

"Betting on my Celestial God Incarnation? By what right?" Dorata didn't even bother to raise his eyelids, looking down on Qian Jin with near contempt. "How can a mere brat like you challenge the great Feng—"

Shhhk! A fierce, sharp streak of Dou Qi shot from Qian Jin’s hand, brutally tearing a fissure three inches deep and several feet long into the ground.

"That is..." Dorata’s two large eyeballs immediately lit up. His amber pupils spun rapidly. What he had just seen was clearly a Dou Technique, and a very powerful one at that! It might even be a Saint-tier technique! However, Qian Jin had clearly not used his full strength just now.

If a Soul Fight level Warrior were to use this technique... Dorata's eyes spun faster, greed flickering incessantly in his pupils. His allegiance to Ba Huang Wu Sheng was not for that master's supposed ideals, but purely to acquire new Dou Techniques to bring back to his clan.

A Saint-tier Dou Technique! And one he had never seen before! Dorata swallowed several times, the technique looking like something almost anyone could learn.

"This Dou Technique..." Dorata’s eyes showed disdain as he tilted his neck slightly upward. "Such a mediocre technique, how could it possibly compare to the great Celestial God Incarnation?"

"Is that so?" Qian Jin shrugged with a smile. "Alright then. We'll just fight—see who teaches whom a lesson. No more betting."

No bet? Dorata nearly bit his tongue. His scornful pupils were now clouded with regret and surprise. Why did this kid suddenly drop the idea of betting just when Dorata had agreed? He had intended to haggle and get him to offer more techniques as stakes.

A person willing to openly present a Saint-tier Dou Technique for a gamble, Dorata assumed, wouldn't mind adding another set if pressed. Yet, this young man was different from most; he simply walked away from the wager.

No bet? That wouldn't do! Dorata had already set his sights on Qian Jin’s 'Earth-Shattering Slash.' If he could take this technique back to the Dwarf Clan, their elite experts in Dou Technique theory could surely figure out a way to merge Celestial God Incarnation with Qian Jin's technique into a single, integrated art.

If they could fuse them into one technique, Dorata believed that even the Dwarf Clan's top Soul Fight Warriors, without needing to "Ascend to Saint," might be able to fight evenly against Saint-level Warriors.

"Cough... cough..." Dorata coughed a few times. "While it may not match the value of Celestial God Incarnation, I will grant you this chance for a duel. If I lose, the Celestial God Incarnation technique is yours. If you lose..."

"Then the Earth-Shattering Slash technique is yours," Qian Jin replied swiftly, a thread of caution entering his eyes. He wasn't entirely confident about winning against this dwarf.

But it was precisely these uncertain battles that best stimulated the potential within his body. His rapid increase in combat strength over the years was largely due to having engaged in many such battles where victory was not guaranteed.

"Good, very good!" Dorata’s eyes, narrowed to slits, held a cold sneer of victory. Even if he were somehow defeated by Qian Jin, giving away Celestial God Incarnation would be meaningless, as this human warrior could never practice it.

Celestial God Incarnation was a unique technique not rooted in bloodline; it was exclusive to Dwarves. Over the years, the technique had been seized by the Demon Race, the True Strategy Dynasty, and even the royal line of the Barbarians, the Behemoths.

But, invariably, those factions who obtained this special technique soon discovered the tragic truth: it was utterly unlearnable for them.

To wager a technique that others couldn't learn against one that could be learned, Dorata felt extremely clever!

"Fine, no problem," Qian Jin said. He pulled out a copy of Earth-Shattering Slash, which he had transcribed long ago, from his 'Dou Realm'. "To prevent deceit, we need an impartial witness. Uncle Te Jiaofei, would you step out and serve as the witness?" Huh? I was discovered? Te Jiaofei was stunned. He had hidden himself so discreetly, yet Qian Jin, this young man who hadn't even turned his head, had casually exposed his hiding spot. This kid... this kid’s observation skills regarding his surroundings were too sharp!

Dorata’s smug smile froze, and he looked at Qian Jin with suspicion. Didn't this kid seem uninterested in a wager just a moment ago? Why did he agree so readily the moment Dorata accepted the terms? And he immediately called out for a witness? Had he fallen into a trap? Was Qian Jin genuinely interested in the Celestial God Incarnation technique all along?

As per custom, I request monthly votes!