The Fengyun Douqi coiled and sequenced rapidly under the control of the Dou Xin, swiftly beginning to form a unique sequence only possible within the physical structure of a Dwarf. Qian Jin felt his body spring to life; blood rushed and roared through his vessels, muscle layers intertwined and swelled—swelled, swelled, and swelled again—while thick, dark-green tendons jumped beneath his skin.

They writhed like livid, blackish-green worms, coiling around Qian Jin’s frame, resembling a dense, interwoven net of steel wire spread across his surface, manifesting a terrifying, dark-green lattice, as if an iron mesh had been cast over him. Crack… crack… crack… In the silent room, Hua Yan Bujian had yet to awaken.

Qian Jin’s entire skeleton began to creak; the spine on his back emitted a series of strange, grinding sounds as bones shifted and locked. His height expanded repeatedly during the process of stretching sinews and raising bones: two meters, two point five, two point eight, three, three point five!

Power roared and howled like a tempest within Qian Jin’s body. As his frame swelled, his internal Dou Mai instantly broadened and solidified!

The small Dou Qiao also enlarged with the body's expansion, causing the Dou Qi to surge even more violently alongside the changes in the Qiao and Mai. Power!

Endless force and impact erupted continuously within Qian Jin, like a gushing spring, projecting an aura of oppressive physicality and immense strength at a mere glance. “This… this is Giant God Manifestation?” Qian Jin spread his arms, looking left and right at the sturdy, massive arms that resembled a Behemoth’s, imbued with the force and impact that radiated a terrifying aura due to the interplay of the three Dou Xin.

“No! This isn't the true Giant God Manifestation yet!” Qian Jin casually clenched both fists, and the air in his palms suddenly detonated like the burst of large firecrackers.

Blackish-green veins covered the surface of his fists: “This is still not the true Giant God Manifestation! I am only roughly simulating it; I haven't truly mastered it yet.

For any Dou Skill, one cannot unleash its full might the moment it is acquired. At most, I am currently harnessing only half of its potential.” A Dou Skill was a specialized technique requiring long periods of physical immersion.

To truly reach the pinnacle of any Dou Skill, one must refine a corresponding Dou Yin within the Dou Xin. If this were a Saint-level Dou Skill, Qian Jin knew he could not wield its greatest power even after forging the Dou Yin; only as his own strength increased would the corresponding power of that Dou Yin truly bloom.

“If this is Giant God Manifestation, what kind of power would Celestial God Manifestation hold? Regrettably… without fully mastering Giant God Manifestation, I cannot use Celestial God Manifestation.” Qian Jin casually threw a punch into empty space, causing a visible eddy of air to explode outwards—a tunnel of vacuum created by the sheer pressure of his fist.

With this level of strength, if he were fighting the Dwarf from earlier, he wouldn't even need the Wrathful Lotus Dou Skill; even if the opponent possessed a Golden Dou Xin, he could simply crush them with a clean, direct attack. “Truly a powerful Dou Skill,” Qian Jin sighed as he retracted the technique.

He glanced at the still-slumbering Hua Yan Bujian, sat cross-legged on the ground, placed his hands casually on his knees, and closed his eyes, sinking into the state of refining the Dou Yin. The impact of Giant God Manifestation on Qian Jin was immense.

If he could practice the Celestial God Manifestation version of this Dou Skill to the Dou Yin state, Qian Jin even had a premonition: even with only his current Three Dou Xin, and without any Golden Dou Xin, facing the Patriarch of the Lei family from that day, he could withstand one of the elder’s blows with his full strength and emerge unharmed! At worst, the Celestial God Manifestation would be instantly shattered, but he could immediately re-condense it.

A warrior at the Dou Xin level had no chance of defeating a warrior with Golden Dou Xin, and against a Dou Hun level master, only death awaited—a single punch was enough! In the world of warriors, many geniuses could ignore a gap of one or two levels in combat, but a difference of one entire realm meant certain defeat!

To escape unscathed from such a disparity was the mark of a genius among geniuses. A gap of two realms?

The result was singular: instant death! No one had ever circumvented this iron law!

Qian Jin vaguely sensed that as long as he could forge the Dou Yin for Celestial God Manifestation, even without entering the Golden Dou Xin realm, he would possess some capital to contend against a master of the Dou Hun level, even if outright victory remained impossible. If he could refine his Dou Xin to the Golden Dou Xin stage… even if only one of his Dou Xin was refined to the Golden state… Qian Jin had no idea what the outcome would be against a Dou Hun warrior when combining Celestial God Manifestation with his other Dou Skills.

The Dou Qi was arranging itself thread by thread within the framework constructed by the Fengyun Douqi in his Dou Xin—a complex sequence assembling at high speed… That’s right! High-speed assembly!

Qian Jin himself was startled; this arrangement sequence was happening too quickly! He had never before experienced such rapid sequencing when using his Dou Xin to refine a Dou Yin.

My heavens! Qian Jin swallowed hard.

Was I truly so suited for this Dou Skill? Did I possess Dwarf blood within me?

Even when practicing the non-Saint-level Wrathful Lotus Dou Skill before, I never achieved such speed. Continuing at this pace, it would only take… Only a day or two?

Qian Jin suspected his perception might be flawed—this speed was simply too, too fast! Hiss… Qian Jin suddenly felt that his third Dou Xin, located in his forehead, had moved!

At this moment, it began to spin rapidly, mobilizing the surrounding Dou Qi and channeling it quickly into the first Dou Xin. The speed of the sequence for refining the Dou Yin instantly doubled!

This is… this third Dou Xin… Qian Jin felt a wave of coldness spread from his back to every corner of his body, raising goosebumps across his skin, his pores snapping wide open! The specialty of the third Dou Xin… Qian Jin was beginning to grasp it.

This third Dou Xin, which seemed to have no discernible use, possessed a terrifying ability: it could accelerate the speed of Dou Yin refinement! Terrifying!

This was a terrifying ability! Only warriors at the level of Demon Slayer above know what an invaluable asset a Dou Yin is to a warrior possessing Dou Xin.

High-speed switching between Dou Skills allows for the manifestation of stronger Dou Skill power! That is the true essence of Dou Skills!

The higher the level of the Dou Skill, the harder it is to refine the Dou Yin! Many Demon Slayer warriors spend their entire lives refining only a few Dou Yin.

This third Dou Xin wasn't just shaving off a bit of time in accelerating the refinement; it seemed to accelerate the flow of time within his body. A Giant God Manifestation Dou Skill that was calculated to take several years to refine was now… Only taking… one day!

Perhaps not even a full day! This… this third Dou Xin… Qian Jin could not fathom the reason for its formation, whether it was born from the Heart of Earth Fire or the Fengyun Douqi within him.

The only certainty was that this nameless third Dou Xin possessed a speed of refining Dou Yin that was terrifying, horrifying, astonishing, and capable of subverting everything. The Dou Sequence seemed to ignite into a raging fire, touching terrifying lamp oil, instantly surging up like a volcanic eruption—frenzied!

Only frenzied could describe the speed; it was utterly horrifying! Qian Jin forgot his shock and astonishment, ignored the ecstasy welling inside him, and dedicated his entire focus to controlling the formation of the Dou Yin.

Everyone else tried desperately to increase their Dou Yin refinement speed; Qian Jin needed no such consideration. Instead, he had to concentrate entirely on monitoring the intricate details of the Dou Yin’s formation.

The speed was too fast! If any deviation occurred during the refinement, the Dou Yin would not just be wasted and require starting over; there was a high probability that the Dou Sequence would spiral out of control, injuring the warrior’s body and Dou Xin.

If the Dou Xin, the Dou Qiao, the Dou Mai, or the warrior’s body suffered any severe damage, their realm might never advance again for the rest of their lives. Although Teacher Adams possessed astonishing medicinal tinctures, Qian Jin still preferred not to trouble his mentor; this level of control was, in itself, a form of tempering for him.

One tenth… two tenths… three tenths… four tenths… While amazed by the speed of completion, Qian Jin remained wholly focused on observing the arrangement of the Dou Sequence. He completely failed to notice that Hua Yan Bujian, lying on the bed, let out a faint, soft sigh, and her fingers moved slightly.

Her arm showed a slight movement, her closed eyelids fluttered slightly, and her body gradually began to respond. “Where is this…” Hua Yan Bujian sat up, lightly brushing the dark hair from her forehead.

She scanned her surroundings with a puzzled gaze, her eyes settling on Qian Jin, causing her to momentarily freeze. A happy smile touched the corners of her lips as she recalled the day she overheard and saw Qian Jin’s heroic defiance toward the Bandit King, Ba Huang Wusheng, while she was half-conscious.

Ba Huang Wusheng! Only those from the frontier knew his might!

His aura was truly comparable to the Emperors of the two great empires! Facing Ba Huang Wusheng, Qian Jin was not only unsuppressed but managed to project his own imposing spirit, causing the Bandit King, who never changed his mind, to alter his intentions for the first time in a specific regard—this was truly astonishing.

Hua Yan Bujian raised a hand to touch the half-shattered metal mask on her cheek, slowly taking it off. Her long black hair once again concealed her face.

She reached into her Dou Realm and retrieved a new black metal mask. She fitted the mask between her dark hair and cheek.

When she looked up again, Hua Yan Bujian’s face was covered once more by a lustrous black metal mask; no one knew her true appearance. Hua Yan Bujian gracefully stepped off the bed and sat before Qian Jin, observing the young man she hadn't seen for days.

He had grown, matured; the youthful sharpness on his face had vanished, replaced by the resolute hardness of a grown man, yet still retaining the vigor expected of youth. Hua Yan Bujian longed to reach out and touch Qian Jin’s cheek.

This young man was now truly a man. It was just a pity that he was so intensely focused on practicing his Dou Skill; she could not disturb him.

Just watching him like this was good enough! Hua Yan Bujian rested her chin in her hands, her eyes glowing with a soft warmth as she gazed at Qian Jin’s face.

Time passed second by second. The Dou Yin for Giant God Manifestation completed rapidly.

The closer it got to the end, the faster the completion speed became: seventy percent… eighty percent… ninety percent… Complete! Qian Jin’s body gave a slight tremor.

It was finished already? Sigh… ahhh, sigh… ahhh~~~ You cannot fall asleep!