As evening fell, Xiao Yan bid his farewells and departed.
He was at a critical stage in his cultivation, striving to break through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi, and so he spent nearly all his time in arduous training. Today had been his only day of relaxation in the past half year. Yao Lao had also said that too much of a good thing could be bad and that a day of rest would do him good, which was why he had come to see Zhou Changqing. He just hadn't expected to be so thoroughly stunned by the visit; even as he left, he was still in a bit of a daze.
After seeing Xiao Yan off, Zhou Changqing returned to his bedroom and began to cultivate his Dou Qi. He was now on the cusp of the Dou Shi realm, so he planned to focus the next period of his time entirely on cultivation.
Another five or six days passed in a flash.
It was noon.
Zhou Changqing sat cross-legged on his bed, his focus entirely on circulating his cultivation method. A closer look would reveal a silver radiance covering his entire body, with fine, arc-like strands of silver Dou Qi constantly seeping from his pores.
Suddenly, the worldly energy within the room began to boil. As if drawn by some unseen force, it surged madly toward Zhou Changqing!
A powerful suction force emanated from within his body, pulling at this turbulent energy and drawing it through his pores into his meridians. As the massive amount of energy entered him, his Zhe Lei Fa cultivation method began operating at its absolute peak. With each completed circulation, the worldly energy was continuously refined into thunder-attribute Dou Qi, which then flowed into his Dantian to rapidly strengthen his Qi Cyclone!
Looking inward, he could see that his Qi Cyclone had changed. The golden half of the cyclone had already transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid one. Only the silver portion remained as a gas. Under the massive influx of thunder-attribute Dou Qi, the half-liquid, half-gaseous cyclone spun faster and faster!
A soft hum resonated from the depths of his body. The silver, gaseous part of the rapidly spinning cyclone began to liquefy, gradually becoming identical to the golden half!
A moment later, the Dou Qi cyclone had completely turned to liquid, but its rotation didn't stop. Instead, it transformed into a vortex resembling an oceanic abyss. The swirling, liquid gold and silver looked like a cosmic whirlpool, with beautiful flecks of golden and silver light glittering within.
Liquefied Dou Qi, a liquid vortex!
As the Dou Qi vortex took shape, the terrifying suction force emanating from Zhou Changqing rapidly dissipated, vanishing completely in an instant. The Dou Qi throughout his body quickly receded, returning to the vortex in his Dantian. When all the commotion had finally settled, Zhou Changqing slowly opened his eyes.
"So this is what it feels like to be a Dou Shi."
Feeling the Dou Qi within him, now several times more powerful than before, Zhou Changqing felt an overwhelming sense of strength!
He quickly got out of bed, eager to test his new abilities. He walked to an open space in front of his bed, took a deep breath, and focused his mind.
"Condense!"
In the next moment, a torrent of golden Dou Qi erupted from the vortex in his Dantian, surging through his meridians before rapidly passing through his skin! The Dou Qi threads intertwined and fused, and within a few breaths, they had completely adhered to the surface of his body, seeping out through his clothes. Soon, a thin, liquid membrane of golden Dou Qi appeared over his garments, making it seem as if he were wearing a translucent, magnificent robe made of golden glass.
The Dou Qi Armor! The hallmark of a Dou Shi!
It worked!
Touching the seemingly thin yet incredibly resilient armor, Zhou Changqing's eyes filled with joy. If he'd been able to summon this last time he fought that mid-level Dou Shi, he never would have ended up in such a sorry state. Furthermore, his Dou Qi Armor was of the gold attribute, giving it defensive power that ranked among the very best of all attributes! With this defense, he could probably kill that man in just a few rounds with a mundane weapon in hand!
He finally had some ability to protect himself. Although he was still nothing but a snack for a Da Dou Shi, he would no longer be left struggling to deal with any Dou Shi who came along.
"Soon. It won't be long before I send you to meet that man in the underworld, Qieluo!"
As if a memory had surfaced, Zhou Changqing's joyful expression instantly turned icy, and a trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes. During the days he had taken refuge with the Mittel Clan, he had learned from Ya Fei that the Dou Shi who attacked him was a workshop foreman under the command of the weapons magnate, Qieluo.
Zhou Changqing was not nearly as amicable with his enemies as he was with his friends. He knew that if he had been captured, his fate would have been grim. With such a deep-seated grudge, compounded by the years of oppression his family of blacksmiths had suffered at Qieluo's hands, there was no question who had to die.
Retracting his killing intent, Zhou Changqing's cold, handsome face returned to its usual calm. A faint light flashed from a finely crafted ring on his right index finger, and a book appeared in his hand. This ring was the storage ring he had been longing for. He had purchased it at the Mittel Auction House with the gold coins earned from his last batch of mundane weapons.
Zhou Changqing had long found it inconvenient to carry a pack every time he went out, so as soon as he had some extra funds, he had arranged to get a storage ring. Although it was a low-grade ring with only three or four cubic meters of space inside, it was enough for his daily needs. He could always upgrade to a better one when he became wealthier. Still, even the lowest-grade storage ring cost seventy to eighty thousand gold coins, a price that made him wince for a moment as he paid.
Looking at the book in his hand, titled "Monster Core Weapon Refining Manual," Zhou Changqing sat down at the table in his room. He cleared his mind of all distractions and began to read intently.
Having a Da Dou Shi like Qieluo lurking in the shadows was a major headache. The old man was now his mortal enemy and was likely already plotting how to kill him. Although he had the stated protection of the Mittel and Xiao clans, Zhou Changqing didn't believe Qieluo would simply give up. Besides, the Mittel and Xiao clans couldn't watch over him at all times; there were bound to be lapses.
Relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. You had to be strong to forge steel, after all. A thief could strike at any time, but you couldn't be on guard forever.
However, he had no illusions about being able to fight a Da Dou Shi with his current strength. Since his own power was insufficient, Zhou Changqing planned to seek external aid. He placed great hope in Monster Core weapons, which he envisioned as the upgraded version of his peerless mundane weapons. He had already been researching them for several months and had made significant progress. He believed it wouldn't be long before he could bring one into the world. By then, his strength might increase substantially, giving him a bit more confidence when facing Qieluo.
About half a month later, the familiar clanging of a hammer on an anvil once again filled the small courtyard.
Zhou Changqing was relentlessly striking a metal billet. Unlike an ordinary billet, this one, though glowing red-hot, had faint specks of dark gold visible within it.