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**
The dark void was utterly silent.
In a certain area, Wei Yang sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. As his Heaven Grade cultivation technique circulated, the dense energy filling the surroundings began to condense into faint crimson streams of air that surged into his body one after another.
With each cycle of cultivation, the aura around him slowly rose. The pace wasn't fast, but it was incredibly stable.
Within the Ancient God's Cave Mansion, the energy was thick, perfectly compatible with his attributes, and seemingly endless — an inexhaustible wellspring. For Wei Yang, this was an ideal place for secluded cultivation.
Of course, the ambient energy was only a small part of it. The true source of power came from the low-level Dou Zun Fire Bead he had swallowed earlier.
This bead was taken from the body of a Dou Zun from the Lizard Clan. It was similar to a Rank 8 Magic Core, containing an extremely scorching and violent energy.
However, relying on the sheer strength of his physique, the digestion speed of his Heaven Grade cultivation technique, as well as the assistance of his bloodline and Heavenly Flame, Wei Yang had no fear at all — he swallowed it directly.
After all, his power was far more domineering than the energy contained in the bead. The bloodline of the Hou inherently fed on thunder and fire.
With the help of his Heavenly Flame, those raging energies were easily refined and purified. The violent elements within were extracted and smelted away, transforming into pure fire-attribute energy that was completely devoured by him.
After refinement, around twenty percent of the bead's energy was lost as impurities, but the remaining eighty percent was turned into pure, potent energy — fully absorbed and converted into his own strength.
As his Dou Qi accumulated more and more, the quantity finally triggered a qualitative change. Wei Yang, who had already been on the verge of a breakthrough, took a light step forward — and crossed that line completely.
Boom!
His entire body trembled as if a muffled thunderclap exploded inside him. Immediately after, the Dou Qi within him broke through a bottleneck barrier and began to surge at an astonishing speed, transforming in quality.
It pushed Wei Yang into an entirely new realm.
The Three-Change Dou Zun realm. This was a fierce change— one unlike any before it. It came from deep within, spreading outward, a transformation that touched every part of his being. Whether it was Dou Qi, bones, blood, muscles, or skin…
This was the beginning of a change toward Dou Sheng — the slow metamorphosis from mortal to sacred.
Nine Change to turn Saint! Some might say, "Isn't the stage after Nine Change only Ban Sheng?" But isn't a Ban Sheng still a Dou Sheng? Tell me — isn't Ban Sheng still Dou Sheng?!
Ban Sheng is merely a transitional stage — the final phase before Dou Sheng. For most cultivators, this was indeed the case. But for those with great fortunes and opportunities, it was possible to skip that transitional step entirely and reach true Dou Sheng in one leap.
Just like Yao Lao once did.
Just like Zi Yan now.
Just like Xiao Yan in the original tale.
All of them reached Dou Sheng directly, without lingering at the Ban Sheng stage. Wei Yang's mind sank into a profound and mysterious state.
His vast Dou Qi, as boundless as the sea, was being continuously compressed and refined — like an iron billet being hammered and forged again and again, until it became steel. At the same time, his body was also undergoing transformation.
His already powerful physique was climbing toward an even higher level — rising and rising. Bones, flesh, meridians, and skin — all were stepping beyond the mortal into the sacred. Within the dark void, a faint black cocoon of light surrounded him, emitting a soft, pulsing radiance.
It flickered and trembled slightly, like a beating heart. With every pulse, it devoured vast amounts of energy. With every contraction, the aura emanating from the cocoon grew more and more terrifying. The Dou Qi waves surged like a sea, endlessly rising and falling.
Time quietly slipped by.
Half a year passed in the outside world, though within the Ancient God's Cave Mansion, the concept of time had long since blurred. Then, at a certain moment —
Pop!
The cocoon suddenly burst apart, shattering into countless motes of light that slowly dissipated into the air. From within emerged a young man clad in black, seated cross-legged with eyes still closed.
His long, jet-black hair drifted gently backward despite the absence of wind. On his forehead, a black sun sigil shimmered faintly, as if it were burning.
When he slowly opened his eyes, they resembled twin black suns — flames and lightning flashing deep within them before swiftly fading away.
Everything appeared calm. There were no grand phenomena or heavenly omens. Even the aura radiating from Wei Yang's body was faint — almost imperceptible.
"Hu~"
A long breath of turbid air escaped from Wei Yang's mouth. He stood up and stretched his body.
Crack crack crack!
The sharp sound of bones grinding against each other echoed through the void, like beans sizzling in a hot pan. He clenched his fists lightly, feeling the terrifying surge of strength flowing within his body.
"So strong! Stronger than ever before!"
"Three-Change Dou Zun…"
Wei Yang felt the space between his palms distort and collapse with a simple squeeze, and the corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile.
This was inside the Ancient God's Cave Mansion, where the spatial fabric was several times more stable than the outside world. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even be able — nor dare — to open a void tunnel here.
The void within this space was completely sealed and locked. No spatial techniques could pierce through it to reach the outside world. Perhaps only Zhu Kun, in his normal state, could forcibly open a tunnel here.
Yet, the very same space — which even a powerhouse like Zhu Kun would find difficult to breach — was now crushed effortlessly by Wei Yang's fist. At his current level, even the most stable space looked to him as fragile as paper.
"My physique… it's at least twice as strong as before," Wei Yang murmured to himself.
Compared to before, his strength had grown immensely — far beyond ordinary improvement. If he were to face that Hei Qing again and battle purely with physical strength, Wei Yang was confident he could suppress him with just one hand.
"And this is only Three-Change…" Wei Yang sighed softly.
The path of Nine Change to turn Saint was truly not an easy one. Now, his Dou Qi had already undergone three cycles of compression and refinement. To reach Dou Sheng, he would need six more!
The consumption of resources… was downright terrifying. Wei Yang couldn't help but grumble inwardly. Seventeen Dou Zun Fire Beads were already gone, and even the Dou Sheng Bone Marrow — he had used up three drops just to reach this stage.
"Fortunately, I still have seventeen drops of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow left… and one Dragon Emperor Blood Crystal. Otherwise, I'd have no idea how long this Nine-Change path would take."
No wonder ordinary Dou Zuns progressed so slowly.
Without sufficient resources to sustain them, their cultivation could stagnate for decades, even centuries, without advancing a single step — and it would be completely normal. Collecting his thoughts, Wei Yang turned his gaze toward the bronze door.
There, Zi Yan was still in deep slumber, and Zhu Kun remained cross-legged beside her, unmoving, standing guard just as before — unchanged, as if frozen in time.
Wei Yang took a step forward and approached the bronze gate. Sensing his arrival, Zhu Kun slowly opened his eyes and cast a glance at him.
"Three-Change already?" With his keen perception, Zhu Kun could tell at a glance, even with Wei Yang's aura completely suppressed.
"To reach Three-Change in such a short time — and to keep your aura so steady without the slightest leakage — not bad," Zhu Kun remarked casually.
After all, with a Half-Step Heaven Soul Realm, Wei Yang naturally possessed an immense advantage during the Nine-Change phase. If he couldn't even do this much, that would have been strange.
Wei Yang smiled and said, "I just finished this round of cultivation. I'll rest a bit, then continue in a few days. Hopefully, I can reach the peak of Nine-Change in one go."
"With your current soul realm, you won't face much obstruction in this stage. There's no need to linger too long at the Nine-Change level. If you can reach the top in one leap, then do so," Zhu Kun nodded slightly. "The sooner you become a Ban Sheng, the better."
Wei Yang chuckled. "That's what I was thinking too."
"A peak Nine-Change Dou Zun before the age of thirty…" Zhu Kun sighed, then shook his head lightly.
In his eyes, Wei Yang's progress — though impressive — was still merely an early advantage at the Dou Zun stage. Advancing a bit faster didn't mean much in the grand scheme. Because after Dou Sheng… it was all about endurance.
Without sufficient resources, even staying stuck in place for thousands of years was common. Even with Wei Yang's extraordinary talent, once he reached Dou Sheng, if he lacked a great opportunity, he would face the same fate — slowly grinding away over endless time.
At that stage, Heavenly Flames and top-tier cultivation techniques were no longer decisive advantages.
After all, how many Dou Shengs had poor talent? Who among them didn't possess Heaven Grade cultivation techniques? Those were standard at that level.
Heavenly Flames? Anything ranked outside the top ten — in a Dou Sheng's eyes — was practically useless, like chicken ribs: nice to have, but not truly helpful in combat. Only the top five or six Heavenly Flames could still offer meaningful aid to battle power.
Otherwise, once you reached Dou Sheng, such things became irrelevant. Even so-called "Divine-Grade Bloodlines" of the Ancient Clans no longer offered any significant edge.
At that point, everyone started from nearly the same line. To advance quickly, the only path left was the same for all — terrifying amounts of resources.
In short, without resources, everything else was meaningless. Given Wei Yang's talent, Zhu Kun had no doubt that he could reach Dou Sheng. It was only a matter of time. But once he did… time itself would lose all meaning.
From Ban Sheng to Dou Sheng, and then from a One-Star Dou Sheng onward — that was a journey that truly tested endurance.
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