The oppressive heat of Rock Desert City was a constant companion. Feng Jiuge, despite his eleven-year-old frame, moved with a purpose that belied his age. His search for Qing Lin began subtly. He frequented the more crowded, poorer sections of the city, listening to conversations, observing the flow of life.
'A half-snake, half-human girl,' he'd think, his eyes scanning the dusty alleyways. 'She'd be an outcast, feared. Likely living on the fringes, perhaps near the city walls or in the most dilapidated areas.'
He started by asking innocuous questions to street vendors or loitering children, always careful with his wording. "I'm new here," he had said his voice pitched to sound naive and slightly apprehensive. "My mother told me to be careful of… unusual people. Are there any places or individuals folks say to stay away from? I wouldn't want to accidentally wander into trouble."
Most people would offer vague warnings about pickpockets or aggressive beggars. But occasionally, after he'd built a little rapport with a shared piece of dried bread or a sympathetic ear to their complaints about the heat, he'd get a more specific, hushed response.
"There's a… strange girl," an old woman selling withered vegetables whispered, her eyes darting around. "Lives out by the crumbling west wall. They say… they say she ain't fully human. Best to keep your distance, boy. It's said she brings bad luck."
'West wall. Crumbling section. Sounds promising,' Feng Jiuge noted internally, offering a polite, slightly scared nod. "Oh, thank you, auntie. I'll be sure to stay far away from there."
He gathered similar whispers over a few days, cross-referencing the scant details. All pointed to the same general area – a desolate, almost forgotten corner of Rock Desert City where the buildings were little more than rubble and refuse.
It was late afternoon when Feng Jiuge finally found her. The sun was beginning its descent, casting long, stark shadows. He spotted a small figure huddled in the narrow space between two collapsed walls, partially hidden by a tattered piece of canvas.
As he drew closer, he saw it was a girl, her clothes little more than rags, her dark hair matted and dusty. She was incredibly thin, her limbs like fragile twigs. And then he saw her eyes – large, dark, and filled with a profound, heartbreaking fear. They weren't the vibrant green of the Triple Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils yet as those pupils hadn't awakened yet.
She looked up as his shadow fell over her, and a small, terrified gasp escaped her lips. She tried to shrink further into the shadows, her body trembling.
Feng Jiuge stopped a respectful distance away. He saw the subtle, almost imperceptible scaling on her forearms, peeking out from beneath her rags. This was her. Qing Lin. She looked to be around his age, perhaps an year or so younger than him.
His heart ached. This child, who was even much younger compared to him, had endured so much prejudice and fear, all because of her unique heritage. The casual cruelty of the world, which had shattered his own life, had been her constant companion since birth.
"Hello," Feng Jiuge said softly, his voice gentle, trying not to startle her further. He knelt down slowly, making himself smaller, less threatening. "My name is Feng Jiuge."
Qing Lin didn't respond, just stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, ready to bolt.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he continued, keeping his tone even and calm. He reached into the patched bag he carried – the one that held only mundane items for show – and pulled out a small, slightly misshapen piece of flatbread he had saved from his morning meal. He held it out slowly. "Are you hungry?"
Her eyes flickered to the bread, then back to his face, suspicion warring with a desperate, gnawing hunger. She hadn't eaten properly in days.
'She's terrified,' Feng Jiuge thought. 'Completely alone. This is what the world does to those who are different and weak.' His resolve hardened. He wouldn't let her suffer this fate if he could help it.
"It's okay," he said, placing the bread on the ground between them and inching back a little. "You can have it."
Qing Lin watched him for a long moment, her small chest rising and falling rapidly. Slowly, hesitantly, her thin hand darted out, snatched the bread, and retreated. She began to eat it ravenously, her eyes never leaving him.
Feng Jiuge sat patiently, not speaking, letting her eat. When she was finished, she licked the crumbs from her fingers, her gaze still wary but a fraction less terrified.
"Do you have a name?" Feng Jiuge asked gently.
She hesitated, then whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse, "Qing… Qing Lin."
"Qing Lin," he repeated, a soft smile on his face. "That's a pretty name." He paused, then made his decision. "Qing Lin, you don't have to live like this anymore. I… I'm an orphan too. I don't have much, but I have a small house in another city. It's not grand, but it's safe. Would you… would you like to come with me? You can be my little sister. I'll take care of you."
Qing Lin stared at him, her dark eyes unblinking. Disbelief, confusion, and a tiny, fragile spark of hope flickered within them. "Sister?" she whispered. "Why?" No one had ever been kind to her, let alone offered her a place to belong.
"Because no one should have to be treated like this," Feng Jiuge said, his voice earnest. "And because… well, it would be nice to have a little sister."
He meant it.
The loss of his parents had left a void, and the prospect of caring for this lost, frightened girl resonated deeply within him.
He didn't mention her pupils. For now, she was just a scared child who needed help.
'Awakening her Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils right now would be outrageously bad for her and even for me,' Feng Jiuge thought, his mind already working on future plans. 'Without sufficient strength to protect her, it would just paint a massive target on her back. Mo Cheng, that external deacon from the Misty Cloud Sect, would undoubtedly try to capture her if he found out. And the Heavenly Serpent Mansion…'
He frowned slightly. 'While they wouldn't harm her, their methods of nurturing her talent were far too slow in the original story. She only reached Dou Ancestor after nearly a decade. With her potential, she should have soared far higher, far faster. No, I'll have to guide her cultivation myself, carefully, when the time is right.'
His immediate priority was to get her somewhere safe, to give her a semblance of a normal childhood, something she had clearly never known.
Qing Lin was silent for a long time, her gaze fixed on Feng Jiuge. She saw no deceit in his eyes, only a quiet sincerity. Finally, with a barely perceptible nod, she whispered, "Okay."
A wave of relief washed over Feng Jiuge. "Good," he said, his smile widening. "We'll leave Rock Desert City. It's too dangerous here."
He thought briefly of Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor, currently sealed and running a map shop somewhere in this city. 'The maps to the Heavenly Flames… I know he has them. But I'm a mere 7-star Dou Disciple. Approaching a sealed Dou Emperor, even one seemingly nice in the story, is asking for trouble I can't handle right now.'
During his search for Qing Lin, Feng Jiuge had discreetly heard about Hai Bodong's unassuming map shop in the Mo City away from the Rock Desert City. He'd even seen the old man himself, looking grumpy and bored, through the dusty window. 'I'll come back for those maps,' he promised himself. 'When I'm strong enough not to be swatted like a fly.'
For now, Wu Tan City was their destination. It was familiar to Feng Jiuge, and while it held painful memories, his small, empty house was still there. It was a place to start.
The journey from Rock Desert City to Wu Tan City with Qing Lin was different from his solo trek. He was no longer just an individual focused on survival and revenge; he was a guardian, a big brother.
Qing Lin was timid and clung to him, especially in crowded places or at night.
He shared his meager food with her, bought her a slightly better set of clothes with the last of his carefully hoarded copper coins, and told her simple stories – carefully edited versions of tales from Earth, or made-up adventures – to distract her from the hardships of the road.
He learned more about her. She rarely spoke of her past, but the fear in her eyes when they encountered suspicious-looking individuals told its own story.
He saw how people would stare at the faint traces of her inhuman heritage, the whispers that followed them. It fueled his protective instincts and deepened his quiet anger at the world's intolerance.
They reached Wu Tan City after several weeks of slow travel. The sight of the familiar city gates brought a pang to Feng Jiuge's heart. He led Qing Lin through the streets, his expression carefully neutral, towards the small, slightly dilapidated house his parents had left him.
"This is it," he said, pushing open the creaky wooden door. "It's not much, but it's home."
The house was dusty and silent, filled with the ghosts of his past. But with Qing Lin there, a small, curious presence beside him, it felt a little less empty.
They stayed at a cheap inn for the first few nights while Feng Jiuge cleaned the house, aired it out, and bought some basic necessities. He used one of the Grade 1 medicinal herbs from the Dou King's stash, a "Moon Dew Grass," to trade for enough money to buy rice, some vegetables, two thin blankets, and a few cooking utensils.
Qing Lin, initially hesitant, slowly started to help. She would sweep the floor with a makeshift broom or watch him as he tried to cook simple meals, her large eyes filled with a quiet curiosity. She was still very reserved, but the constant fear that had shadowed her in Rock Desert City began to recede, replaced by a tentative trust.
Their daily life fell into a simple routine. Feng Jiuge would spend part of the day teaching Qing Lin to read and write, using old, discarded texts he'd managed to acquire cheaply. He'd tell her stories, and sometimes, she'd even offer a small, shy smile.
He made sure she ate properly, and for the first time in her life, Qing Lin knew what it felt like to be safe, to have someone care for her. She started to call him "Jiuge-gege" (Big Brother Jiuge), her voice soft and hesitant at first, then with growing affection.
Feng Jiuge, in turn, found a new sense of purpose in caring for her. She was a ray of light in the darkness of his past losses. His desire for revenge against the Xiao Family still burned, cold and patient, but now, there was something else too – a desire to build, to protect, to create a safe haven for this girl who had become his sister.
While Qing Lin was his priority, Feng Jiuge didn't neglect his own cultivation. He needed to get stronger, not just for revenge, but to protect her. His unique three-element affinity was still his biggest puzzle and greatest potential.
"I need a fire-attribute cultivation technique," he muttered to himself one evening, watching Qing Lin sleep peacefully on a straw mat. "Even a basic one. The Verdant Sapling Art is wood. The Raging Thunderclap Art is lightning. Without fire, I can't even begin to attempt a true balance."
The next day, he took another of the less valuable herbs from his storage ring – a bundle of Rank 2 "Crimson Sun Sprouts" – and headed to the marketplace, specifically to the stalls that sold low-level cultivation manuals and Dou Skills. He traded the herbs for a very basic, low-tier Yellow Grade Flame Attribute Cultivation Art called the "Ember Heart Method."
It was rudimentary, designed for those with the weakest fire affinity, but it was enough for his purpose.
'The Raging Thunderclap Art is Mysterious Class. The Verdant Sapling Art is low-Yellow. This Ember Heart Method is also low-Yellow,' Feng Jiuge analyzed, back in the quiet of their small house, while Qing Lin was practicing her writing. 'If I try to fuse them as they are, the lightning element will completely overwhelm the other two. It would be like trying to mix a wildfire with a candle flame and a blade of grass.'
He made a bold decision. He would intentionally weaken his understanding and application of the Raging Thunderclap Art, stripping it down to its most fundamental principles, effectively treating it as if it were also a low-level Yellow Grade technique for the purpose of this initial fusion.
'It's about balance, not raw power at this stage,' he reasoned. 'I need all three elements to grow together, to intertwine and support each other from the very foundation. Once the foundation is stable, I can gradually unlock the true potential of the Raging Thunderclap Art and seek out better wood and fire techniques.'
He spent hours in meditation, painstakingly dissecting the three techniques. The Verdant Sapling Art for its nurturing resilience, the Ember Heart Method for its contained warmth, and the modified, simplified Raging Thunderclap Art for its focused spark.
'At the Dou Disciple stage,' his mind raced, drawing on his Earth knowledge of biology and his understanding of Dou Qi, 'the primary goal is to nourish the muscles and bones, to strengthen the physical body, and to absorb Dou Zhi Qi from the atmosphere for enhancement. If I can successfully draw upon and integrate Dou Zhi Qi aligned with all three of my elemental affinities – wood, fire, and lightning – then theoretically, my body should absorb significantly more nourishment. More than three times the amount a single-attribute cultivator would absorb. This would make my physical body incredibly strong, my meridians more resilient, and my foundation exceptionally stable for future breakthroughs.'
The theory was elegant and logical. Putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
He began the arduous process in the small, secluded courtyard of their house, under the watchful gaze of the moon. He would first circulate his Dou Qi using the Verdant Sapling Art, feeling its gentle flow.
Then, he would introduce the Ember Heart Method, coaxing a warm, controlled energy. Finally, with extreme caution, he would weave in the simplified pathways of the Raging Thunderclap Art, aiming for a spark rather than a raging storm.
The initial attempts were disastrous. The energies clashed violently. One moment he'd feel a searing heat threatening to burn his meridians, the next a jarring shock that made his teeth rattle, followed by a sluggish, choking sensation as the wood energy tried to overcompensate. Pain was a constant companion. He coughed up blood more than once, his small body wracked with convulsions.
Qing Lin would watch him with worried eyes, her small hands clenched, but he would always reassure her with a strained smile. "Just… working out some kinks, Xiao Lin," he'd gasp, wiping sweat and sometimes blood from his lips. "Don't worry."
'This is… incredibly difficult,' Feng Jiuge gritted his teeth, his body aching. 'The flow of Dou Zhi Qi isn't just about pathways. It's about resonance, about the subtle harmony between the energy and every cell, every bone, every meridian. I have to constantly adjust, constantly refine the balance.'
He used his "Heavenly Perception Pupils," still in their nascent stage but already granting him a slightly enhanced ability to perceive the energy flows within his own body. He observed the blockages, the points of conflict, the areas where the different elemental energies resisted each other.
Days turned into weeks. He persisted with a stubbornness born of desperation and an unshakeable belief in his theory. Slowly, painstakingly, he began to find a rhythm. He learned to guide the wood energy to create a flexible, resilient framework within his meridians, the fire energy to provide a warm, energizing core, and the lightning energy to stimulate and sharpen the flow, all without letting one overwhelm the others.
It was during one such grueling session, nearly a month after they had settled in Wu Tan City, that he felt a significant shift. The internal conflict of energies didn't disappear, but it lessened. And then he noticed it – the sheer volume of ambient Dou Zhi Qi being drawn into his body was astounding.
The faint, almost imperceptible strands of wood, fire, and lightning essence in the air, usually too diffuse for a low-level cultivator to effectively utilize all at once, were being pulled into his Dantian like iron filings to a magnet.
The cultivation art he was forging, this "Tri-Unity Genesis Art" as he had begun to call it in his mind, wasn't just absorbing them; it felt like it was actively seeking them out, drawing them in, and then amplifying their effects as they circulated and fused within him.
'The absorption speed…' Feng Jiuge's eyes widened in the darkness, a tremor of excitement running through him despite the lingering pain. 'It's at least four, maybe even five times faster than when I was just practicing the Raging Thunderclap Art on its own! My guess was right! This is the path!'
His cultivation, which had been progressing at a crawl even with his adult mind optimizing the Verdant Sapling Art, now felt like a dam had burst. His body, starved for this balanced nourishment, eagerly soaked up the tri-elemental Dou Zhi Qi. His muscles, nerves, cells, and bones felt like they were singing, each part of him strengthening at a visible rate.
He had been a 7-star Dou Disciple, stuck there for what felt like an eternity. Now, he could feel the barrier to the 8th star rapidly approaching.
Feng Jiuge didn't stop. He pushed himself, riding this wave of accelerated growth. The pain was still there, a dull ache that spoke of his body adapting to this unprecedented influx of power, but it was overshadowed by the exhilaration of progress.
Qing Lin, who usually slept soundly, had woken up and was sitting quietly by the door of his small room, sensing the unusual intensity of the energy fluctuations. She didn't understand what was happening, but she could feel a powerful, vibrant energy emanating from Feng Jiuge.
A small, happy smile touched her lips. 'Jiuge-gege must be getting stronger,' she thought, her heart swelling with a simple, pure happiness for him.
The night wore on. The moon climbed high and began its descent. Feng Jiuge remained locked in his meditative state, his small face serene despite the immense internal processes at work.
Then, with a final, deep inhalation, he felt it. A click. A subtle shattering of a bottleneck within him. Energy surged, settling into a new, higher equilibrium.
He had broken through. 8-star Dou Disciple.
But he didn't stop there. He continued to circulate his unique tri-elemental Dou Qi, solidifying his foundation, allowing his body to fully acclimate to this new level of strength. He wanted not just a breakthrough, but stability.
It was only when the first rays of dawn painted the eastern sky, filtering through the small window, that Feng Jiuge finally opened his eyes. A faint, tri-colored glow briefly flickered around him before receding. He felt… powerful. Not just in terms of Dou Qi quantity, but in the inherent quality of his physical body, in the resilience of his meridians.
He let out a long, slow breath. '8-star Dou Disciple. And this is just the beginning.' His self-created cultivation art was a success, far exceeding his initial expectations. The path ahead was still long and fraught with danger, but now, he had a truly solid foundation upon which to build.
He rose, his joints popping with newfound vigor. He felt lighter, stronger, his senses sharper. He opened the door and found Qing Lin curled up asleep just outside, a contented expression on her face.
A soft smile touched Feng Jiuge's lips. He gently picked her up – she was still so light – and carried her to her straw mat, tucking the thin blanket over her.
'For you, Xiao Lin,' he thought, looking at her peaceful face. 'And for my dead parents. I will get stronger.'