Ten months passed in tranquil seclusion. Within the tall, wind-kissed mountain range, time flowed gently like the ever-falling waterfall beside Xiao Feng's cultivation pavilion.
The days of balance and discipline had slowly paid off. Now, sitting cross-legged in the center of his cultivation room, a powerful aura surged silently around him. Xiao Feng's body pulsed with dense wind Dou Qi, and his skin glowed faintly under the formation's flickering light. His youthful face showed no immaturity—only calm focus and unshakable will.
He had reached the peak of 9-star Dou Ling.
The journey from 2-star to 9-star Dou Ling had taken him ten long, disciplined months. But once he broke through 8-star Dou Ling, he had chosen to accelerate his pace. Using a peak Tier 4 Dou Ling Enhancement Pill, he raised his strength by a full star instantly, stabilizing his cultivation at the very peak of the Dou Ling realm.
Now, after three days of quiet meditation and stabilization, Xiao Feng slowly opened his eyes.
A jade-green light shimmered faintly from his pupils. The energy within his body was surging, restless—like a torrent waiting to burst through a dam.
The time had come.
He took out a small jade bottle from his storage ring. Inside was a gleaming pill, faintly glowing with runes and wrapped in a gentle wind aura. It was a Tier 5 Dou Wang Ascension Pill, specifically refined to help cultivators break through from Dou Ling to Dou Wang smoothly.
Without hesitation, he consumed the pill. As it melted in his mouth, a warm and potent current exploded within his body, merging with his Dou Qi, rushing into every corner of his meridians, and flowing directly toward his Dou Crystal.
The Dou Crystal inside his dantian began to vibrate violently.
The breakthrough was beginning.
From within his body, the Dou Qi began to resonate with the heavens.
The very energy of nature, especially the wind-attributed elements in the surrounding air, began to stir. A vortex formed above the mountain, spiraling down toward the pavilion. Jade-green wind energy howled around the mountain peak, drawn by Xiao Feng's rapidly evolving core.
The wind obeyed his will.
This was the sign of one who stood at the threshold of a Dou Wang—a cultivator whose Dou Qi had begun to merge with the world itself.
As the energy poured in, his Dou Crystal expanded, its surface becoming smooth like jade, and the once-vague connection with the world turned into a bond.
Then, with a subtle shift—a pair of translucent jade-green wings began to take shape on his back.
They were not wings of flesh, but wings of pure Dou Qi.
Beautiful and ethereal, they shimmered like crystals under the sunlight that pierced the clouds. As they solidified, the wind responded even more strongly, spiraling around him as if celebrating his breakthrough.
A heartbeat later, Xiao Feng rose slowly into the air, lifted not by any flying technique—but by the wings of a true Dou Wang.
He soared into the sky.
Up, past the peak of the tallest mountain. Up, above the clouds. His jade-green Dou Qi wings glistened with elemental energy, propelling him with fluid grace and power.
He laughed—not wildly, not arrogantly, but softly. In this moment, he felt free. The sky was no longer a limit. It was his playground.
But he wasn't done experimenting yet.
He slowed mid-air, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"My Dou Qi wings are faster and smoother than Wind and Thunder Wings… but that doesn't mean the technique is useless."
Focusing, Xiao Feng circulated the Wind and Thunder Wings technique. Instantly, the edges of his jade-green wings shimmered with silver and began to spark faintly with crackling lightning.
A fusion of technique and raw Dou Qi power.
He pushed forward.
BOOM!
He vanished in a burst of jade and silver, leaving behind a sharp sonic boom that echoed across the surrounding valleys.
His flight speed doubled, and the air tore behind him like paper. He zipped around mountains, circled above waterfalls, and shot through thick clouds as if cutting through silk. The combined power of Dou Qi Wings and the Wind and Thunder Wings made his movements more agile, sharper, and terrifyingly fast.
He soared high again, then stopped mid-air, floating effortlessly.
This was a new realm of strength, freedom, and control.
He had become a Dou Wang.