The night sky was pitch black, with a slender crescent moon hanging alone in the heavens, casting a faint, cool glow upon the earth. Deep within the dark forest, a gentle campfire flickered softly, bringing a warm light to the stillness of the night. By the fire, a young man leaned against a tree trunk, idly playing with the flames of his fire stick. Since today, Xiao Yan had been away from Wutan City for five days. The initial excitement of departure had faded with the solitary journey, and a quiet sense of thought was now slowly climbing into his heart. He casually added a log of wood, brightening the fire once more. With his hands resting on his chin, he lazily asked, "Master, where exactly are we going?" "The Great Beast Mountains," came the elderly voice from the ring on his finger. "Can't we just enter the Great Beast Mountains near Wutan City? Why do we need to travel so far?" "This is in the eastern part of the Dragon's Mountain Range. From here, if you cross the range, you'll reach the Tago尔 Great Desert—our ultimate destination for cultivation." The Elder of Herbs smiled. "Crossing the Dragon's Mountain Range?" With a slight crack at the corner of his mouth, Xiao Yan chuckled dryly, "With my current strength, I can only handle young one-stage dragons. At best, I could wander around the outer regions. To actually cross the entire range? That seems... rather unlikely." "Being in a challenging environment is where your potential truly emerges," the Elder said calmly. "I plan for you to advance to the Battle Master rank within the Dragon's Mountain Range." "Ah... So during my cultivation period, I'll have to spend all my time within the Dragon's Mountain Range?" Xiao Yan's face immediately grew somber. "My estimated timeframe is one year. For the remaining six months, you'll need to go to the Tago尔 Great Desert to cultivate." "The Tago尔 Great Desert?" "Mumbling a few words, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation. Well, with Yao Lao right beside him, he wouldn't let him be devoured by the beasts, would he? Touching his chin, Xiao Yan licked his lips and smiled gently, saying, 'Master... that Earth-Rank Combat Technique?' 'You always bring it up every day—don't you find it tiresome?' Hearing Xiao Yan repeat the same question again, Yao Lao found himself both amused and exasperated, shaking his head in resignation and pausing briefly before speaking, 'After we enter the Beast Mountains, I'll teach you the Earth-Rank Combat Technique. Right now, with so many people and eyes around, if anyone sees us, we might draw unnecessary attention.' Hearing that it would be delayed another few days, Xiao Yan nodded with a slightly disappointed expression. 'Look at you—so lacking in ambition! You don't realize it yourself? Your 'Absorbing Palm' and 'Blowing Fire Palm' are indeed refined and well-mastered, but your 'Eight-Point Break' remains only at the very surface—barely touching the fundamentals.' Seeing Xiang Yan's frustrated expression, Yao Lao couldn't help but chide him. "Just touching the surface? How could that be possible? Last time I faced Jialeo, my Eight-Extreme Collapse technique completely shattered his arms!" Hearing this, Xiang Yan immediately protested, muttering. "Heh, yes, you did break his arms, but at that time, weren't your legs completely numb as well? If it weren't for Jialeo being unprepared, you and he would have ended up with a stalemate—two losses at best." Yao Lao chuckled, "The power of Eight-Extreme Collapse is on par with a Terran-level technique. With proper cultivation, defeating an opponent who surpasses you by two or three star levels isn't difficult. Yet in your hands, it's barely enough to handle a peer—often resulting in a mutual defeat." Xiang Yan remained silent, his brows furrowed as he pondered. Suddenly, memories surfaced—of when Yao Lao had first taught him the technique, the detailed explanation he had given about Eight-Extreme Collapse. "Ba Ji Bing: A high-level technique at the Xuanyuan stage, a close-range offensive technique renowned for its powerful attack. When refined to its peak, the attack incorporates eight layers of force; with these eight layers stacked, its power equals that of a lower-tier technique at the Di stage!" "The eight layers of force accumulate gradually through cultivation. Yet, how many layers do you currently possess? Heh, it seems that beyond the obvious force you display, you hardly have a trace of concealed force." Master Yao said calmly. "If you can conceal a subtle layer of force beneath your visible strength, you will surely surprise Jialie during your confrontation and won't have to struggle so much." "How exactly can one cultivate this concealed force?" Xue Yan's face gradually grew serious, and he finally began to take this crucial issue—previously overlooked—seriously. "Previously, when you employed Ba Ji Bing, your attacks were all powerful, direct, and forceful, lacking any subtlety or technique. I never mentioned this before, not because I thought you lacked the potential, but because you yourself had never noticed it." Xiao Yan felt awkward and slightly fumbled, genuinely never having thought much about the issue of hidden strength—because the sheer force and explosive power of Ba Ji Bing Guang had already satisfied him completely. "Close your eyes, concentrate!" The gentle command from Yao Lao prompted Xiao Yan to quickly settle into a meditative posture. By the fire, the young man slowly closed his eyes, and the surroundings once again fell into quiet, with only the soft crackling of wood and the low hum of insects. "A deep thud echoed as the fist struck the trunk, turning a section of the bark a vivid yellow and spreading several cracks along the small depression it had created. "Boom!" Not long after the first deep thud, a yet deeper resonance surged from within the trunk. "Crack…" The force behind this second thud was directly transmitted into the trunk's core, where it instantly exploded inward, causing the massive trunk to tremble and nearly collapse. "That's... incredible strength!" Staring at the damage, now several times larger than before, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. Though this hidden power had consumed one-third of his internal qi, the results clearly matched the effort. "With this hidden strength integrated into the Ba Ji Bang, it truly earns its reputation as a technique on par with a ground-tier skill." Gently withdrawing his fist, Xiao Yan marveled at what he had just witnessed. "It's quite good—achieving a hint of subtle strength on the first attempt. However, it still feels rather stiff, and the timing of the subtle strength's release is too delayed. During that period, if the opponent is particularly perceptive, they can easily dissipate the unactivated subtle strength." The old pharmacist first praised, then added with a sense of slight disappointment. "Heh, no problem—this is only the first time. With more practice, I'm confident I'll be able to control the timing of the subtle strength's release自如." With a flurry of rapid punches, the intensity of Xiao Yan's combat prowess had surged noticeably thanks to tonight's breakthrough in subtle strength, and he now felt both confident and enthusiastic. Nodding, the elder pharmacist hesitated and said, "Although the 'Burned Decree' has remarkable evolutionary effects, its initial level is rather low. The storable ki currently circulating within your body is sufficient for only a few instances of subtle attacks at most. Therefore, in future battles, you must secure victory with a single decisive strike—this Eight-Extreme Collapse technique is inherently a dynamic, lightning-fast combat style." "Understood," Xiao Yan nodded seriously. He was equally aware of his own weakness: lack of endurance. Should he fail to defeat his opponent before his ki depletes, it would be his own defeat. "It seems we'll need to find ways to accelerate your ki cultivation. After entering the Beast Mountain, I will guide you to various rare medicinal herbs required for potion-making. For now, beyond your natural talent, you will also need the support of medicinal elixirs." The elder pharmacist mused. Xiao Yan smiled slightly, his brow suddenly arcing upward as he said, "I suspect Lan Yan will also adopt this very method." "Hmph. So what? Throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire, only Gu He is renowned for his mastery of alchemical arts—yet in my eyes, he's nothing at all. When it comes to alchemy, how many people on this continent can even match me? I can't think of five!" The elderly pharmacist spoke calmly, yet his tone carried an unmistakable pride and disdain. Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, growing increasingly curious about the pharmacist's true standing. "By the way, carry this with you at all times—never remove it, even when you sleep." After a moment's thoughtful pause, the massive black object suddenly shot out from within the ancient ring, landing with a heavy thud on the ground and sending a flurry of dust swirling around. "Hmm…" Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the dark form that stood as tall as himself, his forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat. He cleared his throat, swallowing hard, and asked, "What… is this good for?" "This is forged from Yanyun Pyrite. There may be only one such piece across the entire continent. Not only is it exceptionally hard and incredibly heavy, but most importantly, it possesses a magical effect that suppresses qi. As long as you can adapt to this suppression, when you eventually engage in battle and remove it, at the very moment you free yourself from its restraint, your strength will astonish everyone." The old pharmacist smiled and added, "Moreover, the Earth-tier combat techniques I will teach you in the future are also closely related to this item."