After crossing a ravine, Xiao Yan slowly made his way toward the waterfall, carefully scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming that no beasts had appeared did he exhale in relief. At the steep cliff face, he carefully examined several spots before selecting a cave situated about four to five meters above the ground. Climbing steadily along the damp, slick stones, he moved with the agility of a monkey, swiftly entering the cave he had chosen. After arranging several essential daily supplies, Xiao Yan used large stones to seal the cave entrance, narrowing it to just allow one person to pass through. He would spend many days here, and safety would be his top priority. After completing these tasks, Xiao Yan brushed the dust from his hands, gazed at the dimly lit cave, and paused thoughtfully. Then, he retrieved three moonstone fragments taken from the precious cave and placed them into the recesses along the cave walls. Instantly, a soft, gentle light illuminated the entire cave. Seeing the now refreshed and bright cave, Xiao Yan smiled and sat down on the soft bed, deeply exhaled, then folded his legs and formed the hand seals for cultivation, slowly restoring the inner qi he had expended and the mental fatigue accumulated from the past two days of travel. As Xiao Yan grew still, his breathing gradually settled into a smooth, steady rhythm. With each breath, a perfect cycle was formed—gentle streams of subtle energy flowed out from the space around him, following the rhythm of his respiration and entering his body. After being refined through his meridians, this energy was stored within the spiraling energy vortex located in his lower abdomen. Meeting the miraculous cyclone once again, Xiao Yan felt a sense of quiet satisfaction. After nearly a year of cultivation, the once palm-sized, pale white cyclone that had appeared when he first attained the Battle-User rank had transformed into a soft yellow hue due to the refinement of his Battle Qi techniques, and its area had also grown significantly. Xiao Yan could clearly sense that the concentration of Battle Qi within the cyclone was now at least ten times stronger than it had been initially. Then, once the constraints of the heavy sword were removed and combined with his several Mid-Stage Techniques, he might be able to match an Eight-Star Battle User—provided, of course, that the Eight-Star User's techniques were of a lower rank than Xiao Yan's. After all, Xiao Yan's cultivation method was merely at the lowest Yellow Stage, which was his only weakness! After restoring his vital energy to a normal state, Xiao Yan flipped his hand, and a black scroll appeared in his grasp—the Mid-Stage Advanced Flight Technique. Soaring through the skies was a dream for everyone, and Xiao Yan shared the same enthusiasm for free flight. Flight was the best means of escape; had it not been for Xiao Yixian's blue eagle that night, the two of them would have found it far more difficult to break free from the heavily surrounded cliff. On the current Qi Continent, the ability to transform one's Qi into wings is a privilege reserved for warriors at the King-level and above; others typically can only gaze upward in admiration. Yet the rare flying Qi technique accidentally acquired by Xiao Yan enables him to transcend this boundary. Holding the scroll in both hands, Xiao Yan licked his lips, untied the fine ropes carefully tied around it, and then slowly unfurled it. As the dark scroll spread out, two dark wings—so dark they seemed almost chilling—came into view. Though drawn upon the scroll, these wings were not particularly large in size, yet they subtly radiated a warm heat. Their unusual appearance clearly indicated they were no ordinary painting. The eagle's wings were a deep black, subtly tinged with purple cloud patterns. Upon closer inspection, the wings appeared as if forged from black steel, possessing a distinct metallic luster. The feathers on the wings emitted a faint warmth. Xiao Yan gently blew a breath upon them, and his face grew slightly surprised—under the light breeze, the feathers stirred as though they were genuine wings, an astonishing sight. "This scroll technique is known as the Eagle's Wing, also referred to as the Purple Cloud Wing. After three years of dedicated effort with a few close companions, I finally captured a Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle, extracted its wings using a secret method, and only then succeeded in creating this scroll-based flying combat technique suitable for practice. This technique was inscribed by me using my inner qi just before my passing—it is designed for a single practitioner and must be carefully preserved!" "Truly remarkable—daring to capture a flying beast of King-level status!" Hushed in admiration, Xiao Yan found himself curious about the strength level of the previous master who had left behind these artifacts. Lifting his gaze from the small script, Xiao Yan gently extended his palm and lightly touched the slightly purple-black eagle wings. "Feels... like something real?" The feather-like texture under his palm astonished him. After carefully stroking it once more, his face suddenly went pale, as if electrified—he swiftly retracted his hand, gasping in awe, "There's actually a soul within these wings!" Xiao Yan's spiritual perception was exceptionally outstanding. As he touched the eagle's wing, he clearly sensed a hidden, furious and violent soul within it. "Hmm? Indeed, there is a soul hidden here—though it appears completely unconscious," came the elderly voice of surprise suddenly from the ring on Xiao Yan's finger. "Completely unconscious?" Xiao Yan paused, slightly puzzled. "I believe this must be a result of the ancient secret technique used to create flight-based combat arts. Indeed, the soul and wings of flying beasts are separated and then fused together. Of course, such fusion requires specific, unique techniques to form a genuine combat art. That explains why flight combat arts have nearly vanished—during the crafting process, one must master these rather unusual methods," the old doctor said calmly. "So… should there be any negative effects when cultivating this?" Xiao Yan asked, somewhat nervous. "The soul you just sensed should indeed be that purple-clouded condor. After all these years of refinement, its wisdom has likely fully transformed into instinctual animal behavior—so long as you remain vigilant during use, it generally won't cause any trouble," the old pharmacist smiled. Hearing this, Xiao Yan finally exhaled in relief. He had been somewhat afraid that, during his cultivation of this artifact, he might end up being controlled by the condor's soul—after all, a five-stage beast's intelligence wasn't inferior to that of humans. Focusing once again on the black eagle wings depicted on the scroll, Xiao Yan carefully reviewed the step-by-step instructions on the scroll's side panel several times, then furrowed his brows slightly, speaking softly, "The scroll states that during cultivation, the soul of the purple-clouded condor within the wings might attack the practitioner. If you can withstand its soul attacks, cultivation can proceed. Otherwise, I would advise the practitioner to abandon the endeavor altogether." "Heh, it seems that mastering this flying technique isn't without its risks," Xiang Yan sighed, exasperated. "To obtain something, one naturally has to give up something else." Yao Lao smiled calmly. "With your soul strength, you needn't be overly concerned about the purple-cloud hawk's soul attacks. Though it's a five-stage creature, it's currently nothing more than a fragmented soul—far from thriving." For the first time subjected to an assault from his soul, Xiao Yan suddenly trembled throughout his body, his face growing noticeably paler. "Focus your mind, protect your head, and let it strike!" came the voice of Yao Lao from within the ring. Nodding firmly despite the pain, Xiao Yan extended his soul awareness beyond his head, forming several protective circles around it, and thus successfully repelled the piercing, soul-shattering cry. Seeming to find the soul's wail ineffective, the purple-clouded phoenix spirit, after a moment of silence, suddenly emitted a surge of fierce, turbulent emotion, then surged directly toward the depths of Xiao Yan's mind. "Steady your spirit, don't let it take control of your emotions—otherwise, you'll become merely a beast driven only by slaughter!" Yao Lao's calm, well-timed voice resonated clearly. Taking another deep breath, Xiao Yan held firm to his inner composure, refusing to let a single trace of that turbulent emotion seep in. This intense spiritual clash lasted for over ten minutes before gradually concluding with Zhiyun Diao's defeat. In terms of strength, although Xiao Yan was far from matching the five-stage beast, after years of relentless suppression, this Zhiyun Diao had become little more than a crippled wild creature. Once the wild, animal-like fury surged out of his heart like a tidal wave, Xiao Yan instantly collapsed, his body aching and his face pale, appearing profoundly exhausted—this kind of spiritual confrontation consumed far more energy than mere physical clashes. "Success?" wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xiao Yan asked. "Yes, you now possess the qualifications to cultivate this art." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled warmly, his palms once again resting upon the eagle's wings. This time, however, he was not attacked. He gently bit his lips, and the ki within him began to circulate smoothly along the pathways described on the scroll. After a moment, the ki reached his arms and gradually surged into his palms. Xiao Yan, who had been stunned by the disappearance of the Eagle-Wing, suddenly let out a piercing, agonized cry. Sweat poured down his forehead, his fists clenched tightly, and he gasped for breath, his voice strained as he shouted, "What's this thing doing?" Curving on the bed, Xiao Yan bit down hard on his lower lip, blood seeping through his lips. After enduring the intense pain of the torn meridians for a while, he finally could no longer bear it and collapsed, fainting suddenly.