After hearing Yan's story, both Xie Yue and Hu Liena expressed disbelief, especially Hu Liena. Her usually confident eyes now revealed a hint of unwillingness.
The three of them had grown up together, fighting side by side, whether in the training grounds of Spirit Hall or the vast Death Valley, and had always progressed together. But now, Hu Liena felt that the gap between her and Yan seemed to have widened overnight.
When they last parted ways, Hu Liena was confident she would reach her fourth spirit ring before Yan. But now, seeing that Yan had already reached level forty-two while she was still below level forty, she couldn't help but feel somewhat down.
In contrast, Xie Yue's eyes sparkled with excitement. He saw Yan as both his best friend and his greatest rival. Even though he was recognized as the leader of the Golden Generation in Spirit Hall, he never let down his guard around Yan. Among the young spirit masters of Spirit Hall, Yan was the one most likely to catch up to and surpass him. Now, with both of them having obtained their fourth spirit rings, Yan's spirit power had actually surpassed his, this was the first time Yan had ever done so since they met.
Xie Yue smiled and said, "I thought absorbing that five-thousand-year spirit ring was my limit. I didn't expect you'd challenge and conquer a six-thousand-year ring. Now that your spirit power is half a level above mine, I'll have to work harder to catch up to you."
Yan shook his head modestly. "I told you, it was just luck."
Yan then recounted to Xie Yue and Hu Liena how he had encountered the battle between the Skyfire Fox and the Two-Headed Demon Snake and how he managed to hunt down the injured Skyfire Fox.
When he finished, the siblings fell into a brief silence. Though Hu Liena felt reluctant to admit it, she couldn't deny that Yan's strength and luck were extraordinary.
"You got lucky," Hu Liena said, pouting and feigning anger. "If that Skyfire Fox hadn't been wounded, you'd never have taken it down."
After noticing his sister's reaction, Xie Yue gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Nana, luck is part of strength too. We have to trust that Yan would have found a way to take down that fox, even without the help of luck."
Xie Yue knew his sister's temperament well; she had always downplayed Yan's accomplishments. In the past, Yan wouldn't have minded, but Xie Yue sensed that Yan had changed, he seemed to take things more seriously now.
Ignoring Hu Liena's teasing, Yan smiled. Hu Liena, suddenly reminded of something, asked curiously, "That fiery rain, was it your fourth spirit skill?"
Yan shook his head casually. "That was just a new attack technique I developed. My fourth spirit skill is called Blazing Slash, a single-target attack."
Yan planned to tell the siblings about his external spirit bone at a later time. As a rare type of spirit bone with growth potential, it could evolve as its user's spirit power increased, making it a highly coveted treasure among spirit masters. Yan knew that revealing it too soon could bring unnecessary trouble, so he decided to keep his Flaming Wings hidden for now.
Xie Yue joked, "Yan, you're even stronger when you get serious. Looks like I'll have to step up if I want to surpass you again."
Turning to Hu Liena, he added, "Liena, you've got some catching up to do now that Yan's so impressive."
Revitalized, Hu Liena declared, "Don't underestimate me! I'll reach level forty soon enough. When I get my fourth spirit ring, we'll settle this once and for all."
With that, Hu Liena turned and walked away. She knew that just training wouldn't be enough; she needed to hunt dangerous beasts and push herself in extreme situations to break through level forty as quickly as possible.
Xie Yue watched his sister walk away, feeling both worried and proud. He turned to Yan and said, "Liena can be stubborn. Just bear with her."
"It's fine. We've grown up together, I'm used to it," Yan replied with a smile.
Xie Yue then asked, "Will you be joining us?"
"No, let her face the challenges alone," Yan replied.
Xie Yue nodded, saying, "Alright. We'll meet up again when she reaches level forty."
"Sounds good."
After parting ways, Yan found a secluded spot in the canyon to begin his training alone. He knew that to become a true master, he had to continually explore and push his limits.
As a spirit master with a rare fire-earth dual attribute, Yan's talent was unique. In the Douluo world, spirit masters could not only gain skills from spirit rings but also create their own techniques.
Of course, creating a self-made spirit skill wasn't easy, nor was it something that could be done overnight. Yan thought he might be able to explore new possibilities by harnessing his dual fire and earth attributes. Though he couldn't develop a self-created skill immediately, he could refine his attack techniques, making himself less reliant on spirit ring skills alone.
Over the next few days, Yan immersed himself in developing a new technique. He experimented with ways to blend the elements of fire and earth to create even greater power. After repeated trials and refinement, he finally made a breakthrough.
On this day, he concentrated his mental energy, attempting to draw on both fire and earth elements simultaneously. As his spirit power flowed through him, the air around him grew intensely hot, and the ground began to tremble lightly.
Suddenly, a surge of flame erupted from his palms. At the same time, sand and stones from the ground began to rise, fusing with the flames. In the blink of an eye, a vortex of fire and sand formed around him, completely enveloping his surroundings.
This was his newly developed killing move, Fiery Sand Prison!
While flames alone couldn't trap an opponent, the addition of earth gave this prison defensive strength, making it both offensive and defensive. This skill could not only bind enemies but also inflict continuous burning damage.
Even more impressive, with Yan's control and spirit power, he could change the size of the Fiery Sand Prison. By compressing it, he could deprive his opponent of oxygen, the intense flames consuming it rapidly, leading to suffocation if they couldn't break free in time.