The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 13 Sparring

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Xiao Yan got up and dressed as usual. After washing up, he gently opened the door, preparing to pick up the breakfast Xun'er had prepared before heading to the back mountain for training. All of this seemed to have become a habit.

But today was different from usual. As soon as Xiao Yan opened the door, a red figure appeared before him, carrying a food box. Her slender, shapely figure and slightly developed breasts were incredibly alluring, and a faint blush rose to her delicate face. The beautiful figure before him suddenly stirred Xiao Yan's heart, and his eyes were fixed intently on Xun'er.

"Brother Xiao Yan..." A melodious voice rang out, slightly shy.

Hearing Xun'er's sweet voice, Xiao Yan finally came to his senses and murmured, "She's so young! She's already so alluring. What will she be like when she grows up?"

Xiao Yan coughed lightly twice to cover his embarrassment, and asked with a smile, "Xun'er, why are you dressed so beautifully today?"

"Is it pretty?" Xun'er asked softly.

"Um, it looks...good! But you're still too young, don't wear such mature clothes too early." Xiao Yan touched his nose and said casually.

"Hmph! Xun'er is not young anymore, she's almost fifteen years old." Xun'er pouted and said with dissatisfaction.

"Alright! So today..." Xiao Yan wanted to ask why Xun'er didn't leave after delivering breakfast today, but he didn't know how to say it. After all, Xun'er had been making breakfast for him for more than a month, and he hadn't said thank you yet.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you want to ask Xun'er why you didn't leave breakfast today and just secretly left, right?" Xun'er said playfully when she saw Xiao Yan's embarrassed look.

Xiao Yan touched his nose and remained silent. How could he possibly say anything? Should he say yes?

"Hehe, Xun'er is a little bored today and wants to spar with Brother Xiao Yan, okay?" Xun'er asked softly with a smile.

"Um, this..." Xiao Yan was a little embarrassed. He still wanted to train and research the fusion of fighting techniques!

"Say yes! Training without real combat won't work. This girl already has the ninth level of Dou Qi, so she can be your sparring partner." Just as Xiao Yan was in a dilemma, Yao Lao's voice suddenly came to his mind.

"Ninth-level Dou Qi? Xun'er's improvement speed is not slow either!" Xiao Yan thought to himself.

"Is it not allowed?" Seeing Xiao Yan's troubled expression, Xun'er's face immediately fell.

"Uh, sure!" Since even Yao Lao had no objections, Xiao Yan naturally agreed. He also wanted to test the results of his month-long training. Xiao Ning was easily defeated with just a few punches and kicks, which wasn't satisfying at all.

"Yay! Brother Xiao Yan is the best! Hurry up and eat breakfast, then we'll go straight there." Xun'er opened the door, placed the breakfast she had carefully prepared on the table, and rested her chin on her hands, quietly waiting for Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He moved his chair and sat down to eat. The food was delicious, with lots of meat, and Xiao Yan's mouth was greasy from eating it.

Seeing Xiao Yan eating so heartily, Xun'er's face also showed a happy smile.

Seeing Xun'er looking at him with a smile, Xiao Yan slowed down his eating pace slightly. After taking a sip of tea, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him: "Xun'er, why did you suddenly think of making breakfast for me?"

"Hehe, I thought Brother Xiao Yan wouldn't ask! Because when we were little, Brother Xiao Yan also brought food to Xun'er!" Xun'er said with a smile.

"But Xun'er, I don't remember giving her gifts more than a few times!" Xiao Yan said in confusion.

"It's true that I haven't delivered them many times! But you've helped Xun'er... No one has ever touched Xun'er's little feet yet!" Xun'er's voice gradually lowered, her head slightly bowed, and a blush appeared on her face.

"What are you saying? Why are you speaking so softly?" Xiao Yan only heard the first half of it; he couldn't hear the second half at all.

"Brother Xiao Yan, eat quickly! You still have to train after you finish eating!" Xun'er clearly didn't want to talk anymore and quickly changed the subject.

Seeing that Xun'er didn't want to talk about it, Xiao Yan didn't ask any more questions, because even if he did, Xun'er would only respond with a smile. He quickly finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth.

"Let's go! Let's spar in the back mountain. I also want to test Xun'er's strength." Xiao Yan burped and said to Xun'er with a smile.

"Hehe! I won't let Brother Xiao Yan down." Xun'er said with a smile, linking her arm with Xiao Yan's.

The two arrived at the summit of the back mountain, where Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er stood facing each other. By this time, the sun had fully risen, and as summer was approaching, the temperature was neither too high nor too low, making it very comfortable.

Looking at Xun'er standing quietly opposite him, Xiao Yan's lips curled into a sly smile. Xiao Yan first turned his body, twisted his neck, and his bones cracked all over. He then clenched his fists together, palms facing outwards.

Seeing that Brother Xiao Yan was warming up in the same way, Xun'er stood quietly watching his performance.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan exerted force with both feet, moving quickly towards Xun'er. As he approached Xun'er, his fist, carrying a fierce force, slammed towards her.

Facing the incoming fist, Xun'er gently shifted her body to the side, avoiding Xiao Yan's fierce attack.

Seeing that Xun'er had effortlessly parried his full-force attack, and recalling her seemingly slow but actually incredibly fast movements, Xiao Yan asked, "Is that a movement technique?"

"Yes!" Xun'er replied with a smile.

Xiao Yan felt a pang of envy upon receiving Xun'er's affirmative answer.

"Big families are really something else! They can easily come up with good movement techniques and fighting skills. Judging by this speed, it's probably no less than the mid-level of the Profound Rank."

"Damn it! You still don't believe me? So what if you have good movement and fighting skills! I refuse to believe I can't beat you!"

Xiao Yan moved his feet quickly, and as he approached Xun'er, he slightly bent his knees and then suddenly exerted force, his body instantly springing up. His right leg drew an arc in mid-air and kicked towards Xun'er with a piercing whistling sound.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!" This time, Xiao Yan used a fighting technique.

Sensing that Xiao Yan's attack was extraordinary, Xun'er dared not be careless. A faint golden light emanated from her hands as she raised them and gently pushed against Xiao Yan's right leg. Xiao Yan felt a gentle force strike his right leg; though gentle, the power was immense, not only neutralizing his attack but also propelling him several meters away. He stumbled back several steps after hitting the ground before regaining his footing.

"Is this the true power of the ninth level of Dou Qi?" After defeating Xiao Ning, who possessed the seventh level of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan felt that even if he couldn't beat Xiao Xun'er, he wouldn't be far off. However, seeing that Xun'er easily neutralized his two powerful attacks, Xiao Yan realized that he had been looking at the world from the bottom of a well.

"Now you know the difference! Even if you reach the ninth level of Dou Qi, you might not be able to defeat her. This little girl has many tricks up her sleeve! And is this how you use the Eight Extremes Collapse? The power of the Eight Extremes Collapse is important, but it is classified as a close-combat technique, and the moves are the essence. You only focus on power and not on the moves, which is really stupid!" Yao Lao's slightly mocking voice echoed in his mind.

"How stupid!" Xiao Yan cursed himself inwardly, realizing that he had only focused on studying the power generated by the Eight Extremes Collapse and hadn't paid attention to the techniques.

"Brother Xiao Yan, do you want to rest for a bit?" Xun'er asked with a smile after seeing Xiao Yan stand still after attacking twice.

"How dare you laugh at your brother! Take this!" Xiao Yan stomped his feet on the ground, leaving a deep footprint, and rushed towards Xun'er like an arrow.

"Mountain-shaking and sea-collision!"

Bajiquan has four close-range techniques: touching, poking, squeezing, and leaning, and four power-generating methods: collapse, shake, thrust, and strike. The collapse fist is like an arrow, shaking mountains and crashing into the sea, its attack is like thunder, and its strike is like lightning.

Seeing Xiao Yan rushing over, Xun'er dared not be careless, because she sensed the extraordinary nature of this move. She drew a half-circle with both hands and then swung them out to stop Xiao Yan's impact.

"Bang!"

Xun'er was knocked back a step by the impact, and Xiao Yan, feeling the inexplicable force, also took a half step back. However, as he stopped, Xiao Yan's body suddenly tensed like a bow, and taking advantage of Xun'er's retreat, he suddenly threw out a punch.

"The Crushing Fist is as swift as an arrow!"

Facing Xiao Yan's punch, Xun'er waved her small hand and struck at Xiao Yan's arm, deflecting his punch slightly.

As the fist missed its mark, Xiao Yan transformed it into an elbow strike, aiming a powerful blow at Xun'er once more, causing her to stagger back a step.

Faced with Xiao Yan's relentless attacks, each wave stronger than the last, giving her no chance to catch her breath, Xun'er finally became serious. A faint golden light appeared on her palms as she drew a Tai Chi-like pattern in the air with her hands and pushed them forward.

Xiao Yan was feeling quite pleased to see Xun'er being forced to retreat by his attack. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been hit by a car, and was sent flying backward. He took several steps back without stopping, and landed hard on his backside, tumbling backward several times.

Xiao Yan stood up, completely bewildered, because he was now at least ten meters away from Xun'er.

"What kind of fighting technique is this? How can it be so powerful?" Xiao Yan asked.

(End of this chapter)