BTTH : Emperor Yang

In the days that followed, Wei Yang’s life became almost leisurely.

He spent his time accompanying his wife and children, and whenever he had nothing important to do, he would teach the three little ones some Dou Techniques. Each of these techniques had been personally tailored by Wei Yang for them.

The grades weren’t high, only at the Mid to High-Level Xuan Grade, mainly meant to build their foundation during these early years. As for those deeper, more esoteric arts, they weren’t necessary yet, and the children would have a hard time learning them anyway.

Starting from the basics and advancing step by step was the proper path.

The three little ones worked hard too, and the talent they displayed genuinely delighted Wei Yang. They were all sharp and perceptive, with a rare innate spiritual intuition. Most things clicked for them as soon as they were shown once.

Watching the three children practicing their Dou Techniques on the grassy field, faces serious and earnest, Wei Yang couldn’t help but smile and nod. This was how it should be. Talent, potential, resources, diligence, discipline — they lacked none of it.

This was what true genius looked like. Even geniuses had grades.

Compared to this, all those so-called prodigies in the outside world were nothing more than roadside weeds in Wei Yang’s eyes. Looking at the three energetic youngsters, Wei Yang suddenly felt as if he had quietly stepped into the ranks of the older generation.

The dazzling title of ”genius” that once hung above his head had slowly faded away. He was no longer that monstrous prodigy from the past, but had grown into an influential powerhouse who stood at the top.

After all, with his strength at Late-stage Five-Star Dou Sheng, he was one of the few supreme experts on the entire continent. At the very least, he had already surpassed Hall of Souls’s Hall Master, Hun Miesheng, by a clear margin.

Thinking of this, Wei Yang’s gaze momentarily drifted into a daze. He had been walking this path since he was six years old. Unknowingly, more than twenty years had passed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Soft ripples, like flowing water, drifted through the air.

Hm?

Wei Yang refocused, turned around, and looked toward the deeper region of the Star Realm. There, atop a mist-shrouded mountain peak, a slender black-clad figure sat cross-legged on a massive boulder.

Floating directly in front of him was a faint, illusory soul body — seated just like him. Both figures had Xiao Yan’s appearance. At this moment, a faint crystalline layer quietly surfaced along the surface of the soul body.

From a distance, it resembled a semi-solid human silhouette — mysterious and extraordinary. A soft glow shimmered across the strange crystalline surface, spreading outward in gentle waves.

Wherever the light touched, the surrounding grass grew even lusher and more vibrant, brimming with astonishing vitality.

”Is he about to break through?” Wei Yang clasped his hands behind his back, eyes narrowing slightly as he murmured to himself.

It seemed that this time, in the path of the soul, Xiao Yan was going to surpass him by a small margin.

Rustle—

As time passed, invisible ripples slowly radiated out from Xiao Yan’s position.

These soundless waves caused the area within a thousand feet around the mountain peak to fall into an eerie silence. Every living creature in the forest from the smallest critters to the fiercest magic beasts suddenly felt a terrifying pressure claw at the depths of their souls.

Under this overwhelming presence, even the most ferocious beasts in the mountains collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to let out the slightest growl. The change made no noise, yet the disturbance it caused was immense.

Though the ripples were invisible, they carried an irresistible force. Not long after they spread, they reached further and further, eventually sweeping across the entire Star Realm, alarming everyone within it.

Several Falling Star Pavilion disciples who were training in the nearby mountain forests suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over them. Their bodies swayed uncontrollably, almost collapsing to the ground.

Instantly, panic surged in their hearts, and they hurriedly retreated, quickly distancing themselves from the mountain peak. Only after retreating more than a thousand feet from the mountain peak — even farther, in fact did the dizziness finally begin to ease.

The disciples exchanged unsettled looks, staring toward the mist-covered peak. But with the dense fog swirling around it, they couldn’t see anything at all.

”You all may leave. Return to the front area of the Star Realm. Don’t stay here in the back mountain.”

A clear and calm voice drifted gently into their ears.

”Yes, Young Pavilion Master Wei!”

Recognizing the voice, the disciples quickly bowed in respect, then turned and hurried away.

Back on the grassy field, the three children had also stopped their practice. They stretched out their necks, curious eyes fixed on the distant mist-wrapped mountain peak. Yao Lao and the others appeared one after another, their expressions solemn.

Even they felt unable to resist that overwhelming soul pressure.

”He’s already reached this stage...” Yao Lao stroked his beard, a faint look of relief surfacing in his eyes as he murmured softly.

Both of his disciples had now surpassed their master.

”This guy... it looks like his soul power surged a lot. Wei Yang, which one of you two is stronger now?” Zi Yan tilted her head, curiosity evident in her voice.

”Naturally, he’s stronger. At this moment, Xiao Yan has already surpassed me in soul realm.” Wei Yang answered with a small smile.

”He surpassed you? Doesn’t that mean—?” Xian’er and the others looked shocked.

”That’s right. He has stepped into the realm known as Complete Perfection of the Heaven Realm.” Wei Yang exhaled slowly and nodded.

Hiss—

Everyone inhaled sharply at once.

The Heaven Realm Soul was divided into Early, Mid, Late, and the final stage — Complete Perfection of the Heaven Realm.

This so-called Complete Perfection could also be viewed as a Half-Step Emperor Soul. Only when one reached this level could they draw infinitely close to the legendary Emperor Realm Soul.

Even in ancient times, very few had ever achieved the Emperor Realm. Those who could reach that height were without exception the absolute peaks of their eras — beings like the Demon Saint Huang Quan.

Of course, stepping into the Emperor Realm Soul did not guarantee one would definitely become a true Dou Di. However, there was one undeniable truth: if your soul had not reached the Emperor Realm, you had zero qualification to become a Dou Di at all.

Moreover, when one’s cultivation reached the pinnacle of Dou Sheng, possessing such a soul realm allowed their already-maxed-out strength to directly break past its limit and rise by an entire level.

That level was the so-called Half-Step Dou Di level — names like Demon Saint Huang Quan, like Xiao Xuan — individuals claimed to be the closest existences to the Dou Di Realm. Naturally, reaching this height was incredibly difficult.

Advancing in the soul realm was notoriously challenging. Across the entire continent, not to mention the legendary Dou Di Realm, even those who could reach Complete Perfection of the Heaven Realm were so few they could be counted on one hand.

The mysterious cow-riding Old Ancestor of the Pill Tower might be one. A few of the clan leaders from the Ancient Clans, such as Gu Yuan, might also qualify. But regardless of how one counted, the number was pitifully small — practically priceless rarities.

Wei Yang himself had not reached this stage. His soul was merely at the peak of the Late-stage Heaven Realm, still a small step short of Complete Perfection. As for the Emperor Realm Soul that was even further away. In the entire world, only two individuals possessed it.

One was Hun Tiandi, and the other was Zhu Kun.

**