Battle Through the Heavens: I can solidify the talents of all things

A year has passed quietly—

The Xiao family's residence is located in a secluded little courtyard.

"Squeak—"

The wooden door was gently pushed open, and a little girl in a light purple dress peeked in.

Her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll's, and her slightly chubby cheeks made her look very cute. It was Gu Xun'er.

Gu Xun'er's big, dark eyes quickly scanned the room. Finding no one there, she pouted slightly, revealing an expression that said, "As expected, no one's here again."

"Did Brother Xiao Qing go to the back mountain to cultivate again?" The little girl frowned, muttering to herself, her tone tinged with disappointment and anticipation. "I wonder if I'll be able to wait for Brother Xiao Qing to come back today to help Xun'er nourish her body..."

Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, and a figure carrying a hint of the frost and snow of the mountains walked in. It was Xiao Qing, who had just returned from cultivating in the back mountain.

"Oh, isn't this our little Xun'er? Why are you here all alone? Who made Xun'er unhappy?" Xiao Qing spotted Gu Xun'er standing in the courtyard with a slightly downcast face. He chuckled and slowed his pace, asking in a teasing tone.

"Brother Xiao Qing!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice and seeing that familiar figure, Gu Xun'er's previously somewhat disappointed face instantly blossomed into a radiant smile, like spring flowers in bloom.

She took short strides and ran quickly towards Xiao Qing, opening her arms wide, her voice full of joy: "Quick, catch Xun'er!"

Xiao Qing laughed heartily, bent down and picked up the little girl who had rushed towards him, easily spun her around, and deliberately weighed her in his arms, teasingly saying, "Oh my! Our Xun'er seems to have gained quite a bit of weight!"

"No way!" Gu Xun'er immediately protested, frowning and puffing out her cheeks. "Xun'er isn't fat!"

Xiao Qing gently placed Gu Xun'er back on the ground, then stretched out his right hand and measured her head, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "Doesn't being heavier mean our Xun'er has grown taller?"

Gu Xun'er's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded vigorously, happily echoing, "Yes! Xun'er has grown taller! Xun'er has grown taller!"

Recalling when Xiao Qing first met Gu Xun'er a year ago, he found that her small body was unusually weak, her meridians were thin and fragile, and there were even some signs of atrophy.

Xiao Qing then understood that this was a side effect of forcibly fusing with the "Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame," which ranked fourth on the Strange Flame Ranking, causing Gu Xun'er to have a weak constitution and a perpetually pale complexion.

Because of his young age and the fact that he is in the foundational stage of developing his fighting spirit, he cannot rely on potent medicinal pills for conditioning. He can only be nourished slowly through gentle fighting spirit cultivation.

This physical condition, coupled with Gu Xun'er's status as the eldest daughter of the Gu clan and her aloof and precocious personality, meant that she had almost no playmates in the Gu clan. When she first arrived at the Xiao family, she was distant and indifferent to everyone.

By chance, perhaps because Xiao Qing was the first boy Gu Yuan described as "interesting," Gu Xun'er became less wary of him.

Don't forget that although Xiao Qing has a high degree of deterrence and suppression over the strange fires in the world, he also has a natural affinity for the flames in the world.

Xiao Qing then took advantage of the characteristics contained in his battle qi, which made it exceptionally smooth for him to nourish his meridians, resulting in a gentle and nourishing effect.

After more than a month of working on Gu Xun'er's meridians, her recovery process was greatly accelerated.

If Gu Xun'er were to rely solely on her own slow recuperation, it would probably take at least six months.

Now, Gu Xun'er has fully recovered. Her once pale face has become rosy and healthy, and with her delicate features, she is so cute that it melts anyone's heart.

Even after recovering, the little girl would still occasionally find an excuse to pester Xiao Qing to use his fighting spirit to "nourish" Gu Xun'er's meridians. She seemed to enjoy that warm and comfortable feeling, which became a unique interaction between the two.

After playing around, Xiao Qing looked at the smiling little girl in front of him, sighed softly, and said in a more serious tone, "Xun'er, in a few days... I may have to leave the Xiao family with my teacher and go out to train for a while."

Xiao Qing was going to train in the Monster Mountain Range, where there was a fragment of the map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, which ranked third on the Strange Flame Ranking!

He had already said goodbye to Xiao Zhan and Aunt Yan Qian about this yesterday.

Although Xiao Zhan and his wife were reluctant to see Xiao Qing leave, they were mostly supportive and hopeful about the arrangements made by the mysterious teacher, and they even prepared a lot of resources for Xiao Qing's trip.

However, Xiao Qing had been unsure how to speak to Gu Xun'er until today.

Gu Xun'er's smile froze instantly, her bright eyes quickly welling up with tears, filled with deep reluctance. "Brother Xiao Qing... are you going out to train with that 'Soul Entity' senior?"

Gu Xun'er's voice was choked with emotion as she tried hard to hold back her tears.

She knew that Xiao Qing had an alchemist teacher in a soul form by his side, and Xiao Qing did not deliberately hide it from her.

Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, Gu Xun'er quickly turned around, her back to Xiao Qing, and hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve before turning back. Trying to appear strong, she said, "Brother Xiao Qing is going out to train and become stronger, that's a good thing! Xun'er... Xun'er has a gift for Brother Xiao Qing!"

As she spoke, Gu Xun'er took out two scrolls from her small storage ring. They looked simple and unadorned, yet they subtly exuded extraordinary energy. She handed them to Xiao Qing.

Looking at the two scrolls in front of him, which were clearly high-level fighting techniques, Xiao Qing felt a mix of emotions, which eventually turned into a helpless chuckle.

"So... I guess I'm now living off a woman?"

Xiao Qing didn't examine the scroll's contents closely; he only sensed the subtle energy fluctuations emanating from it and knew it was no ordinary item.

He did not refuse and solemnly accepted it, putting it into the storage ring he had purchased with the money he had earned from alchemy over the past year.

The sentiment behind this gift far outweighs its monetary value.

Next, Xiao Qing spent half a day carefully giving Gu Xun'er a final round of Qi cultivation, and bid her a proper farewell, promising to bring her a gift next time he returned.

……

A day later, a figure left Wutan City alone and headed towards Qingshan Town near the Monster Mountain Range.

On the journey, Yao Lao's soul drifted out of the Bone Flame Ring, looked at the calm Xiao Qing, and couldn't help but chuckle, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery:

"Tsk tsk tsk, kid, when I first saw you, I thought you were a serious young man focused on cultivation, but I didn't expect you to be such a hypocrite!" Yao Lao floated out of the Bone Flame Ring and teased.

"The precious daughter of a peak Dou Sheng expert, so easily won over by you? You're really enjoying this gigolo lifestyle!"

When Yao Lao was young, he once saw the ancient clan patriarch, Gu Yuan, who had reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng, from afar.

But this time, the distance was so close!

The old doctor was so close that he could clearly feel the vast aura emanating from the other party, which seemed to coexist with the heavens and earth.

Before such a being who stands at the pinnacle of the continent, his remnant soul is like a candle flickering in the wind, and any means of concealing his presence seem pale and laughable.

With just a glance, Yao Lao felt his soul tremble, as if his entire soul was enveloped by an invisible force, leaving him nowhere to hide.

In particular, there was not indifference in his gaze, but a pause that seemed to hold a deeper meaning—Gu Yuan had clearly recognized who he was!

Xiao Qing's lips twitched slightly at the teasing of her teacher, Yao Lao, but she did not refute it.

He simply shook his head helplessly, ignoring the disrespectful old man, and continued on his way.

On the horizon, the outline of the Warcraft Mountains is already faintly visible...