Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Her tone carried a hint of novelty and confirmation, clearly showing her excitement at the complete awakening of her bloodline.

Cai Lin nodded; this was in line with her expectations. The Ancient Celestial Serpent possessed a top-tier, ancient bloodline among serpentine magical beasts, with boundless potential.

She then seemed to remember something, her expression hardening as she looked at Su Baichen. Su Baichen then asked, "So, like Cai Lin did back then, has a new soul appeared within you...?"

These words caused the atmosphere to become slightly more solemn.

Cai Lin moved swiftly, instantly appearing beside Cai Die. Her jade hand gently rested on her sister's shoulder, and a wisp of pure and gentle soul power cautiously probed into her body, carefully examining her.

The Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python possessed a kind and innocent soul, but the Ancient Celestial Serpent might not have been so. Knowing the risks and uncertainties involved, she was naturally extremely nervous.

Sensing her sister's worry, Cai Die relaxed and cooperated with the examination. At the same time, she shook her head and said firmly, "No, my situation is different from yours. My bloodline awakening is complete, but I haven't developed an independent, new soul consciousness."

After a moment, Cai Lin finished her investigation, withdrew her hand, gave Su Baichen a reassuring look, and gently shook her head to indicate that there was nothing unusual.

Zi Yan, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, relaxed her tense shoulders almost imperceptibly and quietly let out a small breath.

[Phew—thank goodness! If Butterfly had become like Sister Rainbow Scale, with an "assistant" inside her, wouldn't I have to fight two to get revenge? That would be a huge problem!]

Her subtle emotional change could not escape the notice of Cai Die, who was in the throes of a playful mood.

The butterfly immediately noticed, its eyes darting around, a mischievous grin spreading across its face. It then reached out and ruffled Zi Yan's already messy hair twice, before whispering in her ear with a chuckle, "Little Zi Yan, what are you secretly relaxing for? Even without the help of other souls, I, your older sister, can easily handle you, my troublesome little sister~"

Zi Yan pretended not to hear, and silently took out a handful of medicinal herbs from her storage ring. As if she was sulking with someone, she chewed them vigorously with a "crunch crunch" sound, turning her grief and anger into food.

The ferocious way he was taking the drug made it seem as if he was consuming not some precious herb, but the tail of a snake woman.

…………

Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, a year has quietly passed.

Nothing major happened at Canaan College that year, but it was quietly accumulating a vibrant vitality.

Yun Yun had already traveled a long way from the Jia Ma Empire, and her arrival was warmly welcomed by Su Qian and other high-ranking members of the academy.

A Dou Huang powerhouse in his prime is undoubtedly a great help to the academy, making the academy's foundation even deeper and its safety even more secure.

Yun Yun herself was completely immersed in cultivation. Under Su Baichen's guidance and instruction, she not only stabilized her original realm, but also gained new insights on the path of cultivation.

After a year of arduous training, her cultivation level steadily increased from a two-star Dou Huang to a four-star Dou Huang. Her temperament became increasingly refined and otherworldly, and the wind aura surrounding her became more harmonious and free.

Cai Lin's progress was even more astonishing. The supreme bloodline of the Eight-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, combined with the pure and kind soul of Xiao Cai within her body working perfectly together, and Su Baichen's targeted guidance, made her cultivation path almost unimpeded.

In just one year, her strength soared from the initial Dou Zong level to the peak of the five-star Dou Zong, and she was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the six-star level. The aura of queenly majesty and allure surrounding her became increasingly profound and unfathomable.

In contrast, Cai Die's cultivation progress seemed to be more "step by step".

After successfully breaking through the Dou Zong barrier, she seemed to enjoy the new power and freedom even more. She would occasionally drag Zi Yan to "spar" (actually to bully her), and often explored curiously inside and outside the academy. She was not so "desperate" in her cultivation.

However, thanks to the tempering effect of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, she steadily reached the level of a two-star Dou Zong. (Su Baichen's comment: Excellent talent, but too playful; her mind is not yet fully calm.)

The others also had their own experiences and made continuous progress throughout the year.

Cao Ying's soul talent is becoming increasingly prominent. She is making progress in both alchemy and battle qi cultivation, and has already reached the Battle Spirit realm. Her spiritual power is as refined as silk, and she can control it with exquisite precision.

Little Fairy Doctor's Calamity Poison Body is now under more stable control, and her cultivation level has also advanced to the Dou Ling realm. Her use of poison power has become much more sophisticated, and she no longer blindly fears it but tries to control it.

With the unique advantage of the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, Qing Lin's cultivation speed is astonishing. He has already crossed the Dou Zhe stage from the Dou Qi stage to the nine-star Dou Shi stage. Strange light flows between his eyes.

After absorbing a large amount of medicinal herbs and Dragon Source Power, Zi Yan's strength surged, and she had already stepped into the Dou Huang level. The bloodline pressure of the Ancient Void Dragon in her body became increasingly intense. However, whenever she thought of the hair that Cai Die had ruffled, she would still grind her teeth in secret, but her motivation to cultivate was still strong.

Ya Fei, who came to the academy with Yun Yun, was able to focus on her cultivation after being freed from the tedious affairs of the Mittel family. With the support of good resources, she also successfully broke through to the level of Dou Shi. Her charm, honed by her experience in the business world, was now tinged with more heroism and confidence.

Chapter 187 Compressed Jade Pendant!

Su Baichen sat cross-legged in the meditation room, the powerful battle qi surrounding him slowly receding into his body like a tide. When he opened his eyes, they seemed to hold the shimmering light of stars—he had achieved the Nine-Star Dou Zun!

"System, open the template!"

【bite--!】

Name: Su Baichen

[Battle Qi Level: Nine-Star Dou Zun]

[Soul Power Level: Mid-stage Heavenly Realm]

[Physical Strength Level: High-level Dou Zun]

Alchemy Skill: High-Rank Eight

[Flames: Glazed Sky-Burning Flame (Refined), Netherworld Poisonous Flame (Unrefined), Flame of Life (Unrefined), Fallen Heart Flame (Sub-Flame/Unrefined)]

[Weapon: Heavenly Profound Sword]

[Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Book]

[Combat Skills: Seven Star Soul Severing Technique (High-level Earth Rank), Nine Swords of Spirit Severing (High-level Earth Rank), Star Moon Soul Transfer Technique (No Rank)...]

[Items: Heavenly Profound Cauldron, Heavenly Profound Pearl, eight Grade 7 pills, twelve Grade 6 pills...]

"Hmm, not bad!"

"System, initiate the lottery!"

With a thought, a pale blue light screen, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.

【bite--!】

[Giveaway in progress...]

Countless phantom images of rare treasures flowed across the light screen, finally settling on an ancient, simple blue jade pendant.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a compressed jade pendant!]

"A compressed jade pendant? What the hell is that?"

Su Baichen raised an eyebrow and held the warm, smooth jade pendant in his hand.

The jade pendant was no bigger than the palm of one's hand, with mysterious patterns engraved on its surface, and energy seemed to circulate within it.

"System, open the compressed jade pendant description!"

[Compression Jade Pendant: Automatically compresses energy to the optimal degree based on the host's physical strength, strengthening the foundation and improving energy quality! Note: This jade pendant is an intelligent auxiliary magical artifact; it requires no active operation and takes effect simply by wearing it.]

"Hmm, not bad, just right for me right now!"

A hint of joy flashed in Su Baichen's eyes. He knew the path after the Nine-Star Dou Zun—that was the crucial stage of preparing for the breakthrough to Half-Saint.

This stage is called "Nine Revolutions to Sainthood," which requires compressing one's own battle qi nine times. Each revolution is equivalent to re-condensing all the battle qi of a nine-star Dou Zun into the body.

The most difficult part is not accumulating energy, but ensuring that the compression process is perfectly matched with the strength of the physique. Insufficient compression leads to an unstable foundation, while excessive compression causes the physique to collapse. Throughout history, countless brilliant individuals have failed at this crucial hurdle.

This compressed jade pendant precisely solved the most challenging problem of balance.

As soon as the jade pendant was hung around his neck, Su Baichen felt the powerful fighting spirit within his body begin to circulate on its own.

It was an extremely subtle control—energy was being combed and compressed in the meridians as if by an invisible hand. The fighting spirit, which was originally surging like a river, gradually became as heavy and solid as molten mercury, yet it was maintained just right at the edge of the body's limit.

"My darling!"

Su Baichen dared not delay. With a thought, he disappeared from the quiet room.

Within the Heavenly Profound Pearl lies a self-contained microcosm. Here, time flows differently from the outside world, and the concentration of spiritual energy is several times higher, making it an ideal place for cultivation.

Su Baichen found a valley with the richest spiritual energy, sat down cross-legged, and fully circulated his cultivation technique in conjunction with the compression effect of the jade pendant.

Time passed second by second.

Inside the Heavenly Profound Pearl, three hours are equivalent to thirty hours outside. During this time, Su Baichen's battle qi underwent a tremendous change—the quantity decreased by 30%, but the quality increased by more than five times! The battle qi, as solid as liquid metal, even emitted a faint thunderous sound as it flowed through his meridians.

As the last wisp of battle qi completed its transformation, a visible ripple of energy suddenly erupted around Su Baichen. The spiritual herbs in the valley were flattened, and the distant lake rippled with waves.

"The first transformation of Dou Zun has been achieved!"

He opened his eyes, stood up, and felt the unprecedented power within his body. He couldn't help but sigh softly, "Ah, I'm so lucky."

This wasn't an exaggeration—without the compressed jade pendant obtained through the system's lottery, without the blessing of the auspicious beast, without the heaven-defying cultivation treasure, the Heavenly Profound Pearl, he would never have been able to complete his first battle qi compression in just three short hours, a feat that would take others months or even years.

"Now I have the ability to protect myself." Su Baichen clenched his fist, and the space around him distorted slightly.

"With my current overall strength, only a Dou Sheng can reliably defeat me. But even a low-level Dou Sheng would find it difficult to capture me. As for a high-level Dou Sheng... I shouldn't be so unlucky as to encounter one, right?"

With this in mind, he focused his thoughts on the system space and his gaze fell on the item he had never used since he obtained it—the World Travel Portal.

This is a seemingly ordinary bronze door frame, inside which lies a swirling nebula. The instructions are simple: randomly select an unknown world for travel, and stay for ten years.

The unknown often means the greatest danger. If he were to be matched with a higher world where powerful beings could destroy the world at will, his cultivation level of a first-stage Dou Zun would probably be insufficient to even protect himself.

"But now, it's time to go and explore."

Su Baichen took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes. The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens; if one were to stagnate due to fear of the unknown, how could one possibly reach the pinnacle?

"System, activate the world portal!"

[Ding! Matching in an unknown world...]

The nebula vortex on the bronze door frame began to spin faster, and images of countless worlds flashed by within it—there were vast worlds of cultivation shrouded in immortal energy, interstellar civilizations teeming with mechs, and fantastical continents shimmering with magic…

Su Baichen involuntarily held his breath, silently praying, "God help me, please don't match me with a higher-level world. I'm not greedy, as long as it's not higher than the Dou Qi Continent!"

[Ding! Match successful in the unknown world!]

[Matching World: Douluo World!]

[World Level Assessment: Low-level Fantasy Dimension]

[Host has one day to prepare. Once the time is up, the forced transmigration will begin!]

"Holy crap..." Su Baichen was stunned at first, then his expression became extremely complicated.

"You've lowered your head too much!"

He scratched his head, both amused and exasperated: "It's actually that fantasy sewer world!"

As a transmigrator, he had read a lot of online novels in his previous life and was very familiar with the name "Douluo World"—soul rings, soul skills, titled Douluo... all sorts of fancy things.

"Fine, low-level is low-level then." Su Baichen quickly adjusted his mindset. "At least safety is guaranteed. And... maybe I can find something interesting there."

He stroked his chin, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "I wonder if my cultivation level of a first-stage Dou Zun would be absolutely crushing in the Douluo World?"

"Even the realm of gods is the same!"

A day is enough time to make many preparations.