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

"Why not?!" Zi Yan was stunned, as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

Zhu Kun's newly ignited hope was also put on hold, and he looked puzzled: "What's the difficulty? Please speak freely."

Su Baichen held up two fingers again, his expression turning serious: "There are two reasons."

"First, it's my own limitation."

"To implement the method I envision, the requirements for the practitioner's cultivation and soul power are extremely high. With my current strength as a late-stage one-star Dou Sheng, I am far from sufficient."

"Conservatively speaking, we would need to reach at least the level of a five-star Dou Sheng to be confident in safely 'stripping' you out of this formation without causing any damage to you."

"A five-star Dou Sheng?!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan calculated the vast difference between each star level of Dou Sheng, and then thought about Su Baichen's current level. She immediately felt that the hope was slim, her little face fell, and she collapsed to the ground like a little sparrow whose strength had been drained.

"How long will it take to cultivate... Father will have to wait a very, very long time..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Kun was not too surprised; on the contrary, he felt it was only natural.

He was a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, and the one who trapped him was a Dou Di. Even if Su Baichen had obtained the inheritance of an array master and had many ingenious ideas, the difference in raw strength was still there.

A one-star Dou Sheng thinks he can break this deadlock? That's truly a pipe dream.

But having a clear direction and hope has already far exceeded his expectations.

"Hmm, a five-star Dou Sheng... While it's not easy, with your talent and opportunities, it's not entirely out of reach. What's the second reason?" Zhu Kun calmed down and pressed for an answer.

“Secondly, resources.” Su Baichen withdrew one finger.

"The method requires external assistance. I need to prepare some special materials to construct an auxiliary formation to interfere with and temporarily shield the formation from locking onto the senior's dragon soul and body."

“These materials are all rare treasures of nature, and must be of the highest quality, allowing no compromise.”

"Materials? Hahaha!" Upon hearing the second condition, Zhu Kun burst into laughter, his heroic spirit rising.

"I thought it was some kind of difficult problem! Materials are just external things! This is simple, take this!"

As he spoke, Zhu Kun flipped his hand, and a palm-sized, dark gold token that was neither gold nor jade appeared in his hand.

The token has an ancient design, with a lifelike ancient dragon carved on it. Two tiny but deep purple crystals are inlaid in the dragon's eyes, and there are faint spatial fluctuations flowing through them.

He tossed the token to Su Baichen.

"This is my personal Dragon Emperor's Token! Seeing this token is like seeing the Emperor himself! With this token, you can sense and find the core habitat of my Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan - Ancient Dragon Island."

"Once you get there, just ask. Whatever materials you need, the elders of the clan will find them for me! My Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan has a long history and profound heritage. We have all kinds of rare treasures in our storehouse!"

Su Baichen took the token; it felt slightly heavy in his hand, and a vast, ancient dragon's might naturally emanated from it.

He examined the token carefully, then looked up at Zhu Kun, who had an expression that said "wealthy and powerful in our clan," and his expression became somewhat strange, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Zhu Kun keenly noticed the change in Su Baichen's expression, and raised his thick eyebrows in confusion, saying, "Hmm? Boy, what's the meaning of that expression? Do you look down on my token? Looking across the continent, the treasures of my Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan are no less than those of the ancient imperial clans!"

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen's bitter smile deepened. He weighed the Dragon Emperor Token in his hand, his gaze towards Zhu Kun filled with complexity, before finally speaking: "Senior Zhu Kun, it's not that I look down on the power of this token. It's just... you may not know, but the world has changed. The ancient dragon clan of Taixu is no longer a monolithic entity."

He paused, then, meeting Zhu Kun's suddenly sharp gaze, slowly revealed the cruel truth that the other party had been trapped for thousands of years, completely unaware of:

"Since your disappearance, the Dragon Clan has been in turmoil. Now... the Ancient Dragon Clan of Taixu has split into four, divided into four major Dragon Islands in the east, west, south, and north, which are in a standoff and fighting each other endlessly."

"How effective is your Dragon Emperor's Token in the current fragmented Dragon Clan... I'm afraid it's hard to say."

Upon hearing Su Baichen's words, Zhu Kun's magnanimous smile instantly froze.

Zhu Kun then trembled with rage, and an uncontrollable surge of dragon might spread out, causing ripples to spread through the surrounding void.

"Those bastards!" he growled, his voice filled with a rage that had been building up for a thousand years.

"While I was trapped, they dared to split up Ancient Dragon Island and divide up power! When I return, I will make those four rebellious clans pay the price!"

Seeing this, Su Baichen gently comforted him, "Senior Zhukun, please calm down. In fact, among the four Dragon Islands, there is still one lineage that has always adhered to the orthodox tradition."

"Donglong Island has never had a separate Dragon King; it has always been ruled by people on its behalf. For thousands of years, it has never stopped searching for your whereabouts and has always regarded you as its most revered."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Kun's expression softened slightly, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes: "Donglong Island is the place where the Dragon Emperor's lineage is rightfully passed down. Before I left, I established a system of two elders assisting in governance. They... have not disappointed me."

"Tch, what good is it?" Zi Yan muttered under her breath, pouting.

“I went out for a while, and now my family back home has split up. There are even people who don’t recognize you as the Dragon Emperor.”

"A dignified Dragon Emperor should be the head of his clan, but now nearly 80% of the people are not under your control. How shameful!"

Zhu Kun's lips twitched, pretending not to hear his daughter's heart-wrenching words, but in his heart, a monstrous storm was brewing—those traitors, when I am freed, I will tear out their dragon tendons and peel off their dragon scales, and let them know what imperial might is!

Su Baichen spoke up at the right moment: "Therefore, we cannot return to Ancient Dragon Island for the time being. If Zi Yan were to appear now, she would likely become the target of everyone's anger, and it might even trigger a full-scale conflict among the four Dragon Islands. Although Donglong Island is loyal, it is ultimately difficult to defend itself against three opponents alone."

Zhu Kun nodded heavily. He was trapped here now, and if he let Su Baichen take Zi Yan back alone, it would be tantamount to sending a lamb to the slaughter.

Even if Donglong Island were to defend itself to the death, it might not be able to withstand the combined attack of the three major dragon islands.

This is a risk we cannot afford to take.

After a moment of silence, Su Baichen, seeing that the time was ripe, solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Senior, I have another request. Although I have some understanding of the power of space, I still find it difficult to fathom the deeper mysteries. I wonder if you could offer some guidance?"

Zhu Kun looked up at him, his gaze deep.

The situation is now crystal clear—my hope of escaping this predicament rests on this person.

He can't go out by himself, and only he can protect Ziyan outside. Moreover, judging from his behavior with his daughter, their relationship is probably quite special!

He had just used countless herbs to save his wife.

The lives of wives and daughters are entrusted to this man.

The fate of the family of three was already closely intertwined with that of the young man; so what else was there to hold back?

“Okay.” Zhu Kun slowly uttered this word, golden light flowing in his dragon eyes.

"Listen carefully. The way of space is far more complex than simply tearing and traversing..."

Chapter 237 Su Baichen's Heaven-Defying Comprehension!

There was complete silence in front of the ancient emperor's cave.

Su Baichen sat cross-legged in mid-air, his eyes slightly closed. His aura became faint and indistinct, sometimes seeming to merge into the world, and sometimes like a sharp blade cutting through space, mysterious and indescribable.

He seemed to resonate strangely with the space around him, each breath carrying a subtle ripple in the space.

Zhu Kun stood not far away, Su Baichen's figure reflected in his golden dragon eyes, but an indescribable sense of powerlessness rose in his heart, even with a hint of despair.

This "student" has an absolutely terrifying talent in spatial manipulation!

As the emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan, controlling space is an instinct etched in his blood. Tens of thousands of years of accumulation have made his understanding of space unparalleled.

But when facing Su Baichen, he only had to explain some of the most basic principles and application techniques, and the other party was able to grasp them instantly, and even apply them to other situations and come up with new ideas.

Many of the ingenious applications of spatial power took even Zhu Kun himself a long time to figure out back then, but Su Baichen seemed to be able to do them with ease. His skillful application and bizarre ideas were simply beyond reason.

"Am I the Ancient Dragon of the Void, or are you the Ancient Dragon of the Void?!" Zhu Kun couldn't help but roar in his heart. He felt that his dignity as a teacher and his pride as an Ancient Dragon of the Void had been shattered in just a few days.

What made Zhu Kun feel even more powerless was that the mysterious bead on Su Baichen's body could continuously absorb and release vast amounts of energy from heaven and earth, providing Su Baichen with an almost inexhaustible supply for cultivation.

Under this extravagant infusion of energy, Su Baichen's cultivation level soared like a rocket.

With just five days of guidance, this guy broke through from the late stage of a one-star Dou Sheng to the late stage of a two-star Dou Sheng! Breaking through realms was as easy for him as drinking water or eating.

Zhu Kun has lived for so long and has seen countless geniuses, but he has never seen a chosen one like Su Baichen, who breaks through to new heights as easily as drinking water, has heaven-defying comprehension, and has a supreme treasure by his side.

In the end, the devastated Zhu Kun could only find some solace in his role as a teacher and father through his daughter, Zi Yan.

When Zhu Kun was teaching Zi Yan about the Dragon Clan's heritage, seeing his daughter's earnest yet dependent eyes, his heart, which had been somewhat numb from Su Baichen's blow, began to warm up a little.

"Well, it's not my fault, it's just that Su Baichen is too abnormal!" Zhu Kun could only console himself with this thought.

Time flies, and it's already the tenth day.

Su Baichen, who was sitting cross-legged in the void, suddenly subsided the mysterious spatial fluctuations around him. Then, a vast and boundless aura erupted like a dormant volcano!

The pressure of the early stage of the three-star Dou Sheng swept out. Although he controlled it perfectly in an instant, the impact of that moment still caused a slight ripple in the stable ancient emperor's cave space, lasting for half a breath.

As his breathing gradually calmed down, Su Baichen opened his eyes, and a silver spatial rune seemed to flash across the depths of his eyes.

He landed gracefully and bowed respectfully and solemnly in the direction of Zhu Kun.

"Thank you for your careful guidance over the past ten days, senior. I will always remember this kindness."

Looking at the increasingly unfathomable young man before him, Zhu Kun was filled with emotion, but he maintained the composure of a senior and nodded, his tone revealing undisguised admiration: "It's alright, it's mainly because of your extraordinary comprehension."

"You can understand the spatial mysteries I mentioned almost immediately, grasp them instantly, and even deduce deeper levels of change. This talent is truly rare."

"Of course!" A clear and proud voice rang out from behind Zhu Kun.

Zi Yan skipped out and stood affectionately next to Su Baichen, tilting her little face up and saying proudly, "My Baichen's comprehension is definitely the best! The best in the world!"

When Zhu Kun heard the incredibly natural phrase "my Bai Chen," the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He sighed inwardly, "Sigh, it seems my precious daughter is completely smitten, beyond saving."

During those ten days, Zi Yan said "Bai Chen is so amazing" and "Bai Chen is the smartest" almost every day.

Even the slow-witted Zhu Kun could see through his daughter's thoughts.

He even tentatively suggested that Su Baichen's cultivation was too fast and his foundation might be unstable. As a result, Zi Yan immediately bristled like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, staring at her father with a "death stare" as if he had said something heinous.

Whenever Zhu Kun recalls the look in her daughter's eyes when she defended Su Baichen, she feels a pang of sadness, but more than anything, she feels a complex sense of relief and acceptance.

He glanced at Su Baichen, who possessed an ethereal air and a promising future, and then at his daughter nestled beside Su Baichen with a bright smile. The slight annoyance he felt because of his daughter's "outgoing" nature dissipated.

Sigh, I missed almost my daughter's entire childhood. It was Su Baichen who gave her the warmth and support of a family. What else can I say? As long as my daughter is happy, that's all that matters.

Composing himself, Zhu Kun flipped his dragon claw, and several scrolls filled with an ancient and desolate aura appeared in his palm, which he handed to Su Baichen.

"These are space-type combat techniques that I specially selected for you, treasured by my Taixu Ancient Dragon clan. They have been improved by our ancestors and can be practiced and used without the need for my clan's bloodline. Their power is extraordinary."

"I hope that after you receive them, you will study and use them well, and not let them down."

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen quickly accepted the scroll with both hands. He gently swept a wisp of his soul power over it, and instantly, even with his composure, he couldn't help but gasp!

The combat techniques recorded in these scrolls are all of the highest rank, from the advanced Earth rank to the intermediate Heaven rank! Moreover, each one is an exquisite and powerful spatial secret technique.

"What a tycoon! No wonder he's the old emperor of the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void, he's so generous!" Su Baichen was shocked.

He composed himself and, following proper etiquette, "humbly" declined, saying, "Senior, these fighting techniques are far too precious. They are all secrets passed down only by the ancient dragon clan. I am unworthy to accept them and truly cannot accept them."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Kun rolled his enormous dragon eyes in exasperation.

[You little rascal, you say you don't want it, but you're holding the scroll pretty tightly.]

Zhu Kun thought to himself that he saw through Su Baichen's little scheme, but he didn't care. Instead, he thought that this young man was genuine and not hypocritical.

He waved his hand, his tone casual yet leaving no room for refusal: "It's fine, just take it. Consider it... the advance payment I made for Ziyan's meals!"