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

At that point, it's hard to say whether the two of them will be able to get out of bed in the next few days.

The simple-minded Zi Yan was completely immersed in food and cultivation, oblivious to the subtle changes in the atmosphere between Su Baichen and Little Fairy Doctor, and remained carefree as ever.

Two days later, Cao Ying returned in a flurry after going out on errands. Still preoccupied with her master's "bad mood," she sneakily found Little Fairy Doctor and pulled her aside.

"Junior sister, how is it? Master's anger should have subsided by now, right? Has he lost his temper again while I was gone?" Cao Ying asked in a low voice, winking and making faces, her face showing both apprehension and curiosity as if she had done something wrong and was afraid of being discovered.

Little Fairy Doctor was taken aback at first, then her cheeks flushed bright red, like a ripe peach.

Her eyes darted around, not daring to look directly at Cao Ying. She lowered her head and whispered, "Hmm... Master's 'fire'... has indeed... gone down."

"Ha! That's great! I knew you were the most reliable, Junior Sister!" Upon hearing this, Cao Ying felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders and was so happy that she almost jumped up and down, grabbing Little Fairy Doctor's arm and shaking it.

"Thank you so much, junior sister, for sharing Master's anger with me! Next time I get some good medicinal herbs, I'll definitely share them with you first!"

Little Fairy Doctor was so dizzy from being shaken that her blush deepened, almost to the point of bleeding. She pulled away from Cao Ying's hand and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Senior Sister, I... I'm a little tired. I'll go back and rest first."

After saying that, without waiting for Cao Ying's response, he turned around and left quickly like a startled rabbit, his back view showing a hint of fleeing in panic.

"Huh? They're leaving already? I haven't even asked for the details yet..." Cao Ying looked at Little Fairy Doctor's almost jogging figure as she left, scratching her head in confusion.

Why is my junior sister acting so strange today? Her face is so red, and she's running so fast... But as long as Master doesn't pursue the matter, it won't force Master to "vent his anger" on my junior sister.

She shook her head, dismissing the question, and hummed a tuneless little tune as she happily went to share the newly collected snacks with Ziyan.

Chapter 275 An Unexpected Joy—The Map!

In the days since Cao Ying left, the pressure has been overwhelming, like a landslide or a tsunami.

She had only been back at the Pill Tower for a short time when she learned from her master in black robes and her sister, Sister Butterfly, that Little Fairy Doctor's cultivation had broken through again—she had reached the seventh level of Dou Zun.

Upon hearing these four words, Cao Ying froze on the spot, and the jade slip in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

【how come……】

Before she left, she clearly remembered that her junior sister was only at the eight-star Dou Zun realm.

It's only been a few days? It was already a difficult leap from an eight-star Dou Zun to a first-level Dou Zun, but my junior sister has directly stepped into the seventh-level Dou Zun realm!

The difference between them cannot be explained by the word "talent".

Cao Ying has always been proud. As the youngest seventh-grade high-level alchemist in the Pill Tower, she considers her cultivation speed to be at a monstrous level.

But now, compared to Little Fairy Doctor, I feel a sense of powerlessness, as if I can't even come close.

She stood by the window on a high floor of the Dan Tower, gazing at the cloud-shrouded plaza below, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms.

"How...should I pursue her?"

During those days, Cao Ying almost locked herself in the alchemy room and cultivated frantically, but her cultivation level remained unchanged.

It wasn't until Su Baichen noticed her condition that he came to her personally, communicated with the Flame of Life, and gave her a wisp of pure seed fire.

"This fire can help you solidify your foundation, but on the path of cultivation, the most taboo thing is to be impatient and restless."

Su Baichen spoke calmly, but Cao Ying could hear the concern in his voice.

She accepted the flickering flame brimming with life and solemnly knelt down to kowtow.

These past few days, she has been in seclusion refining this wisp of flame. The flame of the Life Flame is gentle yet resilient, flowing slowly through her meridians, each cycle bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

As the last wisp of flame completely merged into her Qi Sea, Cao Ying's aura suddenly surged, and she broke through a minor realm.

Even so, he was still far from reaching his junior sister's seventh-level Dou Zun.

…………

"Um, what do you two want from me?"

In the courtyard, Su Baichen slowly opened his eyes, and the faint energy fluctuations around him gradually subsided.

He had cultivated with the three women several times in the past few days and gained a lot. He was just digesting the pure energy when Cao Ying arrived in a hurry with Little Fairy Doctor.

"Master, this is something my junior sister and I found by chance in an ancient ruin. It's protected by a powerful restriction, and we've tried many times to open it but haven't been able to. We'd like to ask you to take a look." Cao Ying stepped forward and took out a yellowed leather map from her storage ring.

Su Baichen took the map, and the moment his fingertips touched the leather, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

The map is made of a special material, seemingly tanned from the hide of some ancient magical beast. The map features blurred mountain and river formations outlined in dark gold patterns, with a distinct blank area in the center covered by a layer of pale gold light film—the very restriction Cao Ying had mentioned.

"It was because of this map that we encountered the Ice Venerable..." Little Fairy Doctor added softly, her tone filled with anger.

Although that experience was perilous, it also brought her great gains, as she directly absorbed the Ice Venerable's lifelong cultivation.

Su Baichen said nothing, his soul power slowly extending like mercury, gently enveloping the map. The instant his soul power touched the pale golden membrane—

"Click".

A very faint cracking sound rang out, and the incredibly sturdy barrier shattered instantly like thin ice, failing to offer even the slightest resistance.

The patterns on the map suddenly lit up, and countless pieces of information flooded into Su Baichen's mind like a tidal wave.

[Interesting...] A hint of surprise flashed in Su Baichen's eyes.

This is actually a complete map of a Battle Saint's ruins!

Not only does it mark the exact location of the entrance to the ruins, but it also describes in detail the internal structure of the ruins: winding underground palaces, intricate passages, and several specially marked secret chambers... But the most eye-catching part is an area on the edge of the map marked as "ancient forest".

In the center of the forest, a pattern of a dragon and a phoenix facing each other is prominently depicted.

Below the image are three small ancient seal characters:

Dragon and Phoenix Market.

More importantly, according to the map, this ruin is located deep within the Beast Realm.

In Su Baichen's memory, a similar ruin deep in the Beast Domain in the original work slowly emerged: a powerful Dou Sheng expert once passed away there, and his cave had not appeared in the world for a thousand years. It turned out that it was in this place.

“This is a map of a Dou Sheng ruin.” Su Baichen looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

"There should be quite a few rare and precious materials, martial arts techniques and fighting skills inside."

He paused, then said, "You should... have another key, right?"

Cao Ying was taken aback, then remembered something and quickly took out a palm-sized piece of ancient jade from her storage ring.

The jade is bluish-gray in color, with ancient markings similar to those on a map engraved on its surface. It feels warm to the touch and subtly emits energy fluctuations.

"Is this it? It was placed with the map back then, but we never knew what it was for."

Su Baichen took the jade and gently stroked its surface with his fingertips.

The energy inside the jade resonates subtly with the map, emitting a very faint halo.

“That’s right.” He nodded.

"With this key, we can open the entrance to the ruins silently, without disturbing the outer restrictions, and have complete control of the entire ruins."

"Really?!" Cao Ying's eyes lit up instantly, her previous disappointment vanished, and she almost jumped up.

"Great! I can go out and explore again!"

She was naturally a free spirit, and after being cooped up in Danta for so long, she was itching to get out. Now that she had this opportunity, she was naturally excited.

Su Baichen shook his head helplessly: "Don't be too happy yet. The Beast Domain is not like the Central Continent. It is the domain of magical beasts and is extremely dangerous."

He pondered for a moment and then instructed, "Cao Ying, go and inform Xuan Yi to make preparations. We will depart in three days."

"Yes, Master!" Cao Ying answered readily and turned to leave, but Su Baichen called her back.

"Wait, how's the sub-fire absorption going?" Su Baichen asked her.

Cao Ying immediately turned around, a bright smile blooming on her face: "It's completely refined! I even broke through a minor realm in the process!"

As she spoke, she blinked, then suddenly took a few steps closer, giving him a pitiful look: "Master..."

"What's wrong?" Su Baichen felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Could you give me some extra help too?" Cao Ying tugged at Su Baichen's sleeve, her voice softening.

"Like the special training my junior sister received... that can rapidly improve one's cultivation level."

The little fairy doctor's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

"Ahem..." Su Baichen coughed a few times awkwardly.

"Her 'Calamity Poison Body' is unique, and her cultivation method cannot be replicated."

"Then... even a slight improvement would be fine." Cao Ying refused to give up and pulled Little Fairy Doctor over again.

"Junior Sister's aura seems to be getting stronger these past few days..."

Little Fairy Doctor's ears turned bright red, and she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Nonsense! You can't use that method." Su Baichen put on a stern face, but his ears were also getting hot.

"Why?" Cao Ying asked anxiously.

"There's no reason why. If I say no, then no." Su Baichen didn't give her a chance to argue anymore. With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle breeze carried the two of them out of the courtyard.

Chapter 276 The Soul in the Picture: The Saint of Creation!

After sending the two apprentices away, the room returned to silence.

Su Baichen stood alone before the desk, his gaze as cold as frost, slowly falling on the leather map with its dark yellow sheen.

The air seemed to freeze.

"Old man, now that everyone's gone, it's time for you to show yourself."

His voice was flat and even, without any inflection, yet it was like a blade tempered with ice, each word cutting into the silence.

The map remained motionless, with only the occasional sound of wind passing by the window.

Su Baichen was not in a hurry. He simply tapped his fingertip lightly on the edge of the table, and a wisp of extremely faint black energy seeped out from his fingertip, winding and crawling towards the map like a living thing.

The moment the black mist touched the leather, the map surface twisted slightly and emitted a very faint, sigh-like "sizzle" sound.

"Sigh, we've been found out after all."

An aged, weary voice, as if barely awakening from a thousand-year slumber, faintly emanated from the painting.

Immediately afterwards, the air above the map began to fluctuate, and a nearly transparent pale blue phantom slowly condensed into shape.

It was the image of an old man dressed in an old, wide robe, with white hair and beard, a withered face, and a swaying figure, as if he might be scattered by the wind at any moment.