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

The third floor of the Dan Hall.

The space here is unexpectedly large, as if it has been expanded.

There are many independent alchemy rooms, like separate alchemy workshops.

The colorful poison gas in the air was several times more concentrated than on the second floor, and its colors were even more bizarre and vibrant. The almost solidified ribbons of color drifted slowly in the air. The toxicity was so strong that even a Dou Zun expert would likely be in trouble if he accidentally inhaled it.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Su Baichen isolated all the poisonous gas.

Just as they stepped onto the ground of the third level and carefully sensed Zi Yan's location, a furious shout from Zi Yan suddenly came from a pill-making chamber deep inside:

"Damn it! You little brat, don't you dare run away!"

"Ouch! How dare you hit me on the head!"

"Aaaaah! You just wait! Once I catch you, you're dead! I'm going to... I'm going to..."

The voice was filled with anger, embarrassment, and a hint of... helplessness?

Chapter 282 Transformation Pill Beast!

Su Baichen raised an eyebrow, and the group exchanged glances before quickly heading towards the source of the sound.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the alchemy room, one sees that the room is quite messy, with some overturned jade shelves and scattered jade pieces indicating that a "chase" has taken place here.

At this moment, the scene inside made Su Baichen, Cao Ying, and Little Fairy Doctor all want to laugh.

Zi Yan, her face flushed, dodged and weaved in the not-so-spacious alchemy room, chasing a snow-white figure that moved so fast it almost left a blur.

It was a cute little beast, pure white, no bigger than the palm of your hand, resembling both a ferret and a squirrel!

The little beast was fluffy and incredibly agile. It moved and dodged with unparalleled agility in the air, on the walls, and between the jade shelves, always missing Zi Yan's attacks, which were powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, by the slightest margin.

What infuriated Zi Yan even more was that the little beast seemed to be handling things with ease, and would deliberately slow down from time to time.

Just as Ziyan is about to pounce, it suddenly makes a sharp turn and slaps her on the forehead or back of the head with its little paws or fluffy tail. It doesn't hurt, but it's extremely humiliating.

In this confined space, Zi Yan was at a loss as to what to do with the strangely fast and slippery little beast, feeling somewhat like she was being "played with."

Even using spatial powers is useless!

"Hahaha..." Cao Ying finally couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, while Little Fairy Doctor's eyes also curved into crescents.

Zi Yan noticed the people at the door at this moment, and as if she had seen a savior, she immediately shouted, "Su Baichen! Cao Ying! Little Fairy Doctor! Sister Xuanyi! Quick! Quickly help me catch it! This little rascal!"

Su Baichen shook his head helplessly. This girl really can cause some kind of trouble wherever she goes.

His gaze fell on the snow-white little beast, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Xuan Yi's reaction was different from Cao Ying's and Xiao Yi Xian's.

From the moment she first saw the little beast, her gaze was fixed on it. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her face first showed doubt, then gradually revealed an expression of disbelief, as if she were confirming some extremely astonishing yet unimaginable guess.

"Bai Chen, it...it couldn't be..." Xuan Yi's voice trembled slightly as he looked at Su Bai Chen.

She was a giant in the Pill Tower, with extensive knowledge and understanding. She was also aware of the Pill Tower's highest secret—the Pill Tower's elusive ancestor, whose true form was a transformed ninth-grade Xuan Pill!

The aura, spirituality, and extremely pure energy fluctuations of the pills in front of me... although it is several levels weaker than the ancestor, its essence is so similar!

Meeting Xuan Yi's probing gaze, Su Baichen nodded slightly, confirming her guess: "You're right. This little guy isn't a magical beast, but a pill that has taken human form."

"Judging from its spirituality and energy, it should be an eighth-grade pill, and... it is a high-grade eighth-grade pill that has undergone the baptism of eight- or even nine-colored pill lightning. By chance, it has given birth to a complete intelligence and form."

"what?!"

"A pill that can transform into human form?!"

Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor gasped simultaneously. Their beautiful eyes widened, their pretty faces filled with shock.

They had seen rank 8 pills before, but a pill that could transform into a beast, possess independent intelligence, and even run and play with Zi Yan so nimbly?

This completely overturned their understanding! Such a rare object only exists in ancient books and legends and passed down by word of mouth among elders. In the entire Central Plains, there are probably only a handful of people who have been fortunate enough to see it in person!

“No wonder…it smells so good!” Zi Yan was stunned when she heard Su Baichen’s words. Then, when she looked into the eyes of the snow-white little beast, her eyes suddenly shone with a light ten or even a hundred times stronger than before, and her saliva almost dripped down her throat.

A high-grade, eighth-rank pill that has taken human form! Just how much pure and abundant energy must it contain?

This was an irresistible temptation for her! The anger from being tricked earlier was greatly diminished by this huge surprise.

The snow-white little beast seemed to be extremely intelligent. When it heard Su Baichen reveal its origins and saw Zi Yan's covetous eyes that seemed to want to devour it whole, its snow-white fur stood on end, and its ruby-like eyes were filled with terror.

With a screech, it transformed into a streak of white light, tearing through space and escaping.

"Trying to leave?" Su Baichen said calmly, having already locked onto its aura.

He casually raised his right hand and grabbed at the air in the direction the little beast had fled.

hum!

An invisible yet overwhelming suction force suddenly arose, not targeting the entire space, but precisely enveloping the snow-white little beast.

Although the small beast was fast, it was as if it were stuck in a quagmire under the suction of this force containing the power of spatial confinement.

No matter how much it struggled, its body flashing with white light, it still flew backward against its own will and landed steadily in Su Baichen's outstretched palm.

The little beast landed in Su Baichen's warm palm, curling up into a ball of fur in fright, trembling. Its ruby-like eyes timidly peeked at the human in front of it, who had no power to resist it. It then glanced at Zi Yan, who was glaring at it and drooling beside it, and trembled even more violently.

"Hahaha! You little brat, weren't you so good at running? Weren't you so arrogant? Run again and show me!" Seeing the little beast captured, Zi Yan immediately became smug. She moved closer to Su Baichen's hand, made faces at the little beast, and even stretched out her little finger to poke it.

Xuan Yi, Little Fairy Doctor, and Cao Ying also gathered around, curiously examining the legendary "transformation pill beast".

A faint, soft white light emanated from Su Baichen's palm, gently soothing the frightened little beast while simultaneously shielding it from Zi Yan's overly "ardent" gaze.

He carefully sensed the energy fluctuations and spirituality within the small beast, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"What should we do?" Xuan Yi asked softly.

A high-grade eighth-rank pill that has taken human form is, in some ways, even more valuable than many low-level Heaven-rank cultivation techniques and fighting skills.

Is it to refine and absorb it directly, or...?

"Stop looking, I can't give this to you."

Su Baichen glanced at Zi Yan, who was looking at him expectantly, and said with a faint smile that left no room for negotiation.

"Why should I?!"

Zi Yan's face immediately fell, her purple eyes filled with resentment and anxiety, her gaze fixed on the pill beast in Su Baichen's palm.

"The power of your Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit will be enough to cause you a lot of trouble in the future, and I'll probably have to assist you then." Su Baichen shook his head and lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertip.

"Besides, with your current strength and control, you simply can't refine it."

After saying that, he ignored Zi Yan, who was pouting and sulking, and turned to look at Xuan Yi, who was standing quietly to the side, and handed over the pill beast in his hand.

“Xuanyi, you are an elder of the Pill Tower and an eighth-grade alchemist, with the deepest immersion in the path of alchemy. You can keep this pill beast.”

Xuan Yi was visibly taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness flashing across her beautiful face. She quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no need. Such a precious pill would be too wasteful for me... It would be perfect to give it to Cao Ying. She has exceptional talent and needs this kind of opportunity even more."

"Cao Ying, I have other plans." Su Baichen's tone was calm, but carried an unquestionable air.

"Yes, Master Xuanyi, please accept it!"

Cao Ying, who was standing to the side, smiled and took Xuan Yi's arm, softly advising, "Since the teacher has given it to you, he must think you are the most suitable. Please don't refuse."

Xuan Yi's gaze lingered between Su Baichen's calm stare and Cao Ying's smiling eyes for a moment before she finally sighed softly and shook her head helplessly: "...Alright."

She reached out her fair hand and carefully took the little beast. The beast, smelling the fragrance of the pills on Xuan Yi's body, rubbed against her palm affectionately.

Xuan Yi stared intently for a moment, a gentle light appearing in his eyes.

She took out a small jade bottle from her bosom, poured out two or three round, crystal-clear, sixth-grade pills with flowing halos, held them in her palm, and handed them to the luminous image of the pill beast.

The beast seemed to have caught a whiff of something it adored. Its spirit light flickered with excitement as it moved closer to her palm and gently rubbed her fingertips. Its actions were intimate and dependent, making it appear exceptionally obedient.

A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Xuan Yi's lips.

Chapter 283 A Thousand-Year Scheme, All for Nothing!

The pills, ancient formulas, and cauldrons—everyone in the Pill Hall gained a great deal!

Immediately afterwards, everyone followed Su Baichen to the main hall, where they saw the ten guardian puppets that had stood still for thousands of years and the ten orbs of light floating in mid-air.

Su Baichen stepped forward slowly, his sleeves fluttering slightly.

A vast and powerful spiritual force silently surged forth, melting snow in the spring breeze, erasing all the remaining spiritual imprints within the puppet's body.

The faint light in the eyes of the ten puppets flickered a few times before completely dimming, transforming them into the purest weapons of war, awaiting their new master.

"It's quite exquisite." Su Baichen lightly touched the shoulder armor of a puppet with his fingertips, feeling the ancient runes engraved on it.

"A thousand years have passed, yet the energy has not been depleted, and the movements remain as usual. This Creator Saint's skill in puppetry is quite remarkable."

He then beckoned and took the ten orbs of light into his hand one by one.

The light dissipated, revealing a yellowed scroll inside. A sweep of spiritual power completed the task, and the information was clear.

“They are all high-level Earth Rank.” Su Baichen turned around and pushed the scroll and the puppet’s control core toward the people behind him.

"These puppets are quite good. Go back and I will teach you how to control them; they can be used for self-defense. As for these combat techniques, choose and practice them according to your own attributes."

Xuan Yi, Cao Ying, Xiao Yixian, and the others exchanged glances and did not refuse.

They were used to Su Baichen's casual way of giving away opportunities, so they accepted them solemnly and were grateful.

Zi Yan, however, could no longer suppress her curiosity. Her dark, bright eyes were already drawn to the white, jade-like skeleton on the high platform deep inside the main hall.

The skeleton sat cross-legged, devoid of flesh and blood, yet it still exuded a chilling majesty, like a sleeping king.

"Is this the bones of a Dou Sheng?" she muttered to herself, her feet already unconsciously moving forward as she reached out her small hand to touch the jade-like bones.

"Boom!"

A crisp knocking sound rang out clearly in the silent hall.

"Ah—!" Zi Yan cried out in pain, covering her head with both hands, and turned her head sharply, her little face puffed up with anger.

"Su Baichen! Why did you hit my head again! It hurts!"

Su Baichen withdrew his hand, his expression indifferent. Seeing that she still dared to glare and talk back, he raised his hand again.

Zi Yan immediately cowered, shrinking her neck and lowering her voice: "I...I was wrong!"

"Hmm." Su Baichen nodded in satisfaction, then pointed to the skeleton, his tone becoming more serious.