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

"Cai Lin, what's wrong?" Su Baichen noticed her unusual behavior and was even more confused. He reached out to touch her forehead, but she subconsciously turned her head away.

He asked, puzzled, "Why is your face getting redder and redder? Could it be that something went wrong with your cultivation and you're not feeling well?"

Why is she blushing so much when we're just discussing breaking through to the Dou Zong realm? Su Baichen really couldn't figure it out, and felt that Cai Lin was acting strangely all day.

Hearing Su Baichen's words, Cai Lin panicked even more, her fingertips gripping the hem of her skirt so tightly that the fabric was wrinkled.

What to do? What to do? How do we end this?

She took a deep breath and kept telling herself, "Cai Lin, you are the Medusa Queen of the Snake People, the ruler of all snakes. You must not panic, you must stay calm! Only by calming down can you come up with a solution!"

"Dou Zong! Yes, break through to Dou Zong!"

"This is the safest way out right now. If we follow Su Baichen's lead, we can cover up the blunder from just now without making the situation more awkward."

The composure and decisiveness she had developed over many years of leading the snake people returned at this moment. Cai Lin forced herself to suppress the shyness and panic in her heart, slowly raised her head, and gently smoothed the folds of her skirt with her fingertips.

When she looked up again, her eyes had regained their usual composure. Although her cheeks still had a lingering blush, she exuded more calmness and confidence as she met Su Baichen's questioning gaze with equanimity.

“That’s right, Mr. Su, that’s exactly what I was talking about.” Her voice was steady, without the slightest hint of abnormality, except for a barely perceptible tremor at the end: “I was just too excited and lost my composure for a moment, please don’t mind it, sir.”

She deliberately emphasized the word "excited," as if making an excuse for her earlier unusual behavior. Then, she changed the subject and got straight to the point, hiding all her guilt: "Since we made an agreement beforehand, I wonder how Mr. Su plans to help me break through to the Dou Zong level?"

Seeing Cai Lin's sudden "full recovery", Su Baichen was even more confused.

What exactly is going on?

Cai Lin seemed off ever since she entered the room today. Her tone wasn't as cold as usual, her expression was inexplicably fiery, even her clothes were more vibrant than usual, and her demeanor had a shyness and eagerness he had never seen before.

If he didn't know that Cai Die's strength was far inferior to Cai Lin's, he would have suspected that Cai Die had possessed Cai Lin's body.

Just a moment ago, her eyes were burning with passion and she was full of eagerness. How did she suddenly become so deflated? She muttered to herself for a long time, but now she has suddenly regained her composure and continued to speak along with him.

Su Baichen was not a fool. Considering everything that had just happened, he had a vague guess in his mind—perhaps what he and Cai Lin had just said were two completely different things.

Chapter 43 Breakthrough Methods; The Queen's Shyness (2)

Looking at Cai Lin sitting quietly in front of her, her brows remained as calm as ever, as if she had a thousand words pressed down in her heart, yet remained unspoken.

Su Baichen didn't delve into it. After all, everyone has secrets hidden in their hearts. If she didn't tell him, there must be a reason. He didn't need to investigate further.

Right now, the most important thing is that the snake-woman queen is about to break through to the Dou Zong realm.

He was ultimately just a passerby, and would leave this land sooner or later. The rise and fall of the snake people would ultimately be borne by Cai Lin himself.

Only when she truly becomes stronger can the Snake People escape their fate of being confined to the desert, truly lead them out of the desert, and establish a firm foothold on this continent.

"I have two methods to help you break through to the Dou Zong realm." Su Baichen's voice broke the silence in the boudoir, her tone firm and clear.

"First, the Breakthrough Pill." He flipped his palm, and a smooth, lustrous pill with a rich fragrance quietly appeared. As the pill's patterns flowed, pure energy almost overflowed. "I have prepared this pill. Its effects far surpass those made by ordinary alchemists. It can increase your breakthrough probability by a full 50%. It is safe and secure, with almost no risk."

Cai Lin's gaze fell on the pill, her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, and a hint of emotion flashed in her eyes. A 50% chance of breaking through—this was already an incredible opportunity.

"Secondly, tempering with strange fire." Su Baichen put away the pill, his tone suddenly becoming solemn: "Your snake-people's ancient books should record this ancient method."

"Using a strange fire as a furnace, one can temper one's body, fighting spirit, and soul, cleanse one's marrow and meridians, and reshape one's foundation."

"But this method is extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake will result in being burned alive and having one's soul scattered, leaving no way out."

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of earnest temptation: "But once you succeed, the benefits will be immeasurable. After being tempered by the strange fire, your physique will become indestructible, your battle qi will be far more refined and condensed than others of the same level, and your soul power will experience a qualitative leap."

"Especially your bloodline will be sublimated to the extreme in the strange fire, and your aptitude will be completely transformed. It is no exaggeration to say that you will be able to cultivate to the Dou Sheng realm in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Baichen looked up at Cai Lin, calmly awaiting her decision.

This was a crossroads in her life, one that no one else could do for her.

Cai Lin lowered her eyes in thought, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of her skirt. The two choices weighed heavily on her heart, like two ends of a scale.

The first method is safe and reliable, with a 50% chance of breakthrough, which is already incredibly high. However, she is aware of her own potential. If she relies solely on pills to break through, she might be stuck at the Dou Zun level for life, unable to advance any further. Is the future of the Snake-People race going to depend on a Dou Zun queen for protection?

The second method is extremely risky, with a near-gambling probability of success, but if successful, it could lead to becoming a Battle Saint.

That was a height she had never dared to dream of, a capital that would allow the Snake People to truly stand at the top of the continent.

However, if the elders knew this, they would certainly choose the first, conservative approach without hesitation.

But Cai Lin was never content with mediocrity. She wanted to become stronger, to have enough power to protect her people, and even more so... to one day stand beside the person next to her on equal footing.

Seeing that Cai Lin was deep in thought and her aura had become heavy, Su Baichen said nothing more.

Ultimately, she had to figure out this decision herself; no amount of advice from others would change anything. He stood up and began to stroll leisurely through the elegantly furnished boudoir.

Cai Lin's boudoir, like her, exuded an air of maturity and composure. The furnishings were simple yet elegant, without excessive decorations. On the table, unfinished clan affairs were piled up, the ink stains still wet, a testament to her daily toil.

Su Baichen nodded, thinking to himself, "Compared to Cai Die's room, this is indeed much more elegant, and the taste is much more refined."

I still remember when we first arrived in the Snake People's Village, that girl Cai Die happily invited me and Cao Ying into her room.

The room was filled with fresh flowers, exuding a lively and romantic girlish charm. The pink and white furnishings and the sweet fragrance in the air made him almost think he had wandered into the wrong place and accidentally entered a young lady's boudoir. Cao Ying, on the other hand, liked it very much and exclaimed that it was full of girlish charm.

While Cai Lin's room also possessed a woman's delicacy, it also exuded a greater sense of composure and competence befitting a person in a superior position. Even the green plants placed on the windowsill were drought-resistant, easy-to-care-for varieties that radiated a sense of resilience.

As Su Baichen paced around, his gaze was drawn to a beautifully bound book with a dark blue cover in the corner of the bookshelf.

That book stood out from the surrounding classics. There were no words on the cover, only a lifelike blue scale flower embroidered on it, with fine stitches, showing that its owner cherished it very much.

Driven by curiosity, and seeing that Cai Lin was still lost in her own thoughts and hadn't noticed what was happening, he reached out and took the book down.

The pages were gently turned, and a faint scent of ink mixed with a subtle, elegant fragrance wafted out. But when Su Baichen saw the contents of the book, his pupils contracted slightly, and his expression gradually turned to surprise.

He has a humorous personality and is extremely kind to those around him...

His handwriting was neat and beautiful, and what was written in dense detail was his preferences, personality, lifestyle, and even his little habit of gazing at the starry sky alone in the dead of night.

A hint of doubt arose in Su Baichen's mind: "Why is Cai Lin investigating these trivial matters of daily life? Is she worried that I won't be used to living in the Snake-People tribe and wants to take care of me secretly?"

He subconsciously turned his head to glance at Cai Lin. She was still deep in thought, her brows slightly furrowed, her fingertips lightly tapping the table. She was clearly still weighing her options for breaking through and hadn't noticed his movements. Su Baichen suppressed his surprise and continued flipping through the pages.

But when he turned to the next page, Su Baichen's breath hitched, and the book almost slipped from his hand.

At the top of that page, four large characters were written in striking vermilion ink: "Strategy Plan".

The following content is a series of detailed dating experiences and relationship tips.

As Su Baichen looked at these images, he felt a sudden jolt in his mind, and countless fragmented scenes instantly connected together.

Cai Lin's unusual composure today, her hesitant demeanor, the fleeting, strange emotion hidden deep in her eyes when she looked at him, and everything recorded in this book...

That look in his eyes, gentle yet with a hint of cautious probing, shy yet with an undisguised admiration, was exactly the same as when Xuan Yi looked at him.

Combining all the clues, an unbelievable yet incredibly clear answer emerged in Su Baichen's mind—Cai Lin, she likes him!

This realization left him stunned, the book in his hands felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and even the surrounding air seemed to become scorching.

He subconsciously looked up at Cai Lin, only to meet her gaze as she suddenly looked up.

In those deep eyes, there was a fleeting hint of panic and shyness, as if a secret had been discovered; it vanished so quickly that one might mistake it for an illusion.

The tranquility in the boudoir instantly became somewhat subtle, with a faint fragrance of cinnamon and a delicate, elegant aroma permeating the air, intertwined with an indescribable ambiguity and awkwardness.

Chapter 44 The Queen's Shyness (3)

Let's rewind a few minutes.

A faint fragrance filled the air, the unique scent of Cai Lin, mixed with a hint of determination and hesitation.

She sat at the table, staring at the teacup, her heart churning with turmoil.

"Choosing the first breakthrough method is safe and conservative, but its potential is limited and its future achievements are low."

"The second method of breakthrough is extremely risky. Failure will result in total loss, but success will break through the bloodline limitations and allow for a phoenix-like rebirth! From then on, the potential will be limitless!"

These two choices are like two completely different paths: one leads to a stable but mediocre future, while the other leads to a precipice of either destruction or rebirth.

Cai Lin's fingertips unconsciously tightened, causing deep wrinkles to form on the exquisite sleeves of her dress.

She remembered the expectant looks in her people's eyes, her responsibilities as Queen Medusa, and even more so... that always calm and collected figure.

After thinking for a long time, so long that even the light and shadow outside the window shifted slightly, Cai Lin finally sighed heavily. The sigh carried the relief of having unloaded a heavy burden, as well as the determination of burning one's boats, as if she had made up her mind!

"Sigh, I'll choose the second option!" she muttered to herself, her voice unusually firm. "Rather than having to rely on others and be at their mercy in the future because I'm too weak, I'd rather go all out now and forge a brand new future with unlimited potential!"

Her eyes sharpened, like quenched iron.

"In this dog-eat-dog world, strength is always the foundation of conversation. Without strength, you don't even have the right to have an equal dialogue!"

Dignity, freedom, and the future of our community all require absolute strength to defend!

"Strength is always the ultimate truth!"

"Therefore, I will choose the second method of breakthrough!" She said this almost through gritted teeth, each word resounding as if she were declaring war on fate.

After figuring everything out, Cai Lin's gloom seemed to dissipate considerably, and a surge of fighting spirit emerged.

She turned around, about to tell Su Baichen about her bold and dangerous decision, hoping to get his support or advice.

However, she found that Su Baichen was completely engrossed in a book in his hands. He leaned against the soft couch, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze focused, as if he were completely immersed in the world of the book.

“Hmm!” Cai Lin’s heart stirred slightly, a hint of tenderness rising in her eyes: “As expected of the person I’ve chosen, even at a time like this, he doesn’t forget to read and constantly enrich himself. This focus and eagerness to learn are completely different from those brutes who only know how to fight and be fierce.”

Seeing Su Baichen reading "seriously," Cai Lin felt even more convinced of the risky choice she had just made.

She longed to become stronger, not only for her people, but perhaps... also so that she could stand more confidently by his side.

However, before this hint of approval and tenderness could fully develop, Cai Lin's gaze froze on the book in Su Baichen's hand. The more she looked at it, the more something felt off, and a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside her.

"Why does that book Mr. Su is reading look so familiar?" Her heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding crept over her.

"The texture of the cover, the slightly worn edges... it seems like... that book I accidentally left there before..."

As she watched, Cai Lin's cheeks suddenly turned bright red, as if they were dyed with the most beautiful sunset on the horizon.

The answer in her mind became clearer and clearer, like a thunderclap exploding in her brain—it was the journal she had secretly written and recorded, containing countless thoughts, secret feelings, and daily records of the other person!

Every word inside is about Su Baichen, her most tender and vulnerable secret hidden beneath her queenly majesty!

Just then, as if sensing her burning gaze, Su Baichen looked up from the pages of his book, a thoughtful expression still lingering on his face, and naturally looked at Cai Lin.

In an instant, Su Baichen's deep eyes and Cai Lin's wide, shocked, and shy eyes met without warning.

Time, space, and everything around them seemed to stand still at this moment! The air solidified like amber, freezing the two of them in this subtle and awkward instant.

"Aaaaaah—!"