Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

The next morning.

Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on his bed, slowly opening his eyes. A sharp glint flickered within them.

"My soul force has finally fully recovered!"

Ever since he aided Medusa in her tribulation, draining his soul to near emptiness, it had taken until now for the soul force in his sea of consciousness to replenish. Once it's depleted, restoring it is painfully slow.

Sensing his internal state, Xiao Bai's expression suddenly darkened.

During his days cultivating in the scorched pit left by Medusa's tribulation, the dense thunder energy there had propelled his cultivation to the peak of Nine-Star Da Dou Shi. He'd initially planned to push through to Dou Ling in one go. After tempering his body with the Earthly Dark Thunder, his physique was robust enough to require little further refinement.

But just as he prepared to break through, a sudden tremor in his spiritual intuition warned him of danger. After much deliberation, he heeded the instinct and abandoned the attempt.

At the time, he thought the feeling stemmed from his depleted soul.

Now, he knew better.

His mind was clear, his condition pristine, with no trace of discomfort. Yet that vague sense of crisis lingered—stronger now, amplified by his restored soul.

"Is it because of the next thunder seed?" Xiao Bai murmured, frowning.

Of the five elements, he'd already acquired wood, fire, and earth, leaving only metal and water. The metal thunder, which he was most wary of, shouldn't trigger such a sense of peril. He already harbored three thunder seeds, and Xiao Bing, the fire thunder, was particularly effective against metal.

As for external threats, Xiao Bai had ruled those out upon returning to Wu Tan City. A heavenly tribulation was unlikely— even Dou Sheng breaking through to Dou Di didn't provoke one, so a mere Da Dou Shi advancing to Dou Ling wouldn't either. As for human enemies, it was implausible he'd face the same threat in Wu Tan City as he had among the Snake-People Tribe. He had no high-level mortal foes, and with Xun Er here, the Xiao family was secure.

Unable to puzzle it out, Xiao Bai set the issue aside. He'd already delayed over ten days and refused to wait longer. Today, he'd find a place to break through.

Cultivation is never smooth. A mere hint of danger shouldn't keep me stalled at Nine-Star Da Dou Shi forever. If this feeling never fades, am I to remain stuck here? Face the crisis and overcome it—retreating is not an option!

After washing up, Xiao Bai stood at his courtyard's entrance, gazing in a certain direction. A trace of melancholy clouded his eyes. He lingered, lost in thought, then shook his head.

Fine. I'll find that little girl after my breakthrough.

He touched the delicate bite mark on his neck, sighed softly, and turned to leave.

___

Xun Er's Courtyard

Two figures stood in the courtyard—one clad in black, the other in green.

"Is the young miss preparing?" Ling Ying asked, his eyes on the closed door, his voice low but tinged with excitement.

"Yes, Master Ling," Qing Shuang replied respectfully. "Last night, after returning, the young miss instructed us to prepare. She's ready to break through."

The young miss bore a divine bloodline, a rarity seen once in a millennium. As a child, the clan had bestowed upon her the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, a sacred fire tied to the Gu Clan's bloodline heritage. Legend held that those with exceptional talent could resonate with the flame. When implanted in childhood, it would grow alongside them, purifying their Dou Di bloodline, bringing it closer to its ancestral potency and amplifying their cultivation potential.

The benefits were immense, but during the Dou Zhi Qi stages, the bearer endured the agony of the flame's burning. Cultivation had to progress slowly, harmonizing with the fire step by step. Each stage brought pain, and this final breakthrough to Dou Zhe would be the most excruciating.

The clan leader had long prepared for this moment, sending the necessary materials well in advance. But the young miss, fixated on Xiao Bai, had delayed, insisting on waiting for his return.

Qing Shuang knew that in previous breakthroughs, Xiao Bai had been by her side each time. She'd assumed it would be the same now. But last night, when she'd asked, the young miss gave her a faint glance and said she didn't want him to know this time, explicitly forbidding anyone from telling him.

"When will it begin?" Ling Ying asked, his tone serious. This was critical—no slacking as he'd done before. He needed to be ready to prevent any disturbances that could worsen her pain.

"Ten days, according to the young miss."

"Good."

Inside the room, Xun Er sat at a table, one hand propping her chin, her gaze fixed on a green beaded bracelet on her wrist—a gift from Xiao Bai.

Last night, I was so mad I bit him hard on the neck until I tasted blood. Then I told him I didn't want to see him for ten days.

She recalled his silent endurance, his muted expression, and her heart ached even as it burned with indignation.

This breakthrough gives me the perfect chance to show him I mean business. He needs a little lesson— he can't be so reckless.

He's been gone less than a year, and already there are two women! If this continues, who knows how many more there'll be after I leave?

"Xiao Bai gege, don't blame me for being harsh," she muttered, her eyes flashing with concern. I wonder if the wound on his neck is healing.

___

Xiao Bai left the Xiao family and arrived at a barren mountain over a hundred miles from Wu Tan City. From the air, he'd scouted the area: desolate, uninhabited, with only an overgrown path unused for years.

No one to disturb me. Perfect for a breakthrough.

The lesson from the Earthly Dark Thunder lingered. He wouldn't attempt this at the Xiao family's back mountain.

Reflecting on his thunder seeds—Xiao Yi (wood), Xiao Bing (fire), and Xiao Wu (earth)—he'd noticed a pattern. Each was stronger than the last, though their auras were similar in intensity. Why such a difference in their manifestations?

Xiao Yi had only stirred within him. Xiao Bing affected a few feet around his body. Xiao Wu had unleashed chaos for thousands of meters, amplified by the desert environment. As his cultivation grew, the thunder seeds' emergences became more potent.

Perhaps when my cultivation was weaker, the talisman suppressed most of their power, causing these variations. It's the only explanation.

This time, he'd chosen a remote location to avoid a repeat of Xiao Wu's impact. If the next thunder seed affects thousands of meters—or more—the Xiao family wouldn't need the Soul Hall to wipe them out. My own thunder would do it.