Battle Through the Heavens: I Can Solidify the Talents of All Things

Just as his thoughts turned and he was about to leave the mountain range completely, his brows suddenly furrowed.

At the edge of his powerful soul perception, he caught an extremely faint aura utterly out of place with the surroundings—

A human little girl around seven or eight years old, carrying a tiny herb basket on her back.

At the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where even Dou Shi dared not let their guard down, there was a little girl with no cultivation at all. Her clothes were ragged, and what had once been a white coarse-cloth dress had been stained by mud and grime until its original color was nearly unrecognizable. It was truly strange.

Then, his soul perception "saw" more clearly...

A scrawny first-tier magical beast with crafty eyes was using the shadows of the bushes to silently approach the little girl. Its tiny eyes glinted with the cruel light of a predator toying with its prey.

In the distance, a little girl of seven or eight was squatting on the ground in deep concentration, carefully digging up a pale red herb with a small herb hoe.

Her little face was smudged with dirt, but her large eyes were exceptionally lively. At that moment, they brimmed with the joy of discovering a treasure.

"It's Blood-Benefit Grass!"

She cheered softly and carefully, her voice carrying the crisp sweetness unique to children.

She recognized the herb growing in the soil. The town physician had said that it could stop bleeding when applied externally and nourish the blood when taken internally.

Although this Blood-Benefit Grass was still young, it could at least be exchanged for a few copper coins!

She carefully dug out the herb with its roots intact, afraid of damaging it in the slightest, then gingerly placed it into the tiny herb basket on her back, which held only a few other herbs.

After finishing all that, she stood up and habitually patted the mud-covered hem of her worn dress. Just as she was about to search for another herb, she turned around—and her lively eyes met a pair of greedy, hungry, dark green eyes at close range!

A first-tier magical beast, a Bloodthirsty Rat!

"Ah!"

The little girl screamed in fright. The color rapidly drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.

Tears immediately welled up, spinning desperately in her eyes. Her tiny body began trembling uncontrollably, and even her teeth chattered.

"A... a magical beast!"

She backed away in despair, but tripped over a stone and fell to the ground. Several herbs spilled from her basket, but she did not notice at all.

The Bloodthirsty Rat seemed to relish its prey's fear. It let out a low squeak, bent its hind legs, and prepared to pounce upon its "feast."

At that critical moment, an invisible yet incomparably sharp force, like the finest needle, flashed through the air in an instant.

The Shadow Rat, poised to leap, suddenly stiffened. The ferocity in its eyes immediately scattered, and it collapsed limply, never to stir again.

Still shaken, the little girl saw through her tear-blurred vision that a figure had appeared not far away at some unknown time.

He was a big brother dressed in green, tall and straight, with a face more handsome than any she had ever seen. His eyes were as calm as an autumn pool, quietly watching her.

"What is your name?"

Xiao Qing's gaze fell upon her tiny herb basket, from which several herbs had spilled. His voice was even, revealing little emotion.

"Why did you come alone to gather herbs in the Magical Beast Mountain Range? It's very dangerous here..."

"I... I'm Gu Xian'er."

The little girl, Xian'er, answered timidly. "But Mother always likes to call me Little Fairy..."

For some reason, looking at this big brother made the fear in her heart fade a little. Instead, she felt an inexplicable urge to draw close to him.

She struggled to her feet, her little hands nervously clutching the corner of her dress.

Gu Xian'er... Little Fairy?! A faint trace of understanding flashed deep within Xiao Qing's eyes.

Could it be...

That name overlapped with a woman of special constitution from his memories.

Of course. This was a real world, after all...

Little Fairy's appearance differed somewhat from what he remembered...

"Mother... Mother is sick. Very sick..."

At the mention of her mother, Little Fairy's large eyes instantly filled with tears, and her voice choked with sobs.

"The town physician said it would take lots and lots of money to cure her... I, I have no money, so I could only come gather herbs... I hoped to trade them for some money..."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her little head lowered...

But soon, she raised her head again, as though she had made some kind of decision.

She took the little herb basket from her back once more and held it out before Xiao Qing with both hands. Though her arms trembled slightly, her gaze was unusually firm. "Big Brother, thank you for saving me! I... I only have these herbs. They're all for you! To repay you for saving my life!"

In her simple world, this small basket of herbs was the most precious thing she could offer. It might be worth several silver coins—a vast fortune.

Xiao Qing looked at her little hands, whose knuckles had turned white from gripping the basket, her bright eyes struggling to hold back tears as she tried her best to express her gratitude, and her tiny body standing stubbornly straight. Something soft in his heart was gently stirred.

Her heartbreakingly sensible appearance made him vaguely see another figure.

"These herbs are your hope for treating your mother. Keep them safely."

His expression softened. He reached out, but rather than taking the herb basket, he gently pushed her hands back. His voice was warm, yet carried an unquestionable strength.

"Come on. Tell me where your home is, and I'll take you back."

"But..." Little Fairy still wanted to insist. She felt that such a great kindness could not go unrewarded.

"Let's go." Xiao Qing said no more and turned toward the path leading out of the mountains.

"Ah? Oh... okay..."

Little Fairy froze for a moment. Seeing Xiao Qing's back already more than ten meters away, she hurriedly gathered the scattered herbs back into her basket and strapped it on.

Then she stretched out her short legs and hurried after him, cautiously following just slightly behind him at his side.

From time to time, she secretly raised her little face and quickly stole a glance at Xiao Qing's sharply defined profile. Then, like a startled fawn, she immediately lowered her head again. Her little hand gripped the strap of her herb basket tightly as her heart thumped wildly.

"You know these herbs?" Xiao Qing asked casually while looking ahead, trying to ease her tension and unease.

"I... I know some of them." Little Fairy answered softly, her voice a little steadier than before.

"No one taught you? You learned on your own?" Xiao Qing continued, slowing his pace.

"Mm!" At this, Little Fairy seemed to regain a little confidence. She nodded her small head firmly, and her voice became brighter.

"I watched the town physician dry herbs and secretly memorized them. Then I went looking in the wild fields outside town. I made mistakes... and had diarrhea a few times, but slowly, I learned to recognize them."

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the leaf-covered mountain path.

The tall youth and the tiny little girl walked one before the other, asking and answering as they slowly followed the winding path.

The wind through the woods grew gentle, brushing against their clothes.

Amid Xiao Qing's calm, steady voice, Little Fairy's initial fear and restraint gradually melted away.

An indescribable sense of safety and dependence quietly took root in her little heart...

As for Xiao Qing, he listened to the girl beside him describe in her childish voice the hardships of identifying herbs.

Feeling her resilience and filial devotion, so out of place for her age, he had already decided that he would not easily let go of the fate that had brought them together.

Perhaps her destiny should not be so lonely and miserable!

Woe Poison Body; Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map Acquired!

Outside Green Mountain Town—

The yellow dirt road glowed golden-red beneath the setting sun.

Xiao Qing followed behind Little Fairy. As they neared familiar surroundings, the little girl's steps became lighter, though she still looked back from time to time to make sure that the silent, powerful big brother had not gotten lost.

The closer they drew to the town, the more pedestrians appeared. Most were tough-looking mercenaries who lived by the blade, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat, dust, and rough laughter and curses.

At a roadside tea stall, a bald, broad-voiced man was slapping the table as he bragged to his companions about how he had once slaughtered a second-tier magical beast barehanded.

However, when his gaze casually swept over Xiao Qing, who was approaching at an unhurried pace, the flush on his face instantly drained away, turning deathly pale as though he had seen a ghost in broad daylight!

"It's... it's that fiend! Quick... run."

As if someone had seized him by the throat, his voice abruptly cut off. He sprang from his stool and, without caring about his stunned companions, scrambled into a narrow alley beside him and fled in panic.

He clearly recognized Xiao Qing. Perhaps he had been closely connected to the mercenaries who had been reduced to ashes by the pale white Flame.

This abrupt behavior immediately drew the attention of the surrounding mercenaries.

When countless gazes focused on Xiao Qing, suppressed cries of alarm and whispers spread outward like ripples.

"It's him! The mysterious youth who wiped out Scar Tiger's gang outside town with a flick of his finger a few months ago!"

"He looks so young. How could he possess such methods?"

"Shut up! Do you want to die? Didn't you see Vulture scared out of his wits?"

The faces of some mercenaries who knew the truth were filled with awe and terror.

They instinctively stepped back, making way for him. None dared meet those calm, unruffled eyes.

But some mercenaries who had suffered under Scar Tiger's oppression revealed delight in their eyes.

"Good riddance! That bastard Scar Tiger deserved to die!"

"This young master helped us vent our anger!"

Xiao Qing paid no attention to the discussion around him, as though he were walking through an empty land.

No amount of clamor could stir even the slightest ripple in him.

Everyone's attention was entirely drawn to him, so much so that Little Fairy, the inconspicuous little girl walking before him with a tiny herb basket on her back, was completely ignored.

After entering Green Mountain Town, they found low, disorderly houses lining the narrow streets.

Little Fairy expertly led Xiao Qing through maze-like alleys before finally stopping before a dilapidated courtyard that seemed nearly forgotten by wind, rain, and time.

The crooked wooden door and mottled earthen walls all spoke of the owner's hardship.

"Mother! Xian'er is back!"

Little Fairy pushed open the creaking wooden door, set down her nearly weightless herb basket, and called out with the joy of returning home, though a faint unease hid within her voice.

Inside the courtyard, a skeletal woman with a strange bluish-black complexion lay slumped against a worn reclining chair. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breath was weak.

When she saw the unfamiliar youth behind her daughter, a thread of vigilance barely gathered in her clouded eyes. She used all her strength to ask weakly, "Xian'er... who is this young man?"

"Huh?! Xiao Qing, take a closer look!"

"This woman does not possess the Woe Poison Body, but what resides within her is the source poison unique to the Woe Poison Body!"

"Moreover, the poison has already penetrated deep into her bones and is almost intertwined with the source of her life!"

Old Yao's uncertain voice exploded in Xiao Qing's mind, carrying an unprecedented gravity.

"An ordinary mortal could never have lingered on after being poisoned so severely! Unless..."

Old Yao paused, as though sorting through ancient knowledge, before saying heavily, "There are only two possibilities!"

"First, some mysterious being forcibly implanted a thread of the Woe Poison Body's source poison into her body after birth!"

"Second—and the more likely possibility—is that she once carried an Innate Woe Poison Body!"

"The mother and fetus were linked by blood. During pregnancy, she was eroded by the source poison unconsciously emitted by the unborn child. That is why the poison is so deeply rooted and intertwined with her life itself!"

Hearing this, Xiao Qing's eyes instantly sharpened. His soul power carefully swept over Gu Ting's body.

Sure enough, the poison did not simply exist in her blood or organs. Instead, like maggots clinging to bone, it had formed a strange and cruel balance with her faint life force. This was absolutely not ordinary poisoning.

She had survived until now solely on the strength of astonishing willpower, but she was already at the brink of collapse.

"Woe Poison Body?"

Xiao Qing let out a "confused" sound.

After a moment, Old Yao's voice slowly rose again. "On the Dou Qi Continent, there is an extremely special constitution unlike that of ordinary people. It has two widely known names: the 'Innate Poison Body' and the 'Woe Poison Body'!"

"The most famous among them is the Woe Poison Body! Its name comes from the fact that its appearance almost always brings calamity and misfortune!"

"The so-called Woe Poison Body does not rely on ordinary cultivation to increase its strength, but rather... on consuming poison!"

"If a person with this strange constitution accidentally consumes poison, not only will they not die from it, but their strength will instead rise rapidly, just as an ordinary person's would after diligent cultivation! The speed of their advancement depends entirely on the potency and quantity of the poison consumed."

"However, what appears to be a shortcut to becoming strong is actually a cursed path of misfortune."

"As more and more poison is consumed, the toxins within the body will continue accumulating. One day, they will completely overwhelm the person's mind, turning them into a monster covered in poison that knows only slaughter."