Battle Through the Heavens: I Can Solidify All Talents

"In the end, they would often explode and die amid endless pain and madness. The poisonous mist formed from their bodies would be enough to turn everything within a thousand miles into a lifeless dead zone!"

"That was why whenever a Woe Poison Body appeared, it was like a natural disaster descending. Everyone spoke of it with fear and dreaded it like a tiger."

"Once discovered, they would almost certainly be hunted down by every major faction, the threat strangled before it could fully grow."

Old Yao's voice carried an almost imperceptible trace of sorrow. "This constitution is a Talent, but also the most vicious curse. It grants people power, yet strips them of the right to be 'human,' ultimately leading them to destruction! I never expected..."

"That I would personally see an Innate Woe Poison Body here, and such a young child at that..."

"Giving birth to... an Innate Woe Poison Body... That means..."

Xiao Qing responded inwardly, voicing his "deduction." His gaze involuntarily fell upon Xiao Yi Xian beside him, the innocent little girl with clear eyes.

The answer seemed ready to reveal itself.

"The Woe Poison Body... has appeared in the world once more..."

Old Yao's voice carried a complicated sigh, as though it had stirred some distant memories.

While master and disciple conversed in secret,

Xiao Yi Xian faced her mother's question, nervously twisting the corner of her tattered clothes with her little hands. Her eyes darted away, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Mother, Xian'er... Xian'er ran into a magical beast while gathering herbs just now. It was... it was this big brother who saved Xian'er."

"You foolish child! Didn't Mother tell you not to go to such dangerous places again?"

Hearing this, Gu Ting's withered face filled with urgency and fear. She struggled to rise, only to be seized by a heart-wrenching fit of coughing. Her bluish-black complexion gained even more of a deathly pallor.

"Mother, don't move. Xian'er is fine, really!" Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly stepped forward and supported her mother with her tiny body.

After Gu Ting's breathing gradually steadied, she looked at Xiao Qing again. The vigilance in her eyes had been replaced by gratitude so deep it could not be dissolved.

She forced out a weak smile, her breath barely there. "Th-thank you, young sir, for saving her life... Gu Ting has no way to repay you..."

"You need not stand on ceremony, madam. I merely happened to be there."

Xiao Qing's voice remained calm, but as he looked at the mother and daughter who depended on each other for survival, especially after considering the cruel truth, he had already made his decision.

Three days later—

Xiao Qing retrieved the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map hidden within the cave dwelling in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Not long after, he quietly left Green Mountain Town and set out on the long journey toward the Tagor Desert.

Over those three days, Old Yao relied on his profound knowledge of alchemy, his soul perception, and former friends...

He finally confirmed that Xiao Yi Xian was indeed the one-in-ten-thousand, fated-to-suffer Innate Woe Poison Body!

Old Yao could not help sighing once again at the strangeness of fate. This physique, filled with misfortune and curses, had quietly appeared here.

And her mother, Gu Ting, was the pitiful mother whose body had been eroded by poison because she had carried her.

Looking at the innocent little girl, Old Yao let out a long sigh. There was both astonishment at this peerless physique returning to the world and deep pity for her future fate.

During those three days, Xiao Qing acted. Using pure Dou Qi together with high-grade antidote pills he carried, he dispersed the accumulated source poison of the Woe Poison Body within Gu Ting.

He also used pills that strengthened the foundation and replenished vitality to make up for the life essence that the poison had drained from her over the years.

He stored that source poison in a jade vial, intending to use it as cultivation nourishment for Xiao Yi Xian once she began cultivating in the future.

He believed that when the time came, this source poison originating from her would play a crucial role for her!

Although Gu Ting had not yet fully recovered her health, her life was no longer in danger. Her complexion had also regained the rosy color of an ordinary person, and she only needed careful recuperation afterward.

Xiao Yi Xian watched as the "strange illness" that had tormented her mother through countless days and nights finally faded away!

When the long-lost rosy color of the living returned to her mother's face and her breathing became steady and strong, she suddenly threw herself into her mother's arms. The fear and grievance she had suppressed for so long, together with her present wild joy, transformed into tears that burst forth like a breached dam.

She tightly wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, her tiny body trembling uncontrollably with excitement.

Gu Ting gently stroked her daughter's hair. Feeling the long-lost ease within her body, she looked at Xiao Qing with gratitude and reverence that was almost like how one looked upon a god.

Xiao Yi Xian, too, was filled with gratitude and dependence toward Xiao Qing.

To Xiao Qing, the pills used to treat Gu Ting were nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

Yet they could save a life and cut off the continuation of a tragedy.

It was both an act of compassion toward this suffering mother and daughter.

And an early investment in a future Woe Poison Body expert with limitless potential.

He knew very well that if properly guided, Xiao Yi Xian, who possessed the Woe Poison Body, would surely achieve something that would shock the continent in the future!

At the very least, she would reach the level of a Dou Saint!

And with his intervention and training, she would certainly reach that height far earlier than in her original fate!

Perhaps he could change the needless suffering that awaited her in her destined future.

This journey had not been in vain!

Another Fragment Map; Ice Emperor Hai Bodong!

The wind in Desert City carried fine grains of sand as it swept across the stone-paved streets, stirring up dust along the way.

Xiao Qing passed through streets filled with dust and scenery distinctly different from Green Mountain Town, his gaze settling on an inconspicuous map shop.

The shop stood in stark contrast to the bustle of the surrounding businesses.

He pushed open the wooden door of the map shop, and its hinges let out an aged creak.

Unlike other shops that eagerly received customers, this storefront was rather antique, even somewhat worn-down, as though time had stopped here.

The lighting inside was much dimmer than outside.

The air was filled with the mixed scent of ink, parchment, and wood.

Xiao Qing casually swept his gaze across the surroundings. The shelves against the walls were neatly lined with rolled-up maps. Some were tied with string, while others were directly wrapped in plain cloth...

Yet not a single customer could be seen browsing. Only the candle flame in one corner quietly burned, stretching the shadows long across the decaying wooden floorboards.

Xiao Qing slowly approached the counter, his gaze eventually falling upon the old man behind it, who had his head lowered as he drew.

The old man's hair was completely white, tied behind his head with nothing more than a simple wooden hairpin. He wore a thin gray cloth robe.

Though he appeared advanced in years, the aged hand holding the brush was remarkably steady.

The brush tip moved slowly over yellowed parchment, drawing stroke after stroke without the slightest tremble despite his age, as though every line bore the skill of decades.

Xiao Qing shifted his gaze away from the old man and toward the shelf on the right.

With only a casual glance, he spotted it on the most conspicuous wooden rack in the middle!

There hung a Fragmented Map completely out of place among the surrounding maps!

It was only palm-sized, its edges jagged and uneven, as though it had been forcibly torn apart by a sharp weapon.

The paper emitted a mysterious and ancient sheen. Faint, blurry dark patterns could be seen on its surface, as though they were enigmatic marks left behind by time.

His soul force quietly spread out. His peak Mortal Realm perception instantly caught the aura permeating the Fragmented Map.

It carried the feeling of ancient years, mixed with a trace of mysterious fluctuation.

"This is another Fragmented Map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame!" Old Yao's astonished, emotional voice sounded in his mind. "You actually came across another one!"

"Countless experts spend their entire lives searching for these Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Maps without ever finding a trace, yet you encountered two in succession in such a short time. It seems your affinity with the third-ranked Heavenly Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking is truly not shallow!"

Even with Old Yao's vast experience, he found Xiao Qing's heaven-defying luck somewhat unbelievable.

"Be careful. That old fellow at the counter is not simple," Old Yao warned Xiao Qing afterward.

"There is an extremely powerful sealing force in his body, suppressing his true cultivation to the level of a Dou Ling!"

"However, judging from the strength of his soul and his restrained aura, before his cultivation was sealed, he was at least a Dou Emperor expert!"

"Though he is sealed now, his combat experience and insight remain. Do not underestimate him. Of course, with your current strength, you can deal with him easily enough!"

"Understood, Teacher." Xiao Qing did not speak aloud. He was not surprised and merely replied through soul transmission.

He had long known the precise origin of this Fragmented Map and understood the true identity of the old man behind the counter even more clearly!

One of the former Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire, the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong.

It was precisely because of this Fragmented Map that he had become enemies with Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe. Queen Medusa had sealed his cultivation, leaving him only able to display the strength of a Dou Ling.

As for how to handle what came next, Xiao Qing already had a detailed plan in mind.

He raised his hand and took down the half Fragmented Map. When his fingers touched the paper, he could feel a faint coolness.

Then he held the Fragmented Map between his middle and index fingers, waving it before him. His voice was calm yet clear as it echoed through the shop. "Old sir, would you be willing to sell me this map?"

The old man's hand did not stop. He continued drawing attentively on the parchment without even lifting his head, merely saying flatly, "That map is not for sale."

His voice was hoarse and somewhat aged, but it carried a powerful firmness.

Xiao Qing raised a brow, and a hint of teasing entered his tone. He deliberately emphasized the words "half Fragmented Map," making his meaning obvious. "Since this 'half Fragmented Map' is not for sale, why place it somewhere so conspicuous? Could it be...?"

Bang—

Before his words could finish, the shop's wooden door suddenly slammed shut without any wind, completely cutting off the outside light.

In an instant, the shop fell into darkness. Only the surrounding candle flames swayed in the airflow, their shadows dancing across the walls and filling the room with a chilling sense of danger.

A frigid chill rose as Xiao Qing's words fell.

At the same time, a powerful pressure surged from behind the counter, locking firmly onto Xiao Qing.

The old man behind the counter finally stopped his brush and raised his white-haired head.

On his aged face, a dark brown scar stretched across his left cheek from the cheekbone to the corner of his eye. Faint grooves could still be seen along its edges, clearly the mark left behind by a fierce battle long ago.

His eyes, usually as peaceful as still water, awakened as his gaze turned cold.

"Boy, you know this Fragmented Map?"

The old man's voice had lost its earlier indifference and was now filled with icy killing intent.

His eyes radiated coldness as they fixed upon Xiao Qing. Even the air around them seemed to drop several degrees beneath that gaze.

"If you cannot tell me everything you know today, I'm afraid you will not be walking out of this door!"

Xiao Qing met his gaze without the slightest panic. Instead, he directly laid his cards on the table before Hai Bodong, speaking in a composed tone. "Naturally, I know it!"

Boom!

Those words were like thunder, resounding through the tiny map shop.

The desk before the old man instantly radiated bone-piercing cold.

Ice-blue Dou Qi erupted from his body in an instant, like a world of ice and snow descending without warning!

The ink bottle on the table froze instantly, and the parchment became covered in ice. The next moment—

The entire desk before Hai Bodong shattered into countless fragments of ice and scattered across the ground.

The surrounding temperature plummeted to freezing.

The moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals, falling onto Xiao Qing's clothes.

Though his cultivation had been sealed, the soul pressure and aura of a Dou Emperor expert remained.

The temperature inside the shop seemed to drop sharply, and the air turned stagnant.

Yet Xiao Qing's expression did not change in the slightest beneath this pressure, enough to terrify ordinary Dou Lings and even low-star Dou Wangs.

He simply extended his hand without pausing, and a thread of golden-red flame ignited at his fingertips.

Only then did the frigid chill in the shop gradually dissipate without a sound.

He gripped the palm-sized Fragmented Map in his hand and began confronting Hai Bodong.

There was not a trace of fear on his face. Instead, he wore a faint smile as he calmly looked into Hai Bodong's icy eyes.

A struggle over the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map—and also over the dignity of a former Dou Emperor expert—began at this moment!

Mystic Ice Dragon Soar! Peak Mortal Realm Suppresses the Ice Emperor!

"Old sir..."

Xiao Qing's voice was clear and calm as it rang through the silent shop.

"Why be angry? I am indeed interested in this Fragmented Map! How about we make a deal?"

Hai Bodong's pupils shrank slightly.