Battle Through the Heavens: I Can Solidify All Talents

Xiao Qing straightened his already wrinkle-free clothes and calmly pushed open the hall doors.

The morning sunlight was somewhat dazzling. Xiao Qing narrowed his eyes slightly and saw Hua She'er standing respectfully outside with two guards. However, the way they looked at him held a few more indescribable traces of scrutiny than it had the night before.

"Alright, lead the way."

Xiao Qing nodded, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

As he walked through the Royal Palace corridors once more, there seemed to be even more furtive gazes cast his way. Though the whispers had been lowered to nearly nothing, they could not escape Xiao Qing's senses.

Xiao Qing acted as though he noticed nothing and simply followed Hua She'er back to Queen Medusa's bedchamber.

Unlike the stillness of the previous night, the bedchamber doors stood open today, and the interior appeared bright and solemn.

Queen Medusa was already seated upon the Snake-Head Throne that symbolized supreme authority.

She had changed into a new purple brocade robe, just as luxurious as before, perfectly outlining her breathtaking curves.

Her pale complexion had regained some of its usual cold beauty and majesty after recuperation and the cover of makeup. Yet upon closer inspection, a trace of exhaustion and weakness still lingered between her brows, impossible to fully conceal.

Those pale violet eyes were calmly watching Xiao Qing as he entered from the doorway. Her gaze was sharp, as if she wished to see straight through him.

"It seems you rested well."

Old Yao's Resurrection Wedge, a Peak Tier 7 Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill!

Queen Medusa spoke first. Her voice was cool and emotionless, but the slender jade fingers resting on the throne's armrest tightened ever so slightly.

Xiao Qing walked to the center of the hall and stopped. Meeting Queen Medusa's gaze, he replied calmly, "Your Majesty's complexion is much better than yesterday's as well."

That casual greeting made the corner of Queen Medusa's eye twitch slightly.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. Deciding not to beat around the bush any longer, she went straight to the point.

"Since that is the case, let us discuss business. You want me to serve you for ten years and help you gather medicinal ingredients. What ingredients do you need, and how many? You can tell me now, can't you?"

Queen Medusa's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Qing. To a certain extent, the list of medicinal ingredients could also reveal the other party's purpose and foundations.

Xiao Qing seemed to have expected Queen Medusa to be so direct. His expression did not change as he lightly brushed his Storage Ring.

A flash of light passed, and an ancient-looking green scroll appeared in Xiao Qing's hand.

"The list of medicinal ingredients is all within this scroll."

Xiao Qing did not hand it over immediately. Instead, he held it in his hand and calmly looked at Queen Medusa.

"However, before I give this to you, I hope Your Majesty understands one thing."

"Speak."

Queen Medusa's red lips parted slightly, uttering a single word.

"Searching for these medicinal ingredients may involve some of the Snake-People Tribe's reserves, or require mobilizing the tribe's forces to venture into dangerous places."

Xiao Qing's tone was unhurried, yet it carried an unquestionable weight.

"I hope that no pointless suspicion or delay during the process will affect the final result."

"After all, the sooner you break through to Dou Zong, the sooner the Snake-People Tribe can escape its current predicament, and the sooner our agreement will end."

Xiao Qing's words were like an invisible needle, striking precisely at the most sensitive place in Queen Medusa's heart.

Queen Medusa fell silent for a moment. Light flickered within her violet eyes, and at last, her tense shoulders relaxed by an almost imperceptible degree.

"Since I have agreed, I will not go back on my word."

Queen Medusa's voice remained cold, but it had lost some of its previous sharpness.

"The Snake-People Tribe's honor is not for you to question! Hand over the scroll!"

Xiao Qing said nothing more. With a light flick of his wrist, the green scroll seemed to be supported by an invisible hand as it flew steadily toward Queen Medusa on the throne.

The queen extended her delicate jade hand and seized the scroll.

When her fingertips touched the slightly cool material of the scroll, Queen Medusa's heartbeat unexpectedly quickened.

This thin scroll seemed to truly bear the fate of both her and the entire Snake-People Tribe!

Queen Medusa steadied herself and slowly unfurled the scroll with a trace of solemnity.

When the words "Peak Tier 7 Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill" entered her sight, Queen Medusa felt her breathing stop.

Queen Medusa's slender fingers clenched tightly around the green scroll, her knuckles turning faintly white from the force.

"This..."

Queen Medusa murmured, unable to conceal the shock in her voice.

As the queen of the Snake-People Tribe, she knew all too well what a Tier 7 Medicinal Pill represented.

In the entire Jia Ma Empire, even Tier 6 Alchemists were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, much less Tier 7 medicinal pills.

Pills of this grade usually existed only in ancient records. Every single one that appeared in the world was enough to shake the entire Northwest Continent.

Queen Medusa forcibly suppressed the storm raging in her heart and continued reading.

Blood Essence Demon Fruit, Ten-Thousand-Year Green Spirit Vine, Snow Bone Ginseng... Each medicinal ingredient was more astonishing than the last.

Any one of these ingredients would be enough to make Dou Emperor experts fight until their heads bled.

Yet this list contained no fewer than three main ingredients, as well as more than ten rare supplementary ingredients.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward a hidden compartment in the corner of the bedchamber.

Within it were the rare medicinal ingredients the Snake-People Tribe had gathered over hundreds of years, including a carefully preserved section of Ten-Thousand-Year Green Spirit Vine.

Three hundred years ago, an elder at the Peak Dou Emperor realm had brought it out of an ancient ruin at the cost of his life. It had always been one of the Snake-People Tribe's greatest treasures.

"Later..." Queen Medusa spoke with difficulty, her voice slightly hoarse. "I will have someone take you to the treasury to select medicinal ingredients."

Her heart was bleeding as she said this.

Those medicinal ingredients were not merely precious resources. They were an inheritance bought with the blood of generations of Snake-People Tribe ancestors.

But for the future of her people, Queen Medusa had no choice but to make this difficult decision.

Xiao Qing keenly caught the struggle in her eyes and spoke at the right moment. "Of course, if anyone in the Snake-People Tribe needs pills refined, they may come to me."

He said it lightly, but Queen Medusa suddenly raised her head.

Having gone months without refining pills, Xiao Qing's hands had indeed begun to itch.

Ever since his soul realm had broken through to the Early Spirit Realm, Xiao Qing had gained an entirely new understanding of alchemy. He needed extensive practice to verify it.

The Snake-People Tribe's stockpile of rare medicinal ingredients was perfect for him to practice with and accumulate experience for his push toward becoming a Tier 7 Alchemist.

"What tier of medicinal pills can you refine?"

Queen Medusa could not help asking. There was a trace of expectation in her voice that even she had not noticed.

"Tier 6."

Those two simple words instantly froze the air within the bedchamber.

Queen Medusa's red lips parted slightly, and disbelief filled those eyes that were usually so imposing.

It was not as though she had never guessed Xiao Qing's alchemy rank, but at most, she had thought he was a Tier 3 or Tier 4 Alchemist.

After all, Xiao Qing looked so young. Reaching the Three-Star Dou Wang realm in Dou Qi cultivation was already monstrous enough!

If he was also a Tier 6 Alchemist... that would completely overturn Queen Medusa's understanding of cultivation.

Xiao Qing saw her doubt but offered no further explanation.

With a thought, a vast surge of Soul Power silently spread outward.

It carried no aggression, merely pure presence, yet Queen Medusa's face instantly turned pale, as if she had been thrown into the depths of a boundless sea, unable even to breathe.

This was... absolute suppression at the level of the soul!

Queen Medusa gripped the throne's armrest, her fingertips trembling faintly.

Only now did Queen Medusa truly understand just how terrifying the abilities hidden by this seemingly young man were.

Previously, Queen Medusa had believed that gathering these high-grade medicinal ingredients was all the work of Xiao Qing's teacher. But now, it seemed...

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

After all, the Snake-People Tribe had no alchemists.

Moreover, within the Jia Ma Empire, no alchemist was willing to help the Snake-People Tribe refine medicinal pills.

Over the years, the tribe's accumulated precious medicinal ingredients could only be used in the most primitive manner, leaving less than one-tenth of their efficacy.

If they could be turned into pills...

At present, the Snake-People Tribe desperately needed a high-tier alchemist!

"Alright."

Queen Medusa finally made up her mind. Though her voice remained cold, it held less wariness than before.

"Three days from now, I will have someone deliver a list of the medicinal ingredients stored by the tribe."

As she said this, Queen Medusa felt her heart bleed, yet she also felt a faint anticipation.

Perhaps... this mysterious man truly could change the fate of the Snake-People Tribe.

Xiao Qing gave a slight nod, unsurprised by the outcome.

Xiao Qing had long seen the Snake-People Tribe's desire for alchemists. That was precisely what gave him the confidence to propose this condition.

"Then I shall await good news."

Xiao Qing's tone was calm, as if everything that had just happened had been entirely under his control.

That composed attitude instead made Queen Medusa even more certain that this young man before her was likely far more unfathomable than she had imagined.

Sunlight from outside filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows between them.

At that moment, Queen Medusa vaguely felt that the Snake-People Tribe's fate might truly be changed by the young man before her.

Erasing a Dou Wang with a Single Thought!

Three days later.

Deep within the Tagor Desert, in the Snake-People Tribe's Holy City.

Morning sunlight filtered through the dust and sand, draping the city standing amid the yellow dunes in a layer of golden radiance.

Yet the Holy City was filled with an unusual oppressive atmosphere today.

Invisible undercurrents seemed to flow through the air. Even the usually boisterous marketplace had grown somewhat quieter.

"Look! It's people from the Mo Snake Tribe!"

At the city gates, a sharp-eyed female snake-person cried out softly, pointing toward the dust-covered figures outside the city.

A group of male snake-people with dark skin, fierce faces, and black serpent tails for lower bodies was rapidly approaching the gates.

Their expressions were cold and stern. They carried the weathered exhaustion and killing intent of a long journey through the desert. The leading snake-person was particularly eye-catching.

His body was far more robust than those of his kin. The muscles on his bare upper body bulged powerfully, and lifelike black giant python tattoos wound around his arms. His scales glimmered coldly beneath the sunlight, while his entire body radiated an unsettlingly frigid and violent aura.

"It's Commander Mo Basi! Why has he suddenly brought people to the Holy City?"

An elderly snake-person leaned on a cane, concern flashing through his cloudy eyes. "Could something have happened to the tribe?"

A seemingly ordinary male snake-person glanced around, then leaned close to several others and whispered mysteriously, "You still don't know? I heard... Her Majesty brought back a human man a few days ago!"

"What? A human?!"

The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding snake-people erupted in an uproar, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"It's absolutely true! I heard... that man was even placed in the Royal Palace!"

The male snake-person continued spilling the news, disbelief in his tone.

"This... how could that be? Her Majesty..."

The young snake-person's eyes widened, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.

"Brother, hurry and tell us more!"

While hushed discussions and speculation spread through the city gates because of this astonishing news, Mo Basi and his group had already entered the Holy City without obstruction.

Mo Basi's expression was as dark as water. Suppressed fury churned within his sharp serpent eyes, and the oppressive aura around him made snake-people along the way step aside, not daring to meet his gaze.

Mo Basi had received an urgent Communication from the informants he had planted in the Holy City. That was why he had rushed through the night from the distant Mo Snake Tribe.