Battle Through the Heavens: The Road to Rise Begins at Canaan Academy

"Old Hai, guard this place." Qin Chen gave Hai Bodong an instruction, then stuffed a pill capable of resisting high temperatures into Qing Lin's mouth. He picked up the little girl, whose pretty face had reddened slightly, and jumped into the cave entrance.

Although Qing Lin's constitution was special and allowed her to withstand high temperatures, it would still consume her energy. To better activate the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes later, it was best to keep her in peak condition.

Thanks to the pill, the temperature inside the cave had dropped to a level ordinary people could endure. The rocks along the cave walls were also extremely sturdy, showing no signs of collapse.

The passage was pitch-black, yet it did not hinder Qin Chen's steps in the slightest. As Battle Qi circulated through his body, the darkness around him rapidly receded like a tide.

Before long, Qin Chen brought Qing Lin to the bottom of the passage. With a light tap of his feet, he landed steadily on the ground. More than a dozen dark passages appeared before them.

Without needing Qing Lin to say anything, Qin Chen sensed a dense fire-attributed energy coming from one of the passages. He immediately stepped inside.

As the two continued deeper, the fire-attributed energy in the passage became increasingly intense. Ordinary mercenaries would have been unable to endure it, but Qin Chen was now a Battle King, and the scorching aura had no effect on him. Qing Lin, due to her special constitution, felt no discomfort either.

After turning the final corner, Qin Chen and Qing Lin reached the end of the passage, and the view before them suddenly opened up.

Before them stretched a boundless world of magma. Scalding lava churned endlessly, crimson bubbles occasionally bursting and splashing boiling droplets into the air. The air was filled with a searing heat.

Though he had been prepared, Qin Chen was still deeply shaken by the sight before him. It was difficult to imagine what sort of spectacle the magma world beneath Canaan Academy must be. It covered more than half of the Black-Corner Region.

"Young Master, be careful. I can sense that strange aura hiding beneath the magma." At that moment, Qing Lin suddenly cried out from his arms, her emerald eyes fixed tightly upon the churning surface.

"Don't worry. I'm here." Qin Chen rubbed the serious little head in his arms, then gently set Qing Lin down near the cave entrance.

Qin Chen slowly walked to the edge of the magma. A "powerful" aura at the level of a Grand Battle Master spread from his body. He had deliberately concealed most of his strength, intending to lure out the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake beneath the magma.

As Qin Chen wandered along the edge, he mobilized his soul power and watched the movement on the magma's surface closely. A moment later, he sensed a massive figure swimming toward him from the depths of the magma.

Bang!

The magma suddenly exploded apart, and a massive two-headed snake covered in crimson scales shot into the air. Its two savage heads opened their bloody maws and bit toward Qin Chen.

"Finally." Seeing the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake pouncing at him, Qin Chen advanced rather than retreated. His right hand clenched into a fist as Battle King-level Battle Qi erupted without restraint, and he smashed a punch into one of its heads.

The enormous body of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake flew backward like a cannonball and slammed heavily into a nearby rock wall, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake let out two miserable hisses. Human-like terror appeared in its two enormous heads as it turned and tried to dive into the magma to escape.

A fourth-tier magical beast already possessed rudimentary intelligence. Though it did not understand why the human before it had suddenly erupted with such terrifying strength, it knew perfectly well that it could not win. Time to run.

But how could Qin Chen let it have its way?

He let out a low shout, and powerful soul force burst from between his brows. Violent soul fluctuations slammed fiercely into the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's two savage heads.

"Wuuu..."

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake let out a brief cry of pain. Its massive body went limp, the light fading from its scarlet vertical pupils as it fell completely unconscious.

Qin Chen curled his lips into a smile. With a flap of the Battle Qi wings behind him, he landed before Qing Lin.

Qing Lin was staring at Qin Chen with a face full of admiration. Her clear eyes seemed to sparkle with little stars. She had not expected her young master to be so powerful, subduing such a huge creature so quickly.

Seeing the little maid's admiring gaze, Qin Chen rubbed her little head and smiled. "Qing Lin, no need to get excited. You'll be able to do these things too before long."

Qing Lin's little face filled with delight at his words, but when she looked at the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in the distance, doubt still appeared on her face. She asked softly, "Really? Will Qing Lin be as powerful as Young Master one day?"

"As powerful as me?" Qin Chen considered it briefly, then smiled. "Of course. Maybe when I encounter a cultivation bottleneck in the future, I'll need your help. I just hope Qing Lin won't refuse me then."

As he spoke, Qin Chen lightly patted her tender cheek.

Qing Lin's face reddened at the intimate gesture. Then she lifted her head and said earnestly, "Qing Lin would never refuse Young Master. As long as I can help Young Master, Qing Lin is willing to do anything."

"What a silly girl..."

A trace of warmth flashed through Qin Chen's heart as he looked at her shy yet serious expression. Then he smiled. "Qing Lin, are you ready?"

During their flight earlier, Qin Chen had already told Qing Lin that she possessed the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes.

Qing Lin nodded heavily, her voice filled with determination. "Young Master, I'm ready!"

"Good!" Qin Chen picked up Qing Lin's petite body. His Battle Qi wings trembled as he flew before the unconscious Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

Qin Chen took a jade bottle from his storage ring and handed it to Qing Lin. "This is a pill that can enhance your perception. Go on, Qing Lin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Chen formed a hand seal and erected a small energy barrier around them.

This was a simple formation Qin Chen had obtained from Canaan Academy. It could isolate the inside of the formation from the outside world, concealing the energy fluctuations produced when the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes awakened and preventing the people of the Heavenly Snake Mansion from discovering them. It had the same effect as the seal suppressing the Fallen Heart Flame.

Qin Chen knew that keeping Qing Lin by his side was not conducive to her growth. The Heavenly Snake Mansion was the place most suited for Qing Lin's development, and only there could she receive the best training.

However, Qing Lin was still only a little girl. Qin Chen hoped she could enjoy a happy childhood rather than be thrown directly into the Heavenly Snake Mansion after helping him find the Heavenly Flame.

Of course, Qin Chen would not deny his selfish motives either. He truly wanted to spend this time nurturing his relationship with Qing Lin.

"Yes, Young Master!" Qing Lin did not know what Qin Chen was thinking. After taking the jade bottle, she walked toward the Fire Spirit Snake.

Although the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes had appeared extremely rarely, Canaan Academy's library still contained some brief records. Activating such eyes was simple: when facing a snake-type magical beast, one only needed to focus one's mental power intensely on one's eyes.

The reason Qing Lin had found it so difficult to control the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in the original story was because she had not cultivated qi. She was not even at the level of Battle Qi and could not use the slightest bit of Battle Qi. If she had not received the intense stimulation brought by the Fire Spirit Snake, she likely would never have awakened the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes in her life.

Chapter 18: Awakening of the Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes

Qing Lin tightly gripped the jade bottle in her hand and gathered her courage as she walked to the Fire Spirit Snake's two massive heads. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the stopper and swallowed the pill. A cool sensation instantly flowed down her throat and into her mind.

Qing Lin focused her mind, her gem-like emerald eyes fixed tightly upon the Fire Spirit Snake's huge snake pupils.

"Ah!"

A moment later, Qing Lin suddenly threw back her head and let out a piercing scream.

As the scream rang out, the three green dots in Qing Lin's eyes shone brilliantly, transforming in an instant into three tiny green flowers.

The moment the green flowers appeared, a dim light shot explosively from her eyes and instantly enveloped the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's enormous body.

The instant it was struck by the dim light, the Fire Spirit Snake's huge body twitched unconsciously. The strange light slowly moved across its body. When it stopped between the brows of its two snake heads, it began to shrink, its radiance growing brighter and brighter.

When the beam had shrunk to the size of a palm, another burst of dim light flashed out, and two tiny green flowers were branded onto the Fire Spirit Snake's two savage heads.

Once the green flowers had been branded, the strange dim light gradually faded. The tiny flowers in Qing Lin's eyes also rapidly dispersed, and her eyes returned to their usual emerald color moments later.

Once her pupils returned to normal, Qing Lin's face had already turned as pale as paper, with fine beads of sweat covering her forehead. Then her eyes closed, and her body went limp as she fell toward the ground.

Qin Chen reacted swiftly and caught Qing Lin in his arms.

Qing Lin had already fainted from exhaustion. Qin Chen took a pill from his storage ring and placed it in her mouth, then took out a waterskin and fed her a small sip of water to help her swallow it.

Not long afterward, the unconscious Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake slowly awakened. Yet it did not immediately dive into the magma to flee. Instead, it quietly coiled where it was. Its formerly violent aura had subsided considerably, its two massive heads lowered meekly. The look in its eyes when it gazed at Qing Lin had lost its previous ferocity, replaced by fear and obedience.

Looking at the docile Fire Spirit Snake before him, a strange thought could not help flashing through Qin Chen's mind.

On the Battle Qi Continent, was the upper limit for snake-type magical beasts simply too high?

Take the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python and the Ancient Heavenly Serpent. They could actually stand shoulder to shoulder with the dragon and phoenix clans. Moreover, many things were closely connected to snakes, such as Qing Lin's Green Snake Three-Flower Eyes.

When Qin Chen had read novels in his previous life, he had deliberately looked into their authors. He discovered that Potato's zodiac year was the Year of the Snake. Could it be that this was why this world favored snake-type magical beasts?

Just as Qin Chen's thoughts were wandering, Qing Lin slowly woke in his arms. She shook her groggy little head, and when she saw herself being held in her young master's arms, her face reddened slightly. Then she said softly, "Young Master, I... I think I succeeded."

Qin Chen smiled gently and lightly scraped her nose with a finger. "Qing Lin is amazing. You succeeded on your first try. How do you feel now?"

Qing Lin blinked her clear eyes and looked at the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in the distance. "I can feel that I've formed a strange connection with it. I can communicate with it, and I can also sense its thoughts."

"It told me that the Heavenly Flame Young Master has been searching for is beneath the magma."

As she spoke those final words, Qing Lin lifted her little face as though asking for praise.

"It seems you've awakened successfully. Congratulations, Qing Lin." Qin Chen did not hesitate to praise her. Then he swept his gaze across the magma world and said seriously, "Time is of the essence. Since you have already controlled it, have it take me down. Once we find the Heavenly Flame, we'll leave this place immediately."

"Ah..."

Qing Lin immediately showed a hesitant expression upon hearing this, but after seeing Qin Chen's serious look, she could only nod and say softly, "Young Master, you must be careful."

"Don't worry. Your young master is very capable."

Hearing this, Qing Lin no longer hesitated. She closed her eyes and conveyed Qin Chen's command to the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

Upon receiving Qing Lin's order, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had initially been somewhat unwilling. But after Qin Chen tossed a pill into its mouth, it immediately adopted a fawning expression. It eagerly lowered its massive head, signaling for Qin Chen to ride on its back.

Qin Chen smiled, then leaped onto the Fire Spirit Snake's broad back. He circulated the Battle Qi in his body, forming a protective membrane around himself.

He had not become a dragon rider, yet he had become a snake rider first. Riding a snake was fine. At least he would not have to slowly swim while consuming his own Battle Qi.

He did not understand why Xiao Yan and Yao Lao in the original story had been so foolish. They had a perfectly good mount but insisted on having the Fire Spirit Snake lead the way while they slowly followed behind it.

Even after Qing Lin controlled the Fire Spirit Snake, that fellow still could not be bothered with Xiao Yan. Yao Lao, that old fox, really should have known better. He had not even thought to use something good to bribe this gluttonous snake with low intelligence.

Feeling the weight on its back, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's two huge heads let out a low hiss simultaneously. Then, like an arrow leaving the bowstring, it plunged toward the rolling magma below.

As the Fire Spirit Snake continued descending, the temperature around them gradually rose. Scorching waves of heat rushed at him, but Qin Chen had the protection of sixth-tier beast flame and had brought plenty of pills, so he did not need to worry about running out of Battle Qi.

Half an hour later, as the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake gradually slowed, a lotus emitting a cyan glow appeared before Qin Chen's eyes.

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake seemed extremely afraid of the lotus. After stopping, it only circled nearby and did not dare approach it recklessly.

"Green Lotus Core Flame, I've finally found you!"

Qin Chen's heart surged with excitement, and the Battle Qi within him began churning on its own.

The Green Lotus Core Flame, also known as the Green Lotus Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Born deep beneath the earth, it had undergone countless refinements, fusions, compressions, and carvings by the earth's fire... It gained spirit in ten years, took form in a hundred years, and became a lotus in a thousand years. Upon reaching maturity, its color leaned toward cyan, and a cluster of green flame was born in the lotus core. This flame possessed boundless power. Near volcanic regions, it could trigger volcanic eruptions and form the destructive force of nature!

Though Xiao Yan had never used that ability even by the end of the story...

Seeing the somewhat uneasy Fire Spirit Snake, Qin Chen lightly patted its back. After saying, "Wait for me here," he spread his Battle Qi wings and shot toward the center of the cyan light.

The moment he stepped into the cyan glow, Qin Chen felt the temperature around him drop considerably.

The Green Lotus Core Flame required an enormous amount of energy to take form, causing the fire-attributed energy around it to gather here. Thus, the closer one came to the cyan glow, the higher the temperature became. However, the energy within the cyan light had already been initially absorbed, which was why the temperature inside was lower.

Chapter 19: Green Lotus Core Flame

Qin Chen did not approach the lotus directly. Instead, he took a portrait of Qing Lin from his storage ring. The girl in the portrait had curved brows and smiling eyes, with a faint smile on her lips. Like a lotus bud waiting to bloom, she was pure and beautiful. Only after raising the portrait before himself did Qin Chen walk toward the cyan lotus.

The cyan lotus had eight petals, each crystal-clear and seemingly formed by nature itself.

Within the lotus was a small lotus platform roughly two or three feet wide. Several holes on the platform emitted faint points of light. They were Earth Fire Lotus Seeds, condensed from pure fire-attributed energy.

Beneath the cyan lotus was a slender stem three or four zhang long. Countless tiny tendrils covered the stem. As those tendrils swayed, an extremely powerful devouring force spread from them, frantically absorbing the fire-attributed energy within the surrounding magma.

At the center of the small lotus platform within the lotus was a fist-sized hole. A tiny cluster of cyan flame swayed lightly within it. Though small, it emitted an energy that even made Qin Chen's heart tremble.

When Qing Lin's portrait approached the cyan lotus, the tiny flame within the lotus visibly flickered slightly, like a droplet falling upon still water.

After holding the portrait before the lotus for a long time, Qin Chen finally put it back into his storage ring. He then took out a jade longsword he had prepared long ago and lightly sliced through the point where the lotus connected to its stem. The incomparably beautiful cyan lotus fell away.

As soon as he saw the cyan lotus fall, Qin Chen raised a hand and drew it toward himself. The lotus floated above his palm and slowly rotated. Then Qin Chen took out several jade bottles, carefully picked out the eleven Earth Fire Lotus Seeds within the lotus, and placed them into the bottles.