Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

Xiao Bai stood alone at the entrance of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave, watching Yun Yun's graceful figure soar into the sky. As she grew smaller, shrinking to a mere black dot on the horizon, a pang of melancholy stirred in his heart.

A moment later, he tilted his head toward a nearby spot and said, "Come out."

"Heh heh, Brother Bai, what a coincidence! You're here too?"

A voice, feigning surprise, rang out from not far away, prompting Xiao Bai to roll his eyes.

This kid had arrived earlier, skulking in the shadows while Xiao Bai and Yun Yun shared their farewell in the cave. He'd been sneaking glances at the Amethyst Winged Lion King guarding the entrance, but Xiao Bai had signaled the beast to ignore him.

Yun Yun had sensed his presence as she left, but after Xiao Bai told her not to mind, she paid no heed and departed.

"How'd you end up here?" Xiao Bai asked, puzzled. This place was far from Wu Tan City. Flying might make the journey manageable, but Xiao Yan had come on foot.

"When I was at the outskirts, I saw Dou Huang experts fighting. My teacher brought me to observe," Xiao Yan explained, approaching Xiao Bai. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he studied the Amethyst Winged Lion King lounging at the cave entrance, with a smaller lion cub nestled against it.

"Tch, an Amethyst Winged Lion King, huh?" Yao Lao's spirit floated into view, his gaze tinged with nostalgia as he looked at the beast. "Back in the day, I raided eight of their lairs searching for an Amethyst Companion Essence!"

His words riled the lion king, who had been lying with its head tilted, eyes closed, and mood sullen. It rose, glaring warily at the sudden appearance of Yao Lao's ethereal form. A low growl rumbled from its throat before it turned to Xiao Bai. "Hu—"

Before it could finish, Xiao Bai's cold glance silenced it. The lion quickly corrected itself. "M-Master, you've already taken the Purple Spirit Crystal. Please, leave the Amethyst Companion Essence for my cub!"

Its heart raced with anxiety, fearing Xiao Bai might claim the precious resource. Losing the Amethyst Companion Essence would be far more devastating for its cub than the loss of the Purple Spirit Crystal.

"Well, well, there really is an Amethyst Companion Essence!" Yao Lao stroked his beard, surprised. He'd scoured eight lairs in his time and found nothing, yet here it was.

"Don't worry, I won't take your Amethyst Companion Essence," Xiao Bai reassured, noting the lion's desperate expression. If he tried to take it today, the beast might fight to the death.

Yao Lao clicked his tongue in regret. The Essence would be immensely beneficial for Xiao Yan, but with the lion now bound to Xiao Bai, and Xiao Bai having spoken, it wouldn't be right to seize it.

"Teacher, what's an Amethyst Companion Essence?" Xiao Yan, seeing everyone else knew about it, scratched his head in confusion.

"The Amethyst Companion Essence is unique to the Amethyst Winged Lion King clan," Yao Lao explained. "When a cub is born, there's a slim chance it'll come with this Essence, which contains incredibly pure energy. Quite a spectacle!"

"When the cub reaches Tier 4, consuming the Amethyst Companion Essence can propel it straight to Tier 5. Moreover, its innate Purple Flame will be far stronger than that of other lions who haven't consumed the essence."

"That powerful?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, but his excitement dimmed as he recalled Xiao Bai's earlier words.

"You can forget about the Amethyst Companion Essence," Xiao Bai said with a sudden smile. "But there's something else that could help you right now. Worth a try."

"What is it?" Xiao Yan's fading enthusiasm reignited, and he eagerly pressed for details. Anything that could boost his cultivation piqued his interest.

"Something your teacher mentioned—Purple Flame," Xiao Bai said, amused by the eager glint in Xiao Yan's eyes. He didn't tease further and got straight to the point.

"But as for how to get the Purple Flame, you'll have to negotiate with Little Purple yourself." Xiao Bai nodded toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King, grinning.

Yao Lao paused, caught off guard. He hadn't considered the beast's flame. His focus had been on preparing Xiao Yan to devour the Green Lotus Core Flame, so he'd overlooked beast flames entirely.

Glancing at Xiao Bai, Yao Lao's eyes flickered. This kid's sharp. He's probably guessed something. It made sense—after their earlier dealings, there'd been an unspoken understanding. Xiao Bai likely suspected something but didn't know the full details.

Not that it mattered. Xiao Bai was a mystery himself, wielding lightning Yao Lao had never seen. Besides, Yao Lao trusted the young man's character.

"Master, can we change the name?" the Amethyst Winged Lion King interjected, its tone laced with grievance. Such a majestic creature, yet saddled with "Little Purple"? How could it hold its head high in these parts?

"Prosperity, Lucky, or Little Purple. Pick one."

"…Fine, Little Purple it is." The lion shuddered at the thought of the first two.

Later, Yao Lao struck some sort of deal with Little Purple, securing a wisp of Purple Flame. Both seemed satisfied, neither feeling shortchanged.

"By the way, Yao Lao, I have a question," Xiao Bai said through a private transmission after the deal was done. "If there are people with dual attributes like fire and wood, are there those with three attributes?"

"Three attributes?" Yao Lao frowned, studying Xiao Bai thoughtfully. "Trying to craft a convincing excuse for your alchemist identity, eh?"

"Exactly." Xiao Bai nodded. On this journey, he'd likely need to use that identity, and this was the best explanation he could think of.

"Multiple attributes aren't unheard of on the continent. There've been plenty," Yao Lao said after a moment's thought. "But most with multiple attributes lack outstanding talent."

"Their attributes are rarely balanced. Due to cultivation techniques, they usually focus on their dominant attribute. You know a person's soul is finite. The more attributes, the less each one contributes. How can that compare to cultivating a single attribute?"

"Even alchemists primarily cultivate fire attributes, with wood attributes as support, since wood fuels fire."

"You're familiar with the Five Elements, right? They generate and counter each other. Non-elemental attributes might fare better, but within the Five Elements, conflicting attributes can clash unless perfectly balanced. And balance brings another issue—cultivation techniques!"

"So, as far as I know, no one with multiple attributes has ever become a true powerhouse."

"But for you, it's a decent cover."

"I see," Xiao Bai said, nodding in realization. If dual attributes existed, why not three or four? Now he understood. Attributes in this world were akin to spiritual roots in cultivation novels, but unlike those, where multi-attribute cultivation was possible, the Dou Qi Continent restricted it.

There was another difference: single-attribute cultivators here couldn't compare to the rare "heavenly spiritual root" geniuses of cultivation worlds. Single attributes were common on the Dou Qi Continent, far from exceptional.

"Handle this carefully, and it shouldn't be an issue," Yao Lao continued. "But there's something else I need to warn you about, lest you stumble unaware."

"Please, go ahead," Xiao Bai said, his expression turning serious.

"Your soul force is at the peak of the Mortal Realm, right?" Yao Lao said, eyeing him with certainty.

"Correct."

"Your fighting style has a flaw. It was fine before, facing those below Dou Wang, but once you reach Dou Wang, the soul can resonate with the energies of heaven and earth. At Dou Huang, that resonance grows stronger, and at Dou Zong, it's even more pronounced."

"When that resonance reaches a certain level, soul force isn't invincible—it can be shattered."

"Back when your soul was at the late Mortal Realm, you caught Lu Man of the Heavenly Snake Mansion and even Medusa off guard. But think about it: Lu Man suffered from soul backlash, and Medusa was emotionally destabilized, not in a resonant state, plus her beast nature played a role."

"Now, with your soul at the peak of the Mortal Realm, you need to be cautious against high-tier human Dou Huangs. If your soul gets backlashed and your Dou Qi cultivation can't keep up, you're risking a fall."

"Of course, if you had a lost Soul Dou Technique, I wouldn't bother saying this."

Yao Lao spoke up because he'd seen Xiao Bai use soul force in today's Dou Huang-level conflict. If Xiao Bai grew too reliant on this method, he'd eventually suffer a great loss.

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