Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

"Xiao Yan, go collect their storage rings," Xiao Bai said softly to the still-dazed Xiao Yan. Then, raising his voice toward the small building where the blacksmith had disappeared, he called, "Come out!"

Inside the building, the blacksmith was trembling like a leaf. Through a peephole in the window, he had witnessed everything—how this young fiend had effortlessly slaughtered every member of the Jia Lie Clan who had come.

These were titans of Wu Tan City, figures who loomed far above the common folk of the western district, untouchable and distant. Yet today, they had been cut down like chickens—no, easier than chickens, judging by the ease on the killer's face.

Shaking, the blacksmith stumbled out of the building, hurrying to Xiao Bai and dropping to his knees. "Young master, spare me! Spare me! It wasn't my doing—they forced me!" he wailed.

Xiao Bai regarded him impassively. After a moment, he said flatly, "Where's my cauldron?"

"It's at the front shop! Please wait, young master, I'll get it right now!" The blacksmith glanced at Xiao Bai, and seeing no reaction, scrambled to his feet and ran off.

"Brother Bai, you're just letting him go?" Xiao Yan asked, handing over the storage rings he'd retrieved from Jia Lie Bi and Jia Lie En. "If we'd been weaker today, we'd be the ones buried here!"

Xiao Bai gave a cold, noncommittal chuckle.

Taking the rings, he examined them closely. It was his first time holding storage rings. They were jet-black, slightly rough to the touch, and wider than the rings of his previous world.

Probing them with his soul force, he found one ring had a capacity of about ten cubic meters, the other only three or four. The larger one likely belonged to Jia Lie Bi. It contained roughly four hundred thousand gold coins, a low-tier Xuan Class technique called Wind Fury Art, a low-tier Xuan Class Dou Technique called Swift Wind Palm, and some miscellaneous items.

The smaller ring held only a few tens of thousands of gold coins and a handful of Huang Class Dou Techniques.

Xiao Bai shook his head. Wu Tan City is too small. For one of the three major clans, this is all the Jia Lie Clan's top figures could muster?

Still, the rings and gold coins solved his immediate needs. Alchemy was no pursuit for the poor. While renowned alchemists were wealthy, most low-level apprentices with talent either needed a wealthy family, a skilled teacher, or the backing of a clan or sect to afford the vast quantities of herbs required to hone their craft.

Transferring the useful items to the larger ring and discarding the rest, Xiao Bai slipped it onto his finger.

He nodded in satisfaction. Not bad. With a storage ring, traveling with Yao Lao in a few months will be much easier.

The Tagore Desert awaited, and securing water and food was a priority. Xiao Bai had no intention of lugging bulky packs around—it would ruin his dashing image!

Xiao Yan stared enviously as Xiao Bai donned the ring. Storage rings were rare; in the entire Xiao Clan, only his father and the grand elder possessed them. Growing up, Xiao Yan had seen them but never used one.

Xiao Bai caught his look and sighed inwardly. You're the future Flame Emperor. Can you act like it?

At that moment, the blacksmith returned, panting and clutching a small cauldron. With a fawning smile, he said, "Young master, here's your cauldron. Please take a look!"

Xiao Bai accepted it. The cauldron was pitch-black, three-legged, double-handled, round-bellied, and lidded, with small holes on the cover. It resembled an oversized incense burner more than a cauldron.

He nodded. It matched the design he'd provided. Storing it in his ring, Xiao Bai turned his calm, unreadable gaze to the blacksmith.

"Our agreement was that this cauldron would cost one thousand gold coins," he said softly. "I paid half as a deposit, with the remaining five hundred due upon collection, correct?"

The blacksmith swallowed hard, terrified. "No, no, young master! It's my honor to craft this for you—how could I take your money? I was foolish before. Let me return your deposit!"

Fumbling, he reached for his coin pouch to refund Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai ignored his actions, retrieving five hundred gold coins from his ring and placing them on a nearby stone table. "Now, our agreement is fulfilled."

Xiao Yan, seeing this, assumed Xiao Bai was sparing the man. "Brother Bai, you're just—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Bai's eyes turned icy. With a flick of his finger, a spark shot to the blacksmith's forehead. Like the Jia Lie Clan members, the man collapsed, lifeless.

Since arriving in this world, Xiao Bai had often pondered what it would feel like to kill for the first time. In his previous life, shaped by a peaceful society, he wondered if he'd tremble or if killing would twist his nature.

But when the moment came, he realized he'd overthought it. In a life-or-death struggle, there was no room for such musings.

Xiao Bai had no desire to play the saint. He wanted to survive—thrive—in this brutal world. He could hold to his principles, sparing the innocent, but excessive mercy would only hinder him, perhaps even cost his life.

When the blacksmith returned, Xiao Bai had briefly hesitated, wondering if the man deserved death. But he quashed the thought. Whether coerced or lured by profit, it didn't matter. Had Xiao Bai been weaker, his corpse might be rotting in some wilderness, devoured by beasts, his existence erased.

These thoughts left Xiao Bai standing in a daze, his emotions tangled.

"Brother Bai…?" Xiao Yan's concerned voice snapped him back.

Seeing Xiao Yan's worry, Xiao Bai offered a gentle smile. "I'm fine. Let's go."

He strode toward the exit, and Xiao Yan, reassured, hurried to follow.

"Brother Bai, why bother paying him before killing him?" Xiao Yan asked.

"It was our agreement, and I honored it," Xiao Bai replied. "Fulfilling a promise and dealing with an enemy are separate matters."

Xiao Yan nodded, understanding. Xiao Bai kept his word, even to an enemy. A promise made before they became foes still held weight.

"What if you made a promise to someone who later became an enemy, and keeping it would make them stronger than you? Would you still do it?" Xiao Yan asked, purely curious about how Xiao Bai would handle such a dilemma.

In the ring, Yao Lao perked up, equally intrigued by how Xiao Bai would respond in such a situation.