BTTH : From the beginning of the battle to the top

At the entrance of Qingshan Town, a handsome young man carrying an oversized black measuring stick stepped into the town. This was Xiao Yan, who had taken a year off after passing the Canaan Academy assessment to go out and train.

Upon entering the town, many passersby cast curious glances at his unusual appearance, but he paid them no mind, slowly walking along the street lined with shops, occasionally glancing at the stores on either side.

After walking for a while, he stopped in front of a medicine shop called Wanyaozhai. After thinking for a moment, he stepped inside.

Not long after, as Xiao Yan walked out of Wanyaozhai and back onto the street, a smile that was almost impossible to suppress appeared at the corner of his mouth. It was no wonder he was so pleased; he had just scored a big deal at Wanyaozhai, buying one of the main materials needed to refine the Blood Lotus Pill, essential for his devouring of异火 (strange fire), at the price of Huanglian Essence.

Looking at the darkening sky, Xiao Yan quickly found an inn to stay in. After putting down the huge measuring stick, he hurriedly took the Blood Lotus Essence out from a pile of Huanglian Essence and placed it into a precious jade box.

"Now, if I can find an Ice Spirit Flame Grass and a fourth-tier ice attribute magic core, I can refine the Blood Lotus Pill. I hope the Ice Spirit Flame Grass can be obtained just as easily," Xiao Yan thought happily as he lay on the bed.

"Hehe, you kid are dreaming. Such luck is rare; do you really think you'll encounter it a second time?" The voice of Yao Lao floated out from the Bone Flame Ring, looking at his carefully chosen disciple with satisfaction, but teasing him at the same time.

Then Yao Lao's expression turned serious as he asked, "You've heard some news today, right? The Beast Mountain Range has been very dangerous lately. What are your plans?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan sat up and said, "Today, I heard from the mercenaries that there have been frequent small beast tides caused by beast riots in the Beast Mountain Range recently, so everyone is temporarily not planning to take on missions. They'll wait for a while to see. My original plan to enter the mountains with a mercenary team is no longer feasible."

After a pause, Xiao Yan looked seriously at Yao Lao and said, "But I still plan to enter the Beast Mountain Range alone. After all, I went out to train, and it's natural for training to come with dangers. If I back down because of a little danger, then this training would be meaningless, and I wouldn't even think about defeating Nalan Yanran in three years."

"Haha, now that's the spirit my disciple should have! Get some rest early today; we'll enter the Beast Mountain Range tomorrow," Yao Lao said with a smile, looking at Xiao Yan with satisfaction. In this Dou Qi Continent, if one doesn't dare to face even a little danger, how can they talk about becoming strong? The current Xiao Yan was like a piece of uncut jade, but he was already beginning to show the qualities of a strong person. Yao Lao believed that under his guidance, this disciple would surely grow into an outstanding powerhouse.

At this moment, the cause of the beast riots and small beast tides was sitting on a cliff in the Beast Mountain Range, raising a cup to gaze at the bright moon in the sky. Not far away, a giant wolf covered in silver-white fur lay obediently, its eyes filled with fear as it looked at the young man in a green robe who had taken over its usual spot for howling at the moon, unable to express its anger.

This person was naturally Lin Yuan. Since breaking through to the Eight-Star Dou Wang level some time ago, Lin Yuan had left the valley and embarked on a journey of training and combat.

He refined his body with heavenly materials and his own blood essence, and tempered his Dou Qi and fighting spirit through intense battles. During this time, he had fought his way from the south to the north and from the east to the west in the nearby Beast Mountain Range, battling many fifth and sixth-tier magical beasts. This was also the reason for the frequent beast riots and small beast tides during this period.

However, Lin Yuan had not engaged in excessive killing. With his mastery of the Hundred Beasts Refining Spirit Technique, he no longer needed the blood of magical beasts. As long as the beasts had some sense, they could basically survive.

After this period of honing, Lin Yuan had solidified his cultivation after breaking through to the Eight-Star Dou Wang level. His Dou Qi was very solid, and his physique had also seen slight growth.

After drinking a cup of fruit wine brewed from spirit fruits, Lin Yuan dispersed the green wine cup formed from his Dou Qi and took out a very detailed map of the Beast Mountain Range near Qingshan Town, which had been drawn by someone commissioned by Wanyaozhai. He studied several routes that Yao Lao and Xiao Yan might take into the mountains and confirmed the key points on the map.

Then, Lin Yuan extended his arm and spoke to a very exquisite purple "jade ring" on his arm: "Ziyu, send a message to Qing'er. I won't be returning for the next few days. Have her control some low-level familiars to monitor the areas marked on the map—specifically zones three, five, six, nine, eleven, and fourteen. If she sees a boy carrying a black measuring stick, she should notify me immediately."

As soon as Lin Yuan finished speaking, the purple jade ring on his arm began to twist and change shape, transforming into a slender little snake about two centimeters long. It was covered in tiny purple jade-like scales, its eyes very lively, and it had a delicate three-flower mark on its head, resembling an exquisite purple jade carving.

This was a fourth-tier magical beast, the Purple Jade Scale Snake. It was an extremely rare fourth-tier magical beast—weak, timid, and low in combat power, but highly intelligent, making it suitable to serve as a communication channel between Lin Yuan and Qing Lin. Lin Yuan had specifically chosen it to keep by his side. Remembering that this purple jade scale snake's original body was two zhang long, but could be shrunk to this size by the Bi Snake's Three-Flower Eye, Lin Yuan couldn't help but marvel again at the wonders of the Bi Snake's Three-Flower Eye, truly the world's number one miraculous eye.

Upon receiving the command, the Purple Jade Scale Snake immediately transmitted the message to Qing Lin. After receiving the message, Qing Lin, who was in the midst of her training, relayed the order to her dozens of low-level familiars, instructing them to monitor the designated areas Lin Yuan had specified. If a boy carrying a black measuring stick passed through, they were to notify him immediately.

After conveying the orders to her familiars with her thoughts, Qing Lin's eyes sparkled with excitement, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Although her strength was still not strong—merely a three-star Dou Shi—she was already able to help her master, which thrilled her.

After the Purple Jade Scale Snake relayed the message back to Qing Lin, it looked at Lin Yuan with a flattering gaze. Lin Yuan chuckled lightly, took out a jade bottle, and poured a drop of diluted Earth Heart Body Refining Milk into its mouth. The Purple Jade Scale Snake immediately showed a look of satisfaction in its eyes and transformed back into a jade ring, encircling Lin Yuan's wrist.

Looking at the moonlight, Lin Yuan reflected on the process of establishing a surveillance network through Qing Lin during this time, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

The starting point of this matter was that Lin Yuan had noticed an overlooked blind spot: since Qing Lin could communicate with the snake-shaped magical beasts she had tamed, and the method of communication was extremely mysterious—through thought communication that even soul power could not probe—then the distance of communication was crucial. After Qing Lin broke through to the Dou Shi level, Lin Yuan conducted a series of tests with her and discovered that she could communicate with familiars that were very far away. This discovery made Lin Yuan very happy, as it meant Qing Lin could conduct remote command.

Thus, under his design, a network centered around Qing Lin for intelligence and command was successfully established, which Lin Yuan named the Sky Dome Network. In this network, Lin Yuan issued commands to Qing Lin, who in turn commanded the familiars, effectively allowing Lin Yuan to command a large number of magical beasts through Qing Lin. This was extremely valuable for Lin Yuan at present and had great potential for future development, for which he had many plans.

This time, using this network to find Xiao Yan was the first practical test. Based on Lin Yuan's judgment, Xiao Yan had likely entered the Beast Mountain Range in the past few days.

"Don't let me down."

Thank you all for your votes, rewards, collections, and support. The book has entered the recommendation PK phase, so please don't just let it sit; keep reading. This is a crucial period for the book's ranking, and I would appreciate everyone's help.

(End of Chapter)