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The thirtieth day of the ninth lunar month.
Azurecloud Court.
It was a crisp autumn morning, and a hint of a chill hung in the air.
The leaves of the courtyard’s ancient trees were already turning yellow, and the frostbitten grasses were dying.
The side of the pond
Su Yi had just finished practicing the Great Emptiness Origin-Calming Sutra, and he was currently sprawled out lazily in his wicker chair. From time to time, he tossed a moon clam into the pond for the spirit carp to fight over.
Yuan Heng sat to the side in front of a red clay stove, brewing tea for his master.
Whenever he glanced at Su Yi, images of yesterday’s Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly rose unbidden to his mind.
Yesterday.
He severely injured Huan Shaoyou and killed a Spiritual Integration cultivator’s primordial spirit, shocking the entire audience.
From the dazzling monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day to the mighty Spirit Dao cultivators, everyone who witnessed this battle was dazed and astonished!
Although Su Yi drifted away as soon as the curtains fell on the battle, leaving Orchid Terrace, a long time passed before the onlookers recovered from their astonishment.
In the duels that followed, no matter how heaven-defying and shocking the contestants’ performances, the atmosphere was lacking compared to when Su Yi fought.
In the end, Zeng Pu used his fists to secure a narrow victory against Buddhist Son Chen Lu, seizing first place in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly.
However, the gray-robed suspected descendant of the Profound Bone Demon Emperor merely grimaced and shook his head.
Somewhat asked why he shook his head, to which he sighed. “I took first place, but it’s ultimately an empty title. Su Yi is the true, uncrowned king of the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly.”
The entire venue fell silent following this declaration, but no one could argue.
When Yuan Heng thought back to everything that had happened, how could he not get excited?
Yuan Heng suddenly recalled something, and he said hurriedly, “Master, yesterday, after the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, Ge Qian suddenly came looking for me. He asked where I lived, so I gave him Azurecloud Court’s address.”
A hint of a smile appeared on Su Yi’s lips. “Good.”
He thought for a moment, then said, “You and Miss Bai should get ready. When Weng Jiu arrives later today, you should leave with him.”
The curtains had already fallen on the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, and the final rankings had been released.
Tomorrow, those experts who’d received Sumeru Talismans would all proceed to Sumeru Immortal Mountain!
Su Yi naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
He naturally planned to explore Sumeru Immortal Island and see whether or not it hid secrets and hints regarding the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness.
But before that, he needed to make arrangements for Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing.
Everyone in Nine Tripod City knew that Su Yi had irrevocably offended the Demonic Huan Family.
Although Su Yi didn’t care about that, he had to take precautions. Otherwise, they might take advantage of his absence to target those around him.
Thus, he’d already decided to entrust Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing to Weng Jiu.
“Yes, sir!”
Su Yi rose from his wicker chair, then went back to his room.
His cultivation had already reached the late-stage Origin Palace Realm. Before long, he’d cultivate to the pinnacle of the realm.
It was time to start considering how he’d prepare for the Gathering Stars Realm.
…
As night fell.
Weng Jiu arrived in a hurry. As soon as he saw Su Yi, he directly announced the purpose of his visit.
“Fellow Daoist, tomorrow morning, please visit Mount Heavenbristle. The imperial family will activate the Altar of Teleportation and send you and everyone else who received a Sumeru Talisman to Meteor Abyss.”
Su Yi asked with great interest, “How many others are going?”
Weng Jiu didn’t so much as pause to think. “Everyone who placed in the top thirty at the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, as well as three others of extraordinary origins.”
“Oh? What do you mean, ‘extraordinary?’” asked Su Yi.
“No need to hide it from you, Fellow Daoist,” said Weng Jiu. “All three are monsters of the Ancient Era with extraordinary backgrounds. A long time ago, His Majesty agreed to grant each a Sumeru Talisman.”
According to Weng Jiu, these three exceptions were the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace’s Mo Xinghe, Tianji Dao Mountain’s Yan Jingyun, and the Burning Sun Sect’s Jing Lingzhen.
Thirty thousand years ago, all three factions were peak-level orthodoxies.
The Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace was the greatest faction of ghost cultivators in the world, while Tianji Dao Mountain was a leading Daoist faction. The Burning Sun Sect was one of the three great yao sects.
As inheritors of three peak-level orthodoxies, it was obvious how extraordinary Mo Xingzhe, Yan Jingyun, and Jing Lingzhen’s backgrounds were.
“Fellow Daoist, their talents and foundations aren’t necessarily inferior to Huan Shaoyou and Zeng Pu. They might even be a bit stronger,” said Weng Jiu with a strange look in his eyes. “They didn’t participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly because all three are already on the verge of breaking into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm. They wanted to visit Sumeru Immortal Island, so they had no choice but to continuously seal and repress their cultivations. Otherwise, they’d break through, losing their chance to explore Sumeru Immortal Island for good.”
He paused, then continued, “And their goal in visiting Sumeru Immortal Island is only partially to seek out the island’s good fortune. They also hope to make a perfect breakthrough while they’re there.”
“So that’s it,” said Su Yi.
Weng Jiu then proceeded to discuss other matters. “Fellow Daoist, we’ve already investigated. The Spiritual Integration Realm primordial spirit you killed yesterday belonged to Huan Shaoyou’s grand uncle, Huan Tianzhong. He’s one of the oldest members of the Huan Family, and he occupied an extremely lofty position.
“After what happened yesterday, the Huan Family surely hates you to the bone, but rest assured. Even with all their power, they won’t dare act up in Nine Tripod City.
“Also, the Huo Family, Cloudsky Divine Palace, the Qingyi Dao Sect, and the various other factions have become much more cautious after seeing your strength firsthand yesterday. According to His Majesty, they plan to wait and see how the Huan Family handles you.”
When Su Yi heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “That’s actually rather clever. If the Huan Family kills me, they’ll effectively help those other factions get revenge.”
Weng Jiu laughed too. “And if even the Huan Family cannot touch you, then it doesn’t matter how much they hate you… They’ll have no choice but to hold their nose and swallow their complaints.”
“Even if they endure in silence, they won’t necessarily give up so easily,” said Su Yi. “But that doesn’t matter. If they dare to act up, I’ll just pay them each a visit personally.”
His tone was casual, but it left Weng Jiu clucking his tongue. How could he miss that Su Yi’s so-called “visit” referred to single-handedly suppressing the factions that opposed him?
Of course, this wouldn’t necessarily happen.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Weng Jiu hurried on his way.
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……
That night, lamps lit up Nine Tripod City. The city was lively and bustling.
Daoist Master Coldsmoke sat in a pavilion, gently exhorting her pupil.
“Xinzhao, when you go to Sumeru Immortal Island tomorrow, you must be careful. That place is viewed as forbidden ground. In the thirty thousand years since the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness began, no one has gone inside. It doesn’t matter whether you obtain any good fortune; it’s enough so long as you return alive.”
“Master, rest assured. Brother Su is going too, so I’ll just stick close to him,” said Wen Xinzhao with a smile.
When she saw the longing and eagerness in the young woman’s eyes, Daoist Master Coldsmoke couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
She was right. Su Yi’s presence would be enough to keep Wen Xinzhao safe…
After witnessing Su Yi’s performance yesterday at the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, Daoist Master Coldsmoke fully understood that she’d made a grievous error in judgment.
She thought for a moment, then said, “Xinzhao, I won’t stop you from interacting with Su Yi, but you have to understand. Su Yi and the Huan Family have completely fallen out, and they’re sure to seek revenge against him. When the time comes, it’s highly likely that you’ll be dragged into it. Be sure to weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully.”
Wen Xinzhao thought for a moment, then whispered, “Master, I trust that should the Huan Family and Brother Su become enemies, it’s the Huan Family who will suffer in the end!”
Daoist Master Coldsmoke was stunned, and her eyes filled with uncertainty. “Is that so…?”
….
A lively, raucous tavern.
“Who could have imagined that His Excellency Su Yi would shine brightest of all at the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly! Even Zeng Pu, the monster of the ancient era who took first place, pales by comparison!”
“Rumor has it that His Excellency Su Yi is a sword cultivator from a tiny backwater nation, the Great Zhou, and that he’s only seventeen this year. Despite this, his strength is heaven-defying!”
“Everyone is saying that of all the Origin Dao cultivators in the modern world of cultivation, His Excellency Su Yi is the greatest! He’s the strongest of the younger generation and of the Three Realms of the Origin Dao. He’s unequaled!”
“You think he’s just strong in the Origin Dao? You’re wrong! They say that with His Excellency Su Yi’s strength, killing even early-stage Spiritual Manifestation cultivators is well within the realm of possibility!
“I heard it’s highly likely that the Blue-Robed Swordsman who killed Elder Huo Tiandu of Cloudsky Divine Palace on Cloudcomb Lake was none other than Su Yi!”
…..
Similar discussions could be heard throughout Nine Tripod City.
The Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly had ended yesterday.
But even now, word of what had happened there spread through every street and alleyway of Nine Tripod City.
It was no exaggeration to say that everywhere cultivators gathered in Nine Tripod City, they were sure to mention Su Yi’s name!
Ge Qian was currently drinking alone, and when he overheard these discussions, his expression filled with uncertainty.
“Old-timer, you have no idea. Yesterday, when I saw Su Yi cut down that Spiritual Integration Realm primordial spirit, the first thought that popped into my mind was ‘if I meet him, he might well grab his sword and chop you up too.’” Ge Qian sighed and muttered.
“Scoundrel! Do you want me dead that badly?” The old-timer cursed, his voice resounding throughout Ge Qian’s mental sea.
“I’m just worried about you is all.” Ge Qian took a sip of wine and said, “I’m still worried that something unexpected will happen if I meet with Su Yi.”
Yesterday, after the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly ended, he learned from Yuan Heng that Su Yi had taken up residence in Azure Dragon Lane’s Azurecloud Court.
“Don’t worry. When I learned that that little turtle Yuan Heng received the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra from Su Yi, I had a certain premonition. It’s highly likely that this meeting will turn out to be an enormous stroke of good fortune!” said the old-timer gravely.
“Why do you think that?” Ge Qian didn’t quite get it.
The old-timer had spent the past few days carefully weighing the pros and cons, as if he’d encountered the thorniest problem in the world. He’d gone back and forth repeatedly, sinking into long silences, leaving Ge Qian beside himself with worry.
But now, it seemed the old man… was starting to look forward to meeting with Su Yi!
“Why?” the old-timer muttered to himself. A long time passed before he gave a response that Ge Qian could never have anticipated, not even if you hit him over the head. “Because… he’s surnamed Su!”