Su Yu placed a slice of beef on his Senior Sister’s plate, then picked up a piece for himself and chewed it slowly.
His terrifying hearing, a result of Five Senses Divine, was scanning all around for information.
The hushed whispers of the three men in the courtyard below, no matter how quiet, were amplified in his ears as if they were right next to him. He could hear every word perfectly.
It made him reflect on something.
’When you’re strong enough, trouble learns to stay away.’
He took a large bite of beef shank, downed a cup of fiery liquor, and nonchalantly extended his superhuman hearing toward the square tables downstairs.
"Did you hear? The Black Lotus Sect’s army has already reached Cangya Pass! Even the Jian’an Army was defeated. I’m afraid this whole area is about to become a battlefield."
"Good, let it be chaotic! Damn it, that You family exploits us day in and day out, acting like the local emperors of this hundred-mile radius. Once the Black Lotus Sect’s army arrives and slaughters all these aristocratic families that feast on the blood of soldiers, we can all open the granaries and finally eat our fill!"
"Shh! Do you have a death wish? Keep your voice down! If the You family’s lackeys hear you, they’ll flay you alive!"
"Like hell I’m afraid! There are plenty of people in this inn who think the same way I do! The moment the Black Lotus Holy Mother’s holy presence arrives, I’ll be the first to join the divine sect!"
"Hey, I’ll let you in on a top-secret piece of news. The Black Lotus Sect’s vanguard has actually already infiltrated our Qing Province! And the one leading them is the legendary Merciful Saintess! I hear the Saintess has the heart of a Bodhisattva, full of compassion for all living beings, dedicated to saving people from their suffering. Why don’t we just go and pledge ourselves to her now?"
Hearing this, Su Yu’s hand, which was cutting the meat, paused for a moment. A sharp glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.
’The Merciful Saintess?’
He had seen this title before in the case files at the Public Security Bureau.
The intelligence reports stated that the Black Lotus Sect’s Silent Extinction Celestial King and Merciful Saintess had both descended upon Qing Province, apparently having received a divine oracle from the so-called Black Lotus Holy Mother.
The Silent Extinction Celestial King was responsible for slaughtering on the main battlefield with his Divine Skills, while the Merciful Saintess was lurking in the shadows, seemingly searching for something extremely important in the vicinity of Black Stone City.
’So the Saintess has already infiltrated the area near Black Stone City?’
Su Yu considered this to himself.
But he had always been calm and wouldn’t jump to conclusions based on hearsay. In these chaotic times of war, it was highly likely that this was just a smokescreen deliberately released by the Black Lotus Sect—a trick to mislead and divert attention.
’Forget it. It doesn’t matter what she’s looking for or whether she’s even here. The most pressing matter is to deal with Wind Evil Stronghold first.’
Pushing aside the myriad thoughts in his mind, Su Yu and Lin Wanzhu finished their meal and returned to their room on the second floor.
At the door to their room, Lin Wanzhu pushed it open and saw the single large bed inside. Her eyebrows immediately shot up as she turned and shot Su Yu a fierce glare.
"Ah Yu, this trip to Linyuan City is an emergency. You’d better not try anything funny tonight."
Seeing his Senior Sister’s wary expression, the corner of Su Yu’s mouth curled into a mischievous smile.
He took a step into the room, latched the door shut behind him, and reached out with a large hand, naturally catching Lin Wanzhu’s soft, delicate hand and pulling her inside.
"Senior Sister, you can rest easy. I, Su Yu, have always been an upright gentleman. How could I possibly be the type to mess around?"
Lin Wanzhu looked utterly unconvinced. ’I already know this guy is a little pervert, and he especially likes them big...’
’The moment he gets a chance, he starts messing with me... but when he does, it actually feels kind of good... Ptui, ptui! What am I even thinking...’
Lin Wanzhu snapped back to her senses, only to find Su Yu’s scorching gaze shamelessly fixed on the astonishing fullness of her chest.
To travel discreetly today, Lin Wanzhu had intentionally worn a black martial robe to cover herself up. After all, when traveling, a woman with her cool, stunning looks and explosive figure could easily attract unnecessary trouble if she didn’t conceal it a little.
"Senior Sister, have a seat. After riding a horse all day, the insides of your thighs must be sore. Let me give them a massage," Su Yu said, patting the bed with a sincere look in his eyes.
"No! Just wash up and go to sleep. We have to be on the road early tomorrow!"
Lin Wanzhu knew this brat’s tricks all too well. If she really let him start the massage, there was no telling where his hands would end up. She refused him flat out, then turned with a red face, pushed open the window, and ordered the inn attendant downstairs to quickly bring up two basins of hot water.
Su Yu wasn’t in a hurry. ’From the moment Senior Sister stepped into this room, I was determined to get a taste of her sweetness tonight. I’ll just take it slow.’
A short while later, the attendant eagerly delivered two large basins of steaming water for washing their feet.
Without any inhibition, Su Yu quickly stripped off his outer robe, revealing a lean, muscular body with perfectly defined lines. Wearing only a pair of loose under-trousers, he sat on the edge of the bed with his legs apart and began to soak his feet.
Seeing this, Lin Wanzhu shot him an annoyed, embarrassed look. However, martial artists weren’t ones for trivial formalities. Besides, she had long since been seen and touched all over by Su Yu, so she didn’t act overly shy now.
After a full day on the road, her body did feel sticky and uncomfortable. She turned her back to him and deftly slipped off her tight-fitting black martial robe.
The moment the outer robe fell away, an alluring figure as fair and smooth as white jade was revealed.
On her upper body, she wore only a white silk bodice embroidered with red plum blossoms. The two thin red straps tied behind her long, snow-white neck looked as if they might snap at any moment.
Lin Wanzhu turned around, sat down next to Su Yu on the edge of the bed, and slowly dipped her delicate feet into the hot water.
"Mmm..."
As the warm water enveloped her tired feet, Lin Wanzhu couldn’t help but close her eyes and let out a soft, languid hum from her throat.
That sound made Su Yu’s heart pound.
He turned his head, and his eyes instantly locked onto her. The snow-white bodice could barely contain their heavy bounty. With Lin Wanzhu’s light breathing, the astonishing waves rose and fell like snow-capped mountains, the ravine between them so deep one couldn’t look away.
"SMACK!"
Lin Wanzhu slapped his hand away.
"Hurry up and wash so we can sleep. And no funny business."
"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to Senior Sister."
Su Yu wasn’t annoyed and obediently withdrew his hand. ’If she says no touching, then no touching. Once we’re in bed and under the covers, I’ll have plenty of opportunities anyway.’
Humming a little tune, Su Yu soaked his feet while summoning the panel in his mind. His gaze quickly swept to the very bottom:
[Divine Skills]: Silent Extinction (Thunder) (Tier Two) (1% Unlocked) (Available)
[Authority]: Thunder (Completion: 0.01%) (Thunder Summoning Available)
’My Divine Skill and my Authority—both of my nuclear options have finished their cooldowns. With these in hand, this trip to Linyuan City shouldn’t pose any major problems.’
This was the ultimate source of his confidence when he dared to promise the three Patriarchs that he would personally resolve this matter!
’Still, I need to increase my strength a bit more. I can’t get to two Breakthrough Points right now, so I’ll use the one I have!’
His gaze fell upon the Martial Arts that were ready for a Breaking Limit.
[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist (Perfection)
[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Perfection)
[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (First Layer) (Perfection)
’The Bibo Fish Dragon Skill isn’t useful for now, so I’ll ignore it. The Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist and the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step are both good choices.’
Su Yu considered it carefully and finally set his sights on the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step.
’My White Ape Fist has gone through Breaking Limit three times, so my Fist Technique is already very strong. A Breaking Limit on the Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist would be a bit redundant. I’d be better off using it on the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step first!’
’My speed is fast, but not ridiculously so. If I run into a powerful expert, I’ll be at a disadvantage whether I’m trying to escape or pursue. The situation on this trade route is especially unknown, so a Breaking Limit on the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step first might give me more leeway.’
Having made up his mind, Su Yu no longer hesitated and pressed the "+" sign behind the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step.
The next moment, a flash of light only Su Yu could see appeared before his eyes, quickly transforming into ink-colored text.
[Martial Art: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step. Breaking Limit successful (1). Consumed: 1 Breakthrough Point.]
[Awakened Trait: One Startling Step]
As the text appeared, Su Yu’s consciousness seemed to be instantly pulled from his body, crossing the endless river of time and plunging into a vast Martial Arts Illusion Realm.
The scene before him suddenly sharpened.
It was a boundless sea of lush green bamboo. A fierce wind howled past, making the millions of bamboo stalks dance wildly like the waves of a furious green ocean. The rustling of the leaves rubbing together was as deafening as the roar of the tide.
In the illusion realm, a figure who looked exactly like Su Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, poised above the sea of bamboo.
His eyes were slightly closed as the abyssal Qi and Blood within his body instantly and furiously rushed downward!
"BOOM!"
He took a step! Landing on the very tip of a hundred-zhang-tall bamboo stalk that was less than two fingers wide.
The slender stalk didn’t break. Instead, it was bent into a heart-stopping arc by an extreme compressive force. The next instant, his Qi and Blood detonated under the sole of his foot like dynamite!
"BANG!!!"
A white shockwave exploded in the air. The figure, like a fleeting dragon, was so fast that not even an afterimage could be seen. He vanished instantly at the far end of the bamboo sea! All that remained were shattered bamboo leaves dancing in the air, slowly drifting down.
The scene shattered and re-formed.
This time, Su Yu appeared at the bottom of a terrifying waterfall with a drop of several hundred zhang!
The Milky-Way-like waterfall crashed down with immense force, vast and powerful, kicking up great white sprays of water. Amidst the rising mist, Su Yu stood silently on the surface of the deep pool below the falls, ripples spreading out from beneath his feet.
The next moment, Su Yu looked up.
Within the Yongquan Acupoints of his feet, his Qi and Blood compressed to a boiling point!
"RUMBLE!"
The deep pool beneath his feet exploded as if a massive bomb had been dropped into it, throwing up a white wave dozens of zhang high. And Su Yu’s figure, propelled by this terrifying recoil, shot straight up against the immense force of the waterfall!
He took a step onto the center of the waterfall’s furious torrent.
In that instant, his terrifying speed and Qi and Blood directly suppressed the raging current of the falling water!
His momentum unabated, he stepped on the torrent again and, like a phantom breaking through the sun, shot straight for the top of the cliff!
...
"Hoo—"
Su Yu slowly opened his eyes, withdrawing from the illusion realm. Flashes of insight flickered continuously within them.
Finally, he had completely grasped the new Trait from his Breaking Limit!
[Trait]: One Startling Step!
Compress all the Qi and Blood in the body into the Yongquan Acupoints within a single breath, then abruptly detonate it. This single step pushes the body’s Qi and Blood to its absolute limit. After the step, the momentum lingers for three breaths as the Qi and Blood continue to surge through the Great Tendons, creating a self-sustaining residual force.