Chapter 49: The Destined Son-in-Law (11) |
Su Chen firmly and righteously declined the Great Yan Emperor's attempt to win him over with beauty. In his first and second lives, such temptations might have held some allure. But as experiences accumulated over lifetimes, these ordinary painted faces and powdered cheeks no longer stirred even the slightest interest in him. Beauties turned to withered bones in time. He preferred souls that were truly interesting.
After settling matters for the Xia family, Su Chen brought the Xia siblings back to the Profound Origin Sacred Land with him. He devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, five years went by.
Su Chen's cultivation broke through to the seventh layer of the Spirit Soul Realm, advancing at an astonishing pace. Yet he felt no pride in it. In the Profound Origin Sacred Land, any random disciple pulled from the crowd would be considered a genius in the outside world. Among them, some sequence disciples—those ranked at the very top—had become kings before even reaching the age of twenty.
"The once-in-a-decade Dao Inquiry Assembly is about to begin. It is one of the grandest events in the Eastern Wasteland. Countless prodigies from across the land will gather to participate. Disciple, you should join the senior brothers of the sacred land and take part in the trial. Broaden your horizons and witness a vaster sky."
Prison-Suppressing Sovereign summoned Su Chen. The Dao Inquiry Assembly. Core disciples from the sacred lands would attend in force.
Su Chen felt genuine anticipation stir within him. He had never yet crossed blades with the true pinnacle geniuses of the sacred land. Heroes from across the world. He wanted to meet them.
On the sacred land's warship stood rows of young men and women.
Su Chen curiously observed his surroundings. Every single one of them exuded at least the aura of the Spirit Soul Realm. Some of the prodigies gave off presences so deep that even Su Chen could not fully gauge them. They far surpassed the version of himself from his previous life. He could not help but sigh inwardly at the Prison-Suppressing Sovereign's true intention. So this was how vast the sky truly was.
On the warship, Su Chen spotted a familiar face. Li Xuanbing. The descendant he had once been most proud of in his previous life. Now apprenticed to a Nirvana Realm elder of the Profound Origin Sacred Land, Li Xuanbing's cultivation had reached a depth Su Chen could no longer see through. Yet he knew that Li Xuanbing stood only one step away from breaking through to the Void Refining Realm.
Li Xuanbing noticed Su Chen as well and gave him a warm nod and a smile.
Su Chen followed the group and arrived at Dao Inquiry City. Here, geniuses from every corner had converged. They came from the twelve sacred lands, from ancient clans, and from the top-tier forces beneath the sacred lands. So many prodigies gathered in one place—it truly felt like a gathering of brilliant stars shining together.
The Profound Origin Sacred Land ranked only ninth among the twelve. The Eastern Wasteland ranked fourth among the five great regions. What must the true pinnacle of the martial world look like?
The Central Continent, where imperial clans still existed. What kind of golden age reigned there?
The Dao Inquiry Assembly was the battlefield where the younger generation of the Eastern Wasteland clashed. Where there was competition, there was enmity.
The Profound Origin Sacred Land and the Green Jade Sacred Land had been bitter rivals for generations. Old grudges and new—neither side yielded to the other. Ninth place versus eighth place—neither would admit defeat.
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Su Chen did not encounter any disciples from the Green Jade Sacred Land. His first opponent came from an ancient clan: a prodigy of the Qin Clan.
Su Chen won, though narrowly. His second opponent was Zhong Mu Zhi, a disciple from the third-ranked sacred land, the Hidden Sword Sacred Land.
Su Chen lost. This was the first time in the same realm that he had been defeated.
"Thanks for the free win."
The young man's ink-black hair was casually tied up. His eyes were deep as abysses, carrying a coldness that kept others at a distance. He sheathed his ancient longsword back into its scabbard and walked away. As though he had done nothing more than swat a fly.
Su Chen stood stunned for a moment. Aside from his first life, in every subsequent life, his accumulated memories had granted him overwhelming strength. He had crushed opponents of the same realm with ease, giving rise to a lonely sense of invincibility within the same cultivation level.
"You didn't lose unjustly. That young man carries a special martial physique—far stronger than an ordinary spirit body. Though it falls short of a divine or sacred physique, it is still an exceptionally powerful constitution."
Li Xuanbing spoke gently, offering comfort. After leaving the Heavenly Origin Dynasty and entering the Profound Origin Sacred Land, he too had once felt lost. The world was filled with far too many geniuses. When so many gathered together, even he began to feel ordinary and unremarkable.
Su Chen quickly steadied his mind. He felt only a faint sense of loss and melancholy. Centuries of accumulated martial experience had been casually crushed by raw talent.
The Dao Inquiry Assembly continued.
Su Chen witnessed a grueling battle between Jiang Cheng, the thirteenth-sequence disciple of the Profound Origin Sacred Land, and a female disciple from the Green Jade Sacred Land. They clashed for three hundred exchanges. Even among Profound Connection Realm cultivators, both stood as true powerhouses.
Genuine young kings. In the end, both exhausted every technique at their disposal, ending in mutual injury and a draw. The highest-ranked participant from the Profound Origin Sacred Land was Shen Wuxin, third in the sequence. Not yet thirty years old, already at the ninth layer of Profound Connection Realm, he claimed seventh place in the entire assembly.
After witnessing those pinnacle geniuses, Su Chen threw himself into cultivation with renewed ferocity. He began to engage more deeply with the sacred land, earning contribution points.
Ten years later, he reached the ninth layer of the Spirit Soul Realm. Only one step remained to Profound Connection.
That year, Su Chen turned thirty-seven. His cultivation finally encountered a bottleneck. Even with the experience of breaking through to Profound Connection once in his previous life, achieving it again proved extraordinarily difficult.
Su Chen left the Profound Origin Sacred Land in search of opportunity. On the journey, he encountered Fang Bubai once more. Fang Bubai's cultivation had become impossible for Su Chen to gauge clearly. Presumably, he had already stepped into the Profound Connection Realm.
"Brother Mu, your cultivation is on the verge of breaking into Profound Connection Realm, isn't it?"
Fang Bubai saw through Su Chen's current state at a glance. Then he continued, "I know of a place that might help you comprehend the mysteries of Profound Connection and successfully step into that realm."
Su Chen was genuinely surprised. Such a precious opportunity—Fang Bubai was willing to share it with him.
Fang Bubai led Su Chen to an ancient site of inheritance. Some unknown powerhouse had left its legacy here.
Su Chen entered to comprehend it.
Fang Bubai remained outside and cultivated on his own.
Five years later, Su Chen finally sensed the threshold of the Profound Connection Realm and crossed it in one smooth stride.
"At last—I've broken through to Profound Connection Realm!"
Su Chen felt immense joy. Reaching Profound Connection at just over forty years old could still be called genius-level even within the sacred land.
When Fang Bubai saw Su Chen emerge successful, he smiled warmly. "Congratulations, Brother Mu, on successfully breaking through to Profound Connection Realm."
Su Chen felt a touch of melancholy. He could no longer see through Fang Bubai's cultivation at all.
"Brother, what are your plans moving forward?"
Su Chen asked.
Fang Bubai had always refused to join any faction, insisting on walking alone.
"Brother Mu, to be honest… I must head to the Central Continent!"
Fang Bubai's eyes shone with excitement.
"After today's parting, who knows when we will meet again."
Su Chen smiled and clasped his hands. "Then I wish you boundless fame across the Central Continent!"
Fang Bubai raised a jug of wine. The two feasted and drank heartily together. Only at dawn the next morning did Fang Bubai stagger away, setting off on the long road toward the Central Continent.
Su Chen watched Fang Bubai's figure disappear into the distance. After this farewell, perhaps the Central Continent would soon gain a new legend.
Su Chen returned to the Profound Origin Sacred Land. Upon his arrival, he heard troubling news. Lin Wu had failed his attempt to break through to the Void Refining Realm and suffered grave injuries. He was now on the verge of death.
Su Chen hurried to visit.
Lin Wu, whose lifespan was rapidly running out after the failed breakthrough, lit up with genuine happiness the moment he saw Su Chen.