Most of the Su Family members were stuck at the seventh step. Only four or five had managed to take the eighth step—and they mostly knew each other, as they were all members of the Sequence. Though ranked toward the lower end, most were purple-tier prodigies. “Brother, to make it this far without being in the Sequence—truly impressive!” A youth looked admiringly at the person walking beside him. He was certain this person wasn’t part of the Sequence, but the two had journeyed together to the ninth step. He himself was already gasping for breath, while the other seemed entirely unaffected. “I’m Su Xiaoyang, Sequence Seventy-Three! My dream is to become someone like the Swordmaster Su Yang!” Su Xiaoyang forced a smile, trying to use this cheerfulness to dull the constant pain pounding through his soul. “Su Chensha. A cripple who can’t cultivate…” Su Chensha replied calmly. “A cripple?! Haha, come on, brother, quit messing with me. You’re definitely one of those low-profile hidden geniuses, right?” “I’ve met a few guys like that—great talent, but they dislike competition and refuse to join the Sequence.” Fresh chapters posted on novelꜰire.net Su Xiaoyang didn’t believe a word of it. He had barely survived nine steps and already felt like he was at death’s door. But Su Chensha, who had walked beside him the entire way, still looked completely unfazed. That level of strength had to crush his own! But what he didn’t know was—Su Chensha was telling the truth. He truly had no cultivation. His body was far weaker than Su Xiaoyang’s, and the pain he endured was many times worse. The reason no one could tell… was because he endured it all. Only by swallowing every shred of pain could he survive under the night’s shadow. That was his rule of survival. Perhaps… being familiar with pain was the one thing he was most skilled at. “I didn’t lie. I’m twenty-eight this year, still without cultivation. I’ve tempered my blood seventeen times—thirteen times my bloodline withered after reaching perfection.” “I’ve refined qi four times—three times my meridians scattered right after reaching the peak.” “I unlocked the meridians once, but after reaching full awakening, they all sealed shut.” Su Chensha’s voice remained steady and calm. But Su Xiaoyang was already completely stunned by his words. How could anyone have suffered such a miserable fate in this world? “To cross the Dragon Gate… to pass it… a cripple like me does not dream of entering the Sequence. I only want to face the Family Leader and understand what’s happening to me…” As he spoke, he stepped forward— Suddenly, a terrifying wave of pressure surged from all directions. Su Chensha swayed like a lone sailboat in the middle of a stormy sea—on the verge of collapse, yet steady like a mountain! “You saw it, right? The Dragon Gate—he saw the Dragon Gate!” “A brother from Sequence Thirty-Five said once you step past ten, you can glimpse a radiant Dragon Gate.” “Did you see it?” Su Xiaoyang asked with excitement. But Su Chensha remained silent. Instead, he prepared to step forward once more. A radiant Dragon Gate? All I see is endless darkness. If I can’t see it after ten steps, I will take ten more. If still not, then a hundred! All this pain was just tempering. All this suffering, just a ripple. If one day he found a path of escape… It would be nothing more than a chilly breeze. Su Chensha spoke, eyes fixed forward. Those behind him, watching his back, felt a strange stirring in their hearts. His silhouette—suddenly seemed towering and immense, radiating a strange power with every step forward. None noticed that, above the sky’s Dragon Gate, boundless spiritual energy and countless opportunities were beginning to compress and gather. A pair of True Dragon eyes gazed directly at Su Chensha. To become a true dragon, one must endure endless torment without despair, face myriad trials without fear, charge forward without retreat. Only then shall the Dragon Gate appear, and a True Dragon be born! “Well now… there’s my surprise.” Su Zhou looked toward Dragon Gate Peak, his eyes filled with appreciation for the stubborn youth. “If you cross the Dragon Gate… even if the heavens themselves forbid your cultivation and the Dao rejects your existence—I, too, shall defy the heavens and raise you upon the martial path!” Su Zhou’s voice was not loud—but absolutely firm. Through all this suffering, still staying true to oneself and pressing forward… Among all the Su Family, Su Zhou had seen no one else like him. “That idiot boy, what’s he up to now?” Suddenly, Su Zhou’s expression turned odd as he looked beyond the Lingxiao Blessed Land. A playful glint flashed in his eyes. “Peach blossom debt, is it? Or something else?” He smiled, watching the young man dodging someone outside. But his gaze quickly turned sharp. “Playful is fine, but if you dare harm my family’s disciples outside Lingxiao Blessed Land…” “You must be tired of living.” As he spoke, a cold radiance pierced across the heavens and earth! “What the hell are you two witches trying to do?!” “What were you thinking?! What were you thinking?!” Su Yang soared through the sky, sword beneath his feet, fleeing at full speed. Two young women chased closely behind him. “Su Yang!! You saw my body—you must take responsibility!!” “Either I dig out your eyes—or you join my Huayue Sword Sect!!” A young girl shouted at the top of her lungs. “Saw your what?! All I saw was your neck! That’s it!” “Your whole sect is made of women—what would a man like me look like joining that?!” Su Yang couldn’t help but shout back as he fled. He had originally been searching for fragments of the Nine Tribulation Sword, but accidentally wandered into Huayue Sword Sect. There, he accidentally stumbled upon a young priestess wearing only a belly band… And she had been chasing him ever since. “Sect Master Leng! Can’t you control your disciple?!” The girl behind her remained expressionless. “Your sword Dao talent is good. The emotionless path suits our sect well—you may join even if unqualified.” “Hmph! You hear that? Even my master agrees!” “So stop bringing up that family leader of yours!” The girl’s tone was impish and teasing. But the moment she said that—Su Yang suddenly stopped flying. He had been fleeing across three entire domains, already close to reaching Lingxiao Blessed Land. But that one sentence—was enough to stop him cold. “Huayue’er. Apologize.” Su Yang was no longer his usual joking self. His face was solemn. “In this world, no one may speak a word against my family leader—not even in jest.” As he spoke, his sword was already drawn. Huayue’er, hearing this, felt a strange pang of grievance and confusion. She was the future sect master of Huayue Sword Sect, and had chased Su Yang only because of her feelings. She hadn’t even said anything insulting—just casually mentioned his family leader… Yet he had rebuked her more harshly than he ever had before. He had never taken her so seriously… A tangle of emotions flooded her heart. “I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!!” “I won’t apologize! Su Yang, you’re a bastard!! A bastard!! The biggest bastard under the heavens!!” Huayue’er’s voice trembled—almost crying. Beside her, Leng Ningyue frowned. “A shadow remains in his sword heart…” she murmured. Then, a sword light flashed. “Su Yang. Take this one strike. After it—right or wrong, it will all be settled.” Before Su Yang could respond— A ripple of sword qi surged forth— A single plum blossom bloomed midair. And then—frost killed all things. In that moment, Su Yang felt the shadow of death looming over him.