"At last there’s news of Su the kid. That boy actually went to Canghe County... Any longer without news, I’d have thought he too was captured by the rebel army. Thank goodness, thank goodness!"

Everyone knew a great battle was about to break out. Though the Black Mountain Rebel Army had already taken shape, Wu Lie’s sources were astute; he vaguely gathered that this time, it even involved a Taiping Dao envoy, and word had reached Qingzhou Prefecture.

Upon hearing this, Wu Lie knew the destruction of the Black Mountain Army was inevitable. How could the rebel forces entrenched in the Three Counties withstand Qingzhou Prefecture? Wu Lie had been worried that Su Mu was still in the hands of the rebels and would be caught up when the army finally swept through.

"If Su the kid was in Canghe County this whole time, and there’s no mention of forging any weapons recently, then he must not be involved in that affair."

The three master craftsmen all let out a sigh of relief. By now, they too had learned about the Taiping Dao and knew it was a Demon-Fiend Dao forbidden by the Great Yan Court.

Wu Lie and the three masters also felt lucky they’d kept their mouths shut and hadn’t gotten entangled with the Taiping Dao envoy. Otherwise, if dragged into this, even a hundred-year-old Forging Workshop would be doomed to ruin.

Besides them, there was one more person breathing a secret sigh of relief: Wu Qiao’Er.

"Good thing I didn’t mention the handwriting matter to Father or the masters that day. Otherwise, the whole Forging Workshop would be implicated."

For some reason, in recent days Wu Qiao’Er felt an even stronger premonition.

Su Mu absolutely had a huge secret. Perhaps he wasn’t just the benefactor who once saved her—he might very well be inseparably tied to that Taiping Dao envoy.

Yet for now, Wu Qiao’Er could only bury her suspicions deep within her heart, daring not speak a word to anyone, nor having more clues to chase.

Moreover, she had once snuck into the study, reading several secret letters Wu Lie entrusted to the elders at the Forging Workshop before heading to the Black Mountain Forest that night.

"Father wants to pair me with him... Su, that Su Mu—other than being a little cold usually, he’s honestly quite decent. His face isn’t bad either. Way better looking than those other pampered sons of the gentry..."

Suddenly, two blushes bloomed across Wu Qiao’Er’s cheeks, her thoughts a riot of confusion.

...

A few days ago, Su Mu spent a small half tael of silver at the city’s Market and bought a young pagoda tree.

He planted it precisely atop the stump left by the old pagoda tree, which had been broken in half—the same old tree he’d shattered from afar while testing his fist after his fourth-time Jiao Tendons breakthrough.

This was, in a way, a full circle—a proper ending and new beginning.

Clapping his hands in satisfaction, Su Mu quietly left the small courtyard on Yanque Street, disturbing no one. Then he slipped back into his secluded wine-brewing courtyard.

Time flew by; three days passed in a blink.

It was late spring. When it rained, it came down as if pouring in summer; wild winds battered the courtyard, making the pagoda sapling’s leaves thrash and rustle, green leaves swirling to the ground in a tempest.

Amid the roaring gusts, a trace of clear wind brushed through.

A figure stepped out with effortless grace, landing squarely atop a fallen leaf in the spring rain. Another step, and as the pagoda leaves flew, that figure actually walked against the wind, treading upon the leaves themselves.

Whoosh!

With the last step, a warm current surged from under his feet.

Feixu Skill (Perfection)

Comprehension: 128 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)

By now, the two sword and saber techniques he’d picked up from the Qingfeng Gang Leader, as well as both eighth-grade lightweight skills, were all cultivated to perfection. Every martial art, mastered to its depths, could birth its unique force; and as comprehension advanced, so too would the power of that generated force multiply.

Thus, the Gangjin Pill resting in Su Mu’s dantian continued to grow stronger, little by little.

Now that the three master craftsmen had been rescued safely and everything was settled, Su Mu devoted his heart and soul to his martial cultivation these last two months.

In between, Su Mu also spent some time researching the eighth-grade Archery Skill he had acquired from Zhao Qing.

Gale Arrow Technique (Entry-level 1%)

Moreover, Su Mu’s martial path kept leaping forward, breakthrough after breakthrough.

Iron Cloth Shirt (Perfection)

Comprehension: 129 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)

...

Iron Arm Skill (Perfection)

Comprehension: 130 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)

...

Red Fire Technique (Perfection)

Comprehension: 131 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)

Every martial discipline, each in turn, reached from the realm of Great Success to Perfection. Wave after wave of new Power arose. The Gangjin Pill, broad as the sea, constantly condensed and grew inside him.

Outside of his cultivation, Su Mu never forgot to inscribe new Fire Sparrow Patterns with the Fire Sparrow Force; one after another, the marks formed across his body.

When a person invests their all into cultivation, time flies like an arrow shot from the bow.

Late spring melted away like water through the fingers, ushering in the scorched, blazing heat of summer.

After spreading fertilizer and watering the pagoda sapling in the Yanque Street courtyard, Su Mu slipped back into the wine-brewing courtyard, and, for the first time in a long while, called up his current Comprehension panel for review.

[Name: Su Mu (18 years old)]

[Lifespan: 478 years]

[Skills: Seven Dominating Spear Forms (Perfection), Blazing Fire Saber Technique (Perfection), Qingfeng Swordsmanship (Perfection), Eight-Step Chasing Cicada (Perfection), Feixu Skill (Perfection), Blood Transformation Technique (Perfection), Tiger Subduing Fist (Perfection), Startled Sparrow Step (Perfection), Torrential Rain Spear Technique (Perfection), Alchemy (Perfection), Small Faceless Transformation Technique (Great Success 99%), Medical Skill (Perfection), Calligraphy (Great Success 75%), Thunder Shock Fist (Great Success 69%), Gu Technique (Great Success 21%), Gale Triple Arrows (Great Success 3%), Molten Fire Golden Body (Small Success 55%), Artifact Refining (Small Success 23%), Profound Demon Five Transformations (Entry-level 89%), Five Elements Technique (Entry-level 65%)]

[Comprehension: 137 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)]

One glance at this densely packed list of skills put Su Mu at ease, each "Perfection" even more reassuring.

And this panel, laden with countless martial arts, was already the simplified version. If not for Iron Arm Skill, Red Fire Technique, and other disciplines being merged into Molten Fire Golden Body, or Gale Fist and Rock Shattering Fist fusing into Thunder Shock Fist, Su Mu’s skills would only be more numerous.

Compared to his days recovering from injury, Su Mu’s lifespan had undergone a minor explosion, increasing by a hundred and eight years in the span of just six months.

"In this period, my lifespan has grown by over a hundred years, and my comprehension has advanced more than thirty points."

A devastating wound, severing his meridians, had ironically resulted in a surge of strength—advancing Five Animals Qigong to Entry Level, devouring Fire Sparrow Blood to learn the Profound Demon Five Transformations, grasping the profundity of brief flight.

After that, he destroyed the Taiping Dao, claimed the Sumeru Ring, raised the Red Flame Great Spear to seventh-grade, cultivated Fourth-Time Yijin through Jiao Tendons, braved the Black Mountain Forest Camp to gain the Five Elements Technique, battled Purple Shirt and comprehended Lifting Light as Heavy, and used his destiny to infer and master the fifth Refining Force—Gang Force itself.

So it was true: great fortune lies between life and death.

Yet many fortuitous encounters and increases in strength did not even show up on the Comprehension panel, but they were real, having boosted Su Mu’s abilities by a great leap—progress that could only be called meteoric.

Now, Su Mu was sure: if he faced the old self from before his grievous injury,

he could kill him within three exchanges; within five, even capture him alive.

In addition, thanks to the matter with Qinghe, Su Mu received a single character from Liu Zhengyuan. He’d spent some time pondering it, and already had some ideas on how to use it.

Now, it was his own ace—his killer move, ready to unleash extraordinary force if a day of need arrived.

It was also on this day that someone once again slid a letter through the gate crevice outside the secluded wine courtyard.

When Su Mu picked it up, he saw it was still a letter from Li Kang; the message was almost the same as before, but this time Li Kang’s invitation for Su Mu to head to Canghe County was noticeably more intense.

Hmm?

Su Mu scanned the letter, eyes flashing—he sensed something odd, yet upon comparing the handwriting found no differences. It wasn’t a forgery.

"Perhaps I’m overthinking... Li Kang is obsessed with wine—he probably brewed some new spirit and is eager to share."

After a moment’s thought, Su Mu closed the letter, not worrying himself further.

"In ten days, it’s the date I set with Tao Xingzheng. First, I’ll clear out the Black Mountain Rebel Army, then pay a visit to Canghe County."

Suppressing his thoughts, Su Mu quickly made up his mind. Though he’d spent this time cultivating in seclusion, he kept a close eye on every change in the city.

At present, he simply couldn’t free himself to head for Canghe County.