Even Without Talent, Su Ji Would Still Be a Cultivation Genius...

“So, am I leaving then?”

Su Jiu stared at Su Ji as he turned away without a word, leaving her momentarily stunned.

For some reason, the irritation gnawing at her heart eased just a little.

There was even a trace of an emotion she hadn’t noticed in herself before.

Looks like Su Ji isn’t entirely ungrateful after all.

……

Yet, before this newfound warmth could fully take hold in her heart,

the next morning, just as the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, a faint but persistent “click-click” sound roused Su Jiu from her light sleep.

The sound was coming from her door.

Someone was trying to pick the lock!

Su Jiu snapped upright, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.

The next second, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Su Ji’s face appeared in the doorway, wearing a smile he probably thought was friendly.

“Junior sister, good morning.”

Su Jiu: “……”

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw her sword.

“Get lost!”

“Junior sister, no need to be so angry.”

Su Ji walked in uninvited and casually shut the door behind him.

“Today’s Heavenly Dao Secret Realm — take me with you, will you? I’m not here to compete for the best treasures, I just want to pick up the leftovers.”

“We’re at least companions who know each other’s roots, if not the full story. It’d be nice to watch each other’s backs inside the Secret Realm, right?”

Su Jiu couldn’t help but laugh at his brazen logic.

“Su Ji, do you think I’m too afraid to lay a hand on you?”

Su Ji shook his head, his expression serious. “Of course you dare, but you won’t.”

Su Jiu fell silent.

She clenched her teeth and forced out a few words through gritted teeth.

“Follow me.”

……

They didn’t take the main road.

Now that the outer disciples had been banned from leaving the sect grounds until the “lecherous bandit” incident was resolved,

Su Jiu led Su Ji on a winding path to a rarely visited cliff’s edge.

Below their feet yawned a bottomless chasm, shrouded in mist.

“This should be the fringe area where the Secret Realm opens. Whether you get swept inside depends entirely on luck.”

Her tone remained icy cold. “I had originally planned to enter through the main entrance at the mountain’s base — that’s where the best opportunities lie.”

“But now, everything’s been thrown into chaos.”

Su Ji didn’t care in the slightest. Fringe or not, as long as he could get in, that was enough.

At that moment, the sky darkened and the winds shifted.

A voice, devoid of emotion, echoed down from the heavens.

【Heaven’s hidden treasures, granted to the worthy.】

【The Dao is myriad, yet I stand as the peak.】

【Here, cultivation means nothing; all spiritual power falls silent.】

【Only those whose skills transcend the ordinary may seek the true treasures.】

【Alchemy, weapons, talismans, formations, spells, martial arts… all skills lead to the same path.】

As the voice faded, both Su Ji and Su Jiu felt their spiritual energy suppressed by an invisible force, rendering them no different from ordinary mortals.

So it really is all about “skill”!

Su Ji’s mind stirred. Taking advantage of the Secret Realm not being fully formed yet, he immediately spoke up.

“Junior sister, do me a favor.”

Su Jiu glanced at him, annoyed. “What now?”

“Bind with me.”

Su Jiu blinked. “Bind what?”

Su Ji’s face broke into a cryptic smile. “My destiny.”

“This Secret Realm only values ‘skill,’ right? My destiny can greatly enhance my spear techniques.”

“I’m just going to transform into the little tyrant of the glowing spear and go on a rampage like last time in the secret realm.”

Su Jiu’s delicate face instantly darkened.

Only then did she notice that Su Ji was still holding a glowing white spear.

“Senior sister, you must be here for something absolutely essential, right?” Su Ji pressed on. “If we join forces, we each get what we want.”

“My destiny says I need to bind to a target with a high ‘Jade’ attribute for my spear to become stronger.”

Su Ji looked at Su Jiu’s face, as flawless and pure as the finest mutton-fat jade, and continued to sweet-talk her.

“I see in you, senior sister, a rare and pure root, immaculate and flawless—just the perfect candidate for this ‘Jade’ attribute.”

Su Jiu twitched her eyelids in irritation.

Her instincts told her that the “spear” and “jade” Su Ji was talking about were anything but ordinary.

Yet, Su Ji’s logic was flawless.

She had indeed come for something in this secret realm.

It concerned the awakening of her bloodline, and she was determined to claim it.

But with her current skill level, she wasn’t entirely confident.

After all, she only had a vague understanding of this secret realm.

If Su Ji could truly become a powerful ally...

“How do we bind?” Su Jiu finally relented, though her expression remained dismissive.

“You just need to agree.”

【Su Ji invites you to bind your destiny: ‘Beauty like jade, spear like a swimming dragon.’ Do you accept?】

Su Jiu frowned, having never heard of such a destiny before.

Lately, more and more things were slipping out of her control.

She wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad...

It should be good...

After all, if everything stayed the same, the Great Xia would eventually fall into an endless abyss a hundred years from now.

She had no spare lives left...

So let change come—more of it.

Even if it meant losing the advantage of foresight.

“I... agree.”

The moment Su Jiu spoke, Su Ji felt his destiny activate.

A mysterious connection formed between them.

Su Ji could clearly sense his understanding of the “spear” path surging at an incredible speed.

If the world’s spear masters divided their skills into eight parts, he now held one whole piece.

Meanwhile, Su Jiu felt a strange flutter in her heart, as if something had linked to her—but she couldn’t quite grasp what.

The next moment, the mist on the cliff before them roiled violently,

dragging them into the secret realm.

When Su Ji’s feet touched solid ground again, the scenery had completely changed.

They stood in an endless forest.

But the trees here were no ordinary plants—they were pitch black, gleaming with a metallic cold light.

Their trunks were straight and bare, without a single branch or leaf, stabbing rigidly toward the sky.

At that moment, the ethereal voice echoed through the heavens and earth once more.

【Forest of Ten Thousand Trees.】

【In this forest, brute strength is useless.】

【Only those who master their craft to the utmost can pass through.】

【To be qualified, you must leave a mark on at least three percent of the trees with your skill.】

【Limited time: one incense stick. Those who fail to leave a mark will become new soil...】

As the voice faded, a pitch-black incense stick was ignited by an invisible flame in a clearing not far away, its smoke curling upwards.

Su Jiu’s expression grew grave.

She was skilled in many ‘arts.’

But no matter how exquisite a ‘technique’ was, it still required physical strength and the right tools to support it.

Unless one had already stepped beyond the boundaries of mere ‘technique.’

That is what the prompt referred to as ‘Entering the Way.’

Sword Dao, Spear Dao.

Sword Heart, Spear Soul.

But these things... were not something a mere Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could master!

Su Ji was an exception.

The moment he bound his destiny with Su Jiu, he felt the entire world shift.

Countless understandings, skills, and secrets about the “spear” flooded into his mind like a dam breaking.

He even had the illusion that, if he wished, the spear in his hand could pierce through the very heavens.

“Heh, just some petty tricks.”

An arrogant voice came from the other side.

Su Ji and Su Jiu turned their heads simultaneously.

They saw a youth dressed in fine clothes, who had somehow appeared in the forest.

He held a radiant sword, its scabbard studded with jewels, and exuded an air of conceited arrogance.

The youth glanced at Su Ji, then looked disdainfully at the plain, milky-white spear in his hand, curling his lips in contempt.

His gaze lingered briefly on Su Jiu’s face, a flicker of admiration flashing before his pride quickly returned.

“I am Zhao Xun. My ‘Falling Goose Sword Technique’ has reached its pinnacle. A mere piece of ironwood? Not worth mentioning.”

Having said this, he didn’t wait for a response and strode toward a black tree.

He took a deep breath and struck a pose he considered supremely elegant.

“Watch closely. This is what true ‘skill’ looks like!”

With a low shout, his jeweled sword flashed from its scabbard, unleashing a dazzling sword light that stabbed at the black tree with lightning speed.

“Ding!”

A crisp sound rang out.

Sparks flew.

Zhao Xun’s confident strike left only a shallow white mark on the iron-hard trunk.

Not even the bark was scratched.

The smile on Zhao Xun’s face froze instantly.

“Cough!”

He awkwardly cleared his throat.

“A slip, just a slip. I haven’t used my full strength yet.”

He gathered his energy again, his entire aura shifting. A faint sword glow shimmered around the blade.

“Instantaneous... One Line of Heaven!”

“Clang—!”

An even louder clash of metal rang out.

Zhao Xun staggered back two steps, his palm tingling painfully, his face flushed a deep purplish-red.

He approached the tree, staring intently at the trunk.

A sword scar about half a fen deep had appeared.

Not even half the standard depth of a proper ‘penetration.’

Zhao Xun was about to try again...

But suddenly, he found he couldn’t summon even a shred of strength.

Behind him, the spear tip in Su Ji’s hand pierced through his body.

And it didn’t stop.

The moment the spear tip touched the black tree trunk,

There was no sound.

No resistance.

It slipped in effortlessly, like a hot knife slicing through butter.

A full foot deep.

Su Ji flicked his wrist lightly.

The spear seemed to come alive, transforming in his hand into a silver-white dragon.

The spear tip slid inside the trunk, producing a faint series of tearing sounds.

Then, Su Ji withdrew the spear.

A body slowly collapsed.

The milky-white spear remained spotless, without a drop of blood.

Seeing this scene, Su Jiu’s expression remained mostly unchanged. “You’ve killed someone.”

Su Ji was indifferent. “This is already the second person I’ve killed.”

Su Jiu shook her head. “It’s not the same... I could understand you killing the fat steward out of desperation, but this one...”

“You’re going to fall into demonic cultivation eventually... and it’s not without reason.”

Listening to Su Jiu’s ‘desperate’ criticism, Su Ji’s emotions stirred even more than when he killed. “I was about to say, nothing good ever comes out of your mouth, yet here you are.”

“Isn’t cultivation all about killing and seizing treasures? Or is it about chasing after women?”

“Those who are destined to be here will be here. This place is tied to me—it’s all mine.”

Su Jiu studied Su Ji carefully. “You’re right... but you’re adapting way too quickly.”

“When I broke through to Qi Refinement, I was still chopping firewood two and a half months ago...”

Su Ji had already started rummaging through the corpse he had found. “Chopping wood forever won’t get you anywhere. If you ask me, chopping people is the way to go.”

Su Jiu began to consider whether she should get more involved with Su Ji, try to influence him, and prevent him from going down the wrong path. “Even if it’s not about innate talent, you would still be a prodigy in cultivation...”