["A nobleman hides his tools within himself"] Su Ji misses it...

The dark red thread touched by Su Ji's consciousness snapped in response to his thought.

The surrounding space shattered like a mirror, crumbling into dust.

When the scene before him cleared again, he found himself in an unfamiliar wooden hut.

Directly ahead, a woman in gray robes stood with her back to him.

"Screech… screech… screech…"

She was doing something that produced a metallic grating sound, unbearable to the ears.

Two seconds later, the woman turned around.

The source of the "horrible noise" was a strangely shaped short blade in her hand.

The blade wasn’t long but was unusually wide, its edge gleaming coldly.

Su Ji tried to speak but found himself unable to make a sound. His body wouldn’t move either.

He was nothing but a phantom observer.

The gray-robed woman’s gaze settled on Su Ji, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"Take off your robes."

Her voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

Su Ji: ???

What the hell?

His mind buzzed.

Was this development too explosive?

Again with this?

Is this really not the Joyful Union Sect?

The gray-robed woman gently ran her fingers along the blade’s edge. "Hurry up. I’ll cut off that useless spiritual root for you."

"This is a necessary step to become an outer disciple."

Her tone remained indifferent as she continued, "The Great Dao is boundless. Male cultivators of the Love-Longing Sect shouldn’t waste time on meaningless pursuits, indulging in fleeting pleasures."

Useless spiritual root?

Su Ji froze.

Was his aptitude lacking?

Wait—

Connecting the dots between the coldly gleaming blade in her hand and her final remark…

No!

Damn you, Li Nainai!

Su Ji’s eyes widened in horrified clarity.

She meant to cut off his physical "root"?!

A chill shot up from his feet straight to the crown of his head.

Instinctively, he recalled the white destiny he hadn’t chosen—[A Gentleman Hides His Tools Within].

Honestly, Su Ji missed it now.

Suddenly, he understood Su Jiu’s earlier cryptic behavior.

"Senior Brother might get hurt these days…"

"It might come in handy at a critical moment…"

Damn these riddlers!

If only they’d spelled it out clearly, he could’ve avoided this!

Ah, whatever…

They weren’t obligated to help him anyway.

But was his promising transmigrator life really about to begin with such an inhumane plot?

Was the Love-Longing Sect even a proper sect?!

More twisted than the Joyful Union Sect!

At worst, the Joyful Union Sect would’ve overworked his little brother—this place wanted to fire him outright!

Seeing Su Ji remain motionless, the gray-robed woman sighed, her tone still eerily calm. "Too slow. Fine, I’ll do it myself."

As she stepped closer, the cold glint of the blade reflected in Su Ji’s eyes.

He wanted to run, but his body refused to obey.

All he could do was watch helplessly as the blade—the decider of his future "happiness"—drew nearer.

A hero cut down before his journey even began?

Then, just as his robes were yanked open and the blade descended—

The scene rippled violently, as if a stone had been thrown into water.

The gray-robed woman’s figure twisted and dissolved into nothingness.

Su Ji’s consciousness plummeted.

He was back in the shabby wooden hut.

Su Jiu had long since left, the door slightly ajar.

Gasping for air, Su Ji instinctively looked down.

Thank heavens.

Still there.

"Whew…"

Even so, his heart pounded with lingering terror.

If he hadn’t glimpsed that vision beforehand…

Had he naively gone to claim his outer disciple status, he’d have walked right into the trap.

Su Ji couldn’t gauge the gray-robed woman’s cultivation level.

But his instincts screamed that she was far beyond the Qi Refining stage.

Resistance was futile.

The best outcome? Keep his brother but lose his life.

Su Ji opened his palm, staring at the red pill resting there.

"Blood-Coagulating Pill…"

He’d thought it useless before. Now, it was a lifesaver.

Without it to numb the pain and stop the bleeding, he didn’t dare imagine—

No, even with the pill, he still didn’t dare.

Bastards!

Don’t underestimate the bond between a man and his brother!

Su Ji began combing through his memories for a way out.

Maybe the solution lay within.

First:

His "starting zone" wasn’t bad.

This place was also called the "Great Xia Kingdom."

What a coincidence.

Second: The Great Xia Kingdom’s spiritual energy was depleted, with the Golden Core stage being the limit.

The major powers were divided into one kingdom, five sacred lands, nine sects, and thirteen schools.

The Love-Longing Sect ranked ninth among the thirteen schools—

A quasi-first-rate sect, neither outstanding nor bottom-tier.

Yet Su Ji’s memories held no mention of "root-cutting" as a requirement for outer disciples.

Probably because he’d been a lowly outer-sect laborer with limited access to information.

Pull strings?

Su Ji had no connections in the Love-Longing Sect.

Bribe his way out?

He couldn’t even afford a single Blood-Coagulating Pill.

Fight back?

As absurd as it sounded—

In a world where Golden Core was the peak, Foundation Establishment cultivators were already "mighty experts."

A bleak and hopeless future…

Maybe he should just flee?

This immortal path wasn’t worth it.

Being a rogue cultivator sounded far better.

Su Ji pocketed the pill.

The chance to break through to Qi Refining had emptied his savings.

This was the last valuable thing he owned.

Peeking through the door crack to confirm no one was outside, Su Ji slipped out.

Thanks to his two-and-a-half years as a laborer, he knew the Love-Longing Sect’s layout well.

Avoiding patrols, he made his way toward the mountain gate.

Beneath the towering archway, two bored disciples in standard sect robes stood guard.

Holding his breath, Su Ji prepared to sneak past while they chatted.

"Halt!" The taller guard spotted him instantly.

Su Ji’s heart sank.

Dashing away risked a fatal strike to the back.

The shorter disciple eyed his laborer attire. "Outer-sect laborer? Trying to leave? Where’s your token?"

Token?

Like hell he had one.

As Su Ji debated forcing his way or finding another escape—

A chime of jade pendants approached.

A curvaceous female cultivator sauntered over, twirling a jade token glowing faintly green.

The guards straightened, their arrogance vanishing. "Senior Sister."

She merely hummed in acknowledgment and tossed the token. "I’m heading down."

The taller guard caught it, channeling spiritual energy to verify. "May I ask your purpose, Senior Sister? Rules require documentation."

Her red lips curled into a sweet yet disturbingly saccharine smile. "The man I love is getting married today."

"I’m going to crash the wedding."

"I’ll break his mortal root… right in front of his bride."

The guards showed no reaction, as if she’d commented on the weather.

The taller one simply nodded, jotting it down. "May Senior Sister… succeed and return with the root intact!"

After that, he respectfully returned the jade token to the female cultivator and stepped aside to make way.

And what about Su Ji?

He had already quietly retreated back to his small wooden hut.

So...

'Predestined fate'—does it mean a future that simply cannot be changed?

Bullshit!

Don’t underestimate the bond between him and his sworn brother!

Even in the direst of circumstances, there’s always a sliver of hope!

"Su Jiu…"

"It’s not that I want to leave a bad review…"

"Once I secure my spiritual roots, I’ll definitely give you a five-star rating…"