At the same time,
Su Ji's comprehension of the [Desolate Fallen Dragon Art] had reached an entirely new level.
Though he wouldn’t dare claim to rival its creator,
he had now mastered every aspect of it.
Even if he were to attempt the [Heavenly Palace Golden Core] in the future, he had some confidence.
However, the [Heavenly Palace Golden Core] could only be achieved by those blessed with unparalleled fortune.
He wasn’t sure whether the surge of luck Su Jiu had bestowed upon him during his Qi Refinement breakthrough would be enough.
Most likely not…
He might still need to seek out opportunities to enhance his own fortune.
Never mind.
Thinking about the Golden Core stage now was getting ahead of himself.
It was better to focus on fulfilling the prerequisites for Heavenly Foundation Establishment first.
‘Condense spiritual energy into liquid, forming a self-sustaining cycle.’
Su Ji began circulating the fully comprehended version of the [Desolate Fallen Dragon Art].
The spiritual energy within his dantian was being compressed and refined at a frenzied pace.
Faint signs of liquefaction began to emerge.
One drop.
Two drops.
……
Time flowed slowly.
By the time the light outside the window shifted from bright to dark,
Su Ji suddenly snapped his eyes open.
A sharp glint flashed briefly in his pupils.
At the final moment—Qi Refinement, Eighth Layer!
Breakthrough!
“Haaah…”
Su Ji exhaled a long, turbid breath, which transformed into a white streak in the air before dissipating after lingering for a while.
He could feel the unprecedented surge of power within his body. In his dantian, a small portion of spiritual energy had now condensed into a pool of liquid, endlessly cycling and replenishing itself.
The moment he opened his eyes, he met Su Jiu’s gaze—her eyes brimming with quiet concern.
Seeing him radiant and his aura steady, Su Jiu finally let go of her worries, a faint smile unconsciously tugging at the corners of her lips.
But then, she recalled her earlier embarrassing actions, and the smile instantly vanished, replaced by a slight pout.
“Senior Brother, did you just experience an epiphany?”
Su Ji nodded openly.
“Yes.”
Su Jiu’s eyes shimmered with curiosity as she probed indirectly, “This is the first time I’ve witnessed someone enter an epiphany. Could you tell me what it feels like?”
She paused before adding, “For example, were you still aware of changes in the outside world, like during normal cultivation?”
Su Ji was inwardly delighted.
This act of hers was far too transparent.
Even though he had been in an epiphany,
he had been fully aware of everything happening around him.
Including Su Jiu’s words.
Especially the way she had fed him medicine—it had nearly jolted him out of his enlightened state.
But telling the truth now would be nothing short of suicidal!
Su Ji adopted an expression of deep recollection and spoke with a mix of truth and fabrication.
“At first, it was a bit hazy…”
“I vaguely heard something about medicinal liquid from you, Junior Sister…”
Su Jiu’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like a ripe apple, heat rushing straight to the top of her head.
What?
He had heard her?
Did that mean all her words—and those mortifying actions—had been fully perceived by Su Ji?
Pretending not to notice her embarrassment, Su Ji continued, “But later, everything became indistinct.”
“Still, I could sense the lingering medicinal effects in my body.”
“Combined with the fact that I’ve now reached the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, that medicinal liquid must have been incredibly precious. Thank you for your generosity, Junior Sister.”
“How many spirit stones did it cost? I’ll find a way to repay you.”
Huh?
Hearing this, Su Jiu felt the heat in her face subside slightly.
So… he meant his perception had been fuzzy and unclear?
In a certain sense, Su Ji's explanation wasn't entirely wrong.
Without the medicinal liquid Su Jiu had fed him, he probably would have only broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement.
After all, the main purpose of enlightenment was comprehension, not realm advancement.
Feeling slightly reassured yet still somewhat concerned, Su Jiu pressed further: "What about other things? Didn't you feel anything at all? That was enlightenment we're talking about."
Seeing Su Jiu perk up her little ears to listen carefully, Su Ji wore a wry smile that suggested this was only natural: "You jest, junior sister. An opportunity for enlightenment comes once in a thousand years—who would have the mind to pay attention to anything else?"
"I wished I could split one hour into two to make full use of it."
[Conversation with Su Jiu detected. Target meets aesthetic standards. Romance options triggered.]
[Option 1: With junior sister watching over me, I felt completely at ease and focused (Reward: Su Jiu's affection +3)]
[Option 2: Junior sister, why is your face red? Is it too hot in here? (Reward: Being thrown by Su Jiu into the freshly used bathing tub for proper cooling.)]
[Option 3: We've already kissed, why be shy now? Junior sister, I'm missing one medicinal herb—vanilla mud. (Reward: Su Jiu flees in embarrassment and disappears for two and a half months.)]
[Permanent Option: Not offering this one (Current kill count: 1)]
...
Su Ji's words were impeccably delivered, dissolving the last traces of doubt in Su Jiu's heart.
She gave a light hum, her delicate face wearing a hint of pride.
"Hmph, that pill was originally meant for my breakthrough to the ninth-grade Golden Core. Forget about the spirit stones—between you and me, there's no... I mean, even if we sold senior brother it wouldn't cover the debt, so consider it repayment for your kindness."
Su Ji raised an eyebrow.
"So we're even now?"
"No!"
The response burst from Su Jiu almost instantly.
Seeing Su Ji's surprised expression, she suddenly realized how overly eager she'd sounded.
She quickly turned her face away to hide her reaction, her voice softening: "I mean... my life isn't that cheap to be repaid with just one pill."
Only then did Su Ji notice that Su Jiu had changed into fresh clothes at some point.
Tiny crystalline droplets still clung to the ends of her hair.
A thought occurred to Su Ji.
"Junior sister, why is your face red?"
"Is it too hot in here?"
At these words, Su Jiu's clear fox-like eyes widened at Su Ji. Instead of fading, the blush on her cheeks intensified, spreading to tint her ears a delicate pink.
Since when was it hot in here?
It was clearly...
Su Jiu lightly bit her lower lip as she studied Su Ji's completely straight-faced expression.
She took a deep breath.
She decided to ask Su Ji one question... if he answered appropriately...
it wouldn't be impossible to give him a chance to pursue her...
Mhm.
Just a chance.
After all, she hadn't even thought about what to name their children yet...
Su Jiu took another deep breath, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and reassumed her peerlessly beautiful, serious expression.
With solemn demeanor, her clear fox-like eyes gazed intently at Su Ji.
"Senior brother, the path of immortality is long. Setting aside cultivation level, what do you think is the most important thing on this journey? What is it you could never bear to part with?"
As she finished speaking, Su Jiu's small ears unconsciously perked up again, carefully attuned to catch even the faintest sound in the air.
What answer would he give?
Would it be... herself perhaps?
Or something else entirely?
However, Su Ji's reply came so swiftly that it caught her completely off guard.
"I can't let go."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
