Rise of the Strong

A few hours later, the sky darkened. Night fell. Su Yu returned once more. This time, he was no longer himself, but an older-looking middle-aged man, swaggering directly toward the main city gate. One of the ancient city guards watching the other gates glanced in that direction. Soon, the Shanhai man who had vanished earlier reappeared. He cast a flat glance at Su Yu and said coolly, "We're not even charging you an entrance fee, so why bother?" "..." Su Yu stared at him, dumbfounded. The Shanhai guard said indifferently, "Not many humans come to the ancient city. Those who head straight for the main gate are either ignorant, exceedingly arrogant, or plain idiots... Earlier today, someone wanted to take the main gate, but held back out of fear of crowds, fear of trouble, and the sheer difficulty of slipping through..." He did not even bother finishing. *Do you think everyone else is an idiot? You're strutting up to the main gate at night. If you aren't Su Yu, I'll stand on my head and eat shit!* "..." Su Yu asked with a bewildered look, "Brother, what do you mean?" The Shanhai guard could not be bothered to indulge him, saying calmly, "The ancient city does not take part in these matters, nor do we involve ourselves in the conflicts between the myriad races. Be it the humans, or gods and fiends, all of you are formidable. Those dwelling in the ancient city are merely clinging to life, surviving in the cracks. "Some of our realms were destroyed, and others collapsed naturally. Left with nowhere else to turn, we joined the ancient city solely to secure a place to survive. We have no desire to get caught up in racial warfare. Whether you are him or not, I will give you only one warning: once you enter the ancient city, leaving will not be so simple." Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Was I that obvious? Why aren't there a few more fools in the All-Heavens Battlefield these days? Any random person can see right through my identity! This makes no sense!* The Shanhai guard could not be bothered to say much more. How many outsiders came to the ancient city throughout the entire year anyway? During the day, when this fellow had refused to leave alongside Zheng Ping, the guard had known at a glance that he had not abandoned his ambitions. The ancient city held immense appeal for prodigies. Sure enough, someone showed up tonight. If this was not Su Yu, the guard might as well drop dead. He truly was a genius—one of the absolute highest caliber. Such people would never turn their backs on the secrets of the ancient city. Ignoring Su Yu's silence, the Shanhai man continued, "Once you enter the ancient city, it is best to stay in the outer perimeter. Furthermore, those entering via the main gate can generally stay for seven to ten days. When your time is up, you had better leave." "And if I don't?" Su Yu asked with a smile. "Will you expel me?" "No," the man said coldly. "If you don't leave, you will either become an ancient city resident, or... hope someone has the good fortune to collect your corpse one day." It was that simple. If you did not want to leave, then don't! Su Yu was surprised. *It's that bizarre? Even I'm starting to feel a little creeped out!* "What exactly is the danger in the ancient city?" The man said nothing. "What are the opportunities?" Still silence. "Once I enter, can I move around freely?" "You may." This time, the man answered impassively, "As long as you do not cause trouble and do not stay past three days, you may roam as you please. Just make sure you do not spend the night inside any houses in the inner perimeter." Su Yu nodded and asked again, "Then what is the purpose of your existence here?" He was genuinely curious about why these people existed. The man fell silent for a moment before replying dispassionately, "To maintain order in the ancient city. To clear away corpses. And to provide a resting place for cultivators of the myriad races. This ancient city is merely a transit stop for prodigies like you; there is no need to linger." "Then why do races like the Xuan Armor race maintain experts stationed here permanently?" This was another thing that puzzled him. The Shanhai man went quiet once more, then said indifferently after a pause, "That is normal. The ancient city holds opportunities, and everyone covets them—they just lack the ability to claim them. Races like the Xuan Armor race have their eyes set on the opportunities here, yet lack the strength to seize them, so they can only station personnel permanently in hopes of uncovering the ancient city's patterns." *So that's how it is!* "Is City Lord Tianmie neutral?" "..." There was no way to answer that. The Shanhai man ignored him. Was the City Lord neutral? Who knew? In the All-Heavens Battlefield, finding someone genuinely neutral was far too difficult; everyone leaned one way or another to some extent. Su Yu asked again, "Which race does City Lord Tianmie belong to?" "I do not know," the Shanhai man replied coldly. "Are you entering or not?" "Wait, I need to be clear on this. After I go in, will you surround and kill me?" "So long as you abide by the ancient city's rules, no one will dare harm you," the man stated calmly. "Within Tianmie City, do not resort to violence, do not damage anything, and leave after three days. All will remain peaceful. Otherwise, you bear all the consequences yourself." "What are the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a resident?" "Try it yourself, and you will find out," the man remarked playfully, a distinct tone finally creeping into his voice. *Want to know? Then give it a try!* Su Yu cursed under his breath. *Like hell I'll try it!* *I'm going in!* He strode toward the main entrance. The gate had a slight incline, and the moment Su Yu stepped onto the slope, his origin qi surged. A crushing weight slammed into him, making his body sink. It felt as though a colossal mountain were pressing down upon him. Not far off, the man folded his arms and watched him, remarking indifferently, "I have been here for many years and witnessed countless geniuses attempt this entrance. Though I have never walked it myself, I know that crossing ninety-nine steps allows one to enter. "Virtually all who manage to enter gain something from it, and many of those mighty prodigies eventually became overlords of the myriad realms. "Many from your human race have come here: Ye Batian, Xia Longwu, Zhou Polong, Zhou Potian, Zhu Tiandao, Qin Zhen, Niu Baidao, Wan Tiansheng..." He rattled off numerous names, then said coolly, "All of them either broke through or fell just a single step short. Care to guess who had the easiest time walking it?" Su Yu was pinned so hard by the immense pressure that he could not take a single step, yet his curiosity was piqued nonetheless. Panting, he asked, "Who?" "Wan Tiansheng." "..." Su Yu froze. *Impossible.* "What about the Fifth Generation?" "He... he was not as fast as Wan Tiansheng. Perhaps he concealed his strength, or perhaps... their natural talents differed." Nonsense! The Fifth Generation's talent was inferior to Wan Tiansheng's? Pure fabrication! In the eyes of all Civilization Masters and warriors, the Fifth Generation was peerless, dominating the myriad realms; had he not been obstinately determined to attain the Dao as a Civilization Master, he would have become an Invincible long ago. As for Wan Tiansheng... please, he had little fame outside the Great Xia Prefecture. Truth be told, his reputation across the entire Human Realm was not even as prominent as Niu Baidao's. This sixth-generation head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy was vastly different from the five generations before him. The Shanhai expert said no more. Walking quickly did not necessarily mean everything. Even so, he remembered the human named Wan Tiansheng vividly. That man had stayed ten full days in the ancient city before departing, making him one of those who had stayed the longest. Of course, back then, Wan Tiansheng had only been moderately well-known. He had appeared on the Heaven Hunting List, but his renown was nothing extraordinary. At his peak, he had merely entered the top ten of the Yellow Ranking before fading from view, and once he exceeded the age limit, he had naturally dropped off. With so many successors coming up, you did not even need to exceed the age limit; if you failed to make progress over a prolonged period as you grew older, you naturally ceased to be a genius. …… Su Yu put it out of his mind. *Wan Tiansheng, that Old Ghost Wan, actually walked the fastest? How bizarre!* The crushing pressure caused his blood and origin qi to erupt. *Good! I like this feeling. Punish me!* *Cast the body!* Circulating his physical flesh, he activated the Iron-Eating Seventy-Two Castings. Heaven Yuan Qi was absorbed into his body, and Su Yu, who had been bent double under the strain, slowly straightened his spine. The pressure was simply too monstrous. The instant he straightened up, wave after wave of crushing force battered him again, bending his waist once more. This sight even baffled the Shanhai man. *Su Yu... is this really Su Yu? What is going on? He can't even take a single step?* It was truly bizarre. Not only him, but the guards beside him were all filled with utter bewilderment. *Is this the Heaven Ranking genius Su Yu? Did the commander mistake his identity?* At this point, even the Shanhai commander began to second-guess himself. Perhaps he had overthought things, and this person was not Su Yu after all. To his mind, Su Yu was an elite on the Heaven Ranking; his chances of walking through should have been substantial. Even if he ran into difficulty, it ought to happen after ninety steps. This was only the very first step! Yet right now, nobody understood the truth—not even Su Yu himself. He felt frustrated to death. *What on earth is going on?* What he did not know was that the little fur ball he had completely forgotten in his sea of will faintly sensed something. It cracked open its eyes, looked around with confusion, thought for a moment, and then shut its eyes to resume cultivating. There was still stray willpower drifting inside Su Yu's sea of will. Su Yu had completely forgotten about it! He was not walking alone; he was walking with a Lingyun-stage ancient race creature on his back! He had truly overlooked it. A double suppression! The ancient race at the Lingyun stage was also an unrivaled prodigy. At this moment, Su Yu was bearing twice the pressure of an ordinary genius. Doubling the pressure was no laughing matter; such immense force might normally only appear around the thirtieth step, yet Su Yu was subjected to it right from the very start. Facing this right at the beginning, he had not anticipated it would be so arduous. Inside the sea of will, the little fur ball did not care. *Do I count as a person? Probably not! Do I count as a living being? Probably not!* At any rate, it never considered itself a living being or a genius, so what did this have to do with it? All the pressure was absorbed by Su Yu anyway, so it paid no heed. Farther away, the Shanhai guard was beginning to doubt his own judgment. *Was I too confident? Did I mistake him for someone else? This definitely isn't Su Yu! Otherwise, how could he look so pathetic, unable to take even a single step? Even I could probably manage one step if I tried.* …… *Damn it!* *Am I really this weak?* He had seen Moduona walk this path; he had not been this slow. Starting out, Moduona had moved very quickly through the early steps. *Fuck! There is no way I'm this weak, absolutely impossible!* This was an enormous blow to Su Yu. *Boom!* Origin qi erupted, his 360 acupoints forming a self-contained cycle. Su Yu let out a low roar as golden light flared brilliantly from his physical body. "Move for me!" With a muffled shout and a resounding boom, Su Yu took his first step. At that moment, a passerby near the city gate cast a glance over, curled his lip, and laughed mockingly. "Where did this greenhorn come from...?" Although quite a few people who mocked others during the day had died, this passerby was not afraid of the fellow currently walking. *Struggling this much just to take one step, what does he amount to? Even I could do that!* Su Yu had no time to pay him any mind. He gritted his teeth, sweat dripping from his forehead. It felt as though he were back in the past. It felt as though he were back in that dream, back in the helpless struggle of that day when he begged for aid and no one responded. He refused to accept this! He refused to yield! He might not boast about it openly, but he was immensely proud of making it onto the Heaven Ranking. *See that? I, Su Yu, am a genius! Even without the golden booklet, I am a genius!* Yet at this moment, his confidence, his pride, everything about him felt on the verge of being shattered. Su Yu clenched his teeth. *I don't believe it. I am not such trash! If Moduona could walk in, so can I! Even if my natural aptitude is truly inferior, I will still walk through! I will not lose my confidence! I won't! I still have people to save, people to help, and people to kill! How could a mere city gate stop me?* *Rumble!* His battle intent flared fiercely! Battle intent blazed, and the War divine character showed signs of advancing. Su Yu ignored it and pressed forward, the escalating pressure squeezing the breath from his lungs. In the distance, the Shanhai man looked on with growing bewilderment. *What kind of ghost is this? His battle intent is so towering that he shouldn't be struggling like this. How could it be this difficult? A beast tamer? That shouldn't matter either; a beast tamer's beasts reside in their beast space and wouldn't affect anything. Is he carrying a demonic beast on his person? No, he isn't! If he were, it would typically be repelled upon approaching the gate. The fact that nothing was expelled means he carries no foreign objects.* Indeed, there were no foreign objects. What did the little fur ball count as? Even the rules of heaven and earth had trouble classifying it. From the moment it entered Su Yu's sea of will, it had been registered as one of Su Yu's divine characters—a strange divine character of an ancient race. Naturally, a divine character could not be considered a foreign object. Su Yu had forgotten it, the Shanhai man could not fathom it, and the little fur ball paid it no mind. Thus, the current spectacle was born: despite Su Yu's explosive power and exceptional talent, his progress was agonizingly slow. Anyone watching would suspect that this person was simply older, possessed mediocre talent, and although his strength and battle intent were respectable, they fell short of the threshold, leaving him unable to advance smoothly. If the Shanhai commander could not figure it out, the other guards and passersby naturally could not either. They did not even bother watching the spectacle. People regularly tested themselves against the gate; there was nothing unusual to see. Struggling so hard right at the start, he would be lucky to manage ten steps before collapsing. A complete waste of time! …… *I am not that weak!* *I am a genius!* *Even if I'm not, I still am!* Su Yu roared repeatedly in his heart, refusing to concede. Did having great innate aptitude make one a genius? Wrong! Having formidable combat strength did! What did talent matter? He did not need it! He only needed to be powerful, peerlessly powerful. No matter how immense the suppression, he would break through it! Damn it all, even a gate dared to bully him? *Bang!* He planted another foot forward, his origin qi detonating. Su Yu rapidly absorbed willpower, treating this as a trial of refinement. *I will grow strong rapidly! No one can stop me!* His battle intent surged, the War divine character vibrating unceasingly. *Fight on, fight to the end! No one can halt my advance—not the humans, not the myriad races, no one!* *Boom!* The divine character broke through! He now had another tier-four divine character. With his battle intent soaring, Su Yu's physical body grew slightly stronger as well. He pressed forward, and with another resounding boom, took another step. Sweat rolled off him like rain. *What does this amount to? Nothing at all!* …… "With such towering battle intent, how could this person look like this after five steps? It shouldn't be so!" "Even if he's a late bloomer, it shouldn't be this bad, right?" The Shanhai man was utterly baffled and paid closer attention. This person was most likely not Su Yu after all. Although he had felt certain of his earlier guess, he was now doubting himself. Six steps, seven steps... Su Yu remained resolute, advancing step by step as his flesh continuously strengthened. When he reached the ninth step, a brilliant golden light erupted with a thunderous roar. Fifteenth physical casting! Su Yu's strength climbed higher. He straightened his back. *Being inferior to you today doesn't mean I will be inferior forever. Moduona, if you could walk in, so can I!* …… At the same time. Inside the City Lord Manor. Within the colossal great hall, the stone statue opened its eyes for the second time that day. Just outside the great hall stood another palace—the residence of the current City Lord, a ninth-stage Sun Moon expert. Yet when the stone statue opened its eyes, that ninth-stage Sun Moon remained completely oblivious, sensing nothing. The statue's gaze reflected an image of the city gate. It was Su Yu's true appearance. Not only that, but it also revealed details hidden from others—such as the faint silhouette of a tiny ball resting atop Su Yu's head. "..." The stone statue seemed to ponder, evaluating the scene. After a long silence, a barely audible murmur drifted out: "To think that in this world... there exists such an idiot, entering the city carrying a member of the Ancient God-Devouring race whose cultivation is higher than his own?" It was truly an eye-opener. Unprecedented throughout the ages. The greater the prodigy, the heavier the suppression—it was deliberately tailored for geniuses. Yet this genius had brought along a creature from the Ancient God-Devouring race, one of the rarest beings in the myriad realms. Two top-tier prodigies braving the trial together was one thing, but all the crushing weight had fallen onto this lone human... What was he if not an idiot? It was truly a marvel. Even this stone statue that had existed since antiquity did not know what to say in this moment. To think someone could be this foolish! And to manage nine steps under such circumstances was genuinely impressive. Had that member of the Ancient God-Devouring race not been there, he might have already crossed forty or fifty steps. The next instant, an object appeared within the stone statue's gaze. A stone slab. The multiple divine character battle technique stele. "It still exists..." the statue murmured, having spoken rare words several times today. A moment later, the stone statue noticed numerous divine characters, paying them little mind until it spotted a large hammer... A flicker of surprise stirred within it. The human race's development of divine characters had progressed reasonably well, turning out somewhat more formidable than anticipated. Then, its gaze fell upon his physical acupoints, prompting genuine astonishment. "After the Great Cataclysm, someone can still... cast the Zhou Tian body?" The stone statue was taken aback. How had this person achieved this? Casting the Zhou Tian body... no wonder his physical vessel appeared so seamless and harmonious. Only his sea of will was slightly deficient. Yet... it faintly discerned something else. *Has he revived the Five Elements Divine Art?* *Fascinating!* To encounter such an intriguing fellow today. Aside from his lacking intellect, everything else was exceptional. In any era, he would be regarded as an unrivaled prodigy. "Iron-Eating Seventy-Two Castings..." The stone statue was surprised once more as it watched Su Yu temper his flesh. *Are those the Iron-Eating Seventy-Two Castings? He even has ties to the Ancient Iron-Eating race!* An instant later, the stone statue noticed something else—something inside Su Yu's heart that Su Yu had never discovered himself, and which almost no one else had ever perceived. It was a tiny seated figure. Right at that moment, the seated figure abruptly opened its eyes. Piercing through time and space, it looked toward the stone statue. The stone statue gazed back. A tiny figure and a stone statue stared at each other. Just then, the miniature figure seemed poised to step across the river of time and space toward the stone statue. The statue suddenly spoke: "You are not welcome here." The figure paused in its tracks, its voice echoing grandly: "Decades ago, I met you. Back then, I came here. Ancient City Lord, do you still remember?" "I do," the stone statue acknowledged without denial, repeating, "You are not welcome here." The figure chuckled. "I meant no offense. I was merely awakened by the Ancient City Lord. To think the City Lord, who has slumbered for countless years, would awaken today—it is truly surprising." The stone statue looked at the figure again, pausing before declaring, "Leave this place, or... resume your slumber." "Very well!" The figure said nothing more and retreated into Su Yu's heart. The moment it stepped back, it vanished, returning to its deep sleep within the heart. Su Yu remained oblivious, and no one else saw a thing; only the stone statue witnessed it. The stone statue glanced at the heart, then closed its eyes, ceasing its observation of Su Yu. It had witnessed the youth's marvels, but with an expert guarding the boy's heart, there was no need to look further; doing so had already stirred the protector. …… At the same time. In the Human Realm. Great Xia Civilization Academy, Xiuxin Pavilion. Wan Tiansheng suddenly leapt up, gazing into the endless void with a subtle shift in his expression. After a long moment, he murmured, "Has he... crossed paths with a powerhouse?" Someone exceptionally, terrifyingly strong! *He really knows how to stir up trouble! It doesn't seem like a clash or battle broke out; did they merely cross paths?* *He was seen through!* Frowning, Wan Tiansheng stepped out of Xiuxin Pavilion, silently hovering in the air outside. Walking through the void step by step, unseen and unperceivable by anyone, he strolled along. He walked until he arrived above Hong Tan's Wen Tan Research Center, observing Hong Tan reprimanding his disciples. Smiling faintly, he stepped across the void and moved on. A moment later, he arrived above Yuan Qingdong's villa, looked down, shook his head, and continued. Leaving the academy grounds, he walked to the Xia family's estate, swept his senses across it, descended, and picked up some food from Marquis Xia's courtyard. It was all quite delicious. He kept walking, soon arriving at Nanyuan. He stopped by Su Yu's home, took a look, and shook his head again. It was a complete mess! Powerful experts were stationed all around; beside him, a Sun Moon expert walked right through his space, completely oblivious to his presence. Wan Tiansheng sighed. *Is calamity truly destined to rise from Nanyuan?* He glanced toward the Great Ming Prefecture, then looked away. Turning back, he headed toward the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Soon, he returned to the academy grounds. In the Secret Realm Area, a giant dragon sprawled within a river suddenly opened its eyes and looked skyward, its massive pupils filled with bewilderment and alarm. *Who was that?* Before long, the sensation faded. The seventh-stage Sun Moon white dragon shook its head and settled back down. *It's nothing, just a false alarm.* Meanwhile, Wan Tiansheng returned to Xiuxin Pavilion. He closed his eyes once more. *Who did that brat run into in the All-Heavens Battlefield?* He felt an uneasy stirring in his heart. What manner of expert could make him feel this restless? Did he need to launch the plan ahead of schedule? *What a headache! Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered with that brat.* …… Meanwhile, Su Yu remained completely in the dark. He had no idea that an exchange spanning across the heavens had just taken place silently, with no third party ever knowing. Unconcerned with such things, Su Yu completed his fifteenth physical casting. He was no longer troubled by the immense pressure. *Splendid. This is exactly the kind of pressure I need! If you can't crush me, you'll only make me stronger!* *Even a gate wants to bully me?* *I might lack many things, but I don't lack patience or grit. It's just heavy pressure; can it crush me to death? If it doesn't kill me, it will only make me powerful! And if it does kill me... it's not like I haven't died before!* It felt exhilarating. Not long after leaving the Great Ming Prefecture, he had achieved seven physical castings in succession. When he departed, he had only been at the eighth casting, and having completed three before that, he had only managed five castings during his three months in the Great Ming Prefecture. He had left on May 18th, and today was only July 7th. In under fifty days, Su Yu had completed seven castings. An average of one casting every seven days! As expected, staying cooped up at home was no way to accelerate cultivation speed. Only pressure birthed drive. Seeing more of these prodigies and experts had broadened his horizons immensely. Bai Feng had once said that where you stand determines what you see. You had to measure yourself against geniuses! Never lower your own standards; look toward a wider world and loftier heights. Although Bai Feng currently seemed... rather weak in Su Yu's eyes, his words still held truth. Step by step, he advanced. Willpower surged. Though the pressure was colossal, Su Yu was fearless. Fifteen steps, eighteen steps... *Boom!* His willpower underwent an elevation as well. Under the compression, it stepped directly into the second stage of Lingyun. Su Yu frantically hammered away with his small hammer. *I won't advance! Why should I advance now? My physical body hasn't caught up yet, so I refuse to advance!* *Rumble!* The little hammer continued its compression, aided by the pressure of the city gate. Soon, the second-stage Lingyun willpower was forced back down, falling back into the first stage of Lingyun. Su Yu was in no rush. He would let his physical body catch up first! It was best if the gap between his willpower and physical body remained manageable. Every nine steps marked a hurdle. At twenty-seven steps, Su Yu's face flushed crimson, and his muscles and bones felt on the verge of snapping. He paid it no mind; the Immortal race's Flesh Regeneration Technique continuously consumed Heaven Yuan Qi to fortify his skeleton and sinews. Today, he was determined to enter this city! At thirty-six steps, a divine character formed naturally. "Suppress!" The suppression of pressure, the suppression of restraint! A suppression-type divine character was now his—a character meant to suppress opponents. With a resounding roar, the character vibrated, significantly alleviating the surrounding pressure. This was Su Yu's twenty-fourth divine character. While he reaped the benefits, the little fur ball in his sea of will felt slightly puzzled. Its strength seemed to have grown for no apparent reason. *How odd.* *Whatever. Growing stronger in my sleep is normal anyway.* …… Su Yu continued walking as dawn approached. At this moment, the Shanhai man looked on with an exceedingly peculiar expression. *Just who is this person?* Every time he thought the man was about to buckle, the fellow would erupt once more. He would stumble, then rise again. A whole night had passed, and he had covered fifty-four steps—more than halfway! The guard had seen countless geniuses: some walked through smoothly like Moduona; others struggled immensely and gave up midway; some abandoned the attempt after just a few steps. Yet to be pushed to the brink of exploding like this fellow, entirely unwilling to retreat—what was he after? …… What was he after? He was after growth in strength! Su Yu suddenly realized he had fallen in love with this gate. Excellent! By the time he reached the sixty-third step, the sixteenth casting—which he had thought would take a long time—was finally complete! Effectively, his physical realm had reached the peak of the second stage of Tengkong. Furthermore, his physical acupoint strength had fully surpassed the power of 8,000 acupoints. At this moment, even without consuming Shanhai blood essence, by activating the Strength divine character and with his Yang Acupoints halfway open, Su Yu felt he could faintly approach the power of 10,000 acupoints. Moreover, he had gained another divine character. The greater the pressure, the faster the Suppress divine character advanced. By the time he reached this point, the character had already reached tier two. *This gate is truly wonderful. I love it!* As for Moduona walking quickly, that was his business—what did it have to do with Su Yu? He preferred taking his time. Thirty-six steps remained. With the completion of his sixteenth casting, Su Yu's strength escalated, and the pressure mounted accordingly. Yet he no longer cared. *Make it heavier! The heavier, the better! As long as you don't kill me, I'll pluck every benefit from you!* The Immortal race's Flesh Regeneration Technique was remarkably effective, but it was costly. The consumption of Heaven Yuan Qi was enormous. Su Yu had previously possessed a considerable reserve of Heaven Yuan Qi, nearly 500 portions. Yet now, after completing just two castings, he had only about 400 portions left. The expenditure was staggering. One hundred portions for two castings! Su Yu had previously estimated that one hundred portions would suffice for at least five castings, but because his flesh kept cracking under the pressure, he had no choice but to absorb copious amounts of Heaven Yuan Qi to repair his body. "Keep going!" "Thirty-six steps left!" Su Yu gritted his teeth. Two castings in a single night was an immense opportunity; he could not give up. Even if he failed to enter the city, it did not matter—this itself was a great boon. As expected, opportunities abounded everywhere across the All-Heavens Battlefield. His willpower had also grown sturdier. Though nominally at the first stage of Lingyun, Su Yu felt that he could smash an ordinary third-stage Lingyun Civilization Master's sea of will to pieces with a single hammer strike. For fifth- or sixth-stage Lingyun cultivators, if one hammer wasn't enough, three would finish them off! As for late-stage Lingyun experts... he would simply have to hammer them a bit longer. In short, at this moment, Su Yu felt that even without ingesting Shanhai blood essence, his explosive combat strength was not far behind what it had been when he slew Lei Jue; practically speaking, there was hardly any difference. The advancement in his strength was something he could distinctly feel. Sixty-six steps, seventy steps... Very few people normally came and went through the ancient city. Furthermore, Su Yu had already entered the city gate tunnel. Even if passersby walked past, they paid him little attention. Throughout the day, almost nobody noticed him, and those who did had no desire to meddle. After all, Su Yu looked as though he was having an excruciatingly hard time. To any onlooker, it seemed this fellow would collapse at any moment. Ninety steps. When Su Yu reached the ninetieth step, the Shanhai man outside let out a soft sigh. This fellow... gave him a feeling even more terrifying than Moduona. He could not say for sure about talent, nor could he judge his absolute strength. But that indomitable willpower—that tenacity to pull himself back up and press on each time he seemed on the verge of collapsing—deeply shook the guard. Whether this fellow was Su Yu or not, did it even matter? Was it important? If this guy did not die, one had better not provoke him. He was simply too terrifying. Many geniuses had traversed the main city gate over the years—three to five every year, accumulating to an immense number over countless eras. Yet rarely had anyone delivered such a profound shock to the man. Truly, from the very first step, the guard had continually raised his expectations. *You can manage ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps...* By the time Su Yu reached ninety steps, the guard stopped making predictions altogether. The only certainty was that this fellow was extremely dangerous, and one should never provoke him without cause. …… The sky darkened once more. A full day and night had passed. The moment Su Yu took the final step, he collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud. Beneath him, sweat poured like rain, instantly soaking the stone floor. At this moment, his physical body underwent another subtle transformation, showing signs of advancing toward the seventeenth casting. The moment Moduona had emerged, he had been able to turn around and speak with Su Yu with total ease. Su Yu, however, was completely immobilized. The difference was stark. Yet right at that instant, the Shanhai man, who had previously maintained a lukewarm attitude, walked over from the side gate. Stepping forward, he asked in a low voice, "Do you need help?" "No." The man nodded and stepped back. Watching Su Yu slowly drag himself up and struggle to his feet step by step, he suddenly remarked, "When looking for a house, there are distinctions. You are human, so look for a human dwelling. The houses in this ancient city are different from one another; when you see a human house, you might feel a certain resonance." Su Yu was surprised and glanced at him. *He isn't trying to trick me, is he?* The man lowered his gaze. "Believe it or not, it is up to you. In addition, let me give you one more warning: do not go near the City Lord Manor. The City Lord dislikes humans, because of Xia Longwu." Understanding dawned on Su Yu, and he nodded. "Thank you." The Shanhai man said nothing more and silently retreated. Watching Su Yu's tottering steps as he walked into the city one stride at a time, the guard sighed inwardly: another powerhouse was about to rise!