"I checked yesterday; that Spirit Replenishment Pill is definitely suitable for you. If I didn't need my Star Coins for other pills, I would have bought it for sure."
"Is it really that good?"
"Of course it is. No more talk—I need to get into the Cloud Realm of Combat quickly, save up some Star Coins, and buy that Spirit Replenishment Pill."
"Son, did you see that? That place holds a great opportunity for our whole family. From now on, don't practice your punches at home anymore; we will practice in there instead, understand?"
"Yes, Father, I will work hard."
Inside the Wuheng Shop, bamboo shadows swayed. Lín Xīnghuī leaned against the railing of the bamboo pavilion, holding a copy of 'A Host's Essential Read 1' in his hands. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled light and shadows across his handsome face.
"Heng, have I entered the world of the book you mentioned yesterday?"
As he spoke, the clear, mirror-like blue sky shattered, and countless stars emerged from the void. In the blink of an eye, Lín Xīnghuī found himself in the midst of a vast, boundless sea of stars. Innumerable rays of starlight blossomed from the stars, transforming into rings that formed a massive galactic vortex.
Amidst this dreamlike scene, Heng's voice drifted softly into the air: "Yes, Host. Within the entirety of the heavens and the countless worlds, the things we know are limited, but the things we do not know are infinite. As the owner of the Wuheng System, you must strive to make what you know approach the infinite."
"How could that possibly be done?"
"Host, pursuing the infinite unknown with an eternal life to achieve near-omniscience is a path without end. Yet, this is a path that the owner of the Wuheng Shop must walk, even if he cannot see the end of it. Heng suggests that, for now, the Host should start by learning the common knowledge of cultivation."
"Ah," Lín Xīnghuī sighed, looking up at the sky.
"Keep it up, Host. I have already compiled a great deal of cultivation common knowledge from the Xingqiong Continent into books. Keep it up."
Although Lín Xīnghuī could not see Heng's form, he could easily imagine him saying "keep it up" while remaining expressionless. Just then, a multitude of simple, natural characters flashed within the starlight.
The manifested characters, trailing light behind them, surrounded Lín Xīnghuī completely. Divine light shone across the sky, brilliant as clouds; waves of indescribable, unpredictable charm occupied every inch of his mind.
"Mother, hold on. We are almost at that shop; that person will definitely help us!"
Sū Jǐngxuān gritted his teeth, carrying a woman dressed in coarse clothing on his back as he ran desperately. The woman's face was etched with exhaustion. The erosion of time had caused her complexion to lose its luster, yet one could still discern the elegance she possessed in her youth.
"Xuān'er, don't worry about Mother. Run for yourself!" The woman struggled weakly, her voice filled with anxiety and heartache. However, her struggles only caused Sū Jǐngxuān to grip her tighter, his pace becoming even more frantic. His forehead was soaked in sweat, and his breathing was heavy, but he had no intention of stopping.
"Gee-up! Gee-up!"
"You little bastard, run faster! Run even faster! Hahaha!"
A harsh, grating laughter echoed from behind. A pockmarked youth was riding a Mad Blood Horse. The whip in his hand lashed out continuously, and the horse, maddened by pain, sprinted forward, kicking up a cloud of dust. The pockmarked youth looked at the wretchedly fleeing Sū Jǐngxuān in front of him, a flash of malice in his eyes, but a cruel smirk on his lips.
"Bang! Bang!"
The Mad Blood Horse accelerated sharply, its hooves striking the ground heavily as it charged forward with a dull thud. Sū Jǐngxuān and the woman on his back were struck by the force of the horse's impact and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground several meters away.
"Mother! Mother! Please, don't scare me!" Sū Jǐngxuān, ignoring his own pain, crawled toward her. At this moment, blood was continuously welling up from the corners of her mouth, staining her collar and Sū Jǐngxuān's hands. Sū Jǐngxuān's heart felt as if it were being carved out by a knife, tears sliding down his cheeks. He frantically pressed his hand against her mouth, as if he could stop the relentless flow of blood. However, the blood continued to seep out between his fingers.
"Mother... Mother..." Sū Jǐngxuān's voice trembled, filled with endless fear and helplessness.
The woman raised her hand with great difficulty, gently moving Sū Jǐngxuān's blood-stained hand away from her mouth. Her gaze was gentle and firm, as if she were trying to carve Sū Jǐngxuān's image deep into her very bones.
"Xuān'er..." Her voice was faint, yet filled with love.
"Hahaha! Riding a Mad Blood Horse is just too satisfying! Hahaha!"
The pockmarked youth sat on the horse, laughing wantonly as if the tragedy before him were merely a game. Sū Jǐngxuān suddenly looked up, staring fixedly at the pockmarked youth. The light that had once sparkled in his eyes like obsidian was now replaced by an overwhelming hatred. That malice, which had almost turned into substance, made the pockmarked youth's laughter come to an abrupt halt, even leaving him with a sense of inexplicable chill.
"You..." The pockmarked youth opened his mouth to speak but found he was trembling in fear. He instinctively tightened the reins, the horse restlessly stamping its hooves in place.
"Xuān'er, look at them. Remember them. And the people of the Su Mansion... that Su Family patriarch."
In that moment, the hatred in the woman's eyes was identical to that in Sū Jǐngxuān's.
"Mother, I will take you to be healed. That place is very magical; it will surely be able to save you."
"Xuān'er, Mother cannot make it anymore, but you must run away. Don't worry about Mother, just run."
"No, I won't."
Sū Jǐngxuān cried out, pulling the woman up with all his might.
"Mother, let's go."
"Xuān'er, go! Live! Remember, as long as you are alive, you must keep running. Only when you run until the day you become a powerhouse will you be qualified to stop."
After saying this, the woman pushed Sū Jǐngxuān forward with force, and a red glow began to emerge from her body. An aura belonging to the Qi Refining Stage burst forth. The people riding the horses were astonished; they had not expected this usually timid, lowly woman to actually have Qi Refining cultivation.
"Young Master, who would have thought this lowly woman possessed such cultivation? Fortunately, the First Madame was prepared and ordered the manager to come along."
"Right, this lowly woman and her bastard won't be able to escape today."
The woman flew into the air, her hands joining together. Flames, bright as blood, swept out from her palms, and a high-pitched cry resonated from deep within her soul. An aura of terrifying, suffocating pressure spread. Her fingers shifted with intricate complexity, carving a brilliant arc through the air until, with a burst of effort, she pushed out a stunningly vibrant crimson tail feather.
"Pfft, pfft."
The tail feather sliced through the air, individual flames blooming in the void—beautiful yet slightly tragic, dragging a vibrant red arc behind it. Yet, just as it was about to strike the pockmarked youth, the manager beside him suddenly grabbed it, intercepting the woman's attack.
Having shot out the feather, the woman vomited blood again, bloodstains marking her pale lips, which lent a fleeting vibrancy to her otherwise dull and faded face. She felt pain all over her body, a tearing, agonizing pain, and she understood that she could no longer hold on. But when she saw Xuān'er not running away, but fighting those people, she resented her own incompetence.
"Hmph, a dying struggle. Attack together."
The manager lunged forward, the whistling of air raging in his ears. Relying on a cultivation realm higher than the woman's, he struck her down after only a few moves.
"Bang."
"Mother! Mother!"
Sū Jǐngxuān looked at his mother as she collapsed with a smile toward him, screaming heart-wrenchingly. At this moment, his pain was absolute, and an unprecedented hatred swept through his soul. He hated that man, he hated the Su Family, but he hated himself even more—hating that he was a weakling, a piece of trash, watching helplessly as his mother fell before his eyes.
"Mother! Mother! Don't leave Xuān'er alone! Mother! Aaaah!"
"Why? Why am I such a piece of trash? Why weren't you the ones who died? Aaaah!"
"Haha, Manager Liú, let me be the one to finish off this bastard."
The pockmarked youth dismounted, looking at the despairing Sū Jǐngxuān with mockery, truly feeling a joy he had never known before. "Bastard, you are going to die today too, haha. From now on, I will be the only official heir of the Su Family in Manling City."
"Haha, you're angry, aren't you? Desperate, aren't you? Do you know why your mother died? It's because of you, this piece of trash—a piece of trash only at the Third Layer of Body Tempering."
Sū Jǐngxuān stared at the pockmarked youth with bloodshot eyes, his rage now seared into his flesh and bone. He clenched his fists so tightly that blood spilled from his lips.
"If I, Sū Jǐngxuān, do not die today, then one day, I will surely see you perish."
Having said this, he stopped looking at the youth who glared back at him. He used his hand to carefully wipe the blood from his mother's lips, then smoothed out her disheveled hair, performing these tasks with absolute care and precision. He pressed his face against his mother's cheek, which still retained a hint of warmth, while tears slid down, one after another.
Behind him, the pockmarked youth had already picked up a knife, his face filled with excitement as he prepared to finish off the person who had once brought him shame. Seemingly remembering something, he even burst into laughter, swinging down with a ferocious expression.
"Bang."
Before the blade could cut down, it was shattered by a blast of spiritual energy shot by someone.
"Who? Who is it? Get out here!"
The pockmarked face was full of fury, appearing even uglier and more twisted. He brandished his broken blade, scanning his surroundings.
"You people are truly lawless."
"Greetings, Seventh Elder."
"Greetings, Seventh Elder."
Sū Bàhǔ had originally intended to return to the Su Family to cultivate, planning to use the Longevity Pill obtained from the Wuheng Shop to break through the barrier of the late Qi Refining Stage in one go. Little did he know he would witness Jǐngxuān, this lad, suffering such a calamity. He immediately gathered streams of cyan spiritual light in his palm, thrusting it violently toward the pockmarked youth.
"Yúnluán, sister Yúnluán."
Sū Bàhǔ hurriedly supported the woman from Sū Jǐngxuān's arms, channeling his own spiritual energy into her body. After examining her, he heaved a long sigh—he was powerless to do anything.
"Lad Jǐngxuān, alas."
"Seventh Elder, do not meddle in other people's business. This is a matter for our Su Family's main line; it is not your place to intervene."
Sū Bàhǔ, who had originally thought that if he could have arrived a moment earlier, he might have prevented the tragedy, was filled with guilt. Hearing the words of the pockmarked youth, that guilt instantly transformed into overflowing rage.
He launched an attack once more. The power of this strike was even greater than the last; it was clear he was going for the kill. The cyan spiritual light transformed into a giant palm, slapping them away directly. Aside from the pockmarked youth and the manager, all other Su Family subordinates were killed on the spot.
The pockmarked youth and the manager also staggered back under Sū Bàhǔ's blow, vomiting blood, with fear appearing in the eyes of both men.