The Su family moved very swiftly, and early the next morning, their retaliation against the Pang family officially began.
This retaliation spanned across all fronts—commercial clashes, economic warfare, and, most importantly, the slaughter of experts from both sides!
The Su family and the Pang family were already the two most powerful clans in Yongning County. In terms of elite combat strength, the Pang family held a slight edge, but their overall foundation could not compare to the Su family.
The clash between these two dominant clans triggered a storm throughout all of Yongning County.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Inside the Su family estate.
"Second Elder!"
"Greetings, Second Elder."
Second Elder Su Tietong walked past with his hands clasped behind his back. The young members of the Su family who caught sight of him hurried to bow respectfully, their gazes filled with a trace of fervent admiration.
"Have you heard? Just yesterday, during a clash with the Pang family in the south of the city, our Su family was originally at a disadvantage. But the moment the Second Elder arrived, he not only instantly turned the tide, but also used thunderous means to execute that Pang family elder who had reached the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm!"
"That was a peak Sea Transformation expert, second only to the Void Piercing Realm! The Second Elder is also at the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm, yet in a one-on-one fight, he was able to strike down that Pang family elder directly."
"Over the past few days, the number of Sea Transformation experts from the Pang family who have died at the hands of the Second Elder must be close to ten."
"Ten already! Two days ago, the Second Elder even personally stepped in and killed two consummate Sea Transformation experts from the Pang family at once."
The younger members of the Su family, along with various maids and servants, were whispering among themselves.
In this brutal conflict between the Su and Pang families... with both sides exercising restraint and no Void Piercing experts stepping forward, the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm represented the ultimate combat power for both factions.
The Su family only had a handful of peak Sea Transformation experts in total, and as the Second Elder, Su Tietong possessed the strongest strength. Consequently, Su Tietong spearheaded the Su family's battles and skirmishes against the Pang family over the past few days, repeatedly taking the field himself to slaughter the enemy's elite.
In just a few days, a significant number of Pang family experts had perished by his hands.
Judging solely by the results of these seven days of bloodshed, the Pang family's losses were definitively much greater than the Su family's, with even a peak Sea Transformation expert losing his life.
"Second Elder." Another person appeared before the Second Elder.
"Su Xin?"
Su Tietong finally halted his steps, casting an evaluating glance at the newcomer. "Are your injuries healed?"
"They are mostly better," Su Xin replied with a slight smile.
His body had previously been pierced straight through by the female assassin's dagger. Such a severe injury would have left an ordinary person bedridden for at least half a month. Yet he... perhaps due to the unique nature of his bloodline, possessed a recovery rate vastly superior to ordinary people. In a mere three days, he was already able to get out of bed and walk.
After seven days, his condition had fully returned to its peak.
"Second Elder, I heard that the family has been fighting the Pang family's experts these past few days. If possible, I would also like to join the battle," Su Xin said.
"You?"
"Foolish!"
Su Tietong's brow furrowed tightly as he immediately broke into a stern reprimand.
"Su Xin, you should know that this conflict with the Pang family originated because of you. The reason the Pang family spared no expense to hire assassins to murder you in secret was precisely because they recognized your talent and potential. Unfortunately, they failed.
"At a time like this, what you ought to be doing is exhausting every effort to raise your cultivation and enhance your strength. As for the battles outside... the Pang family is just waiting for you to run out there and fight them so they can find an opportunity to kill you.
"If you want to fight for the family and battle the Pang family's experts, fine! Once you have increased your strength, once your cultivation breaks through to the late stage of the Sea Transformation Realm, and your combat power is sufficient to fearlessly match the peak Sea Transformation experts of the Pang family—or even retain a degree of self-preservation when facing Void Piercing experts... then you can come find me."
Su Tietong's lecture left Su Xin with no choice but to offer a wry smile.
He knew that Su Tietong's words made sense, but... he couldn't very well just tell Su Tietong that he already possessed such strength. Even if he did, Su Tietong probably wouldn't believe him.
After all, aside from Su Baichen and Great Elder Su Boyong, who had seen the corpse of the female assassin Phantom and knew he was the one who killed her, everyone else assumed Su Baichen had done it.
At this moment, Su Tietong stepped forward again, patted Su Xin on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "Su Xin, you must remember that you are the hope of our Su family. Only when all of us old fellows in the Su family have perished will it be your turn, the younger generation, to shed blood for the clan."
With that, Su Tietong turned and walked away.
Su Xin remained standing where he was.
"The Second Elder is right. I carry the hope of the Su family's rise on my shoulders, and I should cast my gaze further into the future. If I go out to fight the Pang family's experts right now, even if I were to reveal my strength and kill many of their elites, it wouldn't deal a devastating blow to the Pang family," Su Xin muttered to himself.
The true core of the Pang family lay in its Void Piercing Realm experts.
As long as the Void Piercing experts could not be slain, merely killing a few Sea Transformation experts would fundamentally fail to shake the Pang family's foundations.
"That being said... I should head over there." Su Xin clenched his fists tightly.
The Red Dragon Tower!
Two towering, majestic black pagodas stood before him. In front of the first pagoda—the True Martial Pavilion—a massive crowd had gathered, filled with countless True Martial realm martial artists, with people entering and leaving the structure to undergo trials all the time.
As for the other towering black pagoda—the Dragon-Seeking Tower—it attracted very few visitors.
A young figure dressed in black, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a sharp sword, arrived before the Dragon-Seeking Tower.
"I wish to enter the Dragon-Seeking Tower!"
...
Chapter 27: The First Floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower
Unlike the True Martial Pavilion, which focused solely on combat technique, the Dragon-Seeking Tower tested overall combat power.
The Dragon-Seeking Tower had a total of three floors. The first floor alone required someone to be a truly supreme figure among peak Sea Transformation experts in order to clear it.
Precisely because of this, very few people came to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower. After all, within Yongning County, there were not many whose cultivation reached the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm to begin with, and those qualified to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower were even rarer. Most peak Sea Transformation experts who attempted it simply ended up getting battered.
Yet today, Su Xin, who was only at the lesser Sea Transformation Realm, had come to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower.
...
The first floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower was a vast, open expanse. At the far end of the clearing, a man in gray robes slowly walked forward.
"Lesser Sea Transformation Realm, and you come to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower... Is that confidence, or ignorance?" The gray-robed man stared at Su Xin, instantly seeing through his cultivation level.
"Whether it is ignorance or not, Senior will know after giving it a try." Su Xin had already drawn his sword.
Although he had never challenged the Dragon-Seeking Tower before, he had heard tales of it and knew that each floor possessed only a single guardian.
Defeat this guardian, and the challenge was passed.
The gray-robed man said no more. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a pitch-black spear, and abruptly...
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Taking three consecutive strides forward, the gray-robed man materialized right in front of Su Xin. The pitch-black spear in his hand lashed out like a venomous snake emerging from its den... Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Spinning up blooming torrents of spear flowers, he launched a fierce, continuous barrage of stabs at Su Xin from bizarre and tricky angles.
In an instant, Su Xin was surrounded by a dense, overlapping forest of spear shadows.
Facing the gray-robed man's incoming lance, Su Xin immediately channeled more than fifty percent of his bloodline power.
The sword in his hand transformed into rolling mountains and seas, whipping up heavy conceptual intent as his entire body seemed to merge into the surging, turbulent ocean.
Clang! Clang! Clang!~~~
A rapid succession of deafening impacts rang out as the two clashed dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
"So strong!"
Once truly exchanging blows, Su Xin couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
"Whether it's raw strength, speed, or spear technique, he has already reached the absolute limit of the Sea Transformation Realm. This is practically the pinnacle of combat power for an ordinary Sea Transformation expert. No wonder so many peak Sea Transformation experts are unable to clear this first floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower!" Su Xin muttered.
With every single aspect having reached the ultimate boundary of the Sea Transformation Realm, anyone wishing to defeat this gray-robed man would need to surpass the limitations of the realm in at least one category.
Take raw strength, for instance. Extremely rare bloodline awakeners who reached the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm could rely on their bloodline power to unleash might far exceeding typical peak experts, allowing them to breeze through the trial.
Others possessed unique fortuitous encounters or practiced formidable cultivation techniques and methods. For instance, Duan Yunfeng—the beggar youth Su Xin had encountered in Dongyang City—had only been at the consummate Sea Transformation Realm at the time, yet with a casual slash of his saber, he could split apart Pang Tieyun, who was also at the consummate Sea Transformation Realm. That was entirely due to the peerlessly bizarre nature of his cultivation technique.
Likewise, if one's speed or technique exceeded the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm by a wide margin, clearing the tower was naturally achievable.
As for Su Xin, his greatest advantage was his technique!
Hum, hum~~
Su Xin thrust his sword out time and time again, every strike landing with absolute precision.
His entire person felt like a towering mountain; no matter how frantically his opponent attacked, he remained utterly immovable.
Although the gray-robed man's spear arts had erupted to their ultimate limit, they failed to shake Su Xin in the slightest.
"No wonder you dared to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower; you certainly possess some real skill," the gray-robed man praised with a hint of admiration. "However, if you want to truly clear this floor, relying solely on defense won't do."
"Humph!"
Su Xin let out a cold snort, and the stance of his sword shifted instantly.
Ferocious as thunder and fire...
Transitioning instantly from his defensive Mountain and Sea Volume sword arts, he switched to the Thunder and Fire Volume.
The sword he swung turned drastically fierce, violent, and terrifying.
Slashes of sword light swept outward one after another, exceedingly savage and brutal!
These sword images carried an overwhelming intent within them...
"His conceptual intent has actually fused perfectly with his sword, forming Sword Intent?" A flash of astonishment crossed the gray-robed man's eyes.
Merely comprehending a sliver of intent and applying it in combat was merely crossing the threshold.
However, fusing intent and weapon together seamlessly to forge a unique Sword Intent or Saber Intent represented a vastly superior level of comprehension.
Su Xin's comprehension of intent was evidently exceptionally high, and coupled with the fact that he was wielding the Northern Firmament Sword Technique—universally recognized as the premier swordsmanship of the Tianyan Dynasty...
The terrifying sword images, resembling roaring thunder and blazing fire, cascaded over the enemy continuously. Strike followed strike without giving any room to breathe, forcing the gray-robed man into a rapid, successive retreat.
Abruptly, the sword momentum in Su Xin's hands shifted once more.
"First form of the Phantom Shadow Volume... Dim Light!"
Whoosh!
A gleam of sword light ignited, looking like the sole remaining thread of light left in the entire world.
The speed was unfathomably fast.
The gray-robed middle-aged man caught sight of this flash of sword light and recognized the move, but he was utterly too slow to block it.
Screech!
The sword light grazed past the gray-robed man, leaving behind an exceptionally clear sword gash. Yet no blood flowed, and the scratch healed itself at a blinding pace.
The gray-robed middle-aged man ceased his movements and retreated to a distant spot, while the stone doors beside them, leading to the second floor of the tower, creaked open.
"Cleared!"
Joy surged within Su Xin's heart.
It matched his expectations.
According to rumors, on the first floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, an ordinary peak Sea Transformation expert could clear it relatively easily as long as they had grasped a sliver of intent.
Although he had only unleashed fifty percent of his bloodline power, placing his raw strength and might merely on par with a consummate Sea Transformation expert, his comprehension of intent was exceptionally profound—so much so that it had fused completely with his sword to form Sword Intent, paired with his extraordinarily supreme swordsmanship...
Weighing all these factors together, his comprehensive combat power was estimated to be slightly superior to a peak Sea Transformation expert who had only comprehended a mere sliver of intent.
Naturally, he was able to clear this first floor with relative ease.
"Hah!"
Exhaling softly, Su Xin quickly trod up the stairs and stepped into the second floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower.
The guardian of the second floor remained the same gray-robed man.
"To be able to clear the first floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower while at the lesser Sea Transformation Realm... Your future is boundless!" The gray-robed middle-aged man looked at Su Xin with an approving gaze.
"Please enlighten me, Senior," Su Xin replied with genuine humility.
Swoosh!
The gray-robed man struck once again, wielding that same pitch-black spear.
Yet this time... whether it was the instantly erupted power, speed, or spear technique of the gray-robed man, they all clearly transcended the boundaries of the Sea Transformation Realm, reaching the threshold of the Void Piercing Realm. As the spear stabbed forward, it even vaguely carried a wisp of profound intent.
That oppressive might was at least nearly ten times stronger than on the first floor!
Su Xin did not even dare to deploy the Thunder and Fire Volume to clash head-on with the gray-robed man; he could only exert the Mountain and Sea Volume to its utmost, trying his utmost to fend off the terrifying, incessant spear thrusts.
The defensive capabilities of the Mountain and Sea Volume were extraordinarily formidable, allowing him to layer-by-layer dissipate force through his Sword Intent. Even when the opponent's unleashed might vastly exceeded his own, Su Xin managed to hold his ground.
Relying on the defensive swordsmanship of the Mountain and Sea Volume, Su Xin persevered against the gray-robed man for quite a considerable duration, but was ultimately defeated by him.
"Too strong!"
"It's the same opponent, but the gray-robed man on this second floor is at least nearly ten times stronger than he was on the first floor!"
"I could clear the first floor with relative ease, but on this second floor, even if I were to drive my bloodline power to its absolute limit, it would probably only buy me a little more time to endure against him. If I want to genuinely defeat him... unless my swordsmanship or comprehension of intent achieves another major breakthrough, or my cultivation advances a step further to reach the greater Sea Transformation Realm."
Once he reached the greater Sea Transformation Realm, even if he only unleashed fifty percent of his bloodline power, his raw strength and speed would fully match a peak Sea Transformation expert. Relying then on his swordsmanship and technique, clearing this second floor would naturally pose no difficulty.
Upon stepping out of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, a person was already waiting there—none other than Yuan Qing, the supervisor of the Red Dragon Tower.
Led by Yuan Qing, Su Xin entered a tea room, and Su Xin removed his bamboo hat.
"Just as I thought," Yuan Qing said with a smile. "I had just received a transmission from the lord inside the Dragon-Seeking Tower stating that a sword-wielder at the lesser Sea Transformation Realm had cleared the first floor, and I guessed it must be you."
"The lord?" Su Xin's expression shifted slightly.
Yuan Qing was the supervisor of the Red Dragon Tower in Yongning County, and a Void Piercing Realm expert in his own right. Given his status and strength, what kind of person was worthy of him addressing as "lord"?
"What, you still don't know the identity of that lord?" Yuan Qing looked over at him.
"Indeed, I have no idea," Su Xin shook his head.
"Haha~~" Yuan Qing chuckled, then proceeded to explain, "Su Xin, you should know that our Red Dragon Tower monitors the world, spreading across every county in the thirty-six provinces. The very existence of the Dragon-Seeking Tower and the True Martial Pavilion is to net talents from across the realm. Furthermore, the trials within these two pagodas have long been publicly recognized, and no one would ever question whether there is any moisture to their standards."
"Why is that?"
"It is precisely because both the True Martial Pavilion and the Dragon-Seeking Tower are exceptionally strict. The True Martial Pavilion uses battle puppets as opponents, whereas the Dragon-Seeking Tower features top-tier experts from our Red Dragon Tower headquarters personally serving as the guardians."
"Top-tier experts from the headquarters?" Su Xin was startled.
"Correct. The person you just fought within the Dragon-Seeking Tower is a top-tier expert from our Red Dragon Tower headquarters. Naturally, it wasn't his true physical body, but rather a wisp of consciousness left within a battle puppet, which he manipulated to fight you," Yuan Qing continued.
"And it's not just the Dragon-Seeking Tower here in Yongning County; the Dragon-Seeking Towers across the entirety of Yun Province, as well as several surrounding provinces and countless county cities, have their guardians all controlled by this single lord."
"As for this lord's strength..."
Yuan Qing smiled slightly before speaking, "Above the Void Piercing Realm!"
Su Xin was utterly shocked.
Above the Void Piercing Realm—was that not the Nirvana Realm?
The Nirvana Realm represented the absolute pinnacle of super-experts standing at the very peak of the pyramid within the Tianyan Dynasty, the highest echelon of existence.
Within the Tianyan Dynasty, if any faction or family were to give birth to a Nirvana Realm expert, that family or faction would inevitably rise to prominence, becoming a dominant hegemon of the Tianyan Dynasty.
Take the former Su family, for instance; it was precisely because they possessed a Nirvana Realm ancestor in the past that they could become a top-tier noble clan of the Tianyan Dynasty.
Yet when that Nirvana Realm ancestor perished, the Su family thoroughly declined.
"The person who fought me inside the Dragon-Seeking Tower turned out to be a Nirvana Realm expert?" Su Xin clicked his tongue in wonder.
No wonder no one dared to question it.
A trial personally guarded by a dignified Nirvana Realm expert—who would dare claim there was any moisture in it?
"When that lord sent me the transmission, he spoke of you with high praise. Furthermore, he mentioned that he will personally make a trip to Tianyan Palace to recommend you."
"The threshold for a special recruitment into Tianyan Palace is extremely high, but since you managed to clear the first floor of the Dragon-Seeking Tower while at the lesser Sea Transformation Realm, you completely meet the requirements. With that lord making a personal recommendation, I imagine there won't be any unexpected hitches. It won't be long before you become a member of Tianyan Palace," Yuan Qing said with a smile, his attitude remarkably amicable.
He was well aware of the weight and value held by the identity of a Tianyan Palace disciple.
Once someone entered Tianyan Palace, provided they did not prematurely perish due to an accident, they were destined to become a prominent figure in the Tianyan Dynasty going forward. Even if they failed to reach the Nirvana Realm, they would at least become top-tier experts among the Void Piercing Realm.
Listening to this, Su Xin was swept by a wave of wild joy.
He was only at the lesser Sea Transformation Realm; why had he come to challenge the Dragon-Seeking Tower?
It wasn't for fame or fortune—it was entirely for a special recruitment quota into Tianyan Palace!!
"If I can secure a special recruitment and become a disciple of Tianyan Palace, assassinations like the one I faced before will become virtually impossible to happen again, and my Su family will be able to rest easy!" Su Xin clenched his hands tightly.
Disciples of Tianyan Palace were all precious treasures highly valued by the Tianyan Dynasty.
Sending assassins to murder a Tianyan Palace disciple?
Once investigated and exposed, no matter who the culprit was or what formidable backing they possessed—even if they had a Nirvana Realm ancestor sitting behind them—their entire clan would still be utterly eradicated.
Take the Situ family, for example; they remained a top-tier noble clan of the Tianyan Dynasty to this day, with a Nirvana Realm ancestor backing them. Yet, no matter how bold the Situ family was, they would never dare to take the life of a Tianyan Palace disciple.
Similarly, the clan to which a Tianyan Palace disciple belonged would receive the protection of the imperial court. Regardless of whether it was done openly or in secret, the Situ family would never dare to move against the Su family again.
If even the Situ family had to behave, then a mere Pang family naturally counted for even less.
"Supervisor Yuan, might I ask what name that lord goes by?" Su Xin inquired.
"Name?" Yuan Qing bitter-smiled and shook his head. "In the Red Dragon Tower, I am merely a humble county supervisor; how could I possibly be qualified to know that lord's name? The transmission he sent me earlier was simply a matter of fulfilling his official duties; otherwise, I wouldn't even have the qualification to converse with that lord."
"As for you, there's no need to rush. When you go to Tianyan Palace in the future and your strength grows, you will naturally have the opportunity to meet that lord."
Su Xin nodded.
That lord who had fought him within the Dragon-Seeking Tower... had no prior ties or relations with him. Yet, merely seeing that he possessed a degree of talent, the lord had decided to personally go to Tianyan Palace to put in a good word for him.
This was a favor.
And a favor like this was something Su Xin naturally had to keep in mind.