Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

"May I ask, fellow traveler, how do I get to Luoxia Mountain?"

Su Ming sheathed his sword, raised an eyebrow, and looked at a white-robed figure flying in mid-air.

It's strange that the people living in this area don't know about Luoxia Mountain.

"From the South?"

The figure in white robes landed on the ground and laughed loudly: "Indeed, I suddenly had an epiphany at home. I have been traveling in Xu Kingdom recently and heard that Luoxia Mountain is a great immortal mountain. I must go and see it."

Su Ming remained silent for a few moments before speaking: "Following this valley, continue flying north to Luoxia Mountain. Once you enter the Zhao Kingdom, you can find it easily, but..."

Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in his heart, as if something might happen if he continued talking. Su Ming stopped talking in time and only took a few serious glances at the white-robed figure.

He smiled freely, thanked Su Ming, and then took flight again, with something inexplicable flashing around him.

"It's...fate!" Su Ming murmured to himself, not daring to continue practicing his sword here, and slowly made his way back to his family.

Three years have passed since Qin Yan's incident. After returning to his clan, he was interrogated in detail for several months, not only by his own clan elders but also by members of the Qin family.

However… the secret technique was so powerful that they couldn’t find any trace of it. In addition, Zhang Zeguan also managed to escape, leaving no way to verify the truth. The Qin family had no choice but to accept the outcome and even compensated Su Ming with a lot of spiritual items.

The two families then arranged another marriage between a legitimate wife and a concubine to ease tensions, and the matter was gradually forgotten.

Su Yunji, on the other hand, reacted quite strongly. He said it was good that Su Ming was back, but he couldn't let go of his pride because Su Ming had drawn his sword against him.

The father and son rarely interacted after that, and Su Yunji took many more ordinary women as concubines, becoming even more addicted to wine and women.

Su Ming was also happy to do so. He had now reached the sixth level of Qi Refining and was considered one of the top Foundation Establishment seeds in the clan.

Furthermore, over the past three years, the voice in his mind would occasionally provide him with Taoist theories or cultivation methods for him to practice, along with various secret techniques to aid him, making his fire skills extremely proficient. With the assistance of sword energy, his combat power far surpassed that of his peers.

This situation prompted the elders to take even better care of him, preparing all sorts of spiritual resources, since it had been far too long since the ancestor broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

For so long that a sense of impending doom permeated the entire clan, and various peripheral industries were abandoned one by one, or used to cultivate good relations with other families.

Su Ming lived a peaceful life in the courtyard. He cultivated and mastered various secret techniques, which made his sense of destiny particularly keen. After only a few days, he sensed an even more mellow destiny flying past not far from the family.

However, the voice in his mind did not provide any information. Such a great destiny would inevitably involve the Purple Mansion, and he dared not look. He simply activated a secret technique to hide his destiny and stayed in the courtyard, everything as usual.

Until a moment later, a golden light flickered across the sky, and before Su Ming could figure out what was happening, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

That night, an elder concealed his presence and quietly came to his courtyard. He took out a jade box containing a pool of green water that was constantly dissipating and showed it to him. With just one sentence, he left him speechless.

"Second Young Master, the Ancestor...failed to break through and passed away."

Su Ming opened his mouth, but gripped the sword tightly in his hand, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Then the elder continued, "The Qin family has calculated the date perfectly. They've had people secretly spying on us for years, and they'll likely come knocking on our door soon. Our family is in grave danger! Young master, you are exceptionally talented... run!"

"Then... what about the clan? What about the elders? What about my... father?" Su Ming opened his mouth blankly, his throat dry.

Two lines of tears streamed down the elder's face as he slowly shook his head: "Young master, the clan knows you are capable. You did the right thing back then! You will definitely... live, and one day, you will be able to revive the Su family!"

As they spoke, a storage bag was stuffed into Su Ming's arms, and the elder pulled him toward leaving.

"On the 23rd of June, the Ninth Generation of Zhenhui Temple in the Southern Xu Kingdom, the Wrathful Maha, perished. The Ancestor was at a critical moment in his breakthrough, but due to the influence of the Qi, the breakthrough failed and he died."

That night, an elder came to the courtyard looking for me, pretending to want me to leave under the cover of night so he could help me achieve my goals later. In reality, this elder had already become a spy for the Qin family and only wanted to take me out of the clan ahead of time to offer me up to the Qin family in exchange for merit!

"Clang~"

With a flick of his wrist, Su Ming drew his sword and slashed horizontally. The elder never expected the person behind him to suddenly attack. Caught off guard, he was beheaded with a single blow, his face still showing a hint of smugness.

"On the 23rd night of June, I killed the clan elder and decided to stay in the clan. Since we are related by marriage, the Qin family should not go to extremes, just as my father said."

"On the 25th of June, the Qin family learned of the news and gathered their forces to come. It turned out that their family had already had a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator, but they kept it a secret and waited for news of my ancestor. Now they came here only to exterminate the clan. I was unable to escape and died."

"On the 23rd night of June, I secretly took most of the grain from the family storeroom and escaped through a secret passage. I knew that only if I survived could the Su family rise again."

Su Ming smiled softly, tears streaming down his face. He turned around and went back into the courtyard to retrieve some of his mother's valuables. Then he turned left and right and went to the main courtyard.

He could hear his father and the woman laughing and joking in the main house. Normally, he would have stormed out in anger, but now he only felt an unusual bitterness in his heart.

He spoke softly, his voice low but imbued with spiritual power, which carried into the room: "Father, come out, I have something to tell you."

A short while later, Su Yunji emerged with a lipstick mark on his neck, his clothes disheveled, and his face showing impatience. He said irritably, "What's wrong, my darling? You can't control me playing with women in the house?"

But then he suddenly noticed tears on his son's face, and his brows furrowed sharply: "Damn it, who bullied you?"

Su Ming chuckled softly and quickly wiped away his tears. Logically, he should have been the one who hated his father the most, but at that moment, he felt only sorrow.

"Father, how do you view me?"

He asked the question he had wanted to ask since he was a child.

Su Yunji opened his mouth, about to say something vicious to separate him from himself, but seeing Su Ming's solemn expression, he ultimately didn't say anything.

Su Yunji remained silent for a long while before speaking, his face filled with reminiscence:

"Your mother was such a strong-willed person. When her family fell into decline, she had no choice but to marry a good-for-nothing like me. My lineage has few heirs. We only slept together once, but you were born."

"When you were a tiny baby, curled up in swaddling clothes, I wondered if I should also try my best to become a real father."

Su Yunji's face stiffened, followed by pain: "But I'm a useless person. I've tried for so long, but I haven't even seen a trace of your mother."

"Ha... I never had another chance until she failed to break through."

"Later, as you grew up, your features became more and more like hers, and your talent was also first-rate. I accepted my fate and felt that you and your mother were really here to torment me."

Su Yunji's expression vanished completely, and he looked intently into Su Ming's eyes: "Ming'er, someone like you shouldn't have been ruined by a good-for-nothing like me, just like your mother."

"I should be in the mud, and you should be in the clouds."