Enduring humiliation for three years, seizing the elixir, the treasure, and the holy maiden.

"I have no choice in the matter."

Su Chen glanced at Zhou Ding slowly.

"What did Elder Tiandu promise you?"

Zhou Ding pressed his forehead against the cold ground, and it took him a long time to finally manage to speak.

"He said... once the true disciple is gone, I will regain my face in front of Elder Dragonbone."

"After the matter is accomplished, I will be allowed to use two puppets."

Su Chen chuckled.

Two puppets.

The old man from Tiandu was clearly planning to use Zhou Ding as a scapegoat after the deed was done.

This guy actually took it seriously.

He was, after all, a cultivator at the Integration stage.

Su Chen felt a little sorry for this guy.

It's not like I'm some poor, wandering cultivator.

Is that so?

Get up.

Su Chen waved his hand.

"Why are you kneeling?"

Zhou Ding dared not get up and crawled half a step on his knees.

"If the true master would spare this junior this time..."

"What will happen next with Elder Dragonbone..."

"younger generation..."

"Naturally, we should only follow the true teachings."

As soon as he said that, Zhou Ding's face turned dark.

They've completely abandoned any semblance of dignity for themselves.

However, he didn't lose out entirely.

A true disciple, if we're talking about seniority, is of the same generation as his master.

Su Chen was incredibly meticulous.

This slight disappointment in his heart was naturally all there in the present moment.

However, he had no choice but to submit to him.

It's kind of funny to think about it now.

I wonder how that Wang Mang is doing now.

Wang Mang also experienced this kind of disparity when he was in the Luoyun Sect.

His spiritual heart has been damaged for countless years.

Zhou Ding finally understood that once he had pledged allegiance to Su Chen, there was no turning back.

We have to latch onto this powerful figure!

Unlike Wang Mang, Zhou Ding at least had a high level of cultivation.

He lived a long life and naturally outlived Wang Mang.

The Su Chen before me is so deep in thought, so terrifying in his methods, and so calculating in every step.

Add to that such ruthless and merciless actions.

There is only one possibility: to have risen to this position, one must have traversed mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Such a person will either become a powerful figure in the future or a fearsome old devil.

Clinging to them will never be a loss.

If Wang Mang had known these principles when he was in Qingzhou...

They won't stay in the lower realm anymore.

Su Chen nodded leisurely, his hands behind his back.

Although this guy in front of me is vindictive and opportunistic.

However, if placed at the peak of the bone, it would be a ready-made eyeliner.

Moreover, those few words just now were a blatant surrender.

We must take precautions.

But it didn't cause any major trouble.

That's fine...

"OK."

Su Chen put down his teacup.

"I'll keep that bone fragment for you."

"If you behave yourself, it will just rot in my sleeve."

"If you dare to have any other thoughts..."

"Whatever Elder Tiandu wanted to do by using you as a scapegoat, I, Su, will return it to you exactly as you were."

A show of force is still necessary.

Some people respond well to gentle persuasion, some to forceful tactics, and some are impervious to both.

People who are easily bullied are the easiest to manage.

"This junior understands! This junior would rather die than do that!"

...

The ashes in the abandoned smelting room were swept up by the draft through the hall.

Old Man Tiandu waited in the shadows with his sleeves tucked in, but Zhou Ding did not appear for half an hour.

At this point, one can probably guess a thing or two.

Zhou Ding didn't come.

I'm afraid they've gone to join Su Chen.

That damned bone fragment...

I was furious, but I didn't look for them.

Let's think of another way and find another path.

However, I still have a major task to complete.

That means he has the formula for the Fire-Nourishing Elixir.

The materials have been collected almost completely.

It is of great benefit to cultivators who have reached the Void Refinement stage.

All we need to do is find a Nascent Soul cultivator who specializes in alchemy.

I am confident that I can refine it.

All that's missing now is a suitable alchemy furnace...

As for Su Chen, I won't offend him for the time being, so as not to really break off relations.

Oh well, what can I do? I'm at their mercy now.

Speaking of which, it would be good to use more female cultivators and befriend them if I had the time.

After all, Su Chen snatched a pretty good female cultivator at the Void Refinement stage with purple hair.

He must be quite the womanizer at such a young age.

...

A surge of inspiration...

The candlelight was dim.

With a flick of spiritual energy, several more spirit candles lit up.

Su Chen examined the spiritual materials inside the bone ring.

I was genuinely stunned for a moment.

Outside his own house was Lin Zhiya's room.

The spiritual energy within the room surged wildly, seemingly on the verge of dissipating.

In other words, this means that you have encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation.

The spiritual energy rushes through the barrier, only to retreat each time, only to rush through again.

After three or five such cycles, the vital energy not only failed to advance but retreated, and it was on the verge of damaging the foundation.

Su Chen put away the bone ring and got up to go to the quiet room.

He had seen far too many cases of backlash after breaking through a cultivation realm in the lower mortal world.

Moreover, Su Chen is quite experienced in this matter.

It's not impossible to help her out.

It just requires the method of dual cultivation.

Li Tianqi, Wang Yuyan, Lin Wanwan, and even the Holy Maiden of Xueyuan Pavilion.

I have used the dual cultivation techniques that I learned from ancient cultivators to help them overcome many difficulties.

But on what basis?

I can't figure out what this woman really thinks of me.

It's naturally difficult to bring this up.

And it doesn't do me any good either.

Su Chen raised his hand and gently brushed against the restrictions on the quiet room.

The thin layer of light recognized his presence and spread out silently.

A calming incense burner was lit in the quiet room.

Lin Zhiya sat cross-legged on the jade platform, her plain gauze dress covered by a layer of shimmering white protective aura.

The light flickered and nearly dissipated several times.

A strand of sweat slid down her temple, dampening a lock of her dark hair.

Su Chen walked to the jade platform but did not rush to make a move.

"It's stuck in traffic."

Su Chen spoke.

"The anger in my heart grew stronger and stronger."

Lin Zhiya's tightly closed eyes twitched, but she didn't open them.

She forcefully pushed that energy into her dantian, and the harder she pushed, the stronger the rebound.

"Tell Su."

Su Chen sat cross-legged beneath the jade platform.

What exactly is blocking your heart?

Lin Zhiya's eyelashes trembled.

She is the holy maiden of the Haori Sect.

Having been pampered by her sect since childhood, she has never paid any attention to any male cultivator.

But this roguish man from the lower realm...

He kept her preoccupied during her seclusion these past few days, her mind filled with thoughts of him.

"It's none of your business."

Lin Zhiya squeezed out four words through her teeth, the last syllable weak.

"Is that so?"

Su Chen didn't expose him.

"Then let me tell you about something, just listen."

"In the mortal realm, there are indeed a few people I cannot let go of."

Lin Zhiya's breath hitched.

"They followed Su through life and death, and are still trapped in the lower realm."

"The first thing I need to do upon ascending to the Spirit Realm is to find a Realm Token to bring them up."

Su Chen's tone was very calm.

"That's what Hong Fu talked about that night."

Lin Zhiya slowly opened her eyes.

Su Chen brought these things up partly as a test.

Let's see how much she knows about boundary regulations.

On the other hand, they wanted to say that they were actually exceptionally proficient in the dual cultivation lineage.

Perhaps I can help her.

Lin Zhiya's complexion was clearly very bad at the moment.

Su Chen ultimately failed to speak.

Lin Zhiya was grinding her teeth to powder.

It turned out to be the case.

It turns out that his secret rendezvous with that demonic female cultivator in the middle of the night was truly just for a World Token.

It seems that the people in the lower realms he so desperately cares about have absolutely nothing to do with him.

.....