Chapter 39: A New Path

  "You're weak..."

  The words echoed in his mind like ringing bells, causing his face to go slightly pale.

  'Hmph,' he snorted inwardly. 'How would she know? It hasn't even been completely two weeks since I awakened my talent. I wonder what her expression would be if she knew the truth.'

  Lu Ruyi looked at him with a calm smile. "It's just the truth. Why the sour face?"

  Su Tianhao frowned but said nothing. Could he tell her that he had awakened his talent a year late because of his bloodline? That he wasn't actually weak—just that he hadn't had enough time to grow? No. None of that could be explained.

  Lu Ruyi took his silence as acceptance and continued. "If I'm correct, you're at the 6th level of Martial Apprentice Realm. That's quite weak by most standards."

  "Are you mocking me?" Su Tianhao asked, his brows tightening.

  "No, I'm curious," Lu Ruyi said. "The weakest Silver Pangolin is at least a 7th level grade one beast, and they're extremely tricky in combat. I want to know how you managed to kill one at your cultivation level."

  "I was lucky," Su Tianhao said without elaborating. "This cave happened to be its lair. It came back home at exactly the wrong moment. Good timing and nothing more."

  He paused, then added with a slight snort, "Besides, I'm not your average 6th level Martial Apprentice."

  "I see..." Lu Ruyi murmured, her eyes narrowing with quiet curiosity. Those blue pupils seemed to try peeling through the mysteries surrounding him.

  'Did she notice something?' Su Tianhao's heart jumped, shifting uncomfortably under her piercing stare.

  Cough, cough.

  He cleared his throat deliberately. "You're staring," he said, sweat running down his temples.

  Lu Ruyi held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked away. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me. Everyone has their own secrets."

  'Phew.' Su Tianhao exhaled with visible relief. Even without releasing her aura, there had been an invisible pressure bearing down on him like the silent shadow of a hawk passing over a field mouse.

  The two ate in silence. For a time, the only sound in the cave was the quiet crackling of the fire.

  Noticing the silence stretching into awkwardness, Su Tianhao looked at her. "How are you so strong? As far as I remember, the Lu family isn't a cultivation family."

  "You're right, we're not," Lu Ruyi replied calmly.

  "Then how? Those techniques you used against the bear were high-grade Spirit rank. That's not something the Lu family should possess," Su Tianhao said, his eyes burning with genuine curiosity.

  "You were watching me fight?" Lu Ruyi asked with slight surprise. "How did I not notice you at all?"

  Su Tianhao rubbed his nose awkwardly. "I'm fairly confident in my hiding skills."

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  Lu Ruyi chuckled—a pleasant sound that echoed softly through the cave. She pondered for a moment before speaking.

  "Now that I think about it, I was quite lucky. The Sect Leader of Lianhua Sect discovered me in Willow Creek Town."

  "Lianhua Sect?!" Su Tianhao's eyes widened. "That's one of the three great sects of Longzhou Country!"

  The three great sects were the most powerful cultivation organizations in all of Longzhou Country. The Lianhua Sect ranked second among them—an all-female sect renowned for its grace, beauty, and deadly fighting prowess. The Xuanhu Sect held the first rank—a fearsome organization known for its relentless pursuit of the Martial Dao. And the Qingyun Sect ranked third—the very sect Su Tianhao hoped to join one day. He had never imagined Lu Ruyi would have any connection to the Lianhua Sect.

  "How are you related to them?" he asked with growing interest.

  Lu Ruyi smiled with unhidden pride. "I'm the Sect Leader's most favored personal disciple."

  BOOM!

  The words hit Su Tianhao like a thunderbolt.

  "The Sect Leader's personal disciple?!"

  Who was the Sect Leader of Lianhua Sect? A Martial Lord Realm expert—someone who stood at the peak of Longzhou Country's power structure. Even the king of Longzhou Country showed her respect. Admired and revered across the entire nation. Mei Yuelan—the Jade Sword Lord.

  Su Tianhao's breathing quickened. Even with his own identity as the son of a Supreme Immortal Dragon and an Immortal Sword Saint, he was still just a local cultivator who had never come within reach of figures like her and had only heard tales of her that sounded like stories from legends.

  "No wonder you have such powerful techniques," he said at last.

  Lu Ruyi nodded calmly.

  Su Tianhao smiled with genuine warmth. "I'm truly happy for you. You deserve that fortune."

  Lu Ruyi blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Happy for me? Most people would be consumed with envy," she said, watching him carefully for any trace of it.

  "Why would I be jealous? Everyone has their own good fortune," Su Tianhao said, shaking his head.

  'Besides,' he thought inwardly, 'there's nothing to envy when I have access to the memories of two immortal beings.'

  "Looks like you really have changed from your old ways," Lu Ruyi said softly. There was genuine respect in her voice now.

  Su Tianhao held her gaze for a moment, then hesitated. "Earlier, when you fought the Berserk Bear—that final move. Using external spiritual energy attacks isn't something a Martial Adept should be capable of."

  "Uh—" Lu Ruyi parted her lips, but no words came.

  "It's fine if you don't want to tell me," Su Tianhao said quickly. "Everyone has their own secrets. You said so yourself."

  Lu Ruyi shook her head. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's that I don't fully understand it myself."

  "What do you mean?" Su Tianhao asked, hope quietly rising in his chest. 'If I can understand the secret behind it, could I also use spiritual energy attacks at the Martial Adept Realm?'

  "I'll tell you what I know," Lu Ruyi said, seeing his genuine interest. "What you make of it will depend on your own comprehension."

  Su Tianhao nodded eagerly. He was very confident in his comprehension—his bloodline and legacy had seen to that.

  Lu Ruyi took a breath and began. "As you know, spiritual energy circulates through our bodies, making cultivators physically stronger than ordinary people. A Martial Adept's spiritual energy is far more dense and pure than a Martial Disciple's—pure enough to be manifested outward and used to greatly amplify physical strength."

  Su Tianhao nodded. He already knew this much.

  "For me, it's different," Lu Ruyi continued. "Perhaps because of my heavenly constitution, my spiritual energy is purer than an average Martial Adept's. Combined with the fact that I'm close to comprehending Sword Will—"

  "You're close to comprehending Sword Will?" Su Tianhao interrupted, eyes wide.

  Lu Ruyi paused. "You even know about Sword Will?"

  "Sword Sense is intuitive awareness of the sword," Su Tianhao said carefully. "Sword Will is the next stage after Sword Sense—where the sword becomes an extension of the user's will. Each strike carries clear intent rather than just instinct."

  Lu Ruyi stared at him. "How do you know these things?"

  "I read a lot," Su Tianhao answered with a straight face.

  Her eyes narrowed with suspicion—but she didn't push further.

  "Please continue," he said.

  Lu Ruyi nodded slowly. "Because my spiritual energy is purer than most, and because I'm close to Sword Will, I've formed a deeper connection with my sword than should be possible at my level. When I execute my techniques with absolute intent, something draws on my spiritual energy reserves and releases it externally—even without a Martial Core. But it costs enormously. It drains my spiritual energy completely and leaves my body in serious condition afterward." She paused. "I don't fully understand the mechanics of it myself. One day I experienced a moment of enlightenment and simply found the way. That's all I can tell you."

  "That's why it's called enlightenment," Su Tianhao said quietly. "It's mysterious and it can't be forced."

  Lu Ruyi nodded. Enlightenment was one of the most precious and elusive experiences in the cultivation world—something that couldn't be sought, only stumbled upon. Those fortunate enough to experience it could shatter bottlenecks, grasp new concepts in an instant, and surpass limits that had seemed impossible. Most cultivators went their entire lives without encountering it even once.

  Lu Ruyi rose to her feet. "I still haven't fully recovered from using that move. I'm going to take some healing pills and cultivate." She looked at him with clear intent. "Don't disturb me."

  Without waiting for a response, she walked to the far end of the cave, sat cross-legged in lotus position, retrieved several pills from her storage pouch, and swallowed them in a single motion. Her eyes closed as the medicinal properties began spreading through her body, slowly working to repair her internal injuries.

  Su Tianhao watched her in thoughtful silence.

  'My spiritual energy is also special, thanks to my Supreme Dragon bloodline,' he thought. 'The key is comprehension—understanding the sword dao deeply enough to form that same connection. If she can do it, I might actually have a chance of achieving something similar at the Martial Adept Realm.'

  On that night, sitting alone by a dying campfire in a hidden cave deep in the Dragonspire Forest, Su Tianhao made a decision that would forever alter his martial path.

  He would pursue the sword dao.

  Not as a replacement for his dragon cultivation—but alongside it. A second pillar to stand on. A second edge to his blade.

  The fire crackled softly as the night deepened around them, two young cultivators sitting in the same small space, each carrying their own secrets, each moving quietly toward futures the other couldn't yet imagine.