Chapter 370: The Stage Is Set

At the mao hour, Gazing Star Cliff was shrouded in a bluish-gray morning mist, like an old cotton wad soaked through with cold water.

The black-robed steward from Punishment Peak delivered Su Ming to the cliff-top platform by flying sword. The moment his toes touched the ground—before Su Ming could even steady himself—the man said nothing, only gave a slight nod before transforming into a sharp streak of sword-light that tore through the air and vanished. His back was brisk and efficient, carrying an air of "mission accomplished, no desire to court extra karma."

Su Ming stood alone on the icy mountain rock. The morning wind pierced through his purple True Disciple robe—soaked through with cold sweat and half-dried. The damp, chilly fabric clung to his back like a dead layer of skin he couldn't peel off, bringing with it a bone-piercing chill.

He looked up toward his cave dwelling. The stone door was sealed tight; the defensive formation pulsed with a familiar, faint glow—the "home" he had personally laid down.

He stumbled closer. The rune sensing array on the stone door caught the master's aura and silently slid open a crack. The warm, dry air unique to the cave dwelling instantly rushed out, wrapping around him completely.

With a dull "boom" behind him, the heavy stone door shut completely, sealing off the wind and light from outside.

In that instant, the breath Su Ming had been holding in his chest for so long suddenly deflated, like a punctured balloon.

His knees gave way. Leaning against the ice-cold stone door, his body uncontrollably slid down along the door panel.

"Cough... cough, cough, cough!"

The violent cough echoed through the empty cave dwelling. Each vibration of his chest tugged at the needle-pricking pain deep in his Consciousness Sea. Su Ming looked down and saw that on the front of his robe, the bloodstain from when he had coughed up blood on the Heart-Questioning Platform had already coagulated into a dark black, like a withered ink chrysanthemum.His hands rested on his knees, his fingers twitching uncontrollably—a physiological rebound after his body, having been under extreme tension, suddenly relaxed.

"Hu... hu..."

His heavy breathing sounded like a broken bellows.

Su Ming didn't rush to move. He just sat slumped on the ground, head tilted back, staring at the few glowstones embedded in the cave ceiling for illumination. The light wasn't bright, but it was somewhat glaring.

After confirming that the surroundings were absolutely safe, that the defensive formation was operating normally, and that no divine sense was spying on him, he finally let go of all control over his body, allowing fatigue, pain, and the post-escape sense of weakness to wash over him completely.

tried to circulate the

water spiritual energy but molten iron. The energy movement was rough and obstructed—the aftermath of being crushed by

hoarse as if he had swallowed a handful

his left hand, the Xuantian ring—now restored to its dull, grayish appearance—suddenly flashed with an extremely

Soul Body slowly materialized,

ever before, so transparent that it seemed a single gust of

back into the

weak and distant, as if drifting in from far away. He tried to maintain his usual teasing tone, flopping down cross-legged in the air across from Su Ming, striking a lazy posture, but

really something else." Lin Yu curled his lips, making a pained expression. "It's like scraping your brain with a

the bitter sweetness rising in his throat with difficulty. He raised a hand to wipe

"Master... did we... pass?"

"We barely scraped by."

spectral form flickered, his tone carrying a mix of post-escape relief

gave a sly chuckle: "That old guy Yun Miao is really something. Didn't even need us to make up a story—he set up the stage himself and even

last trace of water spiritual energy within his Dantian, very slowly calming the surging blood and energy in

corner of his mouth curling into a self-mocking arc. "If they believe that story, they won't dig deeper into your

"Exactly!"

hat looks hot right now—it involves some ancient family and

points on his fingers as he analyzed for Su Ming: "From now on, if your cultivation speed suddenly shoots up? That's 'accumulated breakthroughs.' If you research some weird formation? That's 'bloodline awakening,' 'inheritance resurgence.' Hell, even if we pull out some advanced stuff later,

most important thing

this identity, when the sect gives you resources, they have the righteous excuse of

Su Ming slowly nodded.

the survival rule of the cultivation

A closed logical loop was what mattered. As long as you gave those in power a reason that could convince themselves and shut others up, even black could be painted

"Alright, stop brooding."

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