Wind swept across the vast wilderness, and from the sky descended a sheet of flame, like a burning cloud.
As wind and fire churned, Su Mu felt a wave of heat rush toward him.
He carefully savored the impact, collision, and fusion of the two forces.
The myriad wonders of the Xun Wind Realm and the Li Fire Realm ultimately coalesced into a single, abstract concept.
Or perhaps, a Phenomenon!
’So that’s how it is.’
Su Mu, standing in the void-like wilderness, was struck by a sudden realization. ’Burning wood to cook food, transforming the raw into the cooked, replacing the old with the new.’
The moment this thought formed.
The wind and fire across the boundless wilderness abruptly transformed.
Fire above and wind below—the form of a cauldron.
In an instant, a Three-legged Giant Cauldron materialized out of thin air above the boundless wilderness.
The giant cauldron was fiery red, its surface covered in dense, swirling wind patterns.
A scorching heat emanated from within the cauldron, feeling as if it could cook anything to perfection.
...
Su Mu’s eyes snapped open, the image of a Three-legged Giant Cauldron flashing in their depths.
The Phenomenon: Fire Wind Cauldron!
This time, he had finally broken through the last barrier and successfully comprehended a Phenomenon.
Su Mu suddenly raised a hand.
A wild wind rose from thin air. A single spark burst forth, and the wind fanned the burgeoning flames.
In an instant, wind and fire coalesced into a giant cauldron, a full ten feet tall.
BOOM!
With just a slight turn, the giant cauldron sent walls toppling and the roof caving in. The scattered bricks and stones were charred pitch-black, as if seared by extreme heat.
And just like that, the giant cauldron vanished.
Su Mu, however, felt completely drained. His body’s True Essence was utterly depleted, not a single drop remaining.
He sat cross-legged amidst the ruins, without even the strength to twitch a muscle.
A flicker of astonishment crossed his mind.
’The Phenomenon’s power is beyond imagination, but so is its cost.’
’At my current level, I can only sustain the Phenomenon for a single breath!’
’No wonder no True Essence Realm Martial Artist has ever comprehended a Phenomenon. It’s simply not an ability someone in the True Essence Realm is meant to wield.’
’Even if they did, they’d struggle to even manifest it.’
Su Mu’s foundation far surpassed that of other Martial Artists at his level, yet even he could only maintain the Phenomenon for a single breath.
Such a short duration made it incredibly difficult to use effectively in a real fight.
It could, perhaps, be used as a trump card in very specific circumstances.
Still, having an extra trump card was never a bad thing.
The sound of rushing wind filled the air as Shi Ziran, Luo Anning, Xiang Xiaoyuan, and a crowd of Taiping Captains arrived on the scene.
The commotion of the collapsing building had alerted everyone in the Taiping Bureau.
They rushed over and immediately saw Su Mu sitting amidst the ruins, his face pale.
Shi Ziran, Luo Anning, and Xiang Xiaoyuan were the first to reach Su Mu’s side, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
"I’m fine."
Su Mu said, "I was just practicing a martial technique. It got a little out of hand."
"Practicing a martial technique?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only for expressions of shock to replace it.
’What kind of martial technique is that? To have such devastating power!’
’The Captain is truly on another level.’
"Everyone, dismiss."
Su Mu, having recovered some strength, waved his hand. "Have someone come clean this up tomorrow."
"You can’t stay here anymore. Do you... want to stay in my room tonight?"
Luo Anning blurted out before she could stop herself.
The words were barely out of her mouth when she realized how they sounded. As all eyes turned to her, she hastily explained, "I meant, I’ll sleep with Xiaoyuan!"
By the time she finished, her face was as red as a ripe apple.
Su Mu smiled faintly, looking at Luo Anning and Xiang Xiaoyuan. ’It’s about time to make things official,’ he thought. ’At the very least, we should have an engagement ceremony.’
...
The crowd gradually dispersed, and Luo Anning and Xiang Xiaoyuan returned to Xiang Xiaoyuan’s room together.
They were still too embarrassed to stay in the same room as Su Mu with everyone watching.
The main reason was that they had yet to reach the Rebirth Perfection realm, which made living with Su Mu... inconvenient.
Once he was alone in the room and silence had returned, Su Mu suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Come on out. Or do you need me to personally invite you?"
Before his voice had faded, a window swung open and a figure vaulted silently into the room.
The visitor stood by the window, looking at Su Mu with an expression of utter resignation.
"I’m telling you, Su Mu, are you the illegitimate son of the heavens or something? It’s only been a few years since we last met. How did you get so damn monstrous?" the man said.
His face was unfamiliar, as was his voice.
But the moment Su Mu saw him, he recognized him.
The Young Master of the Golden Wind Tower, Xue Shan.
Years ago, in Daxing Mountain, Su Mu, Wu Yiqi, and Xue Shan had faced a Tier Three Demon together.
At the time, all three were only in the Rebirth Realm. However, Wu Yiqi and Xue Shan had been deliberately suppressing their Cultivation to avoid breaking through, while Su Mu had been slightly weaker than them.
Today, Xue Shan had reached the True Essence Realm and even awakened one of the Physical Divine Techniques. Yet when he looked at Su Mu now, he found him completely unfathomable. He had no way of gauging just how powerful Su Mu had become.
In fact, that earlier blast that had demolished the building had sent a powerful sense of mortal danger through Xue Shan.
He had a feeling that if Su Mu had directed that attack at him, he would not have been able to defend against it.
Thinking back to how Su Mu’s Cultivation had been weaker than his own, how he’d needed the Profound Weapon Five Flames Heaven-Shaking Bow just to barely keep pace... and now, Su Mu had left him completely in the dust. The thought filled Xue Shan with a sense of dejection.
"You’re not bad yourself," Su Mu said coolly.
Xue Shan’s concealment was excellent. If he hadn’t been so shocked when Su Mu tested the Phenomenon, causing him to reveal a flaw in his presence, Su Mu truly wouldn’t have noticed him hiding nearby.
"I thought I was doing pretty well, but I’m still a long way from your level," Xue Shan said with a sigh.
His Physical Divine Technique was called "Withered Wood." It allowed his body to become like a dead tree, emitting no aura whatsoever.
For an assassin, it was an absolutely heaven-defying skill.
As long as he remained hidden, it was nearly impossible to detect him without seeing him directly.
Yet Su Mu had still found him. This filled Xue Shan with even more shock.
"Xue Shan, you didn’t come here to assassinate me, did you?" Su Mu’s hand slowly came to rest on his Thunder Shocking Saber.
"Of course not!" Xue Shan jumped, shaking his head frantically. "We have a history, after all! Would I really come here to kill you?"
’I’d have to have a death wish to try and assassinate you,’ Xue Shan grumbled to himself.
"I’m here on behalf of the Golden Wind Tower to sue for peace."
Xue Shan continued, "You’ve killed enough of the Golden Wind Tower’s assassins. Surely your anger has subsided by now."
"We at the Golden Wind Tower just do business for money. We never intended to make an enemy of the Taiping Bureau."
"I guarantee it. From now on, the Golden Wind Tower will never touch anyone connected to you."
"We’re just trying to make a living in the Jianghu. There’s no need to drive us to extinction, is there?"
Su Mu had already wiped out all of the Golden Wind Tower’s assassins in Songjiang Prefecture, and the repercussions were even starting to spread throughout Xiangzhou.
That was why the Golden Wind Tower had urgently dispatched Xue Shan to seek a truce with Su Mu.
The Golden Wind Tower wasn’t so arrogant as to openly oppose the Taiping Bureau.
To put it bluntly, they were just a Jianghu faction. Stirring up trouble within the Jianghu was one thing, but they had to maintain a low profile when facing the Government Office.
Su Mu looked at Xue Shan and said slowly, "The Golden Wind Tower is bowing its head so easily. Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock in the Jianghu?"
"Afraid of what? We’re not exactly a group of righteous gentlemen. Besides, who’s going to know other than you and me?" Xue Shan said matter-of-factly. "We make our living with our skills. We’re not afraid of a little gossip."
"As long as our skills are sharp, there will always be people who need our services."
"My anger has mostly subsided, but as for my losses—" Su Mu said slowly.
"The Golden Wind Tower will compensate you!" Xue Shan said without a hint of hesitation. "As long as this ends now, the Golden Wind Tower will cover all of your losses."
"One million taels of silver. Is that enough?"
’The Golden Wind Tower really is loaded,’ Su Mu thought. ’Offering up one million taels of silver just like that. They put the Demon Court to shame.’
"It’ll have to do. We’ll consider the matter settled for now. But if the Golden Wind Tower ever crosses me again, don’t blame me for being merciless," Su Mu said coolly.
"I have one more thing," Xue Shan said. "I want to open a shop in Songjiang Prefecture—"
"Xue Shan, don’t push your luck. The Golden Wind Tower opening a shop in Songjiang Prefecture, right under our noses? Do you take the Taiping Bureau for a mere decoration?" Su Mu said in a cold voice.
"Not the Golden Wind Tower. Just me," Xue Shan said. "To be honest, when I’m not working as an assassin, I much prefer being a chef."
"I want to open a restaurant in Songjiang Prefecture. It has nothing to do with the Golden Wind Tower. I just wanted to give you a heads-up to avoid any misunderstandings."