Chapter 25: Terror

Sea-Transformation Realm...

More than three years ago, Su Xin had already been infinitely close to this level. Unfortunately, an incident occurred, and he was imprisoned in the Demon-Forbidden Prison, delaying him for three years and causing his cultivation base to regress. Only now had he truly stepped into this realm.

In the Tianyan Dynasty, True Martial Realm practitioners were as numerous as hair on an ox; only by crossing into the Sea-Transformation Realm could one truly be considered an expert.

"The minimum threshold for the Imperial City Hunt preliminary selection—I have reached it." A surge of pleasant surprise welled up in Su Xin's eyes. He had been yearning for that Imperial City Hunt for a long time.

"Congratulations, Young Master!"

Ye Luo, who had been guarding quietly nearby, immediately offered his congratulations to Su Xin, while secretly marveling in his heart. When his Young Master was only in the True Martial Realm, he could already fight head-on against a peak Sea-Transformation expert and even gain the upper hand. Now that he had truly broken through to the Sea-Transformation Realm, how strong would he be?

"Ye Luo, let's head back."

Su Xin stood up and smiled. Soon, the two mounted their fast horses and headed toward the Su family estate.

...

At the same time Su Xin broke through to the Sea-Transformation Realm, inside the Pang family mansion in the county city:

"Brother Meng, do you know why the Patriarch summoned us today?"

"I don't know, but I expect it is nothing trivial."

Two middle-aged figures walked side by side toward the Pang family’s council hall. Both were retainers of the Pang family, and both had reached the Void-Shattering Realm. As Void-Shattering experts, the Pang family rarely needed them to act personally, but since both were summoned at the same time, something major must have happened.

Upon entering the hall, they saw that many people were already seated. Besides the current Patriarch of the Pang family and several elders, a one-armed Pang family descendant was also sitting there.

"Mr. Meng, Mr. Chang, please take your seats," Pang Shaoqing, the Patriarch of the Pang family, said with a slight wave of his hand. The two retainers bowed slightly and took their seats.

"Everyone is here," Pang Shaoqing said, glancing around the room in a deep voice. "Everyone present here is the core strength and true pillars of my Pang family. I have gathered you all for one reason only."

"Qingyu, you explain it." Pang Shaoqing looked toward the one-armed descendant.

The one-armed descendant, still incredibly pale, gritted his teeth and stood up after receiving the order. "My lords, elders, not long ago, the leader of the Liushui Gang in Dongyang City came to our Pang family..."

Pang Qingyu began to recount the events that had transpired in Dongyang City. He had only reached the halfway point when—

"What did you say?"

"The Su family's young master, with only True Martial Realm cultivation, fought you two brothers, took on two opponents at once, and even killed your eldest brother?"

Several elders of the Pang family jumped to their feet. Even the two Void-Shattering retainers looked at Pang Qingyu in utter astonishment. A True Martial Realm practitioner fighting across tiers against a Great Success Sea-Transformation expert, taking on two at once, and actually killing one of them?

"That is not all," Pang Qingyu said in a low voice. "Su Xin's sword was too terrifying. My brother and I had no time to react at all. My brother was killed on the spot, and as for me, if Uncle Tieyun hadn't intervened in time, I would have lost more than just an arm."

"Furthermore, Uncle Tieyun even stepped in personally, yet he could only fight Su Xin to a draw, and was even slightly at a disadvantage..."

"How is that possible?"

The elders present, including the two Void-Shattering retainers, were stunned. A True Martial Realm practitioner holding his own against a peak Sea-Transformation expert and gaining the upper hand?

Where did this monster come from?

If it weren't for the fact that Pang Qingyu had undeniably lost an arm, they would have suspected he was lying to shirk responsibility. If this was true...

"Patriarch, this Su Xin must not be allowed to live!"

"Patriarch, we must act immediately and kill this boy!"

"He is already this terrifying at the True Martial Realm; what will happen when he breaks through to the Sea-Transformation Realm?"

The tone of the elders was incredibly urgent. They were indeed desperate.

"Sit down first," Pang Shaoqing said with a wave, signaling the elders to calm down. "Qingyu, continue."

Pang Qingyu went on to describe the sudden appearance of the beggar youth, who had killed Pang Tieyun with a single strike. As for what followed, he had fled when he saw the situation turning bad, so he did not witness the subsequent duel between Su Xin and the beggar.

"That person who killed our Pang family member must die!" an elder said through gritted teeth. Pang Tieyun, a peak Sea-Transformation expert, was a core pillar of the Pang family; his death naturally infuriated them.

"I will naturally send people to investigate the one who killed Tieyun. If found, he must be executed to avenge Tieyun. But the current priority is Su Xin, this young master of the Su family!" Pang Shaoqing’s deep eyes shifted, and his low voice continued.

"I received word before that this young master of the Su family displayed remarkable strength and talent in this year's family tournament, and that mysterious figure called 'Sword One' who recently broke through the fourteenth floor of the True Martial Pavilion is likely this Su family young master."

"However, Su Xin was delayed for three years in the Demon-Forbidden Prison, and the strength he displayed earlier wasn't too outrageous, so I didn't pay much heed. But now it seems... his talent and potential are far more terrifying than I imagined!"

"If he can contend with a peak Sea-Transformation expert while still in the True Martial Realm, then once he breaks through to the Sea-Transformation Realm, or given time to reach its pinnacle, wouldn't he easily be able to slaughter Void-Shattering experts? When he eventually reaches the Void-Shattering Realm, I fear that even if we all joined forces, we wouldn't be able to withstand him and his sword!"

"Moreover, with such incredible talent, the Scarlet Dragon Tower cannot fail to notice. Given their usual practices, they might inform the Tianyan Palace, leading them to specially recruit him."

"The Tianyan Palace?"

Pang Shaoqing's words sent a shock through the hearts of the elders. The Tianyan Palace was the highest-spec genius concentration camp in the Tianyan Dynasty, a sacred place of cultivation that all young descendants yearned for. To enter the Tianyan Palace, the Imperial City Hunt was not the only path; if one were sufficiently excellent and had enough potential, the palace would find them in advance and recruit them specifically.

The talent and potential Su Xin had shown left them with no doubt that he was qualified for such "special recruitment."

Once Su Xin was recruited, provided no accidents occurred, he would at least become a top-tier existence among Void-Shattering experts in the future. And if he were willing to serve the dynasty, he could easily command immense power, at the very least reaching the level of a Provincial Governor. If he then chose to deal with the Pang family, it would be far too easy.

"Our conflict with the Su family can be set aside for now!"

"The plan to annihilate the Su family is not urgent!"

"Only this Su family young master, Su Xin, must be killed right now, immediately, at once!"

Pang Shaoqing roared, his eyes reddening. "I summoned you all today to discuss how to ensure Su Xin is killed in one fell swoop. Otherwise... if we fail once and put Su Xin and the Su family on guard, it will be difficult to find another opportunity."

How could they kill Su Xin in one strike?

The people present looked at each other and began to deliberate. First, since Su Xin could fight a peak Sea-Transformation expert head-on, they needed someone at least at the peak of the Sea-Transformation Realm or higher to act personally.

As for the Void-Shattering Realm...

Although the Su and Pang families had been fighting fiercely for years, both sides maintained restraint. Most Void-Shattering experts would not act personally in these disputes. After all, if one sent a Void-Shattering expert to assassinate a younger member of the opposing family, they would be reviled and mocked for disregarding their status. Furthermore, it would drive the Su family mad, and they would immediately retaliate by sending their own Void-Shattering experts to kill Pang family juniors. The losses would be too great. Thus, both sides had a tacit agreement: unless forced into a corner or prepared for a final, total war, they would not resort to such mutually destructive measures.

Su Xin, while causing a major crisis for the Pang family, had not yet pushed them to such an extreme.

"Patriarch, since we are pursuing a one-hit kill, it would be difficult for the Pang family alone to succeed without a Void-Shattering expert. Why not hire professional assassins, for instance, by calling upon the Three-Kill Tower?" an elder suggested.

"The Three-Kill Tower?" Pang Shaoqing's heart skipped a beat. It was the universally recognized number-one assassin organization in the Tianyan Dynasty, with operations spanning the entire empire. It was said they had countless assassins, and as long as they accepted a task, there was almost nothing they couldn't complete. They had even allegedly assassinated super-experts of the Nirvana Realm.

"No." Pang Shaoqing shook his head. "The Three-Kill Tower is also secretly controlled by the dynasty; its nature is similar to the Scarlet Dragon Tower, just with different business. The Tianyan Dynasty values genius above all else. If we submit a task to assassinate Su Xin, the Three-Kill Tower will certainly investigate him thoroughly beforehand."

"Once they learn of Su Xin's talent and potential, they likely won't take the job. And even if they did, the price would certainly be astronomical."

The elders nodded. That the Three-Kill Tower was secretly controlled by the dynasty was no longer a secret within the empire.

"Patriarch, if we must send an assassin, I recall one person," Mr. Meng, one of the two retainers, stood up. "That person is right here in our Yongning County, on White Mountain Island."

"The one on White Mountain Island?" The elders were shocked; they knew exactly whom he meant.

"Indeed. In terms of assassination techniques, he is the best in Yongning County, and even ranks high within the entire Yun Province. He was once an assassin for the Three-Kill Tower. It is said he has killed dozens of peak Sea-Transformation experts, and even attempted to assassinate a Void-Shattering expert. Though he didn't kill the target, he left them severely wounded!"

"If he acts, there is at least a ninety percent chance he can kill Su Xin in one strike."

Pang Shaoqing nodded. "However, that man has a very eccentric temper. It will not be easy to persuade him."

"Leave this matter to me," Mr. Meng smiled. "I have some history with him; in fact, he technically owes me a favor. As long as the reward is satisfactory, he should not refuse."

"In that case, I will leave it to you, Mr. Meng," Pang Shaoqing said, his eyes brightening. "As for the reward, tell him to name his price. As long as Su Xin is killed in one strike and this threat is removed, the Pang family will agree to any cost."

"No problem." Mr. Meng smiled and set off immediately.

...

Two days later, in the dead of night.

Under the cover of darkness, a figure flipped over the wall like a ghost and entered the Su family mansion. He moved past room after room without making a sound. Although the mansion was brightly lit and patrolled by numerous guards—with several formidable Sea-Transformation experts even watching from the shadows—no one discovered his presence. He followed a map of the Su family estate he had been provided earlier and headed toward the courtyard where Su Xin resided.

Though it was late at night and the maid, Hongshan, had long since retired, Su Xin was still shirtless, practicing his swordplay in the courtyard.

Hum!

The long sword swept out like a rolling sea, seemingly capable of encompassing everything around it. It was clear that in just a few short days, Su Xin's swordsmanship had improved significantly.

"As expected, after breaking through to the Sea-Transformation Realm, both my swordsmanship and my comprehension of artistic conception have improved much more easily," Su Xin chuckled.

His breakthrough had excavated more of the bloodline power hidden within his body. Most importantly, the increase in cultivation had significantly enhanced his sensory abilities and consciousness, making his study of swordsmanship and comprehension of artistic conception much clearer and easier.

"Hoo!"

With a light exhale, Su Xin stopped his movements and let his body relax naturally. Wiping the sweat from his skin, he prepared to return to his room to rest.

But, at the very moment he was completely relaxed and turned around...

A sense of terror he had never experienced before instantly flooded his entire being. Every pore on his body stood on end!