Chapter 6: The Scarlet Dragon Pavilion

Night fell, the moonlight pure and bright.

“Young master, news of your victory over Hong Fang has already spread throughout the family. Many of the Su clan’s younger members, as well as some elders, have expressed their admiration for you. Some even say that although you were delayed in the Forbidden Magic Prison for three years, your innate talent remains largely intact,” the man in the red robe said excitedly.

Su Xin smiled faintly.

Defeating Hong Fang was of little importance to him; what truly mattered was the attitude of his family towards him.

The incident three years ago had left a deep resentment against him within the clan. Though today’s battle could not entirely erase that bitterness, it at least improved the family’s perception of him somewhat.

After all, in this world, strength commands respect.

And he, having just entered the eighth true martial realm, had managed to defeat Hong Fang at the peak of the eighth realm head-on. This alone was enough to earn the admiration of many Su clan disciples.

“A mere Hong Fang—I didn’t even know his name before this. It’s insignificant. It’s Zhao Ling I’m concerned about…” Su Xin’s eyes narrowed.

Zhao Ling, a peak true martial tenth realm cultivator, was considered a genius with formidable combat power, rumored to rival even those at the Transform Sea realm.

Su Xin had only just stepped into the eighth true martial realm. The difference in cultivation between them was immense. Unless he recklessly unleashed the Divine Annihilation Secret Technique, he had no confidence in winning.

To surpass Zhao Ling, even to kill him in the Sword Order Battle, Su Xin’s cultivation would need to reach at least the ninth true martial realm, possibly its peak.

But with only half a month left until the Sword Order Battle, even with the bloodline inheritance technique accelerating his training dozens of times faster than normal, it was difficult to reach that level.

“If only I had medicinal pills to aid my cultivation, maybe it would be possible,” Su Xin murmured.

At dawn the next day, Su Xin went to the Su family’s Treasure Pavilion, which was managed by an elder of the clan.

“Young master, I’m very sorry. If it were ordinary Spirit Gathering Pills, I could give you a few. But the rare Spirit Gathering Pills… there are very few in the family, and with the Sword Order Battle approaching, the head of the family has already ordered me to distribute the few rare ones we have,” the elder explained.

“They’ve already been given out?” Su Xin frowned slightly but was not surprised.

Since the Su family’s decline, their resources were no longer comparable to three years ago.

In the family’s prime, they obtained many rare Spirit Gathering Pills yearly, but now, they barely managed to secure a dozen a year.

With the Sword Order Battle imminent, the family’s highest authorities, including his father, attached great importance and distributed the rare pills to the strongest and most promising disciples likely to contend with Zhao Ling, so they could enhance their cultivation as much as possible.

As for Su Xin… no one believed that someone recently released from the Forbidden Magic Prison could challenge Zhao Ling on behalf of the Su family.

Even though he defeated Hong Fang yesterday, the latter was only at the peak of the eighth true martial realm. The family recognized Su Xin’s talents and potential, but no one thought he was a threat to Zhao Ling.

“If the family has no rare Spirit Gathering Pills, then I have no choice but to go to that place…” Su Xin pondered quietly before leaving the mansion alone.

…

At the heart of Yongning Prefecture’s capital stood two towering black towers, like colossal giants watching over the city.

These were the renowned Red Dragon Towers of the Tianyan Dynasty.

The Red Dragon Towers were personally established centuries ago by the founding emperor of the Tianyan Dynasty and were found throughout the nation.

In each of the thirty-six provinces and their respective prefectures, there stood a Red Dragon Tower, serving two primary purposes.

First: to monitor the entire realm—meaning the territory of the Tianyan Dynasty.

Any slightest disturbance in any corner of the dynasty’s provinces and prefectures would be immediately detected and reported to the emperor by the Red Dragon Towers.

Second: to recruit talents from across the land.

Within the Red Dragon Towers were the famous True Martial Pavilion and the Dragon Seeking Tower.

The True Martial Pavilion tested the skills of true martial cultivators across fifteen levels. Anyone who could pass the tenth level was considered a genius throughout the Tianyan Dynasty.

The Dragon Seeking Tower tested the comprehensive strength of Transform Sea realm cultivators. Though only three levels, passing the first level marked one as a first-class talent.

Passing the second level designated a top-tier genius—a rarity with only about thirty to forty such talents emerging across the entire dynasty in an era, roughly one per province.

Those who passed the third level of the Dragon Seeking Tower were called peerless prodigies. Such prodigies appeared only once every several years or decades, rarer than legendary bloodline awakeners.

Before the two majestic towers, the Dragon Seeking Tower’s high difficulty meant few dared attempt it, but the True Martial Pavilion was bustling with challengers.

At this moment, over a hundred people gathered before the True Martial Pavilion. Besides bystanders, most were true martial realm cultivators confident in their abilities.

Currently, a true martial ninth realm cultivator was attempting the pavilion, having already passed seven levels consecutively, but was recently defeated and sent out from the eighth level after only a short time.

“Ninth realm cultivation and clearing seven levels is quite good.”

“Many tenth realm cultivators don’t even pass the seventh level.”

Those nearby murmured.

The True Martial Pavilion’s trial tested skill rather than cultivation level. Ordinary true martial cultivators passing the fifth level was normal; clearing the sixth and seventh levels indicated good skill; passing the eighth and ninth levels marked one as a formidable figure.

Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared before the True Martial Pavilion.

Tall and slender, clad in a streamlined outfit, wielding a long sword, she exuded an aura of heroic elegance. Her exquisite, cool beauty instantly drew the crowd’s attention.

“That’s her—Su Yuning.”

“The proud eldest daughter of the Su family, attempting the True Martial Pavilion again.”

“This is already her sixth time this year, isn’t it? Each previous attempt she passed the eighth level but struggled and failed at the ninth. She’s here to try the ninth level again?”

Many true martial cultivators nearby recognized her and teased.

The True Martial Pavilion was open to any true martial cultivator without other requirements, so many in Yongning Prefecture came frequently to hone their skills. Su Yuning was among the most persistent.

“Ning sister,” a figure in the crowd lifted his head slightly.

Su Xin, cloaked beneath a bamboo hat that concealed his face, watched the woman ahead.

Su Yuning was his cousin, two years his senior. In childhood, they were very close, but in recent years, pressured by factional forces, she had been training outside to improve her strength. Judging by her cultivation, she had clearly entered the tenth true martial realm.

Among the Su family’s direct descendants, besides the acknowledged Su Qinghong, only Su Yuning was qualified to contend with Zhao Ling in the Sword Order Battle.

“True Martial Pavilion…” Su Yuning gazed at the towering structure. “I have trained externally for a month, refined my swordsmanship. This time, I must pass the ninth level. If I can’t even pass the ninth level here, how can I hope to defeat Zhao Ling in the Sword Order Battle?”

Zhao Ling’s cultivation had long reached the peak of the tenth true martial realm. A year ago, he had passed the tenth level of the True Martial Pavilion, earning the Red Dragon Tower’s recognition and the ‘Yellow Grade’ token.

Though Su Yuning was also tenth realm, she was far from peak. If she failed even the ninth level, her gap with Zhao Ling would be immense.

Su Yuning entered the pavilion. As with her previous five attempts, she easily passed the first seven levels. The eighth level took more effort, but she succeeded before advancing to the ninth.

On the ninth level, she unleashed all her skills, battled fiercely for a long time, but ultimately failed.

Exiting the pavilion, her body trembled slightly. Her lips pressed tightly, her face full of unwillingness. “I gave it my all but still failed. I can’t even get past the ninth level. How on earth did that monster Zhao Ling pass the tenth?”

Outside, a large crowd of true martial cultivators sighed with regret at her failure.

As Su Yuning prepared to leave, a figure passed beside her.

“Hm?”

She glanced instinctively, her heart stirred.

Though the person wore a bamboo hat concealing their face, passing so close naturally evoked a sense of familiarity and even closeness within her, leaving her puzzled.

“Who is this? Looks like only an eighth true martial realm cultivator. Is he here to challenge the True Martial Pavilion too?”

Su Yuning had been ready to leave but now hesitated.

The familiar figure had already entered the True Martial Pavilion.

On the first level.

Su Xin stood there, facing a vacant space where ten battle puppets stood. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Five years ago, when I first challenged the True Martial Pavilion, I was only thirteen. Despite my best efforts, I failed at the tenth level. Two years later, my swordsmanship improved greatly, and I thought passing the tenth level would be easy, but in these three years… my bloodline awakened, my comprehension soared, and I can even derive more profound sword techniques from a single style.”

“My swordsmanship now has improved far beyond before. If I give it my all, how many levels could I clear?”

A flicker of anticipation stirred within Su Xin.

The True Martial Pavilion’s trial measured skill, not cultivation level.

And his skill—plainly put—was his swordsmanship!

…