Chapter 158: Chapter 158

To release Dragon Gate Pulling in full, at Shen Xiuhan’s current cultivation, the drain on his four apertures would strip away ninety percent of his reserves.

The spirit pearl trembled without cease, emitting its deep, resonant hum.

Beside him, Zuo Muxian’s gaze — heavy with awe — never left the blue-wreathed figure on the reef. Inside, a complicated murmur stirred.

‘Truly… beyond imagination.’

He had come to Changyun for one reason alone: revenge.

The events of that year had faded for everyone else. His family had moved on — even his parents.

Three years after his younger sister Zuo Murou died, the household had welcomed two new siblings.

Life goes on, they said. The living must keep living.

But Zuo Muxian could not forget.

He could not forget the small figure trailing behind him, twin buns bobbing, calling “Big Brother” with every other breath.

He could not forget the young woman she grew into — pestering him to teach her, drilling form after form, pouting when she couldn’t get a move right.

He could not forget her lying in a pool of blood — clothes torn, body covered in wounds, already gone — her eyes still open. Refusing to close.

So when word came that the Gao father and son had been found, Zuo Muxian had set out without a moment’s delay, riding through day and night to reach Changyun.

His first impression of Shen Xiuhan had been simple enough: the boy had some talent.

Breaking through to Hidden Strength at his age would mark him as a standout even in Zhaixing Sect.

But that was all.

Zhaixing Sect had never lacked for talent. What it lacked were those who could walk the road to the end.

And then, very quickly, he realized he’d underestimated the boy.

Because the technique Shen Xiuhan was deploying right now was something Zuo Muxian had witnessed only from the four院 Hall Masters and the Sect Master — his own teacher — of Zhaixing Sect.

It belonged to a domain that only Astral Strength practitioners could touch. The threshold of transcendence.

Yet here it was, manifested by a mere Hidden Strength youth.

Lake wind gusted. Waves slapped the rocks, shattering into foam.

Zuo Muxian drew a deep breath, pressed the churning thoughts back down, and let his gaze burn hotter still.

‘This boy carries secrets… but on the martial path, who doesn’t have their own fortune?’

Zuo Muxian felt no jealousy. Only a sense of extraordinary luck.

In all the vast world, it was this boy who had found the enemy’s trail. This boy who had sent him the letter. This boy who possessed such staggering, heaven-defying means.

‘This is fate!’

‘A prodigy like this, languishing in a backwater county — now that I’ve stumbled upon him, he belongs under Zhaixing Sect’s banner!’

Zuo Muxian tilted his head, gaze drifting toward Dongyi Island.

Lights blazed across the stronghold, silhouettes moving, snatches of revelry carrying on the wind.

‘I’ll help him finish his business. And then… I’ll personally bring him through our gates. With him, Zhaixing Sect’s younger generation will be secure for thirty years.’

…

Dongyi Island.

The main hall of the Assembly Yard.

The hall blazed with light — dozens of glazed lanterns hung from the rafters, painting everything in gold.

Along the walls, women draped in sheer silk reclined on brocade cushions or nestled in men’s arms, pale limbs glowing in the warm light.

They laughed prettily, poured wine with slender hands, and murmured sweet nothings — scattered like ornaments among the banquet seats.

A considerable crowd had gathered, every one of them a mid- or high-ranking figure in Chenjian Wu.

Some roared with laughter, some whispered in huddles, some toyed with the women in their laps. The clinking of cups, the trill of feminine giggles, the bellow of toasts — all rose and fell together.

On the leftmost divan, a hulking, bald-headed man sat with legs spread wide.

His shoulders were immense, and from the crown of his skull down across his cheeks, a ferocious golden dragon was tattooed in vivid ink.

Gao Fu.

Tonight’s banquet had been thrown by the Fourth Chief, Jia Pingxiu — a welcoming feast in Gao Fu’s honor.

The other chiefs had each hosted their own reception over the past month. Today was Jia Pingxiu’s turn.

He’d spared no expense: fine wine, rare dishes, dancing girls for entertainment — a lavish production.

At the moment, Gao Fu lounged on the divan, a beauty tucked under each arm, sipping wine and eating grapes peeled by dainty fingers. The picture of indulgence.

Beside him, the portly Jia Pingxiu waddled up with a white jade wine-cup, raising it to Gao Fu with a grin.

“Fifth Brother!”

Gao Fu laughed and clinked cups.

“Fourth Brother!”

“Ha ha ha — all brothers here.”

Jia Pingxiu settled in beside him, his round frame sinking into the cushions, his plump face creased with smiles.

“Fifth Brother, satisfied with tonight’s spread?”

“More than satisfied — couldn’t be better!”

Ever since Zheng Dadao had beaten him half to death, Gao Fu had been hiding in a tiny shack on the outskirts of the prefectural city, barely daring to step outside. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d lived this well.

In the month since his arrival, every chief had thrown him a feast.

Gao Fu had come as a refugee, seeking shelter. He’d expected a roof over his head and nothing more.

The warmth of this reception had genuinely moved him. His attitude grew more sincere by the day.

He set down his cup, straightened, and clasped his fist.

“I’m grateful for every brother’s generosity. Now that I’ve joined the island, this is home. Whatever’s needed — I’ll do it, no matter the cost.”

“Good!”

Jia Pingxiu laughed again, then glanced left and right. Seeing no one nearby paying attention, he leaned in and dropped his voice.

“Fifth Brother, that’s nothing yet… A little bird tells me you’ve been stuck at the Tinggong aperture for quite some time?”

Gao Fu started.

“That’s right. The Mingmen aperture is the gateway to mid-Hidden Strength — fiendishly hard to crack. Three years I’ve been stalled.”

The subject darkened his mood. Irritation flickered in his eyes.

Three years of relentless training, pill after pill consumed, and the Mingmen aperture hadn’t budged.

“Heh heh.”

Jia Pingxiu gave a sly chuckle, a cryptic gleam in his eye.

“In a few days, Third Brother will be sending some… special goods from the fishing island. One dose, and I guarantee you break through on the spot.”

“Oh?”

Gao Fu perked up at once, eyes brightening.

“That miraculous? What is it?”

But Jia Pingxiu only smiled, wagged a finger, and shook his head.

“You’ll find out after you take it. That’s the Great Chief’s rule.”

Gao Fu’s eagerness died on his lips. He swallowed the question and didn’t dare push.

He’d already heard: Duan Xiao had broken through to Transforming Strength. Below the prefectural-city level, the man was a bona fide apex fighter.

Even across Nanxiang Commandery, he ranked among the first tier.

More than that, the man possessed several treasures — handed down by his father, Duan Wei.

According to Jia Pingxiu, those treasures let Duan Xiao punch above his weight — holding his own against a mid-Transforming Strength opponent despite being only early-stage.

Rules laid down by a man like that weren’t for a newcomer to question.

“Of course — I’ll be waiting, then.”

Gao Fu raised his cup and clinked it against Jia Pingxiu’s. A crisp ring.

He was about to drain it in one go when his hand froze mid-motion. His entire body went rigid.

“Hm?”

Gao Fu slowly set the cup down. His neck craned to the right, his gaze passing through the half-open window to the lake beyond.

A strange sensation welled up from deep inside — as though something out on the water were calling to him.

It wasn’t a sound. It wasn’t a scent. It was an ineffable resonance, a thread from beyond the visible world, snagging at his spirit.

As though somewhere on the lake surface —

A colossal opportunity was waiting for him.

Gao Fu’s chest heaved. His heart hammered. His breathing turned ragged.

His eyes reddened by degrees, a feverish light kindling in his pupils. He shot to his feet.

“What’s wrong, Fifth Brother?”

Jia Pingxiu caught the bizarre shift in his manner. His smile faded. His brow furrowed. He followed Gao Fu’s stare out the window.

Nothing out of the ordinary. The distant patrols moved as always.

“Fourth Brother…”

A hoarse voice breathed into his ear.

Jia Pingxiu turned — and flinched.

The Gao Fu of a moment ago was gone. In his place stood a man transformed.

Eyes blazing red, face flushed with uncontrollable excitement, lips trembling, voice shaking:

“Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother!”

“I’m about to break through! My martial path is about to culminate!”

“I can feel the opportunity — this is the legendary ancient sudden-enlightenment! A karmic resonance in the void! Oh, what bliss! My Dao shall be fulfilled!!”