Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

As Su Mu devoted himself to refining the strange fire, in the Jiawu secret room separated by only one wall, a figure was already sitting quietly on a futon, his aura subdued.

The figure was hidden in the white mist, surrounded by pale blue water. In his palm, he held a piece of cold jade marrow. The jade marrow's light alternated between light and dark, and it even resonated faintly with the person holding the jade.

In an instant, the light of the cold jade marrow faded completely and stopped flashing. The water flowing around it slowly returned to the pool, and the pervasive white mist gradually dissipated.

As the white mist slowly dissipated, the first thing revealed was a pair of eyes as clear as autumn water, followed by a face without makeup, yet capable of making everything around it pale in comparison.

This person was Song Yu, who had met Su Mu once before. At this moment, she frowned slightly, as if she had some doubts.

"Strange, why is there such a strong fire element aura here?"

Song Yu turned his gaze to the adjacent Jia Liu secret room, his curiosity evident in his eyes.

She was just using the power of the cold pool to cultivate the Phoenix Cry Technique, a traditional martial art passed down from Bai Feng Peak, when she was abruptly interrupted by a sudden feeling of palpitation.

The fluctuation of energy just now came abruptly, as if it appeared out of thin air, and had an indescribable eeriness to it.

As a cultivator with a water-attribute celestial spiritual root, and being in the icy pool, her senses were extremely sharp. The moment she detected that terrifying aura, she immediately stopped her cultivation.

"What kind of energy is this? It's so strange and domineering that it even disturbs my mind for no reason?" Song Yu was secretly shocked and subconsciously focused his attention to investigate.

She could only vaguely tell from the intense, scorching heat emanating from the flame that it must be a very special kind of flame; as for its origin and cause, she couldn't figure it out at all.

Song Yu's eyes flickered slightly as her gaze fixed on the stone wall next door. She tilted her head and pondered for a moment. Only after sensing that the strange and domineering aura gradually faded did she sit down cross-legged again, intending to continue cultivating the Phoenix Cry Technique, the inherited cultivation method of White Phoenix Peak.

"It seems the senior next door is refining this item. I wonder which peak he belongs to. Oh well, instead of making wild guesses, I should focus on my cultivation."

The Sword Trial Tournament is just a few months away, and it will be held within the Luoyun Sect this time. In order to avoid making the sect look too bad in the competition, she needs to improve her cultivation as much as possible to increase her chances of success.

Two months later...

After finishing his cultivation, Song Yu secretly sensed the surroundings with his divine sense and found that the domineering and scorching aura had become extremely weak. It seemed that his senior uncle had already successfully refined it.

She slowly got up, stepped out of the secret room, and walked to the entrance hall, preparing to return the secret room token.

"Junior Sister Song? You've emerged from seclusion! The Peak Master instructed you to go see her immediately after you came out of seclusion."

When the female cultivator on duty saw Song Yu, her face immediately lit up with surprise and delight, and she quickly stepped forward to give him some instructions.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your help, Senior Sister."

Song Yu paused slightly, finally unable to suppress his curiosity, and asked softly:

"Senior sister, may I ask which senior uncle is in the Jia Liu secret chamber?"

"The Sixth Secret Chamber?" The female cultivator on duty pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh, it's Brother Su from Fire Cloud Peak. Come to think of it, he's been in seclusion in the chamber for over half a year, which is quite surprising."

"Su Mu?"

Song Yu Tan parted her lips slightly, and the face of a young man in white robes flashed through her mind, leaving her somewhat taken aback.

"Yes, I made a special inquiry beforehand. This Junior Brother Su has only been a disciple for a short time, yet he has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. It's truly astonishing!" The female cultivator's tone was full of admiration.

Upon hearing this, Song Yu blinked her bright eyes and thought to herself, "It really is this person!" Her curiosity grew even stronger, but she had to go and pay her respects to her master first, so she had to suppress her thoughts and put the matter aside for the time being.

Moreover, this Junior Brother Su will likely participate in this Sword Trial Tournament as well. Judging from the domineering and eerie aura she sensed earlier, this person's strength must be considerable, far surpassing that of ordinary new disciples.

It seems I'll have an extra helper at this sword-testing tournament. Thinking this, Song Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the image of that person unconsciously flashed through his mind again.

"Su Mu..."

......

At this moment, Su Mu was focusing all his efforts on refining the last wisp of the strange fire's essence. After two whole months of secluded cultivation, he was finally about to completely subdue the Fallen Heart Flame.

As the last wisp of flame was absorbed into his body, the Fallen Heart Flame was finally completely refined by him. Su Mu's body trembled violently, and a vast and pure energy flowed back from the source of the strange fire, sweeping through his limbs and bones.

Driven by this immense energy, Su Mu's cultivation level soared, breaking through to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage. In the blink of an eye, he steadily stepped into the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

This vast energy was only partially depleted; the remaining power was still formidable, continuing to propel his cultivation level upwards.

Su Mu dared not delay and immediately activated the Fallen Heart Flame, which he had completely mastered, guiding this violent energy to flow through his meridians. Instead of impacting his cultivation, he poured it all into his physical body to temper his physique.

At this moment, his physical body was like a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring this vast energy, and his muscles, bones, flesh, and meridians were undergoing an astonishing transformation.

At a certain moment, all the energy was perfectly absorbed by his physical body. A golden light flashed across his body, then gradually receded and sank into his body. His bones emitted a clear, melodious jade-like sound, and then his body returned to normal.

Su Mu adjusted to the transformation of his body for a while, then sensed his cultivation level. He was now not far from the late Foundation Establishment stage. With his divine sense extended, the range of his perception reached a radius of three miles.

If it weren't for the fact that breaking through several realms in a few months was too alarming and would arouse suspicion, he could have even used this opportunity to break through all the way to the Pseudo-Core Realm.

Even so, when he emerges from seclusion, he will surely give everyone in the sect a huge shock.

[Advanced to mid-Foundation Establishment stage, Life Attribute +110]

Current Life Number: 197

Most of the energy fed back by the Fallen Heart Flame was used by him to temper his physical body. At this moment, even Su Mu himself was unsure of what level his physical body had reached.

"Now that the matter is settled, it's time for me to emerge from seclusion. I should find a place to test the strength of my physical body."

Without further delay, he raised his hand and formed a hand seal, causing his long, black hair to grow back. He then took out a plain white robe from his storage bag, changed into it, and after tidying himself up, strode out of the secluded cultivation chamber.

Su Mu had not expected that this seclusion would last a full eight months. Calculated by the time it was calculated, there were less than two months left before the Sword Trial Tournament began. Fortunately, he emerged from seclusion in time.

"Oh? Junior Brother Su, you've finally emerged from seclusion! After such a long period of seclusion, you must have gained a great deal. I wonder…"

The female cultivator on duty in the hall paused, her gaze falling on Su Mu. She subtly probed him with her divine sense, and the next moment she froze on the spot. She clearly sensed Su Mu's current cultivation level, and her face instantly filled with astonishment.

In just eight months, this Junior Brother Su had soared from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the middle Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation level solid and refined, without a trace of superficiality. She stared at the person before her, momentarily unable to believe it.

"Ahem, greetings, Senior Sister. I was fortunate enough to have a sudden enlightenment, which has benefited me greatly. I must thank you for finding the secret chamber for me." Su Mu coughed lightly, his face neither red nor his heart skipping a beat, attributing his breakthrough entirely to his own enlightenment and talent.

He already had the advantage of drawing cards, and such an incredible opportunity was also a unique talent of his. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he got to where he is today entirely because of his own hard work.

After paying back the spirit stones he owed, Su Mu left White Phoenix Peak and flew straight to his cave dwelling, under the shocked and dazed gaze of the female cultivator.

The female cultivator was left standing there, almost in a daze, as if her worldview had been completely reshaped...

Su Mu returned to his cave dwelling, first casting a simple spell to clean it up, then closing the cave door tightly before turning around and stepping into the cultivation room deep inside.

He took out a long sword from his storage ring. Although it was not a magic weapon, it was exceptionally sharp. In the secular world, it would be a divine weapon capable of cutting through iron like mud.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he swung his sword straight at his own left arm, deliberately suppressing his internal energy and using only his physical body to block the attack.

The next moment, a crisp sound rang out. The longsword, which was considered a divine weapon in the mortal world, broke in two on the spot. Su Mu's left arm, however, remained smooth and unblemished, without even a faint white scratch.

Su Mu nodded in satisfaction, then took out a ring-pommel broadsword. This sword was called the Fiery Blade, a genuine low-grade magic weapon, far superior to the previous worldly divine weapons.

This Fiery Blade was the only magical artifact Su Mu possessed when he was a rogue cultivator. From his initial naivety and ignorance upon entering the world of cultivation, to his gradual growth and maturity through trials and tribulations, it accompanied him through countless storms. In truth, this blade truly holds within it a piece of his youthful integrity.

Immediately afterwards, he remotely controlled the Fiery Blade, bombarding his body with it in succession. Where the blade struck, there was no sound of flesh tearing; instead, there were crisp metallic clangs, as if striking a solid rock.

A few breaths later, Su Mu was still unharmed, without even a trace of redness on his skin. In contrast, the Fiery Blade was covered with countless nicks and slits, its spiritual patterns dimmed, and it was almost completely ruined.

He stretched out one hand, grabbed the blade of the Fiery Blade, and with a slight exertion of force from his knuckles, clenched it tightly.

Click!

The low-grade magic weapon, the Fiery Blade, shattered and exploded instantly under his bare hand, breaking into countless fragments and debris.

......

Su Mu: Oh no! My youthful integrity has been shattered!!