Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist

"Hahahaha, Younger Brother Su truly never disappoints!"

Li Jingxuan approached with a hearty laugh, clapping his hands.

"Commander Cao, concede defeat gracefully. Don’t forget to deliver that Dragon Tendon Pill of yours to Younger Brother Su."

Cao Yanran’s face was slack, his eyes lifeless.

In this battle, he had been defeated far too thoroughly!

He had executed the Vast Sea Overturning River Spear with flawless mastery, even unleashing exquisite ultimate moves in rapid succession—yet despite all that, he had still lost!

Hearing Li Jingxuan’s words, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, overcome with fury and anxiety.

Losing face so publicly and forfeiting a precious Dragon Tendon Pill was an undeniably massive loss.

As a Great Commander, he could only acquire a scant few Dragon Tendon Pills each month. Losing just one would inevitably delay his Martial Arts progress.

It truly was one wrong step leading to complete ruin.

He thought to himself that he shouldn’t have been so overconfident back then, listening to that brat Wang Jian’s slander and actually trying to snatch Su Yu’s jurisdiction.

Sheathing his saber, Su Yu cupped his fist. "Commander Cao possesses formidable strength. I merely won by a hair. Had I made a single mistake just now, I would have likely been the one defeated."

After saying this, he put on a look of having narrowly escaped disaster, then left alongside Li Jingxuan.

Cao Yanran’s complexion improved slightly. This Su Yu was immensely powerful yet still left him some dignity; his character wasn’t bad at all.

The hateful one was himself—lacking strength yet insisting on sticking his neck out. He deeply regretted listening to the slander of that vile Wang Jian!

He struggled out of the muddy riverbed, picked up his spear, and silently walked away with it slung across his back.

On the riverbank, Tiemu Xiaoyun cast one last glance at Su Yu before turning around and marching straight off with the Blood Slaughter Guard.

"Grand Commander Tie Mu is gone. Phew... His aura puts far too much pressure on people."

"Even he was paying attention to Commander Su. It seems Commander Su is truly making waves in the Zhenwu Mansion."

"Didn’t you know? Commander Su has a feud with the Tiemu family! When he was in the Outer City previously, he killed two of their experts..."

"What? Something like that happened?! No wonder Tiemu Xiaoyun came. Although this Su Yu has formidable strength, being targeted by Tiemu Xiaoyun means his future will be fraught with hardship. I had originally intended to get acquainted with Commander Su, but it seems I’ll have to wait a bit longer."

Following Tiemu Xiaoyun’s departure, the numerous Great Commanders at the scene also left one after another.

However, Zhao Daoran did not leave immediately. Instead, he led his men forward, approaching Su Yu’s group of three.

"Commander Su, I am Zhao Daoran of the Zhao Family, also a Great Commander of the Inspection Bureau. I’ve looked forward to meeting you for a long time."

Su Yu raised his eyes to see the newcomer dressed in brocade robes with a Baiyu belt tied around his waist. Holding a White Jade Fan, he exuded an air of suave elegance.

He didn’t look like a Great Commander of the Inspection Bureau, but rather like a young master from some prominent family. However, being a member of the Zhao Family, he was indeed a young master through and through.

Zhao Daoran was one of the three Great Dragon Tendon experts from the Zhenwu Mansion participating in the Martial Examination assessment. Su Yu had naturally heard of him and immediately cupped his fist.

"Commander Zhao, an honor to meet you!"

"Zhao Daoran, you are not welcome here!"

At that moment, Li Jingfeng, standing nearby, interjected with a cold tone.

Li Jingxuan’s normally amiable, chubby face also turned uncharacteristically cold as he glared at Zhao Daoran.

"Haha, please don’t take offense, gentlemen. I merely came to greet Commander Su and will be on my way." He showed no sign of embarrassment; in fact, his smile only grew wider.

"Commander Su is a Martial Arts genius, and I, Zhao Daoran, have always loved befriending such outstanding talents. If Commander Su is willing, we could be friends. Let’s not allow other matters to affect our relationship."

Su Yu merely cupped his fist in greeting and didn’t say much.

Seeing the attitude of Li Jingxuan and Li Jingfeng, he naturally didn’t want to declare a stance, nor could he afford to socialize further with Zhao Daoran.

Noticing Su Yu’s demeanor, Zhao Daoran flicked his White Jade Fan open with a SWISH. Fanning himself lightly, he said, "Then I shan’t disturb Commander Su any further today. We shall chat again when the opportunity arises."

With that, he turned and left with his subordinates in tow.

Even after he had walked far away, a faint smile remained on his face, but a trace of murderous intent flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Younger Brother Su, let’s walk and talk," Li Jingxuan said. "Zhao Daoran is from the direct line of descent of the Zhao Family and a standout among the younger generation. Aside from those freakish leading figures who have broken through to the Profound Bone or even the Divine Storage Realm, his talent is the best.

"He has a great chance of breaking through to the True Dragon Tendon and becoming another True Dragon Pride. Within the Zhao Family, he is highly valued by multiple elders. However, this Zhao Daoran is a total hypocrite. His heart is vicious and twisted; he has toyed with and brutally murdered countless women!"

At this point, Li Jingfeng, walking alongside them, chimed in, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Zhao Daoran deceived my distant cousin, Li Wan’Er. If she weren’t considered a member of the Li Family, she definitely would have fallen victim to his cruelty.

"If the opportunity ever arises, I will personally cripple him!"

Li Jingfeng’s expression was unusually solemn. As his black robes fluttered, his murderous intent surged forth, and the thick broadsword on his back emitted a faint HUM.

Su Yu nodded without asking for details. He trusted the character of Li Jingxuan and his brother. Since this Zhao Daoran was clearly not a good person, it was best to keep his distance in the future.

After all, for such a massive clan, producing a few scumbags was nothing out of the ordinary.

Later that afternoon.

True to his word, Cao Yanran had the Dragon Tendon Pill delivered.

After gladly accepting it, Su Yu sat at the stone table with Zhen’Er and Ai’Er, placing the brocade box in front of him.

"Brother Su, let me do it."

The lively and energetic Ai’Er was the first to act, her slender fingers popping the lid open.

A wave of fragrance immediately wafted from the purple sandalwood box, revealing a round pill the size of a pigeon egg.

"Brother Su, is this the Dragon Tendon Pill?"

Zhen’Er took the pill out, cupped it in her palm, and presented it to the two of them.

This pill was slightly larger than the Jiao Tendon Pill. Its entire body exhibited a White Jade color, and its surface was covered in dense, intricately layered pill patterns. One look was enough to tell it was no ordinary Pill.

However, what surprised them the most was that when Ai’Er held it in her palm, she could feel traces of warmth constantly seeping into her skin.

"It feels so comfortable! This pill is already making my Qi and Blood restless. Brother Su, hurry, take it! I can’t hold on much longer!"

A rosy flush began to spread across Ai’Er’s flawless, fair cheeks, making her look like a bright red apple and rendering her even more charming.

"Brother Su, it matches the records of the Dragon Tendon Pill. I can also sense that there is nothing wrong with this pill," Zhen’Er confirmed after carefully sensing it.

Now, with her Wood Spirit Body, not only could she sense Spiritual Qi, but she also possessed a unique perception for harmful substances.

If the Spiritual Qi was abnormal, or if something was detrimental to her, her Wood Spirit Body would sense it.

Su Yu no longer hesitated and prepared to consume it.

Beating him to it, Ai’Er scurried to Su Yu’s side with the pill and gently placed it into his mouth. The moment the pill left her hand, the scorching heat in her body vanished instantly. With her delicate hand, she gently wiped away the fragrant sweat on her fair collarbone.

At this moment, Su Yu was already feeling the overbearing nature of the Dragon Tendon Pill.

A powerful wave of heat continuously surged from his abdomen. Its potent effect in stimulating Qi and Blood was far superior to any Pill he had taken before.

Even the Jiao Tendon Pill, which cost nearly a thousand taels of silver, paled in comparison!

Under Divine Sense Internal Observation, something even more delightful was quietly happening to Su Yu. He could see wisps of great tendon essence continuously fusing into the Great Tendons throughout his body, beginning to refine his meridians.

It had to be known that he hadn’t even started practicing the Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist yet, but the refinement had already begun spontaneously.

[Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist Skill Level +50]

"So powerful! It actually started increasing the Skill Level on its own. This Dragon Tendon Pill is absolutely insane!"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Su Yu flashed over to the Iron Locust Tree and, accompanied by the JINGLE of the wind chimes, began to practice his Martial Arts.