Chu Lingxiao clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning pale. Su Moli had once been a well-known prodigy—otherwise, she wouldn’t have become a direct disciple of Daoist Qingheng in the Sword Inquiry Sect. Who could have guessed that she had been concealing her cultivation, refusing to break through for years, even allowing her realm to regress, all to break off the engagement!
Chu Lingxiao regretted it—deeply regretted it. If there weren’t so many outsiders watching, he might have swallowed his pride and tried to rekindle the engagement with the Su family. But with all these major powers now offering lavish terms to win over Su Moli, and the Radiant Light Holy Land having just severed ties with the Su family, any possibility of reconciliation had vanished.
“Hmph!” Chu Lingxiao snorted to preserve some dignity. “It’s nothing special!”
Lei Xingtian sneered. “You’re only at the 5th stage. What right do you have to speak about the 6th stage?”
Chu Lingxiao smirked and spread out his hand. A vague beam of light emerged, and in an instant, countless illusions swept across the ruins of the front hall.
Everyone’s vision blurred—they were momentarily transported to a snowy forest, then to the endless void of space, and finally, with a soft chime, returned to the ruins of the front hall.
Lei Xingtian’s face turned solemn. “The Path of Light?”
Feng Zhongyu also raised an eyebrow. “At least initial mastery. This one is not simple.”
There were thousands of Great Daos in the world, but mortals rarely touched even one. Before reaching the 6th stage Dao Harmony Realm, most people couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of a Great Dao—let alone grasp one to initial mastery.
It’s like others were wielding spears, but you held a firearm—the difference in power was not just a hundredfold.
“Madam,” Cheng Zhenying’s calm voice came, “your daughter is still young. Comprehending a Great Dao isn’t urgent.”
A newly advanced 6th stage cultivator was already enough to draw the attention of major factions. Even without mastery of techniques, just her cultivation level was attractive. Great Dao comprehension could come later.
Feng Zhongyu agreed. “Indeed. Your daughter is already extraordinary. There’s no need to be anxious.”
“Hmph.” Chu Lingxiao sneered coldly. “What’s the point of cultivation without Dao comprehension? With enough pills, anyone can reach high stages!”
“Without a Great Dao, you’re just a pig in a pen!”
BOOM!
A new aura exploded from Su Moli—chilling and sharp.
Everyone instantly fell silent, their gazes drawn to her.
Su Moli had been meditating, immersed in the insights from her recent breakthrough. Now, a sudden change emerged.
Crystal-clear ice columns formed out of thin air, gently swaying and twirling like they were alive. They danced like the finest icy silk, radiating a breathtaking, heart-stopping beauty.
Su Moli herself now seemed distant and unreachable, like an ancient frozen mountain that had remained unshaken through the ages.
“Is this… a Great Dao?” Feng Zhongyu was astonished. “Is it the Dao of Ice? Or Frost?”
“No… it seems like a higher-level Great Dao related to cold that has never appeared before!”
He could feel a supreme, transcendent force leaking from the void, weaving itself around Su Moli. It jumped and spun joyfully, delighted to have finally been found—and then, it fully merged with her.
“She’s actually comprehending a Great Dao? And… it seems to be a conceptual one!” Cheng Zhenying’s voice remained flat, but her sudden quickening breath gave her away.
She realized her own gaze couldn’t pull away from Su Moli—not because of her ethereal presence or stunning beauty, but because even the very concept of ‘vision’ seemed to freeze the moment it touched Su Moli.
Ordinary ice could freeze objects. Conceptual ice could freeze even space and time.
Cheng Zhenying’s eyes flickered. If that were true, the Nine Firmament Wheel Palace had to recruit her.
Lei Xingtian cheered with excitement. “A Great Dao! Ha! This girl never stops surprising me!”
“This aura… at least indicates major attainment in a Great Dao!”
“No… it might even be perfected!”
Just moments ago, Chu Lingxiao mocked her for having no Dao insight—and now she was showcasing unimaginable strength.
Dao comprehension levels ranged from trace, minor attainment, major attainment, perfection, absolute perfection, and finally unity.
Having no comprehension was like using a spear.
Minor attainment equaled a flintlock.
Small mastery was a pistol.
Major mastery was a rifle.
Perfection? That was a rocket launcher.
If they were dueling with rifles, she just pulled out an 88mm anti-tank cannon.
In the same realm, someone with a perfected Dao could crush someone without Dao mastery like an ant.
Su Moli, now at the 6th stage, already surpassed Chu Lingxiao by one major realm.
And her Dao comprehension? Perfected versus his minor mastery.
In a fight, she’d hold a 70/30 advantage—and could kill Chu Lingxiao seven times in just three moves!
Cheng Zhenying turned to Xi Yaoyue and respectfully cupped her hands. “Madam, if your daughter is willing to join the Nine Firmament Wheel Palace, she may borrow a Saint Weapon.”
“A Saint Weapon? The Nine Firmament Wheel Palace is truly generous,” Feng Zhongyu laughed.
Though they said ‘borrow,’ in truth, it meant Su Moli would have full access to it while walking the Heavenly Origin Realm.
At just eighteen, and already a 6th stage cultivator at the prime of her youth—such a genius was well worth the cost for the Nine Firmament Wheel Palace.
Feng Zhongyu added, “With her talent, I believe even the Celestial Observer would accept her as a personal disciple. If Madam agrees, I can take her in on behalf of my master.”
Lei Xingtian was surprised. “Really? The Celestial Observer hasn’t taken a disciple in a hundred years. If she becomes his final disciple, she’ll be treasured immensely.”
“But…” He grinned, “I still think this young lady should marry into Azure Soaring Holy Land.”
“I’m still missing a Holy Son’s wife!”
Xi Yaoyue’s eyes shimmered with tears, filled with joy.
Her daughter had finally shed the cold poison and, after years of accumulation, erupted in a brilliant breakthrough!
She had leapt across seven realms, become a true powerhouse, and comprehended a Great Dao to perfection. Even 7th and 8th stage cultivators rarely achieved this!
“Moli… you’ve made Mother so proud.”
Xi Yaoyue wiped her tears and bowed slightly to the gathered cultivators. “I appreciate all of your kindness, but my daughter just annulled her engagement today. She’s not ready to consider such matters yet.”
The offers on the table were generous beyond anything she could’ve imagined before. But with the bitter lesson fresh in her mind, Xi Yaoyue chose to respect her daughter’s will.
Some expressed regret.
Lei Xingtian, however, didn’t hold back his ridicule. “Heh, a girl worth more than a Saint Weapon was tossed aside by someone too blind to see her worth!”
Chu Lingxiao was already in a daze.
He glared at the Great Dao swirling around Su Moli, his face contorted with hatred.
He had just declared that cultivation meant nothing and strength was defined by Dao comprehension.
And now, Su Moli had achieved perfection in a Great Dao—and possibly a high-tier conceptual one at that!
Chu Lingxiao regretted it. Regretted it beyond words.
Swoosh!
Su Moli opened her eyes, her comprehension complete.
She felt the vast and unfamiliar power flowing through her body and exclaimed in delight and disbelief, “Mother! Little Brother!”
“I… I think I just advanced!”
Xi Yaoyue hugged her tightly, sobbing with joy. “That’s all that matters. As long as you’re well, Mother is happy.”
Su Moli’s gaze swept across the room and landed on Chu Lingxiao. Her expression became complicated.
Like many young girls, she had once dreamed of a happy marriage. So three years ago, when the engagement was arranged, she didn’t resist it.
But the outcome…
Suddenly, a thought popped into Chu Lingxiao’s mind. He chuckled. “Ah, I see now.”
“Moli, that was quite a surprise. I recognize your worth now.”
“Alright then, let’s continue with the engagement.”