31: Chapter 31 Passing on the Torch, Family Reform

The Dragon-Severing Stone of the underground secret chamber slowly rose after being sealed for three full months.

Su Yuan stood guard silently outside the door of the secret chamber.

When he saw his father emerge from the shadows, even though he had already reached Qi Refining Stage 8, his pupils could not help but constrict violently.

Su Yu's footsteps remained steady, and his demeanor was as deep as an abyss.

However, his hair, which had originally been jet-black, was now more than half turned as white as snow.

There was no pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, which usually accompanied the overflow of spiritual power after a breakthrough; instead, he exuded a stillness like that of fallen leaves in late autumn.

"Father..." Su Yuan stepped forward, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Come in and talk." Su Yu's expression remained unchanged as he turned and walked back into the secret chamber.

Su Yuan followed behind him, looking at the withered pill residues on the stone table and the lingering scent of blood in the air, and he understood everything in his heart.

He knelt silently before the prayer mat, not daring to look directly at his father's white hair.

"I failed the breakthrough."

Su Yu poured two cups of clear tea, his tone as calm as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

"With Ninth-Grade Poor Talent, the container is ultimately too small to withstand the scouring of liquid true essence. The peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining is the death limit for this body of mine."

"Father, you need not take it to heart; you have already slain a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator while at the Qi Refining stage, that is already..."

Su Yuan wanted to offer comfort.

Su Yu waved his hand, cutting him off.

"There is no need for such sentimental behavior."

"I have lived until today and have long since seen through it all; destiny cannot be defied, and forcing it is futile."

He pushed several jade boxes by his side toward Su Yuan.

Inside were top-tier resources such as Meridian Protection Pills and Marrow Cleansing Grass, all of which had been left to him by Su Hao back then.

"In this life, my path to immortality has reached its end. But the path of Hidden Dragon Manor must continue."

Su Yu looked at Su Yuan, his deep gaze carrying a hint of sharpness.

"For these past three months, I have walked before the threshold of liquid true essence. Although I retreated, I clearly saw the nodes where the meridians are most prone to rupturing when transitioning from Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"I will write down these insights gained from the brink of death for you now."

Su Yuan's heart trembled violently; this was more precious than any spiritual pill or medicine.

Because this was a guide on how to avoid pitfalls, tested by his father with his own life.

"What you must do is grind step by step."

Su Yu picked up a brush and wrote with vigorous, fluid strokes; there was no frustration in his eyes, only a calmness that had seen through the world.

"When you have ground your way to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, even without a foundation establishment pill, with these insights, your chances of success in the Foundation Establishment Stage will increase by at least thirty percent."

Finishing the last stroke, Su Yu handed the paper to Su Yuan and let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Your child... thanks Father for your sacrifice!" Su Yuan kowtowed heavily.

"Go and wash up. In half an hour, have Su Cheng and Uncle Su Tie come to the main hall to see me."

Su Yu stood up and brushed away the non-existent dust from his cuffs.

His figure, which had been slightly dejected due to the failed breakthrough, stood tall like a pine tree once again at this moment.

Failure had not taken away his pride; instead, it was like a sudden, raging fire that burned away the last bit of restless greed in his heart.

In the main hall of the villa, Su Tie and the others, having received the message, had arrived early.

For the past three months, the sense of expansion throughout the villa had reached its peak, with everyone fantasizing about the grand occasion of the Clan Leader breaking through and leading the family to dominate the surrounding five hundred li.

When Su Yu walked out from the back hall and sat in the main seat, seeing his half-white hair, the smiles on the faces of Su Tie and the others instantly froze.

The pressure belonging to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining was still there, but there was not a shred of the rebirth that a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator should possess.

"Villa Master... what is this..." Su Tie's voice trembled, and an extremely ominous premonition arose in his heart.

Su Yu picked up the teacup, not giving them any room for fantasy, and very decisively poured that bucket of cold water over their heads.

"I failed the breakthrough and damaged my foundation; there is absolutely no possibility of me ever stepping into the Foundation Establishment Stage in this life."

Dead silence. The main hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Several collateral elders turned pale, and the fanaticism and ambition about to burst forth in their eyes were shattered at this moment.

The beautiful dream had awakened.

They were still just a group of remnants of rogue cultivators from Black Wind Valley who could not see the light of day.

Without a great Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator to back them, they dared not flaunt themselves in the cultivation markets.

Looking at the mourning crowd below, Su Yu put down his teacup and let out a cold snort.

This cold snort, mixed with true essence, made everyone's eardrums numb, and they instantly came back to their senses.

"What, do you think the sky has fallen?" Su Yu's gaze swept over everyone present, his tone cold and severe.

"For these three months, I was in seclusion underground, and you were quite lively up here."

"The comparisons in the back courtyards, the arrogance of the juniors—before you have even stepped out of the Su Family gates, you have already started dreaming the pipe dream of unifying the surrounding five hundred li!"

Su Tie and the others lowered their heads in shame, covered in cold sweat.

"My failure may not be a bad thing." Su Yu looked at them, beating into these clansmen who were about to be blinded by desire, word by word.

"At the very least, it can make you idiots recognize reality: the current foundation of Hidden Dragon Manor cannot support your inflated ambitions."

"Starting today, the villa establishes four iron laws. If anyone violates them, the Punishment Hall will not be lenient!"

Su Yu raised two fingers, his voice echoing in the hall.

"First, do not contend for hegemony. All businesses of Hidden Dragon Manor shall not touch the interests of any cultivation market; we will only develop secretly among the mortals."

"Second, do not be ostentatious. It is strictly forbidden for any descendants to display extraordinary cultivation or magical artifacts outside; the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

"Third, lie low and survive. Face and dignity are worthless in the face of survival. When encountering strong enemies, retreat when you should, and kneel when you should. As long as you are alive, there is hope for a comeback."

"Fourth, and this is the most important one... have many children and enjoy many blessings."

Speaking up to this point, Su Yu stood up, his gaze sweeping over Su Cheng and Su Yuan, who were standing to the side.

"In the cultivation world, the strength of personal martial power for a moment is all vanity. What of the Foundation Establishment Stage? What of the Golden Core? In the end, one cannot escape the erosion of time and the reckoning of heavenly tribulations."

"Hidden Dragon Manor does not seek for any one person to be invincible under heaven; it only seeks for the incense to never be extinguished."

Su Yu thoroughly transformed the rules of the book of a hundred lifetimes destiny defiance into the unshakeable supreme doctrine of Hidden Dragon Manor.

"As long as the bloodline is endless, and as long as our descendants propagate generation after generation."

"Even if it takes a hundred years, a thousand years to build up, one day, a true genius will emerge among our descendants."

"As long as the bloodline does not break, the Su Family will never be defeated!"

These words were like a great bell, striking hard at the hearts of everyone.

The crowd, who had originally fallen into despair due to the failure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, found a glimmer of steady and grounded hope once again in this grand vision.

Indeed. Since one generation cannot do it, then we will use several generations, a dozen generations to endure!

"We respectfully obey the Villa Master's iron laws!" Su Tie and the others knelt in unison, kowtowing with sincere conviction.

Looking at the crowd bowing below, Su Yu sat back down on the grandmaster's chair.

His personal path to immortality might have drawn to a close.

But the Su Family's path to immortality had only just begun.