Chapter Fifty: Seventh Tier

At dawn, the first ray of sunlight sliced through the heavy clouds like a blade, descending upon the world.

Chen Hongxu had sat cross-legged in meditation through the night. On his surface, the ever-shifting red flames of energy seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, suddenly circulating several times faster than before. His brows were tightly knit in pain; as the energy surged out of his control, beads of sweat oozed from every pore, gathering and streaming toward his head. The rising steam from his evaporating sweat filled the room with a damp humidity.

Suddenly, seven crisp cracks sounded from within his body. The red glow on his skin, as if guided by some hidden signal, began to fade back into his pores.

With a guttural shout, Chen Hongxu, who had been gritting his teeth in perseverance for nearly half an hour, finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He remained in his cross-legged pose but fell back stiffly, his body trembling as if in convulsions.

He gasped for breath, barely able to muster the strength to open his eyes. An overwhelming fatigue radiated from his heart to every corner of his body.

After a brief rest, Chen Hongxu slowly opened his eyes and summoned his martial spirit to ask, “What happened to me? My body feels full of power, but it’s hard to control.”

As he spoke, sparks of red fire occasionally spilled from his mouth, dazzling and fierce.

The martial spirit stood with hands on hips, grinning as if everything was perfectly natural. “You jumped from the fifth to the seventh tier in a single leap, without gradual progression. Of course, it’s hard to master. You’re just unable to control your strength—nothing serious.”

“Seventh tier?” Chen Hongxu exclaimed in disbelief, then looked down and blurted, “Who took off my clothes?”

As his gaze darted around, he stared in astonishment at the empty room—had it been ransacked?

“The excess energy from your breakthrough burned your clothes. If I hadn’t been keeping things in check, the house would be gone as well!” The martial spirit stretched and yawned. “That’s enough. The seventh tier is still just one among many—don’t get conceited.”

With that, the spirit prepared to vanish, then seemed to remember something. Patting its head, it said, “Go spar with Su Xiaoxiao later. You’ll get better at channeling your energy and release the excess. I’m going back to sleep. Don’t call me unless it’s important—actually, don’t call me at all…”

“Hey, at least help me find some clothes first?” Chen Hongxu called out, but received no answer.

Helpless, he stood up and cracked the door open a sliver, peering outside. The lights were still bright in the corridor, and the occasional sound of people playing drinking games drifted in.

Puzzled, he opened the door a bit wider, stuck his head out, and called, “Xue Xi, come to my room for a moment.”

“Your sister-in-law got drunk last night,” replied Fan Caobao, who came running over. “She toasted everyone on your behalf, then insisted everyone toast the two of you in return. She ended up in tears, wanting to sleep here with you, but Su Xiaoxiao knocked her out.”

He gave Chen Hongxu a lewd wink. “You’re really energetic, bro—still doing morning exercises?”

Chen Hongxu was momentarily baffled, not understanding why Xue Xi would seek out oblivion, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He reached out through the door and smacked Fan Caobao on the head. “You’ve got a filthy mind. I just had a mishap during training. Go fetch my clothes from the balcony.”

Fan Caobao didn’t move, staring at the blood droplets trickling down from his scalp. Blinking, he croaked, “Am I bleeding?”

Indeed, when Chen Hongxu had struck him, his uncontrolled energy had burst forth, splitting Fan Caobao’s scalp.

“Sorry, that was an accident—you believe me, right?” Chen Hongxu smiled awkwardly. “Go get my clothes first, and I’ll tell you everything—straight from the source!”

“Really?”

“As true as truth itself!” Chen Hongxu’s brows arched resolutely, as if even he believed it.

“Wait right here!” Fan Caobao wiped the blood from his face, turned, and promptly collapsed to the ground.

Panicking, Chen Hongxu stepped halfway out the door to help, just as Su Xiaoxiao, drawn by the commotion, arrived.

Their eyes met. Like a startled rabbit, Chen Hongxu withdrew at once, face burning red. He shut the door gently, muttering, “You can’t see me, you can’t see me…”

Of course, Su Xiaoxiao saw everything—and it was she who ended up retrieving his clothes. Facing her ambiguous smile, Chen Hongxu found himself utterly unable to voice his request for a sparring match.

Once dressed, he slipped into Xue Xi’s room to check on the girl. Satisfied she was unharmed, he left alongside Su Xiaoxiao, ignoring Fan Caobao’s resentful glare.

—

On the summit of Lotus Mountain, few early risers ventured so high—after all, climbing was time-consuming and exhausting. Young people lacked the time; the elderly, the strength.

Su Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. “The air quality here is excellent. I could live here long-term.”

Chen Hongxu was still embarrassed, unable to meet her gaze, unsure of what to say.

“Your body seems both very strong and not quite right?” Su Xiaoxiao’s words always leaped nimbly from one topic to the next.

He nodded. “I advanced too quickly—my body can’t keep up.”

“What level are you now?” She watched the drifting clouds, asking casually.

Chen Hongxu hesitated. Su Xiaoxiao was sometimes friend, sometimes foe. Should he reveal his true situation? The question was vexing, but his hesitation was fleeting—Su Xiaoxiao lately seemed to harbor no ill intent toward him. “Seventh!”

“Martial practitioners really are monsters!” Her gaze sharpened. “Remember when I told you to take care of yourself—for my sake?”

He remembered, of course, but apart from shaking his head, there was little he could do at this moment.

She continued, unconcerned, “The eighth tier is for building your foundation; the ninth is a watershed. Next time you break through, be less reckless. The best way to master your strength is to train your body to adapt to the energy. Let’s go all out—no holding back…”

The moment she finished, her unfocused eyes narrowed with sudden sharpness, fixing upon him. She stepped lightly, barefoot, her figure drifting toward him like a weightless feather.

Though Su Xiaoxiao possessed the bearing of a celestial being, Chen Hongxu did not retreat. He reached out with his left hand to catch her incoming fist, then struck his own left hand with his right fist.

A crisp snap echoed. Su Xiaoxiao was flung backward by the force emanating from his palm. She glided back several steps before steadying herself, smiled, and said, “Don’t hold back. Again.”

Glancing at her as she advanced once more, Chen Hongxu exhaled, closed his eyes, and allowed the energy to course through his body. The sensation of every limb brimming with power was exhilarating, but at times he felt as though he might burst from the inside.

Su Xiaoxiao, watching the red aura surging around him, felt for an instant as if there were two suns in the sky. She smiled silently and charged forward, undaunted.

With a thunderous bang, Chen Hongxu extended his fist slowly, so slowly it could not have swatted a fly. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t even blink, but pressed her hand against it herself.

The energy surged out, as if finding a long-awaited outlet, exploding with unstoppable force. Her sleeve fluttered away in shreds, and she went flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a tree and sliding to the ground.

Lowering her head to hide her pain, Su Xiaoxiao swallowed the metallic taste of blood and struggled up without a word, charging in once more.

The sun climbed high. Chen Hongxu looked at Su Xiaoxiao, who smiled sweetly in silence. “Thank you,” he said.

She shook her head. “The more you owe me, the more likely you are to belong to me. Remember, don’t let me succeed—Xue Xi is a good girl.”

With those words, Su Xiaoxiao turned and walked slowly down the mountain, bathed in sunlight. “I’m heading back. Next time we meet, I won’t hold back at all. No one understands what you mean to me…”

Watching her swaying figure in the sunlight, Chen Hongxu felt a sudden pang of sorrow, the thought echoing in his heart: “All these years, was she alone too?”