Chapter Forty-Three: The Mountain Behind

Di Yuan’s face was filled with shock and disbelief, thinking to himself, how could this be possible?! Although he managed to catch a glimpse of the scene, he couldn’t understand why, at the final moment, Auben Yu seemed to offer no resistance at all, losing so cleanly and decisively!

The guards behind him were all stupefied, as if still in a dream.

At first, Mei Ya was also slightly surprised, but then she smiled alluringly and winked at Su Yi, saying, “Su Yi, you really don’t hold back. I could hear the sound of bones breaking just now…”

Su Yi chuckled, “It was just luck.”

Mei Ya gave Su Yi a seductive glance, brimming with charm. “I’m curious how you managed it. But now that you’ve injured him so badly, aren’t you afraid his father will come looking for trouble? The Auben family holds quite some influence here in Changling City.”

“Is that so?” Su Yi touched his nose, a bit uncertain. “The Auben family has always been at odds with the Lie family. They shouldn’t be provoking any other powers right now, should they?”

Hearing this, Mei Ya gave a coquettish snort. “So you want the auction house to stand up for you.”

Su Yi shook his head. “That’s not necessary. Let’s pretend this never happened. Leave the rest to me.”

Hearing Su Yi’s somewhat arrogant words, Mei Ya couldn’t help but laugh. “Su Yi, I know you’re no ordinary person, and you’ll surely achieve great things in the future—but perhaps not now. The Auben family has their own Dou Practitioners and Dou Lords. Can you really handle them?”

Su Yi merely smiled, offering no answer, his mind drifting to the evil soul within him called the Blood Emperor. It was because that mysterious elder had tried to kill him that the Blood Emperor was forced out. Although he didn’t fully understand them, from the signs—especially that world-shattering combat technique—it seemed the evil soul was at least an Earth-rank cultivator!

An Earth-rank cultivator, even the Lie family dared not provoke. Su Yi thought to himself, if pushed to the limit, he’d rather fight to the death and unleash that evil soul!

“But Su Yi, you needn’t worry—” Mei Ya smiled gently, her presence subtly powerful. “Anything I don’t wish to do, no one in Changling City can force me!”

Clearly, Mei Ya was no ordinary woman. Although Su Yi had learned a bit about her, at this moment his curiosity about her identity only deepened.

“Well, it’s getting late. Let’s head back, Su Yi…” Mei Ya’s lips curled into a smile, blossoming like spring water across her beautiful face. Her eyes were full of allure, as if brimming with affection, like a lover’s gaze.

Though Su Yi knew Mei Ya sometimes teased him with half-truths, he couldn’t help but be captivated, his body feeling light.

Seeing Mei Ya turn to return to the auction house, Di Yuan and his companions quickly snapped out of their daze and hurried after her.

The crowd around the marketplace watched Su Yi and Mei Ya’s departing figures, their eyes still filled with shock and disbelief. They stood dumbfounded for a long time before starting to whisper and discuss quietly—

“Hey, did you see clearly? What happened? How did things suddenly get so bloody?”

“That was intense! I’m glad I wandered out today. Otherwise, I’d never have seen this. I can brag to my drinking buddies for ages…”

“Hey, how did Auben Yu lose so inexplicably? Was it really like Su Yi said, just letting him win?”

“Nonsense! What kind of fifth-level Dou Practitioner is that? Serves him right for flipping my stall last time—hope his hand stays broken!”

“Ah… what a pity about that stone table…”

…

Back at the auction house, Mei Ya gave Su Yi a final sweet smile before heading straight to her fragrant chambers.

Su Yi looked up at the sky, which was already nearing dusk, thought for a moment, then followed a stone path out.

Watching Su Yi’s departing figure, Di Yuan, who followed, had a dark look in his eyes, lost in thought. After a while, he instructed a guard, “Su Yi seems to be heading back to his cottage. Follow him secretly, and if anything unusual happens, report to me at once!”

The guard nodded and quietly tailed Su Yi.

…

Following the stone path deeper, flowers and trees grew more plentiful on either side. The guard tracked Su Yi for a long time, but after turning a corner, he lost sight of him. Alarmed, he searched the area but found not a trace—not even a shadow. Just as he was panicking, a sudden numbness struck his neck, and he collapsed unconscious.

Having knocked out his pursuer, Su Yi stepped out from behind, clapped his hands, and muttered, “Looks like today won’t be peaceful. I’ve cleaned up all traces in the cottage. I might as well not return tonight.” With that, he turned toward the back mountain.

By the time Su Yi reached a pool beside the back mountain, the sun had already set below the horizon, and the sky was a dull gray.

The pool before Su Yi was neither small nor large, resembling a miniature lake, about ten meters deep. Massive rocks, square and long, were scattered around, each seemingly weighing thousands of pounds!

Su Yi intended to let himself go here, stretch his limbs, and fully master his body and power, as he was still not quite used to the sudden change.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yi held it and struck the ground with his fist. With a thunderous crash, the earth caved in, and countless fine cracks spread outwards in every direction!

Next, he punched, kicked, shouldered, and kneed—every part of his body became a weapon, unleashing tremendous force. Dust flew, cracks spread across the ground, and whenever he struck the giant rocks, shards exploded, broken stone constantly falling away.

Violent impacts echoed nonstop. With every move, Su Yi felt his control over his strength growing ever more fluid. Eventually, he became completely proficient, his exertion, redirection, and release of force all seamless, without the slightest hindrance…

No one knew how much time passed. Exhausted, Su Yi threw a final punch and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, sweat pouring off him, his whole body drenched.

As Su Yi’s chest heaved, he recalled his earlier exertion and marveled—such formidable strength! Even a first-tier magical beast might not compare.

No, perhaps he had already reached the pinnacle of a first-tier beast. That mysterious elder claimed he had once created a powerful warrior who, relying solely on physical strength, could reach the level of a Dou King. It might well be true.

Although methods like burning, drowning, tearing with wind, and striking with lightning were somewhat extreme, if one’s body was strong enough, perhaps they could endure it, Su Yi thought to himself. Besides, directly using physical strength seemed quicker and more convenient than channeling Dou Qi through the meridians.

“Should I continue cultivating Dou Qi?” Su Yi murmured. Right now, though his physical strength could handle Dou Practitioners, he was no match for Dou Cultivators or Dou Lords.

Unlike Dou Practitioners, once one became a Dou Cultivator, they gained a special ability—Inner Sight!

With Inner Sight, one could perceive the internal state of their body in detail, adjust accordingly, and cultivate Dou Qi more thoroughly. Only then did true cultivation begin—hence the term Dou Cultivator.

Because Dou Cultivators can fully understand their bodies, after training they can develop Dou Qi armor within, which protects them from harm. The stronger their power, the more areas are shielded. By the eighteenth level, the entire body is protected!

Upon breaking through the eighteenth level, stepping from Yellow-rank to Profound-rank and becoming a First-grade Dou Lord, not only can they shield their whole body, but excess Dou Qi can be released externally—known as Dou Qi Projection!

At this thought, Su Yi felt a sense of urgency. He needed to find a way to quickly strengthen himself, and so he fell into deep thought—

First: The white mask. Its appearance was unremarkable, but it held mysterious qualities inside. Though its secrets were unknown, it was worth experimenting and studying—should consider it.

Second: The white bone scythe. Large and intimidating, its functions unclear and possibly tied to some power—temporarily abandoned.

Third: The Black Dragon Tendon. Incredibly potent and hard to defend against, it could boost strength for a short time but required Dou Qi—better wait.

Fourth: Qi Cyclone Powder. Allows a nine-stage Qi user to fully condense a cyclone and cultivate Dou Qi, and supports the third point—should try.

Fifth: Strengthening the body. Physical power is astonishing and yields unexpected results, but it’s unclear how to quickly train for it—no solution yet.

Finally: The Blood of Heaven and Earth. Said to be a rare treasure, able to absorb the essence of sun and moon, containing immense energy. If consumed, strength would soar at a terrifying rate, but it’s not easy to find—must leave it to fate.

“Looks like I need to keep cultivating Qi and reach the ninth stage as soon as possible…” Su Yi rubbed his forehead, feeling helpless.

He lay motionless, staring at the sky, now pitch-black without him noticing. In the next moment, sudden change erupted!

(Flowers wanted! Please collect!)

Martial Peak 43—Chapter Forty-Three: Back Mountain update complete!