Chapter 072: Found It!

Forty years ago, the Shi family was nothing like the formidable force it is today. Back then, it was on par with the Black Tiger Gang. The family owes its current grandeur to the previous patriarch, an extraordinary figure of cunning and ambition, who led the Shi family to prominence through annexation, suppression, alliances, and destruction—a relentless pursuit that earned them the reputation as the foremost power of the Western District.

In Wan Rong’s memories, Su Jingxing discovered that Wan Rong deeply admired this previous patriarch of the Shi family. Thirty years ago, he already dreamed of joining their ranks. Unfortunately, at that time, he was not even worth the Shi family’s notice. Only after he achieved the seventh rank and made a name for himself was he accepted. The first layer of the “Cold Smoke Technique” was his entrance gift. Yet, Su Jingxing found this internal energy method too troublesome to cultivate.

He resolved to focus on “Nine Steps to Heaven” instead. The manual for “Nine Steps to Heaven” was not stored in Changyang Mansion, but in Sunset Mansion, the westernmost region of the Yu Kingdom. To reach it, Su Jingxing would have to take a plane, and it wasn’t a direct flight—he’d need to transfer twice along the way. Thus, another leave of absence was necessary.

Fortunately, Su Jingxing had just been made permanent staff, and since he often covered others’ shifts, getting a week off wasn’t difficult. Gu Bo, concerned, asked if something was wrong and offered to help if needed. Su Jingxing thanked him, but had to fabricate an excuse—he certainly couldn’t reveal he was heading to Sunset Mansion to retrieve a suspected high-level internal energy martial art manual.

He still intended to keep collecting cards at the crematorium.

Before setting off, Su Jingxing followed his plan, visiting the valley in the Azure Cloud Mountains where the Great White Goose resided. He waited until nightfall, when the goose was asleep, and examined his small wooden sword under the silvery glow emitted by the creature. He made a remarkable discovery: the peculiar wooden sword, impervious to blade, fire, water, or earth, now radiated a faint green light under the silver glow. This green light seemed alive, twisting and rippling with water-like waves as Su Jingxing observed it. Its true nature eluded him, and so he reluctantly placed it back in his storage space.

He bade farewell to the Great White Goose, returned to Qinghe City, boarded a plane, and set out for Sunset Mansion. He had to transfer twice en route. Departing at six in the morning, he arrived at the city closest to the “Nine Steps to Heaven” manual’s hiding place—New Origin City—at three in the afternoon the following day.

The journey was so long because the plane had to take detours. The straight-line distance between Qinghe City and New Origin City was two thousand five hundred kilometers, but several treacherous regions with chaotic magnetic fields and three territories belonging to avian beasts lay in between. For safety, the plane had to avoid these areas. A day and a half of travel, thankfully uninterrupted by any beast attacks, brought him to his destination. Su Jingxing’s week-long leave had been planned with such contingencies in mind.

Upon arriving in New Origin City, things became simpler. The manual was hidden fifty kilometers outside the city, in the Sunset Cliff. This cliff stretched for more than eight hundred kilometers, with heights ranging from two thousand to five thousand meters above ground and depths reaching a thousand meters below. It was a true natural barrier. Beyond Sunset Cliff lay the outer reaches of the Vast Mountain Range.

To guard against the barbarians, the Yu Kingdom had established observation posts atop several peaks of Sunset Cliff. Su Jingxing was uncertain if any such post lay near the manual’s hiding place. To be sure, he spent half a day in New Origin City, hacking into official systems to confirm the locations of these posts. Comparing them with the manual’s hiding place, he determined there was no interference. That was enough.

The next morning, Su Jingxing bought a motorcycle, filled the tank, and rode out of the city straight toward Sunset Cliff. At his pre-calculated destination, he concealed the bike and used the secret skill “Sound Within the Ear” to ensure no one was nearby. Then, activating “Eight Steps Ascending Dragon,” he sped along the steep cliff.

With “Eight Steps Ascending Dragon” at its peak, his speed was at least five times faster than before. On his way to Sunset Mansion, he had already scaled the thousand-meter cliffs outside the Great White Goose’s valley without aid, reaching the summit in one breath. Now, he followed the mapped route, running swiftly along the cliff face. From above, he looked like a flying serpent, gliding eerily along the rocks.

He pressed onward, pausing only three times in more than a hundred kilometers. At last, he found the manual’s hiding place—a cave covered in vines. The cave entrance was over seven hundred meters above the ground, surrounded by dense foliage. It took him half an hour to locate it.

He drew his treasured weapon, used the “Three Element Blade Technique” to cut through the thick vines at the entrance, and in an instant hurled five throwing knives into the cave. Hearing no unusual echoes, and “Sound Within the Ear” registering no extraneous noises, Su Jingxing slipped inside.

Standing at the cave entrance, he switched to night vision and looked straight ahead. He found the cave deep, descending further underground. There was no turning back now. Retrieving his knives, he gripped them, ready to throw at any moment, and wound his way through the tunnel for over ten minutes, emerging into a vast cavern glowing with green light.

The cavern was enormous—about the size of two football fields. Su Jingxing climbed to a higher vantage, scanning his surroundings, and soon identified the source of the green glow: a kind of crystalline stone. Bathed in this light, the cavern presented a unique spectacle.

He activated “Sound Within the Ear,” listening to the surroundings. He heard scorpions, centipedes, ants, and other creatures moving about. He paid them no mind, searching the cavern for the manual. According to the clues, it would be inside a special box.

With both night and telescopic vision activated, he scanned every corner. After about ten minutes, he found a black-brown wooden box nestled in a depression among the green crystals.

He picked up the box and gently opened it. An odd fragrance wafted out. Su Jingxing immediately held his breath and glanced inside. Sure enough, a weathered manual lay within, bearing four ancient characters: “Nine Steps to Heaven.”

He had found it! Delighted, Su Jingxing refrained from opening it there, instead closing the box and stowing it in his palm’s storage space before retracing his steps.

Back at the cave entrance, he once again activated “Eight Steps Ascending Dragon,” speeding along the way he had come. Upon reaching solid ground, he recovered his hidden motorcycle and finally relaxed. Seated on the bike, he opened the box and let the scent disperse.

Unable to determine whether the fragrance was poisonous, he waited until it faded before taking out the “Nine Steps to Heaven” manual for a closer look.

The smile on Su Jingxing’s face did not fade as he read. Internal energy! He had guessed correctly: “Nine Steps to Heaven” was indeed a high-level martial art capable of cultivating true internal energy.

The name “Nine Steps to Heaven” derived from one of the most terrifying and powerful beasts on the planet: the Heaven-Treading Demon Elephant.