Chapter 60: The Third Floor

Yes, indeed. Every single layer of martial arts technique that Su Ling cultivated was a process of stacking divine soul defenses, and the layers of techniques once cultivated would not easily vanish.

This was another formidable manifestation of martial arts techniques, yet people in this world could never attain such a superhuman realm, leaving only its creator and Su Ling—the sole person to have ever set foot in this realm—to understand it.

Should someone shatter the first layer of his cultivated martial arts technique, there was no need to worry; a second layer remained as a safeguard. This safeguard was far tougher than the first, appearing utterly impervious to shattering.

This explained why earlier in the void, even when Su Ling was bathed in the force of annihilation of all things, his divine soul merely felt a tingling sensation without the slightest sign of collapse.

If anyone managed to shatter this layer of protection, Su Ling would even applaud the ruthless individual who dared to tamper with his divine soul, because waiting to enter the fray next would be an even more tricky, explosive, and monstrous third layer of super defense.

By that point, the ruthless entity who dared to act against his divine soul would no longer need to rack their brains trying to break his soul, because the prerequisite for even touching his divine soul would be to dismantle his soul, which had already fused seamlessly with his physical body, blending like milk and honey.

As for the material used to cultivate this layer of soul, it stemmed from his extraordinarily monstrous physical constitution. To put it bluntly, shattering this added fortification of his soul was equivalent to shattering his physical body...

Such a feat was utterly impossible. Have you not seen how, shortly before, the wrath of the Heavenly Dao merely evaporated the clothes on his skin, leaving Su Ling feeling slightly dizzy while his physical body remained completely unperturbed, not even a single hair scorched?

Moreover, his physical constitution was not stagnant; as long as he remained diligent and exercised daily, even he himself had no idea just how formidable his physical body would ultimately become.

His weaknesses regarding the divine soul required no immediate attention. Next, he needed to turn his focus toward approaching the advancement conditions of martial arts.

After all, who would ever complain about their strength growing too powerful?

As for where to go once one became invincible in the world, he believed this world would provide him with a satisfying answer. After all, wherever there were people, conflicts would endlessly ensue, and intelligent beings would forever yearn for everything.

——

"I cannot stay at the blacksmith's shop for the time being. Well, I had better go to Chen Pingan's house to take refuge first..."

Having made up his mind, Su Ling quickened his pace, hurrying toward Mud Vase Alley, for if he did not find a place to rest soon, he would simply pass out!

As for the reason—let it not be overlooked that he had recently been bathed in a peculiar cleansing, and now he was suffering from severe dizziness, swaying as he walked, liable to collapse and fall asleep by the roadside at any moment.

If not for the deeply awkward incident that had just occurred, he would have long since rested in a side room of the blacksmith's shop, rather than enduring the discomfort and forcing himself to head down the mountain in search of a resting place.

In truth, this matter could not be blamed on his master, nor was it Ruan Xiu's fault; the origin of the affair was entirely his own doing—well, if one chose to ignore his master's unprecedented teasing remark...

Su Ling, whose intuition was exceptionally keen, had long since detected his master's unusual behavior. He believed that the beating he had just contemplated was undoubtedly a handle his master had fabricated for himself, with the intention of holding it over Su Ling, the stubborn disciple, in the future...

Had he not been feeling thoroughly unwell, he would have surely devised a foolproof countermeasure on the spot, giving his entertainment-loving master no opportunity to play tricks.

However, it was already too late; he had already descended the mountain and left, and as for his master, he was likely looking up at the sky and laughing heartily while drinking. As for Ruan Xiu, who had vanished without a trace, it was better left unsaid!

After roughly ten minutes or so, Su Ling walked through the chaotic Mud Vase Alley, littered with debris and piles of rubbish at every corner, and finally stopped before the door of Chen Pingan's house.

Just as Su Ling raised his hand to knock on the gate, it was suddenly pushed open from the inside, revealing a young man covered from head to toe in scars.

The young man's brows bore a trace of fatigue, and he was dressed in a cyan-grey cloth tunic with bloodstains that had yet to be washed clean. Both of his hands were wrapped in layers of blood-soaked cloth.

A heavy, pungent smell of bitter medicinal herbs drifted from the young man's entire body, as if he had just finished drinking a concoction not long ago.

"Big Brother Su!"

An irrepressible cry of excitement rang out. Su Ling could even discern a suppressed sense of weakness in that tone, showing just how exhausted the young man was and how severe his injuries were.

"What happened to you?"

Su Ling's eyes revealed both astonishment and a hint of anger. When he had departed earlier, he had explicitly made it known to the outside world that Chen Pingan of Mud Vase Alley was his subordinate.

With an older brother like him shielding him, what blind piece of trash dared to bully his little brother? Were they growing tired of living?

"Ma Kuguan?"

Seeing Chen Pingan's honest, naive smile, Su Ling pondered for a moment and asked tentatively, recalling the original plot.

"Haha, it was just that I went up the mountain to gather herbs and accidentally lost my footing and tumbled down a cliff, which is how I got hurt..."

Chen Pingan scratched his head, accidentally touching the tight bandages wrapped around his head. A sharp pain shot through him, and he could not help but bare his teeth and hiss, drawing a sharp breath.

Hearing this, Su Ling frowned. He could already tell that Chen Pingan was concealing something in his words. After all, Chen Pingan was good in every respect, except that whenever he lied, his eyes tended to dart away and his tone lacked conviction—this was the fatal flaw of an honest man.

Enduring the dizziness in his head and the nauseous sensation churning in his chest, Su Ling turned around as if intending to head back toward the town.

However, the next moment, a tugging sensation suddenly came from his arm. Su Ling turned his head to see that Chen Pingan had reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"...Big Brother Su, I am fine. There is no need to go to such trouble..."

Although Chen Pingan had just recovered from severe injuries, he still noticed the clear intent in Su Ling to stand up for him. Feeling rather uneasy, he hurriedly pulled on Su Ling, casting about a panicked explanation in an attempt to let the matter rest.

"..."

From the very first moment Chen Pingan saw Su Ling, he had noticed that the latter's complexion looked somewhat grim, as if he were enduring some profound pain.

Yet, even so, upon seeing that Chen Pingan had been bullied and even faced mortal peril, Su Ling had still cast caution to the wind, dragging his exhausted body forward simply to demand justice for him. This deeply touched Chen Pingan's heart.

The departure of Master Qi had caused him grief for a long time, but Su Ling's safe return had lifted his spirits, dispersing much of the bitterness accumulated deep within his heart.

"Forget it. I'll find out the specific details from you in a few days."

Seeing Chen Pingan's naive and honest expression, Su Ling could not help but sigh. He casually brushed Chen Pingan's hand away and motioned for him to enter the house.

"I'll borrow your bed to sleep for a while. Go ahead and tend to your matters."

With those words, Su Ling stepped into the house, glancing around the empty and silent interior with a brief flash of surprise.

Without pausing further, he walked over to the wooden bed, turned around, and lay straight down. Pulling the cotton quilt that Chen Pingan used for sleeping over himself, he closed his eyes and sank into darkness.

"...Miss Ning, has she left?"

"...Mn."

Upon entering the house, Chen Pingan was stunned for a moment at the words, but still nodded, his tone carrying a trace of bitterness.