Chapter 144: A Powerful Breakthrough

Su Ye did not rush to pluck the flower bud immediately.

Even a fool could sense the danger emanating from the ancient battlefield surrounding it. If even such a massive army could be turned into stone statues, then this object was certainly not something to be touched recklessly.

"It can actually absorb the lightning of the earth and emit spiritual energy! This is truly a treasure among treasures!"

Su Ye knew he had to claim this flower bud for himself. It was the only thing worth fighting over for two opposing armies!

He first carefully sensed the lightning within the tree trunk to see if he could withstand it. If he were to turn into charred remains upon contact, he would never be able to pluck the bud. However, Su Ye felt an inexplicable confidence regarding celestial lightning; while others feared it, he felt a sense of kinship with it.

"These are the lightning of the earth, likely a second form of lightning."

As Su Ye gradually sensed this unique energy, he gently placed his hand on the tree trunk. His body suddenly jerked, and a wave of numbness washed over him. A powerful surge of lightning coursed through his entire body, rendering him immobile for a moment, until the celestial lightning within him resonated, allowing him to recover instantly.

"It seems lightning comes in many forms."

Su Ye grew accustomed to the lightning within the trunk, discovering that these earthy bolts could merge with the lightning inside his own body. He was both shocked and delighted. If he told anyone that he harbored two kinds of terrifying lightning and a unique alchemical fire within him, no one would believe it. Any one of these things could destroy a martial artist’s body, yet they coexisted within him.

Gradually, Su Ye realized that this earthly lightning was not inexhaustible; it was merely circulating. As he absorbed it, the lightning within the trunk dwindled until it was completely drawn into his body.

"This flower bud is mine!"

Su Ye looked up and realized the bud was on the verge of blooming. Without further hesitation, he leapt onto the branch, channeled the celestial lightning within him, and reached out to grasp the bud.

*Boom!*

Su Ye’s body stiffened violently. He felt an influx of boundless spiritual energy surge into him, causing his frame to expand. The veins across his body bulged, nearly tearing his flesh apart. In that instant, his cultivation broke through repeatedly:

Fourth level of the Qi Gathering Realm!
Fifth level of the Qi Gathering Realm!
Sixth level of the Qi Gathering Realm!

*Boom!*

In just one day and night, he had broken through three levels!

However, upon reaching the sixth level, Su Ye could no longer control the surge. Even with his genius-level understanding of cultivation, he dared not let his cultivation rise further. He knew that if he continued, his body would shatter because he could not yet master the strength of the sixth level.

Back at his academy, an instructor had once used an analogy: If a genius from a great family—lacking neither techniques, resources, guidance, nor alchemical pills—were to cultivate in isolation every day, could they become a true master in just a few years? The instructor denied it. External resources were merely auxiliary; a martial artist’s own comprehension and mastery of their power were paramount. Without that mastery, further breakthroughs were impossible.

The instructor had compared it to driving a high-performance sports car. Once a person learns to drive, can they immediately race at top speed? Of course not. It requires constant accumulation and familiarity. Otherwise, accelerating to 180 kilometers per hour or higher would only lead to destruction.

Thus, despite having the techniques and the spiritual energy, Su Ye stopped his breakthrough.

"Such a treasure is a true gift! Collect!"

Gritting his teeth, Su Ye plucked the flower bud and immediately stored it inside his storage conch. He marveled at what a treasure that conch truly was. He scanned the ancient battlefield once more, and seeing that nothing had changed, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, he felt the city beneath his feet tremble slightly, as if the gates were about to open. He was shocked. Although this city did not belong to him, the method he used to manipulate it was learned from his "Ten Thousand Years in a Glance" vision. Who else possessed such a technique to open the gates?

Stunned, he turned and dashed away, his speed and power far exceeding what they had been before.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

He rushed out of the battlefield, crossed the moat, and saw the steps of the inner city. With a leap, he landed on the thirty-meter-high stairs, performed a mid-air flip, and vaulted onto the city ramparts. Only upon reaching the top did he feel the immense pressure exerted there; it was no wonder no other martial artist had tried to climb up from the outside.

Standing on the ramparts, he looked down and spotted the group of people from before. In the center stood the figure radiating brilliant light from his hands—Ye Lingyun.

"Do you all wish to enter the city?" Su Ye’s cold voice echoed from the ramparts.

Below, Ye Lingyun, Luo Gui, Miao Quan, and even the elders Wu Yan and Bei Fei all looked up. They saw Su Ye standing beneath a city banner, his silhouette slender and his body still faintly glowing. Alone, he possessed an indescribable, sharp, and heroic aura.

"Su Ye!"

"It’s really Su Ye! He actually came out!" Many martial artists shouted, waving to catch his attention. Some even jumped onto the rooftops, attempting to leap onto the dozens-of-meters-high rampart, but they were crushed back down by the immense pressure before they could reach the top.

"Su Ye, how is it inside? Let us in!" A beautiful, tall woman in the dense crowd shouted with all her might.

Su Ye frowned and realized it was Jiang Liuying, with Jiang Ziyang and Ouyang Yunfeng nearby. For some reason, they were all sitting weakly on the ground, as if they lacked the strength to even stand.

Wu Yan shouted deeply, "Su Ye, they must have been poisoned by the Gu! Let them in, or by tomorrow, they will be forced to kill!"

Su Ye then realized that once the time for the "Gu King’s Grinding" passed, they would be doomed. He realized he was far less cunning than these practitioners of Gu witchcraft. His gaze shifted to Ye Lingyun. Ye Lingyun was a formidable genius, floating a Lightning-Attracting Bead before him. The bead was gathering faint auroras, covering him in shimmering light as he stepped toward the gate. Each step he took seemed to make the gate open slightly.

At this moment, Ye Lingyun seemed to be the center of attention.

Su Ye frowned. If he didn't open the gate, the members of the Jiang family would surely die. But if he did, the treasures within would be plundered, and who could guarantee the safety of those who rushed in?

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but he knew he had to open the gate. He could not watch the Jiang family die before his eyes; during his three years as a "cripple," they were the ones who had cared for him.

"The tide is coming—the tide is coming!"

Suddenly, a faint, ethereal voice drifted into Su Ye’s ears. He thought he had misheard, but upon listening closely, he realized the sound was echoing throughout every corner of the Lightning City. Even more bizarrely, it was coming from Ye Lingyun.

Below, with every step Ye Lingyun took, he muttered, "The tide is coming!"

Though Ye Lingyun did not shout it, the sound reverberated through the city, reaching Su Ye.

*The tide is coming?* What did that mean?

"There is no need to argue. If you want to enter, you may! Capture the Gu witch Miao Quan and hand him over, and I will open the gate immediately!"