"I'm about to break through!"

The man drew his longsword with a CLANG, drove it into the ground before him, and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes. Rhythmic streams of qi fluctuations poured out from him.

The people in line behind him were stunned. What is going on? Did he just start breaking through right here in the queue? How absurd!

Their surprise was understandable. Any cultivator wishing to break through would seek a secluded, quiet place, never a noisy street. The slightest disturbance could have unforeseen and terrible consequences.

HUFF!

Seeing the man sitting motionless before them, as if to deliberately spite Su Xuan, the Golden Scaled Crocodile grew displeased. The air hissing from its nostrils began to feel scorching hot.

"Easy now," Su Xuan whispered, gently patting the Golden Scaled Crocodile's head. "Be considerate. Don't cause a scene."

He knew what the man was doing. Last night, he and the two young women had done nothing more than discuss the basics of cultivation. From them, he learned that other cultivators needed to undergo a formal, ritualistic process to advance their cultivation realms and shatter certain shackles. He, however, had no such shackles. When the time was right, he advanced to the next realm naturally, with ease. He figured the system must have eliminated those shackles for him when it strengthened his body. It seemed the system had intended for him to develop as a cultivator from the very beginning, laying a solid foundation for him.

Of course, discussing cultivation with the two women had been secondary. His primary goal had been to gather information from them about the people and goings-on in the city. As the owner of a five-star hotel, he knew that women in their profession were always the most well-informed.

The Golden Scaled Crocodile was very obedient and immediately calmed down at Su Xuan's words.

"Miss Su, please take care."

As it happened, just as the man was meditating through his breakthrough, the manager of the bank respectfully escorted a young woman in a silk gauze skirt out the door. Accompanying her was a noble-looking young man dressed in fine white clothes.

"What's with this guy?" the finely-dressed young man asked as soon as he stepped outside. He scowled at the man meditating on the ground, then snapped at the bank's staff, "What are you waiting for? Get rid of him! Make way for my cousin's sedan chair!"

Sure enough, there was a sedan chair nearby, its path blocked by the meditating man. In truth, the chair didn't need to move; the young woman could have simply walked a few steps to board it.

"Cousin, this gentleman appears to be in the middle of a breakthrough. We shouldn't disturb him," the young woman said reasonably. She tried to persuade her cousin before starting to walk toward the sedan chair.

But her cousin waved her off. "Cousin, your shoes were just custom-made. Look how wet and filthy this ground is. What if they get dirty?"

As he spoke, the finely-dressed youth turned his gaze to Su Xuan. "And you... friend. Move your mount aside." In truth, he had intended to be far more insolent, but he was intimidated by Su Xuan's powerful bearing, so his tone came out much more polite.

Su Xuan wasn't one to start trouble, but that didn't mean he was a pushover. The youth's excuse was completely absurd. Su Xuan smiled faintly. "I don't believe I'm in your way, am I?"

"You are!" The finely-dressed youth sneered. "Your mount is hideous. My cousin is timid and frail. What if you frighten her?"

"Cousin!" The young woman knew her cousin was going too far. "Stop looking for trouble," she whispered. "I'm not afraid of his mount!"

She was telling the truth. Although she was timid and the Golden Scaled Crocodile looked terrifying, the golden light emanating from it made her feel strangely comfortable, as if the light contained an energy that could nourish her frail body.

"Cousin, I'm not looking for trouble." Acting like a complete sycophant, the young man grinned at her. "I'm just looking out for you! Auntie tasked me with your care. If I don't look after you properly, how could I possibly face her?"

With that, the aura around the finely-dressed youth intensified, and his voice rose as he addressed Su Xuan again. "Friend, just move. Once my cousin is in her sedan chair, you can get back in line. Simple, no?"

"And if I don't?" Su Xuan asked, looking down at the young man from his high perch atop the Golden Scaled Crocodile.

"Then the Su Family will be... displeased." The youth straightened his spine. "You've made it to Hua Shui City, so you must have heard of the Su Family, correct?"

"I have," Su Xuan replied, the smile never leaving his face.

While chatting with the two women the previous night, they had told him about the Su Family. They controlled several mining veins and were the most powerful family in Hua Shui City. To say they could blot out the sky with one hand was no exaggeration. They had advised him to avoid provoking the Su Family at all costs.

"Young Master, you have an unfamiliar face. This must be your first time in Hua Shui City," the bank manager chimed in, sidling up to Su Xuan. "Why not just move aside? Do Miss Su a favor, and do yourself one as well." The bank had just kept everyone waiting in line outside precisely to cater to the Su Family.

"Heh." Su Xuan, who had just told his Golden Scaled Crocodile to be considerate of others, couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

He was a man of principle. If the delicate young lady had genuinely been frightened by the Golden Scaled Crocodile, or if she were visibly unwell, he would have moved without anyone needing to ask. But she seemed perfectly fine. There was no reason for him to give up his spot. He wasn't about to be bullied for no reason.

Besides, he didn't give a damn about the Su Family of a minor city like Hua Shui. He was carrying the entire fortune of Deng Shishi, the wealthiest woman on the mountain, right there in his sachet.

"Hmph. Insisting on doing this the hard way!" The finely-dressed young master's hand went to his hip, and he began to slowly draw a magnificent, jewel-encrusted sword.

As the blade slid from its sheath, a chilling light flashed. In that same instant, the cultivation fluctuations of the Late Stage of Heaven Severing erupted from his body!

At the first sign of a fight, the crowd behind them retreated.

Su Xuan ignored the finely-dressed youth, instead gazing up at the sky and murmuring to himself, "My cultivation seems to have improved a bit last night. I wonder what realm I'm at now."

As he spoke, his aura surged, revealing the fluctuations of the Late Stage of Heaven Severing... but it didn't stop there. It kept climbing! In the blink of an eye, it reached the Great Perfection of Heaven Severing, just a hair's breadth away from the next major realm, the Longevity Realm!

At the same time, the Golden Scaled Crocodile's gaze turned savage. The golden light emanating from its body grew so dense it seemed tangible, sharp enough to slice through skin.

DRIP. DROP.

The man sitting cross-legged on the ground began to sweat profusely. He was at the most critical juncture of his breakthrough and couldn't move. If anyone so much as bumped him, it would most likely end in disaster! And if Su Xuan and the finely-dressed youth were to fight, he would be caught in the crossfire! Why is my luck so rotten?!

"Cousin, make a scene by yourself!" the young woman suddenly snapped. She stomped her foot and strode quickly toward the sedan chair.

Seeing this, the finely-dressed youth hastily sheathed his sword and started after her. But he paused, glancing back over his shoulder to ask Su Xuan, "What's your name? We should have a proper match sometime."

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