Chapter 33: Chapter 33 - The Mastermind Protocol and the Ultimate Misunderstanding

High above Clear Cloud Peak, the fleet of glowing swords abruptly changed course.

The Peak Masters quickly issued orders to the surrounding Elders. They commanded the vast majority to immediately fly to Silent Orchid Peak to assist Ji Ruyue with her Golden Core tribulation.

Only a select few were ordered to remain behind to verify Su Bai’s condition and ensure he hadn’t suffered any hidden backlash from the Excision Lightning.

As the sky cleared of executives, only Elder Qin, Elder Tie, and a handful of Inner Sect Elders landed softly just outside the defensive array of Su Bai’s courtyard.

They stood there in complete silence, collectively holding their breath as they peered through the barrier.

Sitting serenely on the flat stone was Su Bai.

He didn’t look like a man who had just taken a direct hit from the Heavenly Dao. His white robes were spotless. His posture was immaculate. The only noticeable difference was the profound, terrifying aura of ancient weight radiating from his pores.

Elder Qin carefully extended his spiritual sense to gently sweep over Su Bai’s foundation.

The Elder’s eyes flew wide open.

"This... this is indeed the Tenth Stage," Elder Qin whispered. "The Perfect Foundation... a Dantian without limits!"

A dead, suffocating silence gripped the mountain. The Elders stared at the young man. Their minds raced to process the sheer impossibility of what they were witnessing.

And then, like a lightning bolt, the realization struck them.

Every single Elder present suddenly remembered Su Bai’s tragic "slump" six years ago. The story of the peerless genius who had reached Foundation Establishment at age twelve, only for his spirit root to mysteriously die, crippling him back into a Body Forging mortal.

"Heavens above," Elder Qin gasped. "He didn’t lose his talent..."

The other Elders whipped their heads toward Elder Qin. Their suspicions suddenly aligned. They listened intently.

"He destroyed it!" Elder Qin cried out. His voice echoed across the peak. "Six years ago, he reached Foundation Establishment, but he must have realized that it wasn’t perfect! He realized the standard path was flawed!"

The older men gasped. The puzzle pieces violently slammed together in their heads.

"So, he deliberately shattered his own foundation!" Elder Tie roared. "He crippled himself, endured six years of darkness, and rebuilt his Dantian from absolute scratch just to break the limits of the Heavenly Dao and reach the 10th Stage!"

"Such terrifying patience!" an Inner Sect Elder shouted, throwing his hands into the air.

"What an unparalleled, calculating mastermind!"

"To endure the darkness for six years just to achieve the Ultimate Path... Martial Nephew Su is a peerless god of cultivation!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The shock instantly melted into absolute, delirious ecstasy. The tragedy of Clear Cloud Peak wasn’t a tragedy at all. It was a six-year, hyper-calculated master plan to achieve Heavenly Perfection!

"HAHAHA!" Elder Tie threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Our Radiant Sky Sect has birthed another true dragon!"

***

Inside the courtyard, completely oblivious to the fanatical lore the Elders were currently writing for him, Su Bai finally opened his eyes.

The changes to his body were massive.

As he analyzed his new internal hardware, he immediately noticed a massive quality-of-life update. He would never look "pregnant" again, no matter how much raw energy he consumed.

Normally, if he swallowed a pill, it dissolved in his stomach and released a burst of chaotic, raw Qi. His meridians then had to painstakingly transport that raw energy to his Dantian, where the spirit root would slowly process it into usable Qi. If he ate too much at once, the bottleneck in the meridians caused his stomach to bloat dangerously.

But now... his meridians were incredibly wide, and his Dantian was an infinite void.

When raw Qi entered his system, it immediately flushed into the limitless expanse of his Dantian without any resistance. From there, the massive, crystalline Sapling Wood Root would effortlessly convert the raw energy into usable Qi at terrifying speeds.

Su Bai almost laughed out loud.

The golden beam from the Eye of Heaven had already been entirely digested by his Dantian. Right now, the sheer volume of usable Qi pooling inside him was staggering. He was absolutely certain that even a mid-level Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed less qi than he did.

And because his Dantian no longer had a ceiling, he could continue hoarding energy indefinitely.

’This is so much better than I forecasted,’ Su Bai thought as he clenched his fist. ’I don’t have the Foundation Establishment Operating System yet, but with this much raw energy, I can definitely power a flying sword now.’

Satisfied with his internal audit, Su Bai finally looked toward the entrance of his courtyard.

The small group of Elders was waiting outside the array. They were practically vibrating with excitement.

Su Bai decided it was time to clock back in. With a flick of his wrist, he deactivated the defensive array.

The moment the barrier dropped, the Elders swarmed forward like a pack of rabid reporters, peppering him with frantic questions.

"Martial Nephew Su! How did you endure the agony of shattering your own foundation?!"

"What does the gaze of the Heavenly Dao feel like?!"

"Can this Perfect Path be replicated?! Please, enlighten us!"

Surrounded by the manic, cheering upper management of the sect, Su Bai stood frozen.

He was completely, utterly clueless. And he has no idea what they were yapping about. Reaching the 10th Stage was a massive accident caused by a lack of software, and the only reason his foundation shattered was because he ate a literal suicide pill.

He looked at their glowing, reverent faces. He knew with absolute certainty that if he told the truth..."Actually, it was a massive administrative error, I misread the pill’s effects, and I just really wanted to fly on a sword again..." they would assume he was just testing their humility with profound sarcasm.

So, Su Bai did the only thing a surviving corporate manager could do when receiving credit for a massively successful project he didn’t actually understand.

He adopted a perfectly placid, emotionless smile, and gave a slow, profound nod.

"The Dao," Su Bai said softly. His voice echoed with weight as he expertly dodged every single question, "rewards those who are willing to break themselves."

The Elders froze.

The sheer philosophical weight of his words struck them like a physical blow. To break oneself to achieve perfection... it was a mindset only a true immortal could possess.

Elder Qin wiped a single tear from his eye.