Chapter 58: The Phantom Master
Faced with the massive man's authoritative question, Su Tianhao remained utterly calm. His expression didn't carry the panic or internal dilemma one might expect—just indifferent composure in those golden eyes, like someone with absolutely nothing to hide.
That was merely a perfectly established poker face—one learned and mastered through the vastness of his inherited memories. Inwardly, his analytical mind was already racing through countless possible responses, evaluating each potential reply.
Seeing Su Tianhao's calm indifference, the massive middle-aged man was inwardly taken aback by such composure.
"So?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, deep voice carrying clear expectation.
'Perfect!' Su Tianhao exclaimed inwardly as an escape plan finally crystallized in his mind with absolute clarity.
"You asked about the origin of my martial arts technique?" Su Tianhao asked calmly, as if merely confirming whether he'd heard the question correctly.
"Yeah." The massive man nodded, eyes narrowing dangerously as he attempted to probe Su Tianhao for any telltale signs of deception.
He wasn't alone. The entire assembled crowd was staring intensely at Su Tianhao with keen perception, desperately trying to discern the truth in his coming words. Their collective spiritual pressure bore down from all directions like an invisible weight.
'Trying to see through my fabricated plan?' Su Tianhao scoffed inwardly. 'I'm afraid you're all a few hundred years too early for that.'
Though his thoughts sounded arrogant on the surface, they weren't baseless boasting. Even without fully unlocking his inherited memories, the knowledge he currently possessed was equivalent to several hundred years of accumulated wisdom—far broader and deeper than anything any of these onlookers could remotely compare to.
As the ancient saying went: the frog at the bottom of the well cannot fathom the vast sky above.
Su Tianhao took one measured step forward and spoke with perfect composure. "Although I don't know the true ancient origin of the Raging Dragon Fist, it's a technique taught to me directly by my master."
"Oh?" The massive man's tone carried genuine surprise.
"I'm not finished," Su Tianhao said sharply, continuing his blatant lie without batting an eye. "My master explained that only those possessing a matching heavenly constitution can successfully cultivate this technique—otherwise you'll simply be wasting your time and potentially damaging your foundation. My heavenly constitution happens to match perfectly. That's precisely why my master willingly took me as his secret disciple."
Although the actual requirement was dragon bloodline heritage, Su Tianhao had cleverly substituted "heavenly constitution" as a believable cover. Revealing a genuine dragon bloodline would arouse the greed of even the King of Longzhou Country himself. At that point, not even the entire Su family would be able to protect him. Unlike heavenly constitutions—which could not be forcibly transferred between individuals—bloodlines could be extracted and stolen through forbidden techniques that refined a person's blood essence, leaving the victim as nothing but a withered, drained corpse.
Hearing Su Tianhao's carefully constructed explanation, everyone's expressions turned complicated as the implications sank in.
"So that's how it really is?" someone mumbled as Su Tianhao's words took root, greatly reducing the palpable greed that had been saturating the air moments before.
"Raging Dragon Fist... what a domineering name. Unfortunately, it can only be cultivated by someone with a compatible heavenly constitution." Another person muttered with obvious disappointment. After all, heavenly constitutions were already rare enough on their own—not to mention finding one compatible with that specific ancient technique.
"I had no idea the Second Young Master of the Su family was blessed with a heavenly constitution." Another onlooker said with clear surprise. From his words alone, it was obvious his entire opinion of Su Tianhao had risen several degrees. Before now, Su Tianhao had been dismissively referred to as "trash" or "fallen genius"—never as the Second Young Master of the Su family with any genuine respect whatsoever.
"I've heard that those blessed with heavenly constitutions are favored by the heavens and normally awaken exceptional cultivation talent... Could it be that the evaluation at the talent testing ceremony was somehow wrong?"
Although nearly unbelievable, they couldn't help but seriously entertain the thought. They had tried hard to see through Su Tianhao's words for inconsistencies, yet couldn't discern any obvious lies. To their perception, everything seemed completely sincere. There were still some individuals who harbored lingering skepticism—but they were a shrinking minority.
"This heavenly constitution of yours—what are the obvious benefits and abilities it grants?" The massive middle-aged man's voice rang out authoritatively. His penetrating gaze bore down heavily on Su Tianhao as his cultivation aura leaked out subconsciously, creating additional pressure.
'This aura... He's at least a Martial Soul Realm expert! And not an ordinary one at that!' Su Tianhao noted inwardly with newfound wariness.
Martial Soul Realm experts were not so easily deceived through simple lies. Those who had successfully reached the Martial Soul Realm naturally awakened their spiritual sense—a perception ability many times more terrifying than an ordinary cultivator's basic spiritual perception. Using properly developed spiritual sense, one could perceive far beyond what mere physical eyes could discern—detecting not just the physical and material, but also the abstract, seeing through illusions, and even distinguishing truth from falsehood.
Su Tianhao steeled his resolve internally before answering with a carefully neutral expression. "I didn't even realize I possessed a heavenly constitution until I encountered my master. He was able to see through my entire nature with just a single glance... It felt like my complete existence was laid utterly bare before his perception."
He paused deliberately for dramatic effect, golden eyes gleaming with carefully manufactured false nostalgia. "Master explained that my particular heavenly constitution grants me significantly stronger base physical strength than ordinary people—making my raw power far superior to other cultivators within the same realm."
The moment Su Tianhao's words finished landing, eyes widened throughout the crowd. Their earlier skepticism vanished almost completely like morning mist under sunlight.
"Such a heavenly constitution actually exists? No wonder his physical strength is so overwhelming!"
"I've been wondering how he crushed Ye Jianping without even using any techniques! But this explains everything!"
"Now that he's cultivated an Ancient Mortal rank technique compatible with his unique physique, it's no wonder he can defeat even Ye Wenjie despite the significant realm difference!"
"Who dares still call Young Master Tianhao trash after this display?"
In an instant, the way the assembled crowd viewed Su Tianhao underwent a complete transformation. Not only were they utterly unable to see through his fabrication, but with the concrete evidence of Ye Jianping's and Ye Wenjie's devastating defeats placed directly before them, they simply had no logical choice but to believe every word.
---
'Damnit! How can this possibly be?!' Ye Wenjie cursed viciously in his thoughts, his mind burning with intense frustration.
'Su Tianhao isn't trash at all? He possesses a heavenly constitution that grants vastly superior base strength? He's cultivated an Ancient Mortal rank technique perfectly compatible with his physique?'
Every revelation was like a sharp thorn driven deep into his side. Desperation and cold cruelty crept steadily into his heart like spreading poison. Before tonight, he had merely seen Su Tianhao as a convenient stepping stone—someone to be crushed and forgotten. Now? Su Tianhao had transformed into a genuine threat to his position and future.
'Su Tianhao must be eliminated at all costs,' he vowed inwardly with absolute, unwavering determination. His calculating mind was already churning through schemes to implement his revenge and permanently remove this unexpected obstacle.
His three loyal followers were equally taken aback. They too found Su Tianhao's explanation completely logical and thoroughly believable. In their eyes, Su Tianhao had become an entirely different person from the trash they had dismissed before.
"I'm afraid it won't take long before his reputation throughout Oakwood City soars like a phoenix rising from ashes," the hawk-eyed youth observed with a solemn, troubled expression.
---
The massive middle-aged man was undoubtedly the one most profoundly impacted by Su Tianhao's carefully crafted words.
'Able to see through his heavenly constitution at a single glance...' he thought inwardly with rapidly growing awe. 'His entire existence laid completely bare...'
"Divine Sense!"
He shouted suddenly, his voice echoing far louder than any previous exclamation and startling absolutely everyone present.
"Divine Sense? What's that supposed to be?"
All eyes turned immediately toward him with openly questioning gazes.
Su Tianhao smiled inwardly with satisfaction, seeing his carefully crafted plan finally taking its intended shape. This was exactly the reaction he'd been hoping to provoke—having his entirely imaginary master mistaken as someone possessing the legendary divine sense.
Under the questioning gazes of the crowd, the massive man began explaining with barely contained awe. "Divine Sense is a transcendent realm of perception that surpasses even advanced spiritual sense. It's said to be awakened only by cultivators who have successfully stepped into the Martial Lord Realm or beyond."
"Martial Lord Realm?!" Collective gasps rippled through the night air like a physical wave.
"Are you seriously saying that Su Tianhao's mysterious master is actually a Martial Lord Realm powerhouse or higher?" someone asked with obvious skepticism.
The massive man completely ignored the questioning tone before turning his full attention back to Su Tianhao, thick brows furrowing tightly. "Is your master truly a Martial Lord?"
Silence.
Every person present turned immediately toward Su Tianhao with burning anticipation.
"Hmm..." Su Tianhao hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin in apparent consideration. His golden eyes held a startling innocence that made him seem almost like a delicate, naive child despite his recent display of overwhelming power.
"I know!" Su Tianhao suddenly muttered aloud, eyes brightening with convincing childlike excitement.
His seemingly innocent behavior only heightened the burning curiosity of the assembled crowd.
"Tell me quickly—what realm is your master actually at?!" The massive man demanded with slight impatience creeping into his previously composed tone.
"I don't really know exactly what specific realm Master has reached," Su Tianhao said with innocent sincerity. "But I've personally witnessed him flying freely through the sky without any external tool, conjuring and manipulating elements—just like the legendary immortals described in the old stories."
"Martial Lord Realm!" the massive man cried out with absolute conviction, eyes growing wide. "It truly is the Martial Lord Realm! No wonder... no wonder everything about that technique felt so far beyond ordinary reach!"
Although he had privately anticipated something along these lines, he hadn't dared openly confirm such an outrageous speculation. But hearing Su Tianhao's direct testimony, there remained absolutely no doubt—this mysterious master was undeniably a Martial Lord.
Only cultivators who had reached the Martial Lord Realm and beyond could fly freely through the skies, use Divine Sense and, most importantly, freely manipulate the elements. Though Martial Grandmasters could also fly, they simply couldn't be compared to Martial Lords—Martial Grandmasters stood at the Great Divide, Martial Lords surpassed it.
As the old saying goes: Martial Grandmasters command cities, Martial Lords rule countries.
At this point, the massive middle-aged man completely erased all dangerous thoughts about Su Tianhao's technique from his heart.
He was merely a Martial Soul Realm expert. Compared to a Martial Lord, he was no different from an insignificant ant before a dragon.
He certainly wasn't alone in this sobering realization. Many other onlookers shared exactly the same sudden understanding. A Martial Lord was simply too overwhelmingly powerful—too impossibly far removed from their current level to even dream of opposing.
"Su Tianhao's luck is just too ridiculous!"
"What kind of virtue did his ancestors accumulate to bless him with such incredible fortune?!"
"Lucky bastard!"
Now there was no longer any trace of predatory greed or dangerous ambition visible in their watching eyes—only deep envy and bitter jealousy remained.
As the ancient saying went: human emotions are like the weather—unpredictable and ever-changing.
And just like that, with nothing but carefully constructed words and a completely fabricated backstory, Su Tianhao had successfully deflected an imminent calamity that could have cost him everything.
All accomplished safely under the protective shadow of an imaginary master.