Kindness as Vast as Mountains, Shu Tianhao in Grave Danger

Two days later, Shu Family Island, inner forest.

"Young Master Chu Yun, spare me! This lowly one was only following orders, I had no choice! As long as you spare me, I, I am willing to testify against Lady Shu, to testify that she attempted to murder you, Young Master!"

The Spirit Beast Master, clad in black, knelt before Chu Yun, his body trembling like a sieve.

Chu Yun remained expressionless. With a flick of his wrist, the blade fell. Amidst the spray of blood, a fine head tumbled to the ground and rolled into the tall grass.

"The last Spirit Beast Master has been eliminated. Safe for now. Phew..." Taking a long, ragged breath, Chu Yun could no longer hold himself up; he collapsed, sitting heavily on the ground.

The Heavenly Fox whimpered softly beside him, its fox eyes filled with concern.

Chu Yun reached out to soothe it. He was truly unhurt; though he looked disheveled, it was merely exhaustion.

Fortunately, he possessed the Fire Eye, which had allowed him to detect the enemy's tracks in time. The four men were the very Spirit Beast Masters from Lady Shu's side.

Over the past two days, Chu Yun had engaged in a battle of wits and courage against the four, centered around the Wasteland Bear and the Gold Spirit Honey. By exploiting their arrogance and greed, he had successfully overcome strength with weakness—sometimes by turning others against them, other times by launching sneak attacks—until he had finished off all four formidable foes one by one.

He hadn't obtained the Gold Spirit Honey, but the spoils from the four Spirit Beast Masters were rich. Setting aside the four Immortal Pouches, Demon Essence Pills, and Blood Qi Pills, he had harvested over 1,800 Earth-Fiend Stone Coins on the spot.

"Lady Shu, you actually wanted me dead. I underestimated your malice..." After a brief rest, Chu Yun and the Heavenly Fox decisively left the inner forest.

Compared to the forest outskirts, the inner forest was far more dangerous—not a place for the current Heavenly Fox to roam.

Returning to the cave at the Nameless Volcano, he found traces of outsiders. Chu Yun sighed inwardly, knowing this secret base had been exposed and was no longer of much value to him.

However, it remained safe for the time being.

The four Spirit Beast Masters under Lady Shu had been brought from the Ning Family; they were her most loyal subordinates and her sharpest blades. But now, they had been eliminated by his own hand. For a short while, Lady Shu would be like a tiger with its teeth pulled, posing no great threat.

"Lady Shu, since you wanted me dead, I won't let you have an easy time either!" After this battle, Chu Yun had gained a thorough understanding of Lady Shu's true nature.

Yet, he knew his current strength was insufficient to deal with her.

The most critical factor was her status: Lady Shu was the wife of his foster father, Shu Tianhao.

"If I were to kill Lady Shu, what would happen to Father?" Chu Yun frowned, his gaze drifting as if he had been transported back a dozen years.

Back then, he was still young and couldn't remember much. But this particular event had left such a deep impression that it remained etched in his heart.

It seemed they had been stranded on a barren, desolate island, with only his father, Shu Tianhao, by his side.

He had been wailing, starving. To be precise, he hadn't eaten for days and nights.

Shu Tianhao had been equally exhausted and desperate, but no matter how he tried to comfort him, he couldn't stop Chu Yun's cries.

Finally, his pale lips twitched, and with a sudden grit of his teeth, he drew his great saber.

A flash of steel, a sudden chill—Chu Yun's crying stalled in terror.

Then, blood rapidly spread across his vision as Shu Tianhao's left arm was severed at the root!

For many years afterward, Chu Yun often dreamed of that scene. It remained vivid, as if it had happened only yesterday.

Shu Tianhao perhaps thought Chu Yun was too young then to remember, attributing the loss of his arm to an accident. As for what kind of accident, he never spoke of it.

Outsiders also lamented that after Shu Tianhao lost his arm, he had lost his ambition, no longer the All-Star Fierce Tiger of the past.

Even the Three Elders and the likes of Lady Shu did not know the truth!

Shu Tianhao's left arm had been severed because of Chu Yun.

He had cut off his own arm to provide meat!

It was by relying on that arm that Chu Yun had struggled to survive in that desperate situation.

What kind of grace was this?! Although Shu Tianhao was not his biological father, his kindness was akin to a second birth. For Chu Yun's sake, this man had abandoned his future dignity and sacrificed a lifetime of ambition...

What immense grace!

And now, the foster son saved by that severed arm was planning to deal with his wife... Chu Yun felt conflicted, his heart heavy with gloom.

He was decisive in killing; whoever was his enemy would face his blade, and he never suffered from womanly mercy. But Lady Shu was his foster father's wife...

Chu Yun hesitated, the butcher's knife in his heart trembling. It was a thorny problem.

In the end, he cast aside his tangled thoughts and steadied his mind: "Regardless, Lady Shu's plan to stop me will become nothing but a pipe dream. I will take first place in the coming-of-age ceremony and enter the Heavenly Song Academy! Tomorrow, in the third assessment, I believe my appearance will surely shock and terrify her. Hmph! Just you wait..."

The next day, at the Earth Altar.

"That little brat Chu Yun, why hasn't he arrived yet?" The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master felt anxious. The third assessment was already approaching; if he were late, he would be disqualified. If that happened, his results from the first two rounds would also be void.

"He will never come." Lady Shu sneered in her heart, though she wore a look of lamentation on her face. "Sigh, this child is simply too arrogant and fierce by nature. Not only did he cripple his own brother, but now, knowing full well that the White-Browed Alchemist is here to observe the ceremony, he dares to act like this. He is truly too lawless."

With that, she cast a fawning smile toward a tall, thin middle-aged man beside her.

The man wore a dark blue robe, his expression cold and stern, his eyebrows as white as snow. He was a master from the Heavenly Song Academy, sent to recruit the recommended youths of Shu Family Island.

Renowned throughout the All-Star Archipelago for his alchemy, he was known as the White-Browed Alchemist.

The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master also looked respectfully at the White-Browed Alchemist, but then snorted coldly: "Lady Shu, that is going too far. Chu Yun is a young, intelligent child who understands etiquette, possesses strategy and courage, and has a steady temperament. If he is late, there must be some major incident; otherwise, he would not act this way."

Upon hearing this, Lady Shu's face turned cold. Just as she was about to retort, the White-Browed Alchemist spoke.

"Enough, all of you. The Earth Altar is a place of tranquility; cease your clamor. I have no interest in your grievances. My task is to recruit the most promising seeds from the coming-of-age ceremony. If that Chu Yun has not arrived in a moment, he will be marked absent. The ceremony will proceed as scheduled." The White-Browed Alchemist's tone was indifferent and somewhat aloof.

The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master said no more, while a flash of joy flickered in Lady Shu's eyes.

As for Shu Da and Shu Er, they were young, ignorant, and shallow in their cultivation, unable to mask the joy surging across their faces.

So what if you, Chu Yun, took first place in the first two assessments? If you cannot participate in the third, what kind of damn chance do you have left?

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps echoed.

Shu Da and Shu Er froze. Shu Er, in particular, was heavily battered and wrapped in white bandages; the sound of the footsteps felt as if they were trampling on his wounds, forcing a miserable groan from his lips.

How could this be? It can't be! Lady Shu's heart trembled, and she looked toward the door with an uncertain, shifting expression.

The footsteps drew closer, and with a loud boom, the main door was shoved open violently.

The White-Browed Alchemist couldn't help but frown slightly; his impression of Chu Yun had been meager to begin with, and now it had diminished even further.

However, the person who entered was not Chu Yun.

"General Wu, why have you come here?" Lady Shu exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing him.

"My Lady, it is a disaster! The Island Master encountered the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group and fell into an ambush; he is now locked in a bitter struggle and his life hangs by a thread! This subordinate implores you to take charge, rally the troops, and set out to rescue him immediately! If we are late, it will be too late!"

Wu Datou was drenched in sweat, his face filled with panic and urgency.

The moment these words were spoken, they struck like a bolt of lightning, causing the expressions of everyone present to change drastically.

"How could this happen? The Island Master..." The Spirit Beast Master of the Earth Altar was stunned into speechlessness.

"Father..." Shu Da and Shu Er were completely panicked, looking at each other with no idea what to do.

The White-Browed Alchemist's expression also shifted slightly; he furrowed his brows, his gaze heavy. If the Master of Ning Family Island were to fall in battle, and the All-Star Fierce Tiger were gone, he feared the entire situation of the All-Star Archipelago would fall into turmoil...

"Shu Tianhao, Shu Tianhao..." Lady Shu murmured, her face as pale as snow. Upon hearing this news, she staggered back a few steps, her head buzzing and her mind turning blank.

Shu Tianhao... Shu Tianhao... Ha! So you have a day like this too! Once the realization hit, Lady Shu shouted inwardly, filled with glee and schadenfreude.

You suppressed me for so many years, kept me down for so long! In the end, you are going to die at the hands of pirates. Ha, how ironic. Aren't you the All-Star Fierce Tiger? What a damn tiger you are!

Lady Shu laughed wildly in her heart, filled with the joy and relief of revenge. She had no feelings for Shu Tianhao; she had never been loyal to her husband, only to her own family.

Wait! If Shu Tianhao dies, won't the power of Shu Family Island fall into my hands? By then, what will I have to fear? I can crush Chu Yun however I please, and open as many shops on Shu Family Island as I want!

Lady Shu's mind raced, her eyes flashing with sharp light as she began to calculate everything regarding Shu Family Island.

"My Lady! The military situation is critical!" Seeing Lady Shu standing silent, Wu Datou urged her loudly, sweat pouring down his face.

Lady Shu jolted, snapping back to reality. She immediately ordered, "General Wu, gather the garrison at once!"

"Yes, My Lady!" Wu Datou's tiger-like eyes brightened, and he was exceptionally excited. But Lady Shu's next words were like a basin of cold water poured over the fire in his heart.

"From this moment on, you are to strictly defend Shu Family City. If the Remnant Wolf pirates launch a full-scale attack on Shu Family Island, it will be a human tragedy!"

"My Lady!" Wu Datou rose abruptly, his eyes wide, unable to believe the order he had just heard.

Lady Shu did not back down; she glared back and shrieked, "General Wu! Do you intend to defy my orders?! Who do you think the enemy is? That is the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group! The pirate leader possesses the Great Demon, the Beacon Smoke Wolf—what do you have to resist him? Your Martial Dao Crab? Hmph, I order you now: defend Shu Family City to the death. I shall immediately write to Ning Family Island; as soon as reinforcements arrive and Shu Family Island is secured, you shall be credited with the greatest merit!"

"My Lady..." Wu Datou's spirit plummeted, and he was left speechless.

It was true; the pirate Remnant Wolf possessed a Great Demon-level spirit beast, the Beacon Smoke Wolf. Its combat power was extremely formidable, far beyond what his small Demon-level Martial Dao Crab could withstand.

But to defend Shu Family City to the death—did that mean he should just watch them die and leave the Island Master, Shu Tianhao, to perish on the battlefield?

Wu Datou could not accept this. He remembered that great fire, the scene where the Island Master, Shu Tianhao, had stood like a mountain with his blade, saving him.

It was as clear as if it had happened only yesterday.