Chapter 46

*Clang!*

At the moment Zhang Luliang's palm wind struck, the shadow sword behind Luo Xiu was unsheathed once again.

The black sword light, like a bolt of lightning, split the palm wind in two, but the formidable energy from the先天武师 (先天武师 translates to "innate martial artist," but for clarity, I will use "innate martial master" in the translation) was still vast and overwhelming like the sea.

And Ye Feng, like a small boat in a storm, was instantly capsized.

*Puff!*

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and Luo Xiu felt as if all his bones had shattered. A cold energy penetrated his bones and invaded his meridians.

"Zhang Luliang, how dare you!"

The Qingyun Hall Master appeared on the arena, catching Luo Xiu, only to find that Luo Xiu had already fainted, with multiple meridians in his body severed.

"What do you mean by that, Qingyun Hall Master? I acted to prevent any fatalities in the duel, separating the two of them," Zhang Luliang sneered, completely unafraid of the Qingyun Hall Master's threat. "With the Sect Master here, how can you disrupt the entrance examination?"

Not only was Zhang Luliang unafraid, but he even turned the tables on the Qingyun Hall Master.

The Qingyun Hall Master's face turned ashen, and he immediately knelt down to the Outer Sect Master Lu Feichen, shouting, "Luo Xiu's multiple meridians have been severed. As the chief examiner, Zhang Luliang has used his position for personal revenge. I hope the Sect Master will see this clearly!"

"Multiple meridians severed?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Mengyao was the first to lose her composure, jumping to her feet.

"Report to the Sect Master, the injuries on Luo Xiu's body were not caused by my actions, but from his duel with Wang Can," Zhang Luliang immediately defended himself.

"Zhang Luliang, you're lying!" the Qingyun Hall Master roared in anger.

Facing the enraged Qingyun Hall Master, Zhang Luliang wore a cold smile, "Imagine, a Qi Sea Second Level practitioner defeating a Qi Sea Third Level practitioner who has cultivated a Fifth Rank martial art in one move. He must have used a forbidden technique that harms both the user and the enemy!"

"Young people's eagerness to win is understandable, but using a forbidden technique to harm both oneself and others is self-inflicted. Why should I be blamed for it?"

Zhang Luliang looked wronged, but he had prepared his defense in advance.

Lu Feichen's face was expressionless, his gaze falling on Zhang Luliang, making him tremble and lower his head, unable to meet the Sect Master's eyes.

"Bring him in!" Lu Feichen said softly.

Two figures appeared like ghosts, dressed in black, their auras sinister.

"Black-robed Enforcers, arrest Zhang Luliang!"

"Yes!"

The two Black-robed Enforcers leaped onto the arena and restrained Zhang Luliang from either side.

Seeing this, Zhang Luliang's expression changed dramatically, "Sect Master, I am wronged!"

Lu Feichen's face turned cold, "Do you think my eyes are blind? With me personally overseeing the examination, you dared to act in secret. How can you claim to be wronged?"

"Lock him in the water dungeon, strip him of his cultivation, and pierce his shoulder bones with iron chains!" Lu Feichen coldly ordered.

No matter how much Zhang Luliang protested, the two Black-robed Enforcers dragged him away. At this moment, Zhang Luliang realized he had been outsmarted by his own cleverness.

If Lu Feichen, the Outer Sect Master, had not been present, his secret actions would have gone unnoticed.

But Lu Feichen, a Ninth Rank Spirit Cultivation expert, had a soul perception as clear as daylight, and he had seen Zhang Luliang's actions clearly.

Regardless, Luo Xiu was not only his daughter's savior but also showed great talent. Out of both duty and personal gratitude, he had to severely punish Zhang Luliang.

...

When Luo Xiu woke up from his coma, he found himself in a simple and clean room.

Recalling how he had been severely injured by Zhang Luliang's palm wind, his first reaction was to activate the Pure Yang Technique, circulating his true qi throughout his body to check his condition.

"What a vicious old man!"

After examining his internal condition, Luo Xiu's eyes flashed with a cold killing intent.

He had twenty-one meridians severed, making it impossible to circulate true qi through the Grand Circuit. For a normal martial artist, if they couldn't find a heavenly material to repair their meridians, they would be crippled for life, unable to continue cultivating inner techniques.

This was the same method he had used to cripple Zhang Hai's cultivation.

In addition to the severed meridians, there was a cold energy circulating within his body, continuously eroding the other intact meridians. If this continued, he would eventually have all his meridians severed, becoming a complete cripple, lying in bed for the rest of his life!

On the arena, Zhang Luliang had not dared to kill him, but for a martial artist, being crippled was even more unbearable than death.

*Creak.*

At this moment, the door was slowly pushed open, and Lu Mengyao, dressed in a white dress, entered like a celestial maiden.

"Luo Xiu, you're awake?"

Seeing Luo Xiu open his eyes on the bed, Lu Mengyao's face lit up with joy.

From Lu Mengyao, Luo Xiu learned that he had been unconscious for a day.

The entrance examination was over, and as expected, he, Wang Can, and Xu Ping had become Outer Sect disciples of the Xianyao Sect.

"Luo Xiu is awake?"

Another voice came from outside the door, and the Outer Sect Master Lu Feichen walked in with a steady gait.

"Father."

"Sect Master."

Luo Xiu and Lu Mengyao said in unison.

Lu Feichen nodded, turned his hand, and handed a green jade bottle to Luo Xiu.

"In this green jade bottle is a Tiger Marrow Pill, a Fourth Rank medicinal pill. Just take it, and it will quickly repair your severed meridians."

"As for the cold energy in your body, it is due to Zhang Luliang's Cold Yin Palm. After your meridians are repaired, I will have someone help you expel it."

Clearly, Lu Feichen had already examined Luo Xiu's injuries and prepared a recovery plan for him.

"Thank you, Sect Master."

Luo Xiu immediately thanked him and took the green jade bottle.

For Luo Xiu, the severed meridians were not a big problem. With his ability to repair life meridians, even more severe injuries could be healed.

The only issue was the cold energy left by the Cold Yin Palm, which was difficult to expel with his current cultivation.

"You don't need to thank me. You cured Mengyao's Fire Yang Absolute Pulse, making you her savior. As her father, it's only right for me to help you," Lu Feichen said with a smile, then left after telling Luo Xiu to rest and recover.

Lu Mengyao left with Lu Feichen. She was no longer just a Qingyun Martial Hall teacher but the daughter of the Outer Sect Master, second only to the Sect Master and above all others.

Luo Xiu could see that Lu Feichen seemed to avoid letting Lu Mengyao be alone with him, likely due to the difference in their statuses.

Moreover, a Fourth Rank medicinal pill that could repair meridians was invaluable, enough to repay Luo Xiu for curing the Fire Yang Absolute Pulse.

Luo Xiu didn't mind this. He had never expected any reward for curing Lu Mengyao's condition.

He had come to the Xianyao Outer Sect for two reasons: to pursue his martial path and to fulfill his promise with Lu Mengyao.

In the quiet room, Luo Xiu took out the Fourth Rank medicinal pill, the Tiger Marrow Pill. Made from the bone marrow of a Fourth Rank tiger demon, it contained a vast and gentle essence, not only capable of repairing meridians for martial artists below the Spirit Cultivation realm but also healing most injuries for Spirit Cultivation experts.

Such a Fourth Rank medicinal pill was a precious life-saving item for Qi Sea martial artists or innate martial masters, but Luo Xiu had even better Fifth Rank healing pills in his possession.

For Luo Xiu, the Tiger Marrow Pill was not particularly valuable, and he didn't need any healing pills to recover his meridians.

Three days later, Luo Xiu walked out of his residence for the first time, with all twenty-one severed meridians fully recovered.

During these three days, Lu Mengyao visited him every day, but each time she stayed only briefly before being called away by her father, for various reasons.

Upon learning that Luo Xiu had recovered, Lu Mengyao immediately came over, accompanied by an Outer Sect elder, a Spirit Cultivation martial grandmaster.

This elder, named Zhao Qiyuan, was sent by the Sect Master to help Luo Xiu expel the cold energy.

With his Spirit Cultivation grandmaster cultivation, expelling the Cold Yin Palm's energy was easy for him.

"Kid, though your talent is good, you've only been cultivating for a short time. I advise you not to get too close to Mengyao," Zhao Qiyuan said meaningfully as he left.

Luo Xiu was in the room, avoiding disturbances during the healing process, and Lu Mengyao was outside, unaware of their conversation.

"Do you mean I'm too weak?" Luo Xiu asked with a smile.

Zhao Qiyuan was taken aback, frowning slightly, "You're right. If you had powerful strength, you could do whatever you wanted. You might think your talent will make you a strong person in the future, but that's the future, not now."

With his experience, Zhao Qiyuan could see through Luo Xiu's thoughts, but he didn't say it too bluntly, hoping Luo Xiu would know when to back off.

"The Sect Master has a message for you."

"Please, Elder," Luo Xiu said curiously.

"If you can become the top Outer Sect disciple before you turn eighteen, you will barely have the qualifications to match my daughter," Zhao Qiyuan relayed Lu Feichen's words, then stood up and left.

"Become the top Outer Sect disciple before eighteen?" Luo Xiu pondered the meaning behind these words.

As far as he knew, many Outer Sect disciples had already reached the peak of Qi Sea Ninth Level. This meant that Lu Feichen was requiring him to reach Qi Sea Ninth Level within four years.

In the eighteen cities of Yunlong County, breaking through to the Qi Sea realm before eighteen was already considered a genius, and Lu Feichen was asking him to reach Qi Sea Ninth Level before eighteen?

"Luo Xiu!"

A gentle voice reached his ears, and Lu Mengyao walked in, smiling, "Elder Zhao helped you expel the cold energy? What are you daydreaming about?"

Luo Xiu snapped back to reality, smiled, and looked directly into Lu Mengyao's clear, autumn-like eyes, "I was thinking about how I can become worthy of you, the daughter of the Outer Sect Master."

Despite the seemingly impossible task of reaching Qi Sea Ninth Level before eighteen, Luo Xiu had the confidence to achieve it.

Hearing Luo Xiu's near-declaration, Lu Mengyao was stunned, feeling her heart race and her cheeks flush with a rosy hue.

"Luo Xiu, you... I..." For a moment, Lu Mengyao didn't know what to say.

Seeing her shy expression, Luo Xiu couldn't help but grab her hand, "Mengyao, you said you would wait for me in the Xianyao Sect. Now that I'm here, I will definitely achieve something and gain the status and position to match you!"

Although they had been naked together several times, it was to cure the Fire Yang Absolute Pulse. Now, being held by Luo Xiu, Lu Mengyao was flustered.

Watching Lu Mengyao run out with a flushed face, Luo Xiu's calm eyes showed unwavering determination.

He knew that in this world, strength was the ultimate currency. Only with powerful strength could one gain a high status and position.

What Luo Xiu wanted was not just to prove to Lu Feichen that he had the qualifications to be with Lu Mengyao, but to show Lu Feichen that being with him was the best choice for Mengyao!