Chapter 60

"Xiaoxiu!"

Seeing Luo Xiu's blood-soaked appearance, his parents and sister all wore worried expressions.

Sister Luo Xiuer came over to support him, and Luo Xiu smiled, saying, "Sis, I'm fine."

"Let's go."

Ye Xiangdou spoke, and as for those Blue Armor Guards of the Martial Hall, they were nothing more than a mob to him.

At this moment, a commotion arose at the entrance of the Martial Hall. Shen Gaojian and two elders of the Martial Hall walked out, surrounded by a group of people.

When Shen Gaojian saw Ye Xiangdou beside Luo Xiu, his pupils couldn't help but constrict sharply.

In Yunlong County, there are eighteen cities, each with a Martial Hall and branches of the four major guilds.

Although Shen Gaojian had never met the president of the Hunter's Guild branch in Qingyun City, it wasn't hard to guess his identity, because on Ye Xiangdou's chest was a four-star Hunter's Guild badge!

"Are you President Ye?" Shen Gaojian clasped his hands in greeting.

"Indeed." Ye Xiangdou did not deny it.

Shen Gaojian took a deep breath and said, "President Ye is a Martial Arts Master, and I dare not offend you. However, I must boldly ask, Luo Xiu is a person designated by the upper echelons of our Free and Easy Sect to be captured. Could you please hand him over to me?"

Ye Xiangdou's face was expressionless as he said, "Have you heard of the Hunter's Guild's bounty missions?"

Shen Gaojian nodded, his face full of confusion.

"Since you know about the bounty missions, I have accepted the bounty mission posted by Luo Xiu. You can tell Lu Feichen that if he wants to pursue this, he should go to the Hunter's Guild in Yunlong County City." Ye Xiangdou said.

"What?" Shen Gaojian was stunned.

A bounty mission posted by Luo Xiu? Could he afford to hire a Martial Arts Master?

Not just him, even Lu Feichen would never have expected such a turn of events.

Everyone had underestimated Luo Xiu, thinking he was just a talented Qi Sea Realm martial artist.

He came from a poor background, with no backing, yet he managed to post a bounty mission and hire a Martial Arts Master from the Hunter's Guild?

Once a bounty mission is accepted, it means Luo Xiu will be under the protection of the Hunter's Guild!

In Yunlong County, the eighteen city branches of the Hunter's Guild are all managed by the Hunter's Guild in Yunlong County City.

The president of the Hunter's Guild in Yunlong County City is a figure even Inner Gate Elders look up to, and the Sect Master would show respect to him!

Even the Hunter's Guild in Yunlong County City is just a branch of the Hunter's Guild in Yunlong County.

Facing the entire Hunter's Guild, the Free and Easy Sect, which seems to dominate Yunlong County, would have to bow its head.

While Shen Gaojian was still in shock, Ye Xiangdou and Luo Xiu's family had already left.

Throughout the entire time, he didn't dare to order anyone to make a move because the Hunter's Guild was a force that even Lu Feichen couldn't provoke.

After a long time, Shen Gaojian finally took out a communication box with trembling hands and sent the message to the Outer Gate Master, Lu Feichen.

...

"Crack!"

Far away in Yunlong County City, Lu Feichen received the message, and the communication box in his hand was instantly crushed.

He never expected that despite his meticulous planning, Luo Xiu could actually hire a Martial Arts Master and gain the protection of the Hunter's Guild.

This undoubtedly planted a hidden danger for his future plans. If Luo Xiu's survival was discovered by his daughter Mengyao, it would certainly affect his ability to gain the support of Elder Gou and two others.

"No wonder Luo Xiu could rise so quickly. In just half a year, he advanced from the second level of Body Tempering to the third level of Qi Sea. He must have had a good opportunity; otherwise, his astonishing cultivation speed cannot be explained."

"Moreover, with the third level of Qi Sea, he is stronger than the seventh level of Qi Sea. The opportunity he obtained might be the legacy of a Martial King, along with wealth!"

Lu Feichen's face was terrifyingly dark. He regretted not taking action in Yunlong County City.

However, Lu Feichen quickly calmed down and thought, "The Hunter's Guild cannot protect Luo Xiu forever. Bounty missions have time limits. Eventually, as long as he remains in Yunlong County, he will die!"

"If he uses a teleportation array to leave Yunlong County, it won't affect my plans. As long as I can gain the support of Elder Gou and two others, my Master can take the position of Sect Master, and I will have a chance to break through to the Martial King realm."

Lu Feichen planned this in his heart, and as for whether his daughter Lu Mengyao would one day learn the truth, he no longer cared.

Reaching the Martial King realm had become an obsession, a heart demon for Lu Feichen!

...

Qingyun City.

Back at the Hunter's Guild, Ye Xiangdou used the teleportation array to directly arrive at the Hunter's Guild branch in Yunlong County City.

In a secret room, the Martial Arts Master Ye Xiangdou met the president of the Hunter's Guild branch in Yunlong County.

The branches of the Hunter's Guild are divided into detailed levels, generally nine levels, with level one being the lowest and level nine the highest. Above level nine branches is the headquarters!

Tianwu Kingdom has eight provinces and thirteen counties. In each of the thirteen counties, there is a level one branch, and the many sub-branches under its jurisdiction are also ordinary level one branches.

In the eight provinces, there are level two branches, and only in the capital of Tianwu Kingdom is there a unique level three branch.

Depending on the level of the branch, the president's strength varies greatly.

The Qingyun City branch is just the lowest level one branch, yet it is guarded by a Martial Arts Master at the third level of Spirit Refinement, which shows how powerful the entire Hunter's Guild is.

The president of the Yunlong County branch is at the third level of the King realm. In the entire Yunlong County, only the Sect Master of the Free and Easy Sect has a cultivation level comparable to his, but due to the special status of the Hunter's Guild, the Sect Master of the Free and Easy Sect must show great respect to the president of the branch.

"You say this third-level Qi Sea kid uses a fast sword technique and can instantly kill a seventh-level Qi Sea opponent with one strike?"

The president of the Yunlong County branch, after hearing Ye Xiangdou's words, narrowed his eyes, showing interest.

This branch president looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a scholar's robe, appearing gentle and refined.

"Indeed." Ye Xiangdou respectfully said, then took out a book and said, "This is the information I collected about Luo Xiu."

The middle-aged scholar waved his hand, and an invisible force grabbed the book, landing in his palm.

He casually flipped through it, frowning slightly, "Third-level Qi Sea at fourteen? This talent is quite ordinary."

If someone heard this, they would be stunned, because reaching the third level of Qi Sea at fourteen is considered a good talent even in the Inner Gate of the Free and Easy Sect.

But in the mouth of this middle-aged scholar, it was only considered ordinary.

However, as he continued to read, his expression became more animated, "Interesting, interesting..."

"From ten to thirteen, he only reached the second level of Body Tempering, but in just half a year, he made rapid progress. Even if this kid's talent developed late, he must have had a significant opportunity."

The middle-aged scholar smiled and commented, looking at Ye Xiangdou, "You say he offered a sixth-grade martial technique and a lower-grade Earth-class battle sword?"

"Yes." Ye Xiangdou respectfully answered.

"Lower-grade Earth-class battle weapons are generally held by those at the King realm, a few top Martial Arts Masters, and geniuses of major forces. To obtain such an opportunity in this small Yunlong County, this kid has good luck."

The middle-aged scholar still smiled, "However, opportunity is one thing, and without sufficient talent, even the greatest opportunity would be of no use."

"Yes, I also think Luo Xiu has good talent and is worth cultivating, which is why I recommended him to the president." Ye Xiangdou said.

The Hunter's Guild, being such a powerful force, naturally needs the support of strong individuals, so it also cultivates geniuses to consolidate its position.

However, the Hunter's Guild has extremely high standards for geniuses. Those considered treasures by the Free and Easy Sect do not have the qualifications to be absorbed by the Hunter's Guild.

The middle-aged scholar nodded, "From what I see, Luo Xiu barely qualifies to be absorbed as an internal member. According to the talent classification, he is provisionally rated as a lower-grade Yellow-level."

He looked at Ye Xiangdou, "You can inform him about this."

"Yes!" Ye Xiangdou respectfully responded.

After Ye Xiangdou left, the middle-aged scholar put down the book about Luo Xiu and smiled, "I have been stationed in Yunlong County for over seventy years, and this is the first time I have found a genius worth cultivating. I hope this kid won't disappoint me."

At the same time, in the Qingyun City branch of the Hunter's Guild, Luo Xiu was comforting his parents and sister.

They were ordinary people without martial arts talent, and despite being rescued, they were still somewhat shaken.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. Luo Xiu opened the door and saw the Martial Arts Master Ye Xiangdou.

"Luo Xiu, follow me." Ye Xiangdou said.

Luo Xiu had no doubts and followed Ye Xiangdou to a quiet room.

"Sit." Ye Xiangdou sat down and pointed to the chair opposite him.

Luo Xiu did not refuse, thanked him, and sat opposite Ye Xiangdou.

"Luo Xiu, I just went to the Yunlong County branch and told the president about your situation."

Ye Xiangdou said, "I think you have good talent, so I recommended you to the president, who agreed to absorb you as an internal member of the Hunter's Guild."

"You should know that only the president of the branch has the authority to absorb geniuses as internal members. In the past hundred years in Yunlong County, no one has ever qualified for this."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu was stunned, "Absorb me as an internal member of the Hunter's Guild?"

"Indeed, our Hunter's Guild needs the support of strong individuals, and strong individuals grow from geniuses."

Ye Xiangdou smiled, "The internal members of the Hunter's Guild are divided into two types: geniuses and external recruits."

"For example, I am an external recruit, who joined the Hunter's Guild after breaking through to the Spirit Refinement realm and was confirmed not to be a spy from another force."

"Geniuses, like you, have extremely high talent and potential for cultivation, with no suspicious background. If you can grow, you will hold a high position in the future, and your status in the guild will be much higher than us external recruits."

"What are the benefits of becoming an internal member of the Hunter's Guild?" Luo Xiu asked directly.

Ye Xiangdou was not bothered by Luo Xiu's straightforward question and explained, "According to the president's evaluation, your talent is provisionally rated as lower-grade Yellow-level. The first benefit is that the guild will unconditionally protect the safety of your family."

"Since the growth of geniuses often involves battles and making enemies, the guild ensures you can cultivate without any worries."

"Of course, besides this, the benefits vary depending on the talent level."

"Lower-grade Yellow-level geniuses can receive three martial techniques suitable for their current cultivation level, including internal techniques, martial skills, and movement techniques. Since you are at the third level of Qi Sea, you can receive three fifth-grade martial techniques."

"If you already have suitable martial techniques, you can choose to retain this opportunity and wait until you reach the first level of the Innate realm to choose sixth-grade martial techniques, or the seventh level of the Innate realm to choose seventh-grade martial techniques."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu was slightly surprised, "Seventh-grade martial techniques at the seventh level of the Innate realm?"

According to his knowledge, in the Free and Easy Sect, obtaining sixth-grade martial techniques requires the Spirit Refinement realm or core disciples, and seventh-grade martial techniques are only for the Sect Master's lineage.

Ye Xiangdou nodded, "This is the difference between geniuses and external recruits. Geniuses are more valued."

"However, every year, the guild will reassess your talent level. If you no longer meet the requirements, the guild will stop cultivating you." Ye Xiangdou added.