Chapter 61

"What are the standards for classifying and judging geniuses?" Luo Xiu couldn't help but ask.

"In the guild, the genius levels are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow. Each grade is further divided into three sub-grades: Lower, Middle, and Upper."

"Considering your age of fourteen, you would need to be at the Seventh Level of the Qi Sea and have achieved mastery in Fifth Rank martial arts to be rated as Lower Yellow. The reason you can be rated as Lower Yellow with only the Third Level of the Qi Sea is based on your combat performance, which is equivalent to having the Seventh Level of the Qi Sea and mastery in Fifth Rank martial arts, thus barely qualifying you for the Lower Yellow rating."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xiu couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. The standards for admitting geniuses in the Hunter's Guild were indeed too high.

As far as he knew, even core disciples of the Inner Sect of the Free and Easy Sect had never reached the Seventh Level of the Qi Sea at the age of fourteen, let alone achieving mastery in Fifth Rank martial arts. This not only required a high level of cultivation but also a high level of martial talent.

"One year from now, when you are fifteen, you must already be at the Innate Realm and have achieved mastery in Sixth Rank martial arts! If your cultivation cannot meet the requirements, your strength must meet them."

"And this is just the requirement for Lower Yellow. The higher the genius level, the higher the requirements, and the greater the benefits."

"Using the age of fourteen as a standard, the requirement for Middle Yellow is the Ninth Level of the Qi Sea and perfection in Fifth Rank martial arts, while the requirement for Upper Yellow is the Early Innate Realm and mastery in Sixth Rank martial arts! As for the higher Xuan, Earth, and Heaven levels, I have never even heard of them."

As he spoke, Ye Xiangdou took out the Lower Earth-grade battle sword and said, "If you are willing to become a member of the Hunter's Guild, according to the rules, the guild will protect your family's safety without you having to pay any corresponding fees. Therefore, this battle sword can be returned to you."

Many Martial King-level experts might not even possess a Lower Earth-grade battle weapon, especially in Yunlong County, where such weapons are rare. This is because forging a Lower Earth-grade battle weapon not only requires precious minerals and materials but also a Fifth Rank forging master!

Only the branch of the Blacksmiths' Guild in Yunlong County has a Fifth Rank forging master in residence, who is highly esteemed. Many Martial Kings find it difficult to request him to forge a battle weapon.

Luo Xiu could see the reluctance in the eyes of this Martial Dao Master, Ye Xiangdou, so he smiled and said, "Since this battle sword has already been given to you, how can it be taken back?"

"Without your help this time, I would not have been able to save my family from the Martial Hall. This favor is far more valuable than a battle sword."

"Moreover, with my low cultivation, carrying this battle sword around would only attract envy and is akin to courting death. It would be better to give it to you, and in the future, my family in Qingyun City will need your protection."

Luo Xiu's words were reasonable, and Ye Xiangdou, being a seasoned expert, could easily understand his intentions.

"Very well, as long as your family is in Qingyun City, I will not allow anyone to harm them!" Ye Xiangdou immediately agreed. With this Lower Earth-grade battle sword, his strength would increase significantly.

Furthermore, with the Sixth Rank Qingyuan Art obtained from Luo Xiu, he had a chance to advance to a higher level within the next ten years.

Luo Xiu also knew that he couldn't always protect his family, and joining the Hunter's Guild would solve his worries, making it the best choice.

Ye Xiangdou then gave Luo Xiu a booklet with only three simple pages, detailing the rights and obligations of genius members.

According to the booklet, apart from their own family, genius members themselves do not receive free protection from the Hunter's Guild.

This is because the growth of geniuses requires numerous trials and life-and-death experiences, so the Hunter's Guild does not interfere in personal grudges.

However, he could use his authority to access various intelligence collected by the Hunter's Guild. A Lower Yellow genius has the same authority as an external member at the Spirit Refinement stage, which is equivalent to a Martial Dao Master.

This meant that Luo Xiu's authority and status in the Hunter's Guild were on par with a powerful figure like Ye Xiangdou!

This was also the reason for the difference in Ye Xiangdou's attitude towards him.

Luo Xiu composed himself, looked at Ye Xiangdou sitting opposite him, and said, "I would like to ask you for a favor, Senior."

"Go ahead," Ye Xiangdou nodded. By accepting Luo Xiu's Lower Earth-grade battle sword, he owed him a favor and would help as much as he could within his capabilities.

...

The next morning, Luo Xiu took the teleportation array from Qingyun City to Yunlong County.

At the Yunlong County branch of the Hunter's Guild, Luo Xiu met the legendary branch president.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the president of the Yunlong County branch of the Heavenly Martial Kingdom, Wen Qianhong."

The president was dressed in a white scholar's robe, his smile gentle and refined, with no trace of a martial aura.

But this person held a significant position in Yunlong County.

"President." Luo Xiu stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Wen Qianhong smiled and nodded, "Please, sit down."

Luo Xiu thanked him and took a seat. He had originally planned to ask Ye Xiangdou to intervene, but he didn't expect to meet the branch president.

"I am aware of your situation. Do you know why Lu Feichen targeted you?" Wen Qianhong got straight to the point.

Luo Xiu shook his head. He wanted to understand the situation, which was why he had planned to ask Ye Xiangdou to arrange a meeting with Lu Feichen.

Later, Ye Xiangdou informed the branch president, leading to this meeting.

"Recently, the Free and Easy Sect's Sect Master was severely injured in the Nine Phoenix Mountains and will not survive more than half a month."

Wen Qianhong explained, although the news had been suppressed by the Free and Easy Sect, the Hunter's Guild still knew the details.

"Following this incident, there will be a struggle for the position of Sect Master within the Free and Easy Sect. The two most prominent candidates are Inner Sect Elders Di Sixi and Kong Qingyu, and Lu Feichen is Kong Qingyu's top disciple."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu's brows furrowed. This was clearly an internal power struggle within the Free and Easy Sect, and Lu Feichen was deeply involved. But what did it have to do with him, a mere Qi Sea martial artist?

Wen Qianhong continued, "Compared to Di Sixi, Kong Qingyu has fewer supporters. If nothing unexpected happens, the position of Sect Master will go to Di Sixi. Once Di Sixi becomes Sect Master, he will do everything to eliminate Kong Qingyu's supporters to solidify his power and prestige."

"Among the Inner Sect, there are three Elders, Gou Hongyi, Quan Yongchen, and Deng Zhihui, who are sworn brothers. They always act together, with Gou Hongyi as the eldest. He has a grandson named Gou Jinchuan, who was a suitor of Lu Feichen's daughter, Lu Mengyao, a few years ago."

After hearing this, Luo Xiu finally understood. He had been drawn into this power struggle and nearly became a sacrifice because he was too close to Lu Mengyao.

Lu Feichen wanted to kill him to make Lu Mengyao give up on him and marry Gou Jinchuan, thereby gaining the support of the three Inner Sect Elders for Kong Qingyu.

"Now that you understand the situation, there's no need to take risks by confronting Lu Feichen."

Wen Qianhong slowly said, "Technically, this is your personal matter, so the guild will not directly intervene. We will only provide you with relevant information."

Wen Qianhong clearly maintained a professional stance and would not break the rules just because Luo Xiu was a genius member.

These rules were the foundation of the Hunter's Guild, and breaking them could lead to significant chaos.

"Can I post a bounty task to seek protection from Martial King-level experts in the guild?"

Luo Xiu's sudden question made Wen Qianhong pause.

Posting a bounty task was a normal procedure and was not against the rules.

However, seeking help from Martial King-level experts came at a much higher cost than hiring a Martial Dao Master!

Wen Qianhong chuckled, "I know you can provide Sixth Rank techniques and Lower Earth-grade battle weapons, so you must have had some fortunate encounters. But do you know what kind of compensation is required to hire a Martial King-level expert?"

Luo Xiu, of course, didn't know, but he believed that with the many treasures left by the Fifth Rank forging master Bu Chen, he could afford to hire a Martial King-level expert.

"Anything below the Fifth Rank is meaningless to Martial King-level experts. I know you gave your Lower Earth-grade battle weapon to Ye Xiangdou, so I doubt you have any other Fifth Rank treasures."

Fifth Rank treasures were invaluable in Yunlong County, and many Martial King-level experts would consider themselves wealthy with one or two such items.

Wen Qianhong didn't elaborate and directly gave Luo Xiu a list.

For protection, hiring a First to Third Rank Martial King required one to two Fifth Rank treasures.

Hiring a Fourth to Sixth Rank Martial King required three to five Fifth Rank treasures.

Hiring a Seventh Rank Martial King required six Fifth Rank treasures.

Hiring an Eighth Rank Martial King required seven Fifth Rank treasures.

Hiring a Ninth Rank Martial King required ten Fifth Rank treasures!

As for Ninth Rank peak Martial Kings, Fifth Rank treasures were of little value. Only Sixth Rank treasures could interest them.

Any Qi Sea martial artist seeing this list would draw a sharp breath, but Luo Xiu remained calm. He had many Fifth Rank treasures in his storage ring, including twenty Lower Earth-grade battle swords, and even two Middle Earth-grade battle swords, which were Sixth Rank treasures!

The classification of treasures is based on the cultivation level they cater to. For example, Innate martial artists need Third Rank treasures, Spirit Refinement martial artists need Fourth Rank treasures, and Martial King-level experts need Fifth Rank treasures.

Third Rank treasures are useless for Spirit Refinement martial artists, and Fourth Rank treasures are similarly useless for Martial King-level experts.

Martial techniques and cultivation methods can also be classified into treasure ranks. For example, the Sixth Rank intermediate technique, Radiant True Art, which Luo Xiu used to hire Ye Xiangdou, was equivalent to a top-tier Fourth Rank treasure.

A Sixth Rank advanced martial technique is equivalent to a Fifth Rank treasure.

Seventh Rank martial techniques are only accessible to a few powerful Martial Kings.

Luo Xiu now understood the immense wealth left by the Martial King Bu Chen!

Even the combined wealth of many Martial King-level experts would not match his, as Bu Chen was a Fifth Rank forging master.

Compared to ordinary martial artists, forging masters, array masters, and alchemists, once they reach a high level, are undoubtedly the wealthiest.