Chapter 65

Hunters' Guild.

Luo Xiu's face was pale as he staggered into the internal members' area.

A woman with a delicate appearance and a graceful figure walked towards him. Seeing Luo Xiu in such a state, she quickly came over to support him.

A faint fragrance from the woman wafted into his nose, and Luo Xiu, feeling somewhat weak, said, "Take me to a quiet room."

At the same time, Luo Xiu also saw the woman's face, and to his surprise, she was an acquaintance.

Jiang Shanshan, the first beauty of the Qingyun City Hunters' Guild.

However, Luo Xiu had no time to think about why Jiang Shanshan was in the Yunlong County Guild; he needed to find a place to recover from his injuries.

"Are you... are you okay?" Jiang Shanshan supported Luo Xiu and led him to a simple, clean room.

Luo Xiu rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless, "Do I look like I'm okay?"

Jiang Shanshan felt a bit awkward and said, "That's not what I meant. I mean, how serious are your injuries? Can I help you with anything?"

"You can leave me here; I can heal myself." Luo Xiu said.

As she spoke, Jiang Shanshan helped Luo Xiu sit down, then turned and left, closing the door behind her.

This was the internal area of the Hunters' Guild, so there was no need to worry about safety. Luo Xiu immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and began to circulate his cultivation technique to repair his injuries.

The force from Zhang Luliang's palm contained innate true qi. Even just being grazed by it caused his bones to break and his meridians to be damaged, showing the significant gap in strength between him and an innate martial artist.

In his dantian, the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel continuously rotated, releasing streams of true qi rich in life force, which flowed through his body, repairing the damaged life meridians.

...

After about an hour, Luo Xiu opened his eyes. His broken bones and damaged meridians had fully recovered.

"Creak..."

The door was slowly pushed open, and Luo Xiu looked up to see the guild master, Wen Qianhong, walk in.

"Are you feeling better?" Wen Qianhong asked with a smile as he sat down.

Luo Xiu nodded and stood up to bow, "Thank you, Guild Master, for your help this time."

He knew very well that without the Body Transformation Pill given by Wen Qianhong, he would never have been able to infiltrate the Outer Sect of the Free and Easy Sect. He would have been discovered and unable to leave.

But thinking of Lu Mengyao's final decisive choice, Luo Xiu couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew that from now on, the two of them would be like strangers, no longer part of the same world.

Seeing Luo Xiu's expression, Wen Qianhong, with his worldly wisdom, immediately understood the situation.

"Everyone has their own choices and their own paths to walk. Different choices lead to different paths, and naturally, they won't walk together." Wen Qianhong said with a smile.

Luo Xiu knew the guild master was trying to comfort him, so he also smiled and replied, "Perhaps this is what they mean by 'different paths, different goals.'"

"Ha ha, you can understand it that way," Wen Qianhong nodded and smiled.

"In life, nine out of ten things are not as one wishes. Your path ahead is still long. If you want to achieve something in martial cultivation, the first thing you need to do is to reach the level of an innate martial artist within a year."

Every year, the internal members of the guild undergo an assessment. If they fail to meet the requirements, they will no longer receive the guild's cultivation support.

The Hunters' Guild provides almost no restrictions on the cultivation of geniuses, nor does it offer any protection. Whether they can grow or not depends entirely on their own opportunities and abilities.

Of course, depending on their authority, genius members can also obtain information, data, cultivation techniques, and resources from the Hunters' Guild, as long as they meet the conditions, the guild will provide them free of charge.

Luo Xiu understood what Guild Master Wen Qianhong meant. Since the matter with Lu Mengyao was basically resolved, he planned to focus his main energy on martial cultivation from now on.

Wen Qianhong did not stay long with Luo Xiu. He treated Luo Xiu differently because of his talent and because he found the young man likable.

There are never a shortage of geniuses in this world, but what is lacking are geniuses who can grow into powerful individuals.

After Wen Qianhong left, Luo Xiu began his cultivation in the room. In the past, he had mainly focused on comprehending the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel and the Fast Sword Technique, not paying too much attention to improving his cultivation level.

However, being injured by Zhang Luliang at the Outer Sect of the Free and Easy Sect made him realize the importance of cultivation. If the gap in cultivation between opponents is significant, it can completely overwhelm the other side.

For example, Zhang Luliang, while his realm might be far inferior to Luo Xiu's, his cultivation was so much higher that it could make up for the gap in martial arts realm, giving him the power to overwhelm Luo Xiu.

Both cultivation and realm are extremely important.

Luo Xiu's comprehension of the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel's fundamental law diagram, combined with the cultivation of the Fast Sword Technique, made his martial arts realm quite high, surpassing many innate martial artists.

However, his cultivation was relatively low, only at the third level of the Qi Sea stage.

Improving cultivation is relatively easier than improving realm, as long as one has sufficient resources and good talent.

With a fifth-stage Spirit Gathering Array and medium-grade essence stones, Luo Xiu was completely immersed in the rapid improvement of his cultivation.

...

After Luo Xiu left, Lu Mengyao didn't know how long she cried, until she finally fainted from crying.

When she woke up in a daze, she found herself in bed, with her father, Lu Feichen, sitting at a table nearby.

"Luo Xiu..."

The last scene of Luo Xiu parting with her flashed in her mind, especially the four words "I don't blame you," which filled her heart with guilt.

She knew that because of her, Luo Xiu had nearly lost his life, and even his parents and sister were affected.

But the person who did all this was her beloved father, and she ultimately chose to separate from Luo Xiu for her father, becoming strangers.

"Mengyao, you're awake." Lu Feichen looked over.

"Father, what about Luo Xiu?" Lu Mengyao suddenly remembered that Luo Xiu had killed several Outer Sect disciples. She was anxious and fearful, wondering if he had escaped, if he had been caught, or if he was injured.

Lu Feichen sighed and said, "Luo Xiu escaped into the Hunters' Guild..."

Hearing that Luo Xiu was safe, Lu Mengyao breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Father, please don't target him anymore, okay? I'll marry Gou Jinchuan."

She knew that Luo Xiu had killed several Outer Sect disciples, and if the Free and Easy Sect pursued the matter, there would be no place for him in the entire Yunlong County.

"Alright, I promise not to pursue this matter," Lu Feichen said with a smile to comfort her.

However, a cold glint flashed in Lu Feichen's eyes. He promised Lu Mengyao to calm her down, but he had no intention of letting Luo Xiu, that little brat, off.

...

Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, a month had gone by.

During this time, Luo Xiu never left the Hunters' Guild, always in seclusion, undisturbed by anyone.

The major martial halls in the eighteen cities of the county had not found any clues about him, but under Lu Feichen's orders, people were always watching the various Hunters' Guild branches.

One day, Luo Xiu slowly opened his eyes. In a month, he had used over a hundred medium-grade essence stones, and his cultivation had broken through two minor levels, reaching the fifth level of the Qi Sea stage.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Guild Master Wen Qianhong, who then informed him that a major event had occurred in the Free and Easy Sect during his seclusion.

Half a month ago, the Free and Easy Sect's patriarch had fallen, and before Lu Feichen could marry his daughter Lu Mengyao to Gou Jinchuan, the struggle for the position of patriarch had begun.

Kong Qingyu failed in his bid for the position of patriarch, and Di Sixi became the new patriarch, suppressing Kong Qingyu's lineage.

"Ten days ago, Lu Feichen was severely injured and fled from the Free and Easy Sect with Lu Mengyao. They are now in the Hunters' Guild," Guild Master Wen Qianhong told Luo Xiu.

Because Luo Xiu was in seclusion, Guild Master Wen Qianhong waited until he emerged to inform him of this news.

Luo Xiu hadn't expected such a sudden change in the situation.

In a quiet room, Luo Xiu saw Lu Mengyao, her face streaked with tears, looking pale and haggard.

On the bed, Lu Feichen's breath was weak, and in Luo Xiu's eyes, his life meridians were dim and surrounded by a black aura of death.

Lu Feichen was a ninth-level Spirit Cultivation martial grandmaster, and his life meridians should have emitted a blue glow, but now they were black with the aura of death, indicating that he was near death.

Although Luo Xiu's Life and Death Qi could repair life meridians, he knew his cultivation was too low to save Lu Feichen in this state.

Moreover, even if he could save him, for someone who had tried to kill him and harmed his family, Luo Xiu might not have helped, despite his relationship with Lu Mengyao.

"Luo Xiu, I know you must hate me, but I hope you won't blame Mengyao. She really likes you, and if it weren't for me, her unworthy father, she wouldn't have agreed to separate from you."

Perhaps because he was near death, Lu Feichen looked at Luo Xiu calmly and said, "After I die, I hope you will take care of Mengyao. I was blinded by my desire to break through to the King realm. Don't blame her."

"Dad!..." Lu Mengyao cried her heart out.

Lu Feichen smiled at his daughter, "Mengyao, after I'm gone, take care of yourself. Luo Xiu is a good person. Following him will give you a place to belong, and I can die without regrets."

"After I die, you can go to Duhai County and join the Thunder Martial Sect."

Lu Feichen then looked at Luo Xiu with a pleading gaze.

At this point, Luo Xiu couldn't feel much resentment towards a dying man, so he said, "Guild Master Lu, rest assured, I will take care of Mengyao."

Hearing Luo Xiu's promise, Lu Feichen finally felt at ease. Suddenly, a black bloodstain appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he slowly closed his eyes, his breath ceasing.

In Luo Xiu's eyes, Lu Feichen's life meridians dimmed and disappeared in an instant.

"Dad!" Lu Mengyao was heartbroken, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to accept this reality.

She had given up her relationship with Luo Xiu for her father, but in the end, she had lost her father.

Luo Xiu didn't know how to comfort Lu Mengyao at this moment. Perhaps, as Guild Master Wen Qianhong said, in life, nine out of ten things are not as one wishes...

He stepped forward and patted Lu Mengyao's shoulder, "Mengyao, your father is gone, but he wants you to live well. You need to be strong..."

To be honest, Luo Xiu didn't know how to comfort others.

Lu Mengyao fell into his arms, unable to control her grief. Her father's sudden passing made her feel as if she had lost all her support.

Before losing her father, she had already lost Luo Xiu, as if she had nothing left.