Chapter 77

After taking a single Body Transformation Pill, Luo Xiu walked out of the Hunter's Guild.

He noticed several martial artists loitering in front of the Hunter's Guild. It was obvious that they were sent by Yue Pengcheng to keep watch.

However, as long as Yue Pengcheng was not there, ordinary Qi Sea martial artists and Innate martial masters could not see through the disguise of the Body Transformation Pill.

Luo Xiu first inquired around the city and learned that during his seclusion at the Hunter's Guild, Lu Mengyao had already left Zuoxing City and headed to the Lei Wu Gate in Duhai County.

He had not appeared for a while and was unsure if Yue Pengcheng had also left. However, Luo Xiu believed that if Yue Pengcheng was truly interested in his secrets, he would not have left.

Luo Xiu even suspected that the news of Lu Mengyao's departure was deliberately released by Yue Pengcheng to make him think that Yue Pengcheng had also left, so he would feel safe and show himself. In reality, Yue Pengcheng had not left and was waiting for him to appear.

The world is full of treacherous hearts. To be on the safe side, Luo Xiu took the Body Transformation Pill before daring to leave the Hunter's Guild.

For the next month, Luo Xiu trained in the Guanlei Mountains. Using his Life Perception ability, he hunted third-level demonic beasts everywhere, honing his cultivation and martial arts through these battles.

The rapid improvement in his cultivation filled Luo Xiu with confidence. He tried to find a fourth-level demonic beast to see how much of a gap there was between him and a Spirit Refinement Martial Ancestor.

Almost as soon as they met, he was no match for the beast. If not for the speed of the Ten Directions Residual Shadows technique, he might have already been devoured by the beast.

Luo Xiu estimated that his strength was roughly equivalent to the seventh level of the Innate realm. If he could break through to the Innate realm, he would be able to contend with the ninth level of the Innate realm, or even a half-step Spirit Refinement.

During this month, Luo Xiu killed over a hundred third-level demonic beasts. Sometimes he would encounter the top-tier third-level demonic beasts and get injured, even nearly losing his life a few times.

"Roar!"

A black bear with bloodshot eyes stood up on its hind legs, baring its fangs and roaring fiercely.

Not far from the black bear, Luo Xiu stepped out from the shadows of the trees. His black clothes were torn in several places, but his eyes were bright and full of vitality.

This black bear was a third-level demonic beast, with strength roughly equivalent to the fifth level of the Innate realm. Perhaps sensing the terrifying aura from this human, it seemed fierce but was constantly retreating.

Demonic beasts have an instinctive sense of danger. From the killing aura emanating from this human, it could sense that many demonic beasts of similar strength had died at his hands.

Cultivation requires resources. Hunting demonic beasts not only hones one's strength but also provides materials that can be sold for Essence Stones. Therefore, Luo Xiu had killed many third-level demonic beasts during this period.

The various third-level materials piled up in his storage ring were worth several thousand low-grade Essence Stones.

Just as Luo Xiu was about to kill the third-level black bear, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came, and a young man, covered in blood, staggered out of the bushes and fell to the ground.

Luo Xiu focused his gaze and saw that the young man's life force was very weak, and his life meridians were almost shattered. Unless there was a miraculous elixir, he was beyond saving and would surely die.

When Luo Xiu's attention was drawn to the suddenly appearing young man, the third-level black bear took the opportunity to flee.

Luo Xiu did not chase the fleeing black bear but walked over to the injured young man.

He had killed many people, but Luo Xiu was not a cold-blooded person.

This was a world of the strong preying on the weak, where lives were constantly being lost. As someone who possessed the Life and Death Pearl and cultivated the mysteries of the Life and Death Law, Luo Xiu understood more and more as his cultivation increased.

"Friend, please help me..."

The blood-covered young man, weakly, spoke to Luo Xiu.

Perhaps because the young man was already a dead man, Luo Xiu did not have any guard up.

"I am from the Gongsun family. I was ambushed and severely injured. I have a token here. I hope you can help me deliver it to the Gongsun family."

As he spoke weakly, the young man trembled and took out a crescent-shaped jade pendant from his chest.

"If I have the chance, I will deliver it for you." Luo Xiu nodded and reached out to take the pendant.

But just as Luo Xiu's fingers touched the pendant, the young man's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and a sharp dagger appeared in his hand, stabbing towards Luo Xiu's heart.

"Thud!"

A splash of blood. Despite Luo Xiu's quick reaction, the dagger still managed to cut a wound on his chest, and blood spurted out.

Luo Xiu's face turned cold. If he had not dodged quickly, the dagger would have pierced his heart.

The young man seemed surprised by Luo Xiu's quick reaction. In that moment of shock, Luo Xiu's fist struck.

"Wait..."

The young man tried to speak, but Luo Xiu's fist hit his head. Already on the brink of death, the young man died instantly.

Luo Xiu's eyes were cold, and his heart was even colder. Because of a moment of kindness, he had nearly lost his life. The treachery of human hearts was truly terrifying.

What Luo Xiu did not understand was why the young man, who was already a dead man, would try to kill him.

Luo Xiu took the young man's storage ring and the crescent-shaped jade pendant, then turned and left without a second glance at the corpse.

The storage ring contained a token with the characters "Gongsun" on it, confirming the young man's identity as a member of the Gongsun family.

There were also some Essence Stones and pills, but the crescent-shaped jade pendant was peculiar, as it could not be stored in the storage ring.

This was the first time Luo Xiu had encountered something that could not be stored in a storage ring. Since the pendant was taken from the young man's chest, it was likely a significant item.

Luo Xiu studied the pendant for a long time but could not figure out its purpose.

After taking a Body Transformation Pill, Luo Xiu returned to Zuoxing City.

He first sold all the materials from the third-level demonic beasts at the Hunter's Guild, then requested a private room to prepare for breaking through to the Innate realm.

After a month, his cultivation was basically stable, and with all the preparations in place, this was the best time to break through to the Innate realm.

In the private room, Luo Xiu had already used up most of his Essence Stones. He had a few thousand low-grade Essence Stones and several hundred high-grade Essence Stones left, which he planned to keep as a reserve.

This seclusion to break through to the Innate realm mainly relied on the assistance of the Heaven Ascension Pill and the Yin Stone.

Taking the Yin Stone out of his storage ring and holding it in his palm, Luo Xiu then took a Heaven Ascension Pill. As the pill dissolved, a powerful medicinal force instantly spread throughout his body.

At the same time, he activated the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel, and the Yin Qi from the Yin Stone was continuously absorbed, forming Yin and Yang True Qi.

The True Qi gathered in his Dantian, revolving around the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel, forming a vortex.

Breaking through from the Qi Sea to the Innate realm involves two steps. The first step is to condense the True Qi into a vortex, also known as a Qi Vortex.

The second step is to refine the elemental power and form Innate True Qi.

Luo Xiu's True Qi already contained the attributes of Yin and Yang, so the moment the Qi Vortex condensed, he had essentially succeeded in breaking through.

However, the newly formed Qi Vortex was unstable and required sufficient Essence to stabilize it. If the Qi Vortex collapsed, the breakthrough would fail.

Before long, Luo Xiu had taken four Heaven Ascension Pills, and the black Yin Stone gradually turned gray and then white.

When the Yin Stone finally shattered into powder, the Qi Vortex in Luo Xiu's Dantian finally stabilized.

Inside his Dantian, the Yin and Yang True Qi formed a vortex, like a galaxy.

At the center of this vast vortex, the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel slowly rotated, like an eternal star, existing since ancient times.

After breaking through to the Innate realm, Luo Xiu's first feeling was that his senses had become much sharper. He could sense the slightest movements within a radius of two to three miles.

Before reaching the Innate realm, Luo Xiu already had the ability of Soul Perception. Now, with his cultivation at the Innate realm, this perception ability had become even stronger and covered a larger area.

Combined with his Life Perception ability, unless someone had top-tier concealment skills, anyone approaching within two to three miles would be clearly perceived by him.

In addition to the enhanced Soul Perception ability, Luo Xiu extended his palm, and Yin and Yang True Qi condensed in his palm, forming a tangible aura that fluctuated.

Condensing Qi into an aura and Soul Perception were the two key abilities that made Innate martial masters truly superior to Qi Sea martial artists.

"Now that I have reached the Innate realm, I should be able to receive another gift from the Origin Law, right?" Luo Xiu felt a surge of excitement.

The last time he received a gift from the Origin Law, he obtained the Fast Sword Technique, which allowed him to easily defeat enemies of higher levels. With his cultivation now at the first level of the Innate realm, he was almost unmatched below the Spirit Refinement Martial Ancestor.

The Spirit of the Cycle had mentioned that the gifts from the Origin Law would help enhance the successor's strength, which made Luo Xiu very eager.

Sensing the Life and Death Pearl, a tingling sensation passed through him, and Luo Xiu's figure instantly disappeared. In the private room, only a black and white glowing pearl floated in the air.

Looking up at the ancient and eternal cycle, Luo Xiu felt a deep sense of awe every time he saw it.

He wondered what level of cultivation he would need to reach to master the Origin Law of Life and Death and control the cycle.

"Weak successor, you have broken through to the Innate realm and can receive another gift from the Origin Law."

The voice of the Spirit of the Cycle sounded, and a beam of light shot out, forming a glowing orb in front of Luo Xiu.

This glowing orb was the gift from the Origin Law, but its exact nature was still unknown.