Chapter 99

Nowadays, Luo Xiu is no longer a naive young man. He has a general understanding of the world of martial cultivation.

The Four Great Guilds hold a supreme status, and the Hunters' Guild is the foremost among them, possessing a pivotal position.

Tianwu Kingdom is merely a small corner of this world, and there are countless forces stronger than it.

According to Luo Xiu's knowledge, the strongest force in Tianwu Kingdom is the royal family, which has a Martial Lord-level expert as its guardian.

A Martial Lord is virtually invincible in Tianwu Kingdom, standing at the pinnacle. However, in the broader world, they are insignificant.

The various branches and sub-branches of the Hunters' Guild are spread throughout the land, and the vastness of their influence is evident.

In Tianwu Kingdom, the Hunters' Guild has extremely strict criteria for admitting talented members, preferring quality over quantity.

Although the Hunters' Guild does not provide protection to talented members, as long as you have sufficient talent and ability, you can gain countless benefits from the guild to enhance your strength.

Strength is the source and eternal foundation of everything.

At fifteen years old, reaching the Eighth Level of Innate cultivation is quite remarkable in Tianwu Kingdom.

The girl behind Shen Yuannan, also fifteen, is named Lin Jiayi. She is a talented member admitted by the Hunters' Guild branch in Duhai County.

Each of the thirteen counties in Tianwu Kingdom has only one quota for a talented member. Lin Jiayi, being favored by Shen Yuannan, naturally possesses extraordinary talent.

At fifteen years old, she has reached the Seventh Level of Innate cultivation, and all her cultivation techniques are of the Seventh Rank.

When Shen Yuannan said she was inferior to Luo Xiu, Lin Jiayi was quite不服气 (unconvinced), as no one of her age could match her. She had a pride that did not yield to anyone.

Wearing a light blue dress, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, she was dissatisfied but did not argue at that moment.

Shen Yuannan naturally noticed Lin Jiayi's dissatisfaction. The reason he said she was inferior to Luo Xiu was not just because Luo Xiu's cultivation was a minor level higher.

Luo Xiu could instantly kill a Great Martial Master and a half-step Spirit Refiner. There are even some clues suggesting that the Spirit Refiner Martial Ancestor Hang Xiangchen might have died at his hands.

Lin Jiayi, though talented, only had the strength of a Great Martial Master.

Moreover, Luo Xiu, despite his young age, had a terrifying killing aura, indicating extensive combat experience.

Shen Yuannan personally confirmed Luo Xiu's cultivation and strength, and elevated his talent level to Upper Yellow Rank.

With Luo Xiu's current privileges, he could choose three Seventh Rank martial arts. Shen Yuannan gave him a list.

The list contained dozens of Seventh Rank martial arts, including cultivation techniques, combat skills, and movement techniques.

In Tianwu Kingdom, a single Seventh Rank martial art can be the core inheritance of a major force, but the Hunters' Guild has so many, which truly amazed Luo Xiu.

For Luo Xiu, the significance of Seventh Rank cultivation techniques was minimal. He only lacked combat skills and movement techniques.

After careful selection, he chose a combat skill called the Fire Refining Sword Technique, suitable for those cultivating fire-attribute true qi. His Netherworld Death Flame met the conditions and was more powerful than ordinary fire-attribute true qi.

Next, he chose a movement technique called Chasing the Wind and Catching the Moon, which was much more refined than the Ten Directions Shadow Technique.

After reaching the Spirit Refiner level, martial cultivators can fly through the air, making ordinary movement techniques useless. Therefore, movement techniques suitable for Spirit Refiners and above are called aerial techniques, which can enhance the speed of flying through the sky.

The Chasing the Wind and Catching the Moon technique Luo Xiu chose could be used as an aerial technique after reaching the Spirit Refiner level.

Seeing that Luo Xiu did not choose a cultivation technique, Shen Yuannan was not surprised, as Luo Xiu must have had some special encounters to achieve his current strength.

In addition to Seventh Rank martial arts, Upper Yellow Rank talents receive one thousand medium-grade qi stones annually for cultivation.

One thousand medium-grade qi stones may not seem like much, but if converted to low-grade qi stones, it would be one hundred thousand, almost equivalent to the wealth of an ordinary Martial King.

Among Yellow Rank talents, only Upper Yellow Rank receives one thousand medium-grade qi stones. Lower and Middle Yellow Ranks only receive martial arts cultivation techniques.

The higher the talent level, the more attention one receives, as even the Hunters' Guild has limited resources.

"There is less than two years until the Xuan You Secret Realm opens. At that time, there will be a fierce competition. Before the Xuan You Secret Realm opens, there will be a quota battle, and various forces from the thirteen counties will send representatives to participate."

This was the second time Luo Xiu had heard about the Xuan You Secret Realm, but he did not know how it compared to the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm.

Secret Realms are special spaces left by powerful figures from ancient times, containing various mysterious wonders.

In Tianwu Kingdom, there are three major Secret Realms: the Xuan You Secret Realm, the Hellfire Secret Realm, and the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm.

The Xuan You Secret Realm is filled with an extremely cold aura, and under such special conditions, numerous heavenly treasures and precious items are cultivated.

Regardless of the type of cultivation, martial cultivators can gain training and countless benefits in the Xuan You Secret Realm.

The only prerequisite is that you must survive in the Secret Realm.

The forces in Tianwu Kingdom are complex, and the quotas for entering the Secret Realm are limited, requiring competition. The age limit for entering the Secret Realm is under thirty years old, and the cultivation requirement is above the Innate level.

Even if one does not meet the conditions for entering the Secret Realm, even a Martial Lord cannot forcibly enter the Secret Realm space.

The quota battle is usually held in advance. The thirteen counties combined have ten quotas, meaning only the top ten in the competition can enter the Xuan You Secret Realm.

Additionally, the six provinces of Tianwu Kingdom each have ten quotas, and the royal family of Tianwu Kingdom has ten quotas.

In total, only eighty people can enter the Xuan You Secret Realm!

There are hundreds of millions of martial cultivators in Tianwu Kingdom, and once these eighty quotas are determined, they represent the eighty strongest young talents in Tianwu Kingdom.

This will be a grand competition among geniuses.

In the Hunters' Guild, Luo Xiu received a private cultivation chamber.

In the chamber, Luo Xiu sat cross-legged, taking out the medium-grade qi stones from his storage ring, as well as some high-grade qi stones he obtained from the remains of Martial Lord Su Jingyun.

These qi stones, when piled together, emitted a brilliant light, filling the entire chamber with a dense aura of heaven and earth, which he could feel enhancing his cultivation with each breath.

Luo Xiu took out a Fifth Rank Spirit Gathering Array Plate, preparing to use the power of these qi stones to break through to the Ninth Level of Innate cultivation.

Compared to Tianwu Kingdom, Yunlong and Duhai counties are insignificant, and compared to the broader world, Tianwu Kingdom is also insignificant.

With a thought, the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel in his dantian began to rotate, and Luo Xiu had full confidence that his path would not be limited to this small corner of the world.

"However, before that, I must first enhance my strength. Only with the strength of a Martial Lord can I stand firm in Tianwu Kingdom without having to look at anyone's face."

Taking a deep breath, Luo Xiu knew that although he had potential, his current strength was still too weak. At his current level, he would not be a match for any Spirit Refiner Fourth Level or higher.

Cultivating the technique, the dense aura of heaven and earth flooded into his body, and the Life and Death True Qi began to condense in his dantian. The All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel rotated faster and became more solid.

At the same time, the second Origin Law Diagram appeared in his mind, allowing him to comprehend the mysteries of life and death.

...

Now, the name of Asura is well-known in Duhai County.

Regardless of the rumors outside, Luo Xiu did not leave the chamber for the next two months, and time passed quietly.

In the path of martial cultivation, not advancing means falling behind. In this state of diligent cultivation, Luo Xiu's progress was rapid, and his Life and Death True Qi became more solid and powerful.

However, in the Lei Wu Sect, Lu Mengyao encountered trouble.

At fifteen years old, her Fire Yang Vein condition flared up, causing her cultivation to decline and her life to be in danger.

To suppress the Fire Yang Vein, her father, Lu Feichen, tried every method, using various ice-attribute medicines and treasures to suppress the Fire Yang energy in her body.

In the Snow Mountain Province of Tianwu Kingdom, there is a sect called the Tian Shan Snow Sect, which has a core inheritance technique called the Ice Heart Technique, a Seventh Rank martial art.

Lu Feichen once took Lu Mengyao to the Snow Mountain Province to seek the Ice Heart Technique, hoping that she could cultivate it to balance the Fire Yang energy. After a few years, her Fire Yang Vein might be cured.

However, the Seventh Rank martial art is a core inheritance, and the Tian Shan Snow Sect would not pass it to outsiders. However, the son of the Tian Shan Snow Sect's leader was interested in Lu Mengyao and proposed that she marry him in exchange for the Ice Heart Technique.

The Tian Shan Snow Sect's young master was ugly and had a bad reputation, so Lu Mengyao firmly refused, preferring death to marriage.

This matter was left unresolved, and now, with the sudden changes in the Xian Yao Sect, Lu Feichen died, and Lu Mengyao fled to Duhai County, becoming a disciple of the Lei Wu Sect.

Upon learning of this, the young master of the Snow Sect came to the Lei Wu Sect to propose marriage.

In the Xian Yao Sect, she had the protection of her father, Lu Feichen, and the founder, Kong Qingyu, so there were no issues.

However, in the Lei Wu Sect, she had no relatives, and although Le Pengcheng treated her well, he was only a protector in the Lei Wu Sect, with limited influence.

"Lu Mengyao, the Tian Shan Snow Sect has grown in power and controls an entire province, far surpassing the Lei Wu Sect. If you marry the young master of the Snow Sect, the benefits will be unimaginable."

In the room, Le Pengcheng was trying to persuade Lu Mengyao.

"I would rather die than marry him," Lu Mengyao refused without hesitation, feeling a bit sad.

If her father, Lu Feichen, were still alive, he would never force her to marry someone she did not want to, no matter how powerful the Tian Shan Snow Sect was.

Although Uncle Le is a close friend of her father and treats her well, their relationship is not as close.

For Le Pengcheng and the higher-ups in the Lei Wu Sect, an alliance with the Tian Shan Snow Sect would be a strong partnership, and they would see no reason not to do it.

"Lu Mengyao, Uncle Le has treated you well. Since you joined the Lei Wu Sect, you have never been wronged, right?"

Le Pengcheng sighed and said, "I can't make this decision for you. The sect leader has already agreed to the young master of the Snow Sect's proposal."

"I won't marry him!" Lu Mengyao's attitude remained firm.

She couldn't help but think of Luo Xiu. If... if there were no changes, Luo Xiu would definitely be by her side.

However, fate is truly unpredictable, and she knew that the relationship between her and Luo Xiu could not return to what it was before.