Another day passed. The yacht entered the waters of Sakura Country and was about to dock. Luo Xiu reluctantly bid farewell to his teachers, and they exchanged contact information. Upon arriving in Sakura Country, Luo Xiu didn't linger. He boarded a flight to Hua Country with Su Hongli that very day. Su Shenyun, however, chose to go her separate way. She took a plane directly to the Capital of Hua Country, as she had to report on her mission and deal with the Soul-devouring Worm in her body.

「...」

Luo Xiu slept for a long time. By the time Su Hongli woke him, the plane had already landed at the international airport in Henghai Provincial City.

At the airport entrance, Su Hongli spread her arms and looked up at the sky as if to embrace it.

She took a deep breath and said, "It feels so good to be home."

The city's air might not have been as fresh as that on the deserted island, but it was the air of home.

"Looking back on the time I was away, it wasn't actually that long, but it felt like I experienced a completely different life."

Luo Xiu smiled. "But in the end, you always have to return to your original life."

Thinking about the madman she would have to face back home, Su Hongli felt a wave of bitterness.

"Those few days on the deserted island were probably the most relaxing time of my life," she said. "I didn't have to think about anything except finding food."

Luo Xiu hailed a taxi and waved to her. "I'm heading back first, Auntie Su. See you later."

"Yeah, see you."

「...」

It was past five in the afternoon when Luo Xiu arrived at Yue Tianyang's Feiyun Villa.

As he walked into the courtyard of the small villa, he saw Lin Xiyue and Ye Ningxue sitting cross-legged on the lawn, facing each other.

At that moment, Ye Ningxue was earnestly explaining some knowledge of the Martial Way to Lin Xiyue.

"The so-called Body Refinement is the process of strengthening your muscles, bones, and skin to a certain level."

"As for Embrace Qi, it occurs after your Dantian is opened, allowing your body to gather Qi. When that Qi clusters in your Dantian, it forms what is known as internal energy."

"After Embrace Qi comes Meridian Channeling, which roughly means all the meridians in your body are opened. You can freely control the internal energy in your Dantian, letting it flow through your meridians and even project it outward."

"Just like Xiao Xue does."

With that, Ye Ningxue raised her arm and casually struck out with her palm.

The next moment, a fir tree more than ten meters away was hit by an invisible surge of Qi Force. The bark indented deeply, leaving a clear palm print.

Seeing this, Lin Xiyue's face filled with longing. "If I reach the Meridian Connecting Realm, I'll be able to beat up Luo Xiu."

Hiding nearby, Luo Xiu heard this and couldn't help but mutter a few curses.

I'm out risking my life, and not only are you not worried about me, but you're also fantasizing about beating me up? What did I ever do to you?!

Ye Ningxue continued, "After Meridian Channeling is the Vajra Realm."

Lin Xiyue asked, "Is that when your body becomes impervious to blades and spears? Like an indestructible body?"

Ye Ningxue gently shook her head and patiently explained, "It's actually when your internal energy forms an invisible protective Gang Qi on the surface of your body. With this Gang Qi protecting you, you can defend against external attacks to a great extent."

"Because it looks like an indestructible body, it was named the 'Vajra Realm'."

"I see."

Ye Ningxue went on, "Beyond the Vajra Realm, as you continue to advance, the protective Gang Qi becomes stronger and stronger. A Grandmaster's protective Gang Qi is strong enough to resist ordinary blades and spears."

"As for the Grandmaster Realm, it's a perfect integration of the previous three realms."

Lin Xiyue asked, "What about above the Grandmaster Realm?"

Ye Ningxue replied, "Beyond the Grandmaster Realm lies a brand-new realm, a gateway to a new world."

She looked intently at Lin Xiyue. "This realm is called the 'Gathering Spirit Realm'."

"As the name implies, those in the Gathering Spirit Realm can absorb the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, gather it in their Dantian, and merge it with their own internal energy to form a more powerful type of energy."

"This energy is essentially Spiritual Energy, but 'Spiritual Energy' isn't its proper name—'Spiritual Power' is."

Lin Xiyue looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Ye Ningxue explained, "The energy of heaven and earth is called 'Spiritual Energy' before a Martial Artist absorbs it into their body."

"Once it is absorbed by a Martial Artist and merged with their internal energy, it becomes known as 'Spiritual Power'."

"I never knew there were such distinctions," Lin Xiyue remarked.

Ye Ningxue continued, "However, the Spiritual Energy on Earth is growing increasingly thin. Only a very few places have dense enough Spiritual Energy, so Martial Artists in the Gathering Spirit Realm are becoming rarer and rarer."

"Some people get stuck at the peak of Grandmaster Great Perfection, unable to cross the threshold into the Gathering Spirit Realm their entire lives."

"Over time, fewer and fewer Martial Artists could actually reach the Gathering Spirit Realm, until it seemed to exist only in legends. Because of this, the new generation of Martial Artists calls it the 'Legendary Realm'."

「...」

Luo Xiu, who had been eavesdropping from the side, pinched his chin and nodded lightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. After hearing Ye Ningxue's explanation, he felt he had gained a lot of theoretical knowledge.

However, he still couldn't figure out what realm he was in. Could it be some realm above the Gathering Spirit Realm?

"Who's there?!"

Just as Luo Xiu was lost in thought, Ye Ningxue's cold voice cut through the air.

In the blink of an eye, a sharp sword tip was already hovering before his eyes, and Ye Ningxue had appeared in front of him.

Luo Xiu sighed internally. It had only been a few days, but Ye Ningxue's movement techniques had improved again, and her sword momentum was even more formidable.

"Xiao Xue, it's me," Luo Xiu said with a wry smile.

"Mas... Master?"

Ye Ningxue lowered her sword, her eyes wide. Then, she rushed forward and hugged Luo Xiu.

"Master, Xiao Xue missed you!"

「...」

After hugging his beloved disciple for a moment, Luo Xiu walked over to Lin Xiyue, who was still on the lawn.

She had her back turned to him, however, like a shy young bride, too bashful to face him.

When Luo Xiu quickly circled around to her front, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.

Luo Xiu suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at Lin Xiyue as he laughed without a care in the world.

Fuming, Lin Xiyue's body trembled. She shot up, grabbed his arm, and began pinching it fiercely.

This rotten guy! He finally comes back after all this time, and not only does he not ask how I am, he dares to laugh at me!

"Ow! That hurts!"

"Alright, alright, Sister Yue, I was wrong! Stop pinching!"

"You think this is funny? I'll pinch you to death!"

Luo Xiu rubbed her head. Looking at her face, which was still a bit swollen with a few bruises, he suppressed his laughter and said, "I already watched your match with Yueyue. I have to say, you were both pretty ruthless. It was a real slugfest."

"But I really don't get you women... Why must you make things so hard for each other?"

Humiliated and angry, Lin Xiyue stomped her foot and said through gritted teeth, "Now that you're back, I don't have to deal with anything anymore!"

Luo Xiu's expression turned serious as he said gently, "You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me."

Lin Xiyue was instantly defeated by his tenderness. She suddenly felt aggrieved, and her eyes reddened as she leaned a little closer, her arms slightly open in a clear hint for a hug.

But Luo Xiu was completely oblivious. He turned around decisively and walked into the house with a carefree stride.

Watching his back, Lin Xiyue gritted her teeth and muttered a few curses under her breath.

Suddenly, Luo Xiu called back, "Let's go check on Yueyue later."

"Do whatever you want!"

「...」

Night had fallen.

Inside the large estate of the Provincial Capital Duan Family, Duan Feibai stood before a door, trembling uncontrollably. His fists were clenched tight, his eyes so red they looked as if they might bleed.

From inside the room came the crisp sound of whipping—SMACK, SMACK, SMACK—occasionally punctuated by Su Hongli's pained groans and the vile, venomous curses of that madman.

Clearly, the madman was abusing Su Hongli again.

Every lash that landed on Su Hongli's body carved another indelible scar onto Duan Feibai's heart. These scars had been accumulating ever since he was a child.

But he was powerless.

He had no way to stop it, no ability to stop it, and certainly no courage to stop it.

And so, he could only transfer his towering hatred onto Luo Xiu.

It was because that madman had found out about Su Hongli going abroad with Luo Xiu to save Su Shenyun that she was now suffering his wrath.

"Luo Xiu... this is all your fault!"

"You're the reason my mom is suffering... I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"

His gaze icy, he stared at the door for another moment before turning to leave.

"And you, you madman! One day, I will kick you out of this house!"

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