Eight Years in a Flash

Listening to the piercing cries outside, the cold light in Gu Xun'er's eyes gradually faded.

If this had been in the Gu Clan, anyone who dared do such a thing to her would have died without a whole corpse left behind. But this was the Xiao Clan. For the sake of her mission, she could only spare him for now. He had gotten off cheaply.

Gu Xun'er shook her head and took a black fish-shaped jade pendant from her robes. Under the faint moonlight, she gazed at the jade pendant in her hand, her fingers unable to stop themselves from gently stroking it.

"Brother Gu Xiao, Xun'er has listened to you and protected herself well. But where exactly are you now, Brother Gu Xiao? Xun'er really misses you so much."

Gu Xun'er murmured softly, and the longing in her heart immediately surged forth like an endless tide...

At the edge of the vast, boundless desert stood a massive city in silence. This city was called Mo City.

Mo City was the first stop at the Tagore Desert and an important port where countless travelers heading into the desert replenished their supplies.

Because it was so close to the desert, Mo City's weather was extremely hot. The air was filled with dense Fire Element energy, making this a paradise for Fire Element and earth-element cultivators.

At the edge of the desert, a figure slowly emerged from within the sands.

The figure stood around six feet tall, with flowing black hair draped over his shoulders. His nose was high and straight, his Sword Eyebrows slender, and his features handsome and heroic. His eyes shone like stars, brilliant and dazzling. Though he wore only a simple white robe, he still exuded an exceptional, otherworldly air.

He was a youth, a very handsome youth.

The youth held a refined steel longsword in his Left Hand and a small cloth sack in his right. The sack bulged visibly, clearly filled with items.

His starry eyes shifted as he headed straight in one direction.

Myriad Treasure Pavilion was a rather famous shop in Mo City. It specialized in providing all kinds of spiritual medicines, Magical Cores, and the like, while also purchasing various Magical Beast materials from individuals and mercenary groups.

"Boss, count these up!" The youth strode familiarly into Myriad Treasure Pavilion and tossed the cloth sack in his hand directly onto the counter.

"Oh, Young Master Lu is here! Welcome, welcome."

A flamboyantly dressed middle-aged woman turned around at the sound. When she saw the youth standing before the counter, her eyes lit up, and she greeted him with a smile.

The youth smiled, then lightly shook the cloth sack. Several dozen brightly gleaming Magical Cores immediately spilled out, striking the counter with a clattering sound.

These Magical Cores were not of a high grade, merely first-tier Magical Cores. Yet with several dozen of them together, the sight was still quite astonishing.

"Wow, Young Master Lu truly is incredible. You actually managed to obtain so many first-tier Magical Cores. In all these years, you are the only person I have seen who could hunt so many first-tier Magical Beasts while still at the Dou Qi stage."

The middle-aged woman smiled softly, making no attempt to conceal the admiration in her voice.

Generally speaking, Magical Beasts held a natural advantage over humans of the same rank. Yet the youth before her had slaughtered so many first-tier Magical Beasts in succession with only nine stages of Dou Qi. He truly deserved to be called a genuine genius.

Hearing the middle-aged woman's praise, the youth remained calm, a warm smile at the corner of his mouth. "Boss, you should calculate how much these are worth first. It is about time, and the old man at home is still waiting for me to go back and make him lunch."

"Alright, alright. Young Master Lu, you are always in such a hurry. Ah, I really envy Hai Boss for having such a sensible and capable son."

There was a trace of envy in the middle-aged woman's tone, but her hands were quick as she counted each of the first-tier Magical Cores the youth had brought.

"They are worth a total of sixty-four thousand nine hundred and thirty-nine Gold Coins. Let us round it up to sixty-five thousand Gold Coins. After all, we have known each other for quite some time."

The middle-aged woman quickly calculated the cores' total value.

"Fine. Do you sell Storage Rings here? Get me one. Just deduct the cost from that amount."

The youth shrugged as he spoke.

"Certainly. A Storage Ring costs forty-five thousand Gold Coins. After deducting that, you will receive twenty thousand Gold Coins."

After busying herself for a while, the middle-aged woman took out a Storage Ring and a golden card, handing them to the youth.

"This is the Storage Ring, and this card contains twenty thousand Gold Coins. Please keep them safe."

The middle-aged woman spoke softly.

"Thanks. Then I will be going." The youth put the Storage Ring on his hand, then stored both the card and the refined steel longsword inside it.

"Take care, Young Master Lu!" the middle-aged woman called.

The youth waved his hand, then lightly stepped out of Myriad Treasure Pavilion.

This youth was none other than the Gu Xiao of old. But since he had left the Ancient Realm and needed to avoid both the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan, he naturally could no longer use the name Gu Xiao. He was now called Lu Yunxiao.

Lu Yunxiao—this was his original name.

"I will buy some meat and make the old man lunch. This afternoon, I can prepare to break through to Dou Zhe. After holding myself back for so many years, the day has finally come."

Lu Yunxiao muttered to himself. Eight years had passed since he left the Ancient Realm, and he was now fourteen years old.

He had already reached nine stages of Dou Qi when he was nine years old. At that time, he could have broken through to Dou Zhe.

But in order to forge an unparalleled foundation and go farther in the future, he had forcibly remained at the nine-stage Dou Qi realm for five whole years.

Over these five years, he had constantly tempered his Dou Qi, refined his muscles and bones, and nourished his meridians. Combined with the cultivation method granted by the system, he had tempered his Dou Qi until it was exceptionally pure and condensed like refined iron.

His muscles and bones had become incomparably strong. With a casual punch, he could unleash immense force. Even a Da Dou Shi might not possess such powerful muscles and bones.

Yet his greatest gains were in his meridians. Not only were they extraordinarily tough, but over these five years of nourishment, they had also broken through every obstruction. The impurities within them had been completely expelled, and he had now reached the realm where all one hundred meridians were open. Once he began cultivating, his speed would far surpass that of others.

Sharpening the knife did not delay the cutting of firewood. It might seem that he had wasted five years, but for his future, those five years would allow him to go farther and more smoothly. It was absolutely a profitable investment with no downside.

More importantly, the day he broke through to Dou Zhe would also be the day his physique began to unseal. The enormous energy that would suddenly surge forth would be impossible to withstand without strong Bone Structure and resilient meridians. Thus, from any perspective, those five years had been necessary.

Fortunately, the five years had finally passed. Lu Yunxiao now perfectly possessed every condition needed and could advance into the Dou Zhe realm without concern.