Second-Rank High Stage!

Xu Jie simply grabbed Chu Mingyue's jade legs and directly picked up her delicate body. Startled, Chu Mingyue buried her face in Xu Jie's embrace and whispered timidly.

"Don't... don't do it here... okay?"

"???"

He wasn't thinking of eating Chu Mingyue, what was she thinking?

He just suddenly felt an impulse and instinctively acted, it wasn't as exaggerated as Chu Mingyue imagined.

"If... if you really must do it here... how about... we go over there?"

Xu Jie followed Chu Mingyue's gaze towards a small grove not far away, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

This woman was truly bold!

Was this a characteristic of m?

Xu Jie forced himself to calm down. He put down Chu Mingyue, who was looking lost and confused, and gently reassured her.

"No rush, we'll have plenty of time later!"

"Mhm~"

Hearing this, Chu Mingyue seemed to become even more reliant on Xu Jie. She skillfully hugged his arm and stuck close to his side.

[Usable Lifespan: 722]

On the way back to Jincheng City, Xu Jie, by sheer luck, encountered several First-Rank demons.

This time, he didn't let Chu Mingyue make a move. Instead, he acted himself, killing the demons and gaining several hundred more years of lifespan.

It was different from when they first left the city!

Back then, Chu Mingyue hadn't revealed her inner feelings yet. Her relationship with Xu Jie was simply that of an instructor and a student.

But now, their relationship had undergone a massive change!

Chu Mingyue had become Xu Jie's woman. If Xu Jie told her not to act, she would obediently refrain, prioritizing submission.

"System, upgrade the Muscle-Tendon Changing Scripture!"

After saying that in his mind, Xu Jie paused for a moment before adding.

"Save some usable lifespan to upgrade the Demonic Blade!"

[Muscle-Tendon Changing Scripture - Muscle-Tendon Changing Chapter (Great Accomplishment): After fifty years of arduous cultivation, you have successfully strengthened the Twelve Meridians to the Great Accomplishment stage. The time that followed was all spent on opening new Extraordinary Meridians.]

[A full four hundred and seventy years have passed! You have finally cultivated the Muscle-Tendon Changing Chapter to true Great Accomplishment, opening up three more Extraordinary Meridians! With this, your realm has reached the Seventh Layer of the Pulse Opening Realm, entering the Second-Rank High Stage.]

[Progress towards next lottery draw (1172/3000)!]

It had cost Xu Jie five hundred and twenty years of usable lifespan to cultivate the Muscle-Tendon Changing Chapter to Great Accomplishment. The consumption was incredibly high.

In fact, Xu Jie realized that what truly consumed a large amount of lifespan was opening up the Extraordinary Meridians!

Just opening up three Extraordinary Meridians had cost him 470 years of usable lifespan!

If he hadn't opened up the Extraordinary Meridians, he would probably have cultivated to the Pulse-Opening Peak Stage by now.

Was it worth it?

Of course, it was worth it!

Xu Jie had five more Extraordinary Meridians than conventional Martial Artists. What did that mean?

It meant that even though he was only at the High Stage of the Pulse Opening Realm on the surface, his true combat power was enough to rival Martial Artists at the Pulse-Opening Peak Stage who had opened up five main meridians!

Worth it! It was so worth it!

No matter how much usable lifespan it cost, Xu Jie was willing!

After all, if he could truly open up all twelve main meridians and all extraordinary meridians at the Pulse-Opening Peak Stage, he would have cultivated nearly double the meridians of a conventional prodigy!

Being strong at one step meant being strong at every step!

This advantage in cultivation realm, accumulated over time, would make Xu Jie invincible at the same level, and even allow him to easily fight opponents of a higher realm!

Looking at the remaining usable lifespan of just over two hundred years, Xu Jie decisively spent it on the Demonic Blade.

The two martial arts and techniques he had drawn from the system were both incredibly heaven-defying.

Honestly, Xu Jie was looking forward to what even more heaven-defying martial arts and techniques he would draw in the next lottery.

[Nine Extremes Demonic Blade (Minor Accomplishment): One hundred and sixty years have passed in a flash. After years of practicing the blade, you have successfully comprehended the Fourth Extreme of the Nine Extremes Demonic Blade.]

[Progress towards next lottery draw (1332/3000)!]

Xu Jie's realm in the Demonic Blade technique hadn't changed, but by comprehending the Fourth Extreme of the blade technique, his combat power had soared significantly.

This was because the terrifying aspect of the Demonic Blade technique wasn't the physical damage it inflicted, but its ability to invisibly cut through an enemy's spirit and soul.

It was about time!

Zhao Tianyu's father was probably just an ordinary Third-Rank Mid Stage Martial Artist, right?

If he went all out, combined with Little Black's scale armor defense, he had a chance to kill that person!

Xu Jie's idea was incredibly audacious!

With a cultivation base of only the Seventh Layer of the Pulse Opening Realm, having just entered the Second-Rank High Stage, he dared to challenge a Third-Rank Mid Stage martial artist.

And not just any martial artist, but an elite martial artist from the Guard Army.

One had to understand that martial artists serving as high-ranking generals in the city had all participated in wars in the Outer Regions. They were terrifying figures who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to return alive to Xia Country.

The level of danger in places like the Outer Regions was far beyond anything comparable within Xia Country, with casualty rates never dropping below 90%!

However, Xu Jie couldn't wait any longer!

He couldn't rest easy until he took down Zhao Du, the instigator of the beast tide.

In the afternoon.

Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue returned to the city gates.

Zhao Du, the Guard General who should have been stationed in the south of the city, had now come to the west side.

Clearly, he was waiting here for his subordinates to bring good news.

Unfortunately, Zhao Du's personal guards had not returned, and instead, he spotted the figures of Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue from a distance.

This caused Zhao Du's expression to change drastically, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.

Had the assassination failed?

Or perhaps, Xu Jie in the wilderness hadn't even encountered the subordinates he had sent out?

And that useless Qin Lie, people from mercenary groups, as expected, couldn't be trusted!

Zhao Du, on the city wall, clenched his fists, veins bulging on the back of his hands. He stared intently at Xu Jie and the other person walking into the city gates below, his face filled with unwillingness.

Xu Jie had returned to the city, and it would be difficult to kill him now!

At this moment, Xu Bin approached Zhao Du from behind, placed a hand on his shoulder, and gently persuaded him.

"Old Zhao, don't rush! There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"

"Hmph!"

Zhao Du, who wished he could kill Xu Jie on the spot, could only let out a frustrated grunt in response, forcibly suppressing the frenzied hatred within him.

Xu Bin was right!

There would be plenty of opportunities in the future!

As long as Xu Jie remained in Jincheng City for even a day, he would find ways, by any means necessary, to retaliate against Xu Jie!

Just as Zhao Du was gradually calming down, believing that Xu Jie had luckily escaped a disaster.

Perhaps he hadn't even encountered the subordinates he had sent out, and Zhao Du was already plotting his next assassination plan in his mind.

A sound of footsteps came from the stairs of the city wall behind the two.

Zhao Du frowned and looked back, then his eyes erupted with intense killing intent.

Because the one ascending the city wall was none other than Xu Jie!

Upon arriving, Xu Jie glanced at the armored Zhao Du and Xu Bin, who was in casual attire. The killing intent in Xu Jie's eyes was equally undisguised.