Breaking the Rules

"Check into the inn."

Li Xuanxiao pulled some money from his pocket.

Just then, a few more cultivators walked in from outside.

"Senior Brother, what exactly is going on here? We can't use our magic, and we can't leave. I've never encountered such a strange thing."

"I don't know either. Let's find someone to ask."

The inn attendant had just handed Li Xuanxiao his room key.

Wen Qi, the Senior Brother among the three, walked over and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, brother. I am Wen Qi, a disciple of the Qingmen Mountain Sect. May I ask what is happening here?"

Qingmen Mountain Sect?

Li Xuanxiao searched his memory but couldn't recall any sect by that name.

It was most likely some obscure, unknown minor sect.

The strongest of the three, Wen Qi, was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

They likely had no idea that cultivators at the Body Integration Stage could set rules.

They wouldn't have any way of knowing.

Li Xuanxiao explained the situation to the three of them.

The three looked astonished, as if they had heard something incredible.

Li Xuanxiao added a few more words of caution, "Be careful with everything you do here."

Wen Qi quickly replied, "Thank you, friend, for the information. Since we've all stumbled into this place, we can look out for each other from now on."

Li Xuanxiao nodded, not refusing.

Li Xuanxiao didn't believe that more people meant more strength, or that it would make any difference in this situation.

He just saw that these three were also newcomers, passionate young heroes, so he would help if he could.

Helping each other was a basic principle for Righteous Path Cultivators.

There was no reason to abandon someone to die, unless it was an exceptional circumstance.

Li Xuanxiao arrived at his room.

Guests who checked into the inn received two free candles.

The candles were windproof and covered by a lamp.

Li Xuanxiao lit the candles.

He didn't have time to rest; instead, he quickly began to strategize.

The other rules weren't urgent.

But Rule Five stipulated that new residents must report to the Government Office within three days.

And Rule Six stated that anyone who entered the Government Office would permanently lose their Five Senses.

If he didn't report to the Government Office, he would be violating Rule Five.

He would likely be instantly annihilated.

Although he had refined a Supreme-grade Golden Core, the gap between him and a cultivator at the Body Integration Stage was too vast.

If he went to the Government Office to report, he would permanently lose his Five Senses.

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Just then, a conversation suddenly came from the next room, and the voice sounded very familiar.

Zhang Tianxin: "My Pure Yang Body is about to be broken today!"

"There's nothing that can be done about it. Who asked us to come to this place and that we must fall in love."

"...It's fate, then I won't hold back!"

"Please, ravage me as much as you desire."

Five seconds later.

Zhang Tianxin: "What is the meaning of life?"

Li Xuanxiao put his ear to the wall. After confirming that the person on the other side was Zhang Tianxin, he knocked on her door.

After a long while, Zhang Tianxin slowly opened the door.

Upon seeing Li Xuanxiao, she was overjoyed.

Without further ado.

The three of them sat around the candles in Li Xuanxiao's room.

According to Zhang Tianxin, after she and Li Xuanxiao escaped from Di Nüfeng of the Asura Hall that time, she had intended to return to her sect.

But she was afraid of Di Nüfeng's revenge.

After all, he didn't have as strong a backer as Li Xuanxiao.

So he hid himself away. He unintentionally heard that many people had gone missing in this area, so he came to investigate. He didn't expect to be trapped here.

As for the female cultivator beside him, she was a disciple of the Xuantian Sword Sect and had come with him.

The two recalled the rules: they had to find a partner and complete their marriage within seven days.

And so... that's why...

Li Xuanxiao immediately saw through Zhang Tianxin's weakness: too much theory, loved training matches.

So he faltered in actual combat.

Of course, now wasn't the time to discuss this.

"You haven't reported to the government office yet?"

"No."

Zhang Tianxin and Han Yao nodded simultaneously.

Han Yao said, "Those rules are just too... too inhuman."

Zhang Tianxin added, "Many people in this town have already lost their five senses. However, many others haven't lost theirs, which suggests there's a way to cope. But they won't tell me when I ask."

Li Xuanxiao nodded. "Rule Eleven: Town residents are not allowed to leak information about the town, especially the rules. Therefore, we can only figure out a solution ourselves."

Han Yao sighed, speaking with considerable dejection:

"Tomorrow is the last day. I don't know how many people have stumbled in here and died. The town's graves are countless, and only then did a portion of people finally figure out the rules."

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Li Xuanxiao, Zhang Tianxin, Han Yao, and Wen Qi arrived at the entrance of the government office.

Not only them, but also over a dozen other people who had stumbled into this place at the same time.

As they walked, they could see many people on the streets.

They sat by the roadside, despairingly awaiting the arrival of death.

Their five senses had been forcibly stripped away. They could feel nothing, touch nothing, hear nothing, and could only let time slip away.

And in the entire town, there were only a handful of normal people.

Seeing this scene and imagining themselves becoming like that was more torturous than death.

Everyone stood before the government office, looking at each other.

Not a single person dared to enter first.

As time ticked by, Zhang Tianxin finally couldn't hold back.

"I have to go see what's going on inside. I'll lead the way."

Li Xuanxiao glanced at him.

After their previous interactions, he had discovered something.

Zhang Tianxin, apart from his poor judgment, was otherwise quite good.

Li Xuanxiao reached out and stopped him. In fact, he had already thought of a solution last night.

What he needed to figure out now was how to convey the solution to others.

Town residents were not allowed to proactively leak information.

They were now considered town residents. Even if they knew the solution, they couldn't tell each other.

Otherwise, it would be a violation of the rules.

A gentleman does not save those who refuse salvation.

If one sees others suffering and has the intention to help, and the cost of helping is not great, then one should naturally extend a hand.

However, if helping others requires too great a price, so great that it requires sacrificing one's own life, then one is not obligated to help.

At such a time, there is no need for guilt. After all, one must love oneself before one can love others.

If Li Xuanxiao were in such a situation, he would not hesitate.

But at this moment, he had thought of a way that wouldn't violate the rules.

"Not allowed to proactively leak information..."

Indeed, all solutions were within the rules.

He walked to the front of the crowd.

Facing everyone, they looked at him, not understanding.

Li Xuanxiao pressed his sword finger to his forehead.

He stripped away his sense of touch, then gouged out his eyes, followed by his ears, and disabled his sense of smell.

This scene startled everyone present. They instinctively retreated, thinking he had gone mad.

They hadn't even reported to the government office yet, and he was already stripping away his own five senses?

Li Xuanxiao remained silent and turned to walk into the Government Office.

A voice echoed from deep within his heart.

"Who goes there?"

Li Xuanxiao replied, "Li Xuanxiao, a new resident of Luoshui Town."

"Good."

Li Xuanxiao turned and left the Government Office.

The moment he stepped out of the Government Office again, everyone was astonished to discover that Li Xuanxiao's Five Senses had already fully recovered.

Since anyone who entered the Government Office would permanently lose their Five Senses, then someone who had already lost their Five Senses would not lose them upon entering.