The greatest opportunity of my life!
Su Qingyao froze, staring at Lu Yuan at such close range. Her vision blurred.
It was as if she were getting to know Lu Yuan all over again.
And this was already the third time she had revised her understanding of Lu Yuan.
The first time was when she learned about Lu Yuan from Lin Hao. After investigating, she had confirmed that Lu Yuan had come down from the Upper Realm.
The second time was yesterday's competition. Through that match, Su Qingyao realized that not only was Lu Yuan's background stronger than hers, but his talent and strength far surpassed hers as well.
The third time was now.
"Just how many secrets is this man hiding?"
As she looked at Lu Yuan, Su Qingyao felt as if she were gazing into layer upon layer of dense fog.
Taking a deep breath, Su Qingyao composed herself and asked, "Young Master, what are you planning to do?"
Lu Yuan said, "Of course, I'll let you pass the assessment."
"But I'm still far from reaching that level. You said it yourself, Break Limit cannot be affected by external forces." Su Qingyao was confused.
"With me, nothing is impossible. You can't achieve Break Limit not because of your aptitude or comprehension, but because the cultivation environment of the Tianxiao Continent is too gentle. How can a towering tree with an unyielding spirit grow in a greenhouse?" Lu Yuan's gaze deepened, and overwhelming confidence rose from him.
Gentle?
Su Qingyao was dumbfounded. Was the cultivation environment of the Tianxiao Continent gentle?
At least in her eyes, it had nothing to do with gentleness.
The cultivation environment of survival of the fittest and might makes right had already been displayed to the fullest across the Tianxiao Continent.
Yet in Lu Yuan's eyes, such a cruel environment was actually gentle?
At this moment, Lu Yuan continued, "What you lack isn't talent or comprehension, but tempering between life and death. The easiest time to achieve Break Limit is between life and death."
Su Qingyao's heart trembled, and she had a bad feeling.
"Young Master, what do you mean..."
Lu Yuan smiled gently. "That's right, exactly what you think. There is still a month left, so it should be enough."
Su Qingyao's pretty face instantly turned deathly pale.
Clap, clap!
Lu Yuan clapped his hands, and Er Gouzi slowly walked in from outside the palace.
His two-meter-tall body was wrapped in demonic flames. A pair of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Su Qingyao, as if he were looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Lu Yuan raised five fingers. "You have five breaths to escape. After five breaths, Er Gouzi will pursue you with all his strength and show no mercy. If you happen to die in Er Gouzi's jaws, I can only say I'm sorry. If you manage to survive, congratulations. Even if you fail to achieve Break Limit, I'll still send you to the Affiliated Academy of Taiyuan Divine Court to cultivate and study."
"During this month, you may use any method you like. Seduction, finding people, traps, hiding—anything is allowed, as long as you can stay alive."
Lu Yuan's tone was calm, but beneath that calmness lay an absolute, merciless resolve.
The more she listened, the paler Su Qingyao's face became.
She had thought that after serving him for this period, even if Lu Yuan had no feelings for her, he would at least treat her as one of his own. But now she realized that she had been wrong—profoundly wrong!
She knew very well that Lu Yuan had not been joking.
At this moment, Lu Yuan said, "I almost forgot to mention this. Er Gouzi isn't a native creature of the Tianxiao Continent, so don't underestimate him."
"Now, the game begins."
"Five..."
Whoosh!
Su Qingyao shot out of the palace, unleashing her full strength as she fled toward the horizon, covering a thousand miles in practically a second.
At this moment, Su Qingyao simply wanted to curse.
What maid? What Upper Realm? What Taiyuan Divine Court? To hell with all of it. She only wanted to survive.
The implication behind Lu Yuan's final words was obvious.
Er Gouzi was also a creature from the Upper Realm.
And any existence capable of coming from the Upper Realm to the Lower Realm was invariably at the perfected Emperor-Sealing Immortal level.
A perfected Emperor-Sealing Immortal was pursuing her with all his strength while she was only a perfected King Immortal Realm expert. Su Qingyao had never experienced anything so thrilling in her life.
Watching Su Qingyao flee farther and farther away, Er Gouzi looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Master, do I really have to pursue her with all my strength? If I unleash everything, she won't stand much chance of surviving. Given her beauty, wouldn't it be better to have her serve you, Master?"
Lu Yuan's expression remained calm. "I don't need useless people by my side. Just use all your strength. If she survives, it will be her good fortune. If she dies here, then that will be her fate."
Er Gouzi fell into thought.
Lu Yuan waved his hand. "Time's up."
"Yes, Master."
As soon as he finished speaking, Er Gouzi vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Inside the palace, Lu Yuan was deep in thought when his brows suddenly rose, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.
Just then.
A burst of disorderly noise and angry roars came from not far outside the palace.
"Divine Son, this is His Majesty's bedchamber. You cannot barge in! If you insist, don't blame us for attacking."
"Get out of my way! Lu Yuan, I know you're here. Come out and fight me! Hiding behind a woman like a coward—what kind of man are you?"
That was Jun Xiaoyao's voice.
Over the past several days.
Jun Xiaoyao and the Jun Family's vast information network had been investigating one thing: where Lu Yuan was.
At last, their efforts had paid off today.
The Jun Family's enormous information network had discovered that Su Qingyao's movements had been strange recently and that she often stayed in the inner palace without coming out.
After learning this, Jun Xiaoyao immediately guessed that Lu Yuan might be here.
Thus, he had charged in without hesitation.
Hearing the voices outside, Lu Yuan found it somewhat amusing. Was the King of Hell not being sought out, so a little ghost had come knocking instead?
But since the man had already arrived, it would be difficult to keep pretending not to notice him.
Rising to his feet, Lu Yuan took a single step and appeared in the center of the confrontation.
Behind him stood the imperial palace guards, who were facing the enemy as if they were on the verge of a great battle.
Before him stood Jun Xiaoyao, clad in a golden robe, his bearing imposing and his expression arrogant.
"Lu Yuan, you coward, you finally came out! Die!"
Jun Xiaoyao roared and punched toward him.
Jun Xiaoyao had actually never seen Lu Yuan before, but the moment Lu Yuan appeared, he recognized him.
There was no helping it. Lu Yuan was too handsome, and his bearing was too uniquely noble. The moment he appeared, he seemed to become the center of the world, while all things before him lost their luster.
As a result, Lu Yuan's appearance completely overshadowed Jun Xiaoyao's radiance.
Whether from humiliation or a sense of inferiority, Jun Xiaoyao attacked at once.
He wanted to kill Lu Yuan immediately. Lu Yuan's appearance had made him seem like a passerby, a supporting character. This made Jun Xiaoyao extremely uncomfortable, as if something that belonged to him had been stolen away in the unseen.
Golden light blazed brilliantly. A pair of radiant golden fists, from which golden blood flowed, came crashing down in an instant.
This punch was tremendous in might, and its power was terrifying beyond measure. Wherever the force of the punch passed, the air wailed and retreated.
The imperial palace guards faced the attack as if they were confronting a great enemy. Although they knew Jun Xiaoyao wasn't targeting them, they still felt an urge to abandon their weapons and flee.
However, faced with Jun Xiaoyao's punch, Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. Deep in his eyes was even a faint trace of mockery. Then Lu Yuan swung out a palm, swatting as if he were brushing away a fly.
Boom!
Dust billowed in all directions. Where Jun Xiaoyao had been standing now lay a human-shaped crater.
Jun Xiaoyao lay in the pit with a dazed expression, his eyes wide. A thousand curses raced through his mind.
He wanted to move, but every bone and tendon in his body had already been shattered by Lu Yuan's palm.
Lu Yuan raised his head and glanced at the sky, letting out a soft sigh. "Forget it. I'll let you live a little longer."
With a wave of his hand, Lu Yuan imprisoned Jun Xiaoyao inside an Emperor Weapon.
Just now, at the instant Lu Yuan had developed murderous intent toward Jun Xiaoyao, the world's malice had begun to stir. If Lu Yuan killed Jun Xiaoyao now, the Heavenly Dao of the Tianxiao Continent would certainly run amok.
Among all the Children of Destiny, Jun Xiaoyao ranked near the very top.
Killing him would provoke an enormous backlash from the Heavenly Dao.
Of course, Lu Yuan did not fear it. But if he truly did so, he would inevitably alert the other Children of Destiny as well.
The Children of Destiny of the Tianxiao Continent had not yet all gathered at the Ancient Stone Tablet. Lu Yuan did not want to alert the enemy at this time.
Therefore, temporarily imprisoning Jun Xiaoyao was the optimal solution.