The next day.
Lu Xuan swallowed the first wisp of fresh air at dawn, opened his eyes, and ended his cultivation.
Outside the house,
his little sister's battle cries rang out as she chopped at the cutting board with a knife.
Lu Xuan changed out of the clothes that reeked of sweat from the night, then took a quick shower.
He stepped onto the cool floor and walked to the living room before calling out to his sister:
"Little sis, someone's coming over later. Make some extra dishes and rice."
"Who?"
Lu Ying looked up, her big eyeballs full of confusion.
"Xu Xin." Lu Xuan opened the refrigerator, and the cold air rushed over him, making him shiver. "Didn't you meet her a couple of days ago?"
As he spoke, he took out some monster meat and put it inside.
Food in his storage space remained in a static state, so he hadn't put all of it in the refrigerator.
There were guests today. He had to bring out some good meat to entertain them.
Especially since he was asking someone for help.
Xu Xin had given him a reply last night.
She said she would bring a university teacher to his home today to test his little sister.
A university teacher.
At the very least, she had to be a Blood Qi Martial Artist, right?
That would both intimidate Shen Liyue and ensure his sister's safety.
Most importantly, it would ensure that his parents could move into the safe zone, so no one could use them to threaten him.
"So Sister Xu is coming!"
Lu Ying hopped around on all fours. She seemed to like Xu Xin very much. "Brother, what is she coming for?"
"To take you into school."
"Huh?"
Lu Ying instantly froze in place.
Why was she suddenly going to school?
Was she not taking the martial arts exam?
She had still been waiting to shine brilliantly in the martial arts exam, become the center of attention, and make everyone worship her.
"Don't think it's too sudden."
Lu Xuan closed the refrigerator. As his stomach acid churned, he picked up the steaming breakfast on the table and swallowed it despite the heat, exhaling as he explained:
"I heard that if a university teacher takes a liking to you..."
"Then you can move into the safe zone with the whole family. You know Mom and Dad's condition. If they don't receive better treatment, it'll be hard for them to wake up. The university's Nutrient Fluid might be cheaper. Then your brother can earn money in peace and send you your living expenses every month."
He wanted to level up in peace by himself.
This situation was unavoidable.
If he didn't let his sister take their parents there, Lu Xuan couldn't guarantee that an enemy wouldn't come knocking one day.
"It can work like that?"
Lu Ying understood and nodded. "That's good, then. You can relax a little too, Brother. It'd be easier for you to find a girlfriend, too. Otherwise, with Mom and Dad like this, I'm afraid no one would be willing to be with you."
"..."
Lu Xuan picked up his bowl and walked over, raising his hand to poke his little sister's head.
"Stop worrying about nonsense."
"If you work harder and become a Martial Artist or even a Martial Dao Grandmaster, won't your brother have plenty of girls to choose from when he goes out?"
As for women,
Lu Xuan had no interest.
Right now, he only wanted to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
When facing enemies, he just didn't want to become an "incompetent husband."
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
Xu Xin arrived home right on time.
However, she wasn't alone. A woman about the same age as Shen Liyue followed beside her.
A teacher from Jiangnan Martial University—Duan Ziyan.
"Class Monitor Xu, I'm truly sorry to trouble you."
Lu Xuan chuckled obsequiously and reached out to welcome the two of them into the house.
His waist bent halfway, and a fawning smile hung on his face.
This was how an ordinary person ought to look when meeting an important figure.
Xu Xin glanced at him. Compared with before, she was less warm and more distant. "Lu Xuan, let's keep this brief. My aunt... Teacher Duan has something to do this afternoon. We'll test Lu Ying's talent. If she can be accepted, we'll leave."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Lu Xuan smiled ingratiatingly and bowed repeatedly.
He looked just like a wretched man.
He simply hadn't expected the so-called need to hurry to mean they really had to hurry.
Duan Ziyan merely glanced at Lu Ying before speaking at once. "Her talent is indeed quite good. She can come straight to school with me to cultivate. If you have anything to deal with, I'll give you one day. At this time tomorrow, I'll send someone to pick you up."
"Huh?"
Lu Ying was dumbfounded.
Lu Xuan was dumbfounded too.
Could it really be this hasty?
"Um, aren't you going to test her in actual combat?" Lu Xuan asked carefully.
Duan Ziyan raised her hand and glanced at the time. Her feet were already turning toward the door, and she looked somewhat impatient. "No need. I have things to do today. Xu Xin, help your junior sister see if there's anything else she needs to handle and take care of it while you're at it. She'll enroll tomorrow and cultivate with me."
After saying that, she had already walked out the door.
The three of them were left staring blankly.
"Hehe, Teacher Duan has always been swift and decisive." Xu Xin gave a dry laugh and scratched her head. "Besides, at their level, there are many things they need to do. You'll understand later."
"All right..."
At this,
Lu Xuan and Lu Ying didn't think much of it. Perhaps Martial Artists really did have other responsibilities.
They simply hadn't come into contact with them yet.
Duan Ziyan left.
She hadn't even stayed to eat a bite of hot food, and Xu Xin no longer felt like remaining there either.
She gave Lu Ying a few instructions and left as well.
"Brother, is this reliable?"
Lu Ying felt her head buzzing.
Lu Xuan had just wanted to comfort his little sister when he suddenly received a message from the broker.
Broker: "The authorities are destroying a Holy Cult stronghold. If you have time, let's meet and finish trading everything."
"Where?"
"Jinling City**!"
"Half an hour!"
After sending the message, Lu Xuan beamed with joy.
He could finally collect the money.
He looked at his bewildered sister and said, "Little sis, I have something to do. You eat by yourself."
With that,
before Lu Ying could react, he vanished with a whoosh.
"What?"
The lively house suddenly held only Lu Ying.
Only when the chilly air slapped her face did she come back to her senses.
"Wasn't today supposed to be my enrollment banquet?"
Wuuu-wuuu—!
After changing his disguise, Lu Xuan was on his way to the meeting place when the city's alarm sounded.
The piercing noise rang throughout the entire city.
"Attention! Cultists are hiding in the city. All citizens, remain inside buildings and do not go out. Martial Artists, pay close attention to your surroundings. If you see any suspicious individuals, immediately send their location to the Federation!"
"Attention! Cultists..."
Once the alarm sounded, ordinary people had already hidden inside buildings.
Lu Xuan jumped off the bus.
Under such special circumstances, Martial Artists could ignore the city's rules, follow the Federation's unified orders, and participate in the encirclement and suppression.
Don't think this was child's play.
If anyone could kill or capture a Holy Cultist, the Federation would continue to offer generous rewards. Official promotions and titles were merely the lesser prizes.
In some cases, they would even grant countless cultivation resources.
That was far more profitable than going to the Wilderness to make money.
Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
"As long as I don't run into Shen Liyue, I should be able to take down anyone else, right?"
Thinking this, Lu Xuan leaped onto a building and instantly activated his Psychic Power, spreading it across a fifty-meter radius.
Maintaining this state, he bent his legs and shot forward, streaking toward the location coordinates publicly released by the Federation.
He charged several hundred meters.
Suddenly, Lu Xuan stopped and turned his gaze to one side.
"Oh?"
"I finally caught a little rat."
He hurried over in that direction.
Under the coverage of his Psychic Power, the person had nowhere to hide.
Before long, Lu Xuan forced him into a dead end.
"Friend, leave a little leeway in everything. We'll meet again someday."
The other party wore a gray cloak, black energy swirling around his body and exuding an indescribably eerie aura. Merely approaching him made the surrounding temperature cold enough to freeze one's bones.
Lu Xuan, however, paid no attention. Instead, he sensed something familiar about the other's aura.
"Unfortunately, you and I aren't friends."
Without wasting a word, Lu Xuan swung his Battle Saber. He left an afterimage where he stood as he slashed at the other party.
"You won't let me live?"
The man snorted coldly and waved his hand, sending black energy billowing outward. "Then we'll die together!"
With a furious roar, the other party drew a long whip.
After exchanging blows for several rounds, Lu Xuan noticed something strange.
The other's Blood Qi was extremely abundant. Judging from what he could sense, he was at least an Intermediate Martial Artist, yet the strength he could display was only at the level of an Intermediate Martial Artist.
"In that case, I'm sorry!"
With a thought from Lu Xuan, countless blades rose into the air.
Seeing this scene,
the cloaked man's voice filled with terror, mixed with fury. "It's you?!"
"Ghost Face Martial Artist!"
"You know me?"
Lu Xuan was startled and summoned dozens more flying knives.
He actually knew his identity?
This man absolutely couldn't be allowed to live.
At the same time,
the other party lowered his cloak, revealing a cheek covered in blood-red patterns.
When he saw that face clearly, Lu Xuan's pupils contracted.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
"So it's you. I truly can't let you live!"
"Die!"
The hesitation that had remained in Lu Xuan's mind vanished the moment he saw that face. He immediately controlled a hundred flying knives and sent them shredding toward his opponent.
Before you continue