The Focus of All Attention

Not long after their flying boat departed.

Black Wind slowly descended from high in the sky.

Fortunately, as the Robbing Cultivator Leader, he had a few spare magical artifacts.

However, the two best items, his Flying Sword and Golden Ring, had already been taken by Shen Xuan.

All three robbing cultivator flying boats were shattered and damaged.

Seeing his subordinates crawling miserably onto the riverbank from the Longze River, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

This business deal was a massive loss!

"Giving me false information, trying to use me to kill someone!"

"Baldy Chen, I'm not finished with you!"

Black Wind could be certain that Shen Xuan and his group were definitely not easy prey.

That water-attribute Monster Hunter could absolutely kill him on the surface of the Longze River!

"Where did this monster come from! His Cultivation Realm is clearly not high, yet he has achieved Great Accomplishment in Water Law and can unleash such powerful water-attribute spell techniques!"

Five days later.

The flying boat finally arrived safely at Qinglong Bay Market.

As soon as they reached the market entrance, they attracted the attention of the surrounding cultivators.

"Damn! Such a heavy beast bag! Did they hunt something big this time?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, that's Talisman Master Shen, Shen Xuan."

"He's the Shen Xuan who has deep connections in the Qingyun Sect and whom the Ding Family couldn't recruit as a son-in-law? He doesn't look like much, not even as handsome as me!"

A slap landed on the back of that man's head.

"Don't talk nonsense! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Do you know that Shen Xuan is not only a talisman master but also a Monster Hunter with Great Accomplishment in Water Law!"

"I heard that this time, they relied entirely on Shen Xuan to hunt a complete Water Repelling Rhinoceros!"

"Really? Then they must have made a fortune!"

Inside Qinglong Bay Market, it was still quite safe.

With two Foundation Establishment experts from the Ding Family presiding over it, no one dared to act presumptuously within the market.

Shen Xuan greeted Zhao Chunsheng and the others, leaving the remaining matters for them to handle, and headed home first to rest.

Along the way.

Cultivators kept cupping their hands in salute toward Shen Xuan.

Some were familiar faces, others were strangers.

Shen Xuan didn't stop his pace, politely returning the gestures one by one.

Upon returning home, Ding Yuyao threw herself into his arms as happily as a little bird.

Having not seen each other for a month, both of them had missed each other.

"Husband, you seem to have lost some weight! Go take a hot bath first. This concubine will make something delicious to help you recover!"

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Wife!"

Shen Xuan did not stand on ceremony.

On the way back, his nerves had been tightly coiled, and he had fought a great battle against the robbing cultivators, so he truly needed to relax.

While soaking in the hot water, Shen Xuan reviewed the entire hunting process.

"[Cloud Rain Technique] helped the Water Repelling Rhinoceros break through. I used [Invisibility Technique] and [Breath Concealment Technique], so even if they know it was me, there is no evidence."

"Killing the Water Repelling Rhinoceros instantly at the bottom of the Longze River—the choice of battlefield and timing were both acceptable."

"Displaying my strength in front of the Monster Hunters was to avoid unnecessary conflict!"

"On the surface of the Longze River, there is a constant supply of water spiritual power; even a Qi Refining Perfection robbing cultivator could only flee in defeat."

"It's a pity I didn't seize the opportunity to kill him in one blow, letting that Robbing Cultivator Leader escape and leaving behind a hidden danger."

"Still lacking experience!"

After the review, Shen Xuan gave his performance a score of seventy-five.

Good.

Still a bit away from excellent.

"Wife, pour me some hot water!"

Ding Yuyao carried a bucket of hot water and poured it into the tub.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xuan suddenly stood up and pressed her against the edge of the tub.

"Husband..."

In the bathhouse, thick, hot steam permeated the air, carrying a certain peculiar scent that made one's blood boil.

At this moment, Shen Xuan was exerting his full effort in the conquest.

He did not know that his performance had already stirred up a massive commotion in the area surrounding Qinglong Bay!

In the market tavern.

A group of Monster Hunters was heatedly discussing Shen Xuan.

"Talisman Master Shen Xuan, his Water Law is at Great Accomplishment!"

"That Turtle Talisman Master who is over sixty and still in the Early Qi Refining Stage?"

"That's the one! You don't know, but I heard that since he entered the profession of Monster Hunter, he has stunned everyone!"

"How exactly did he stun everyone?"

"He killed a Water Repelling Rhinoceros in seconds!"

"Wow! That is indeed stunning!"

"No way, that might be an exaggeration! A sixty-year-old Talisman Master who is still in the Early Qi Refining Stage, how strong could he possibly be?"

Someone shook their head in disbelief.

"What do you know! This is news just obtained. The robber Black Wind led a group of subordinates to intercept them on the Longze River, and guess what happened?"

"Hurry up and tell us, don't keep us in suspense!"

"All three Robber Cultivator Flying Boats were destroyed! Black Wind didn't even manage to retrieve his Flying Sword and fled in a panic!"

"No way, Black Wind is a Sword Cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection!"

However, more and more people confirmed the story.

Some had seen with their own eyes that Black Wind was beaten by Shen Xuan and forced to flee into the high sky.

"Water Law at Great Accomplishment! In just a few breaths, he destroyed three Robber Cultivator Flying Boats."

"His companions hadn't even made a move yet, and over twenty robber cultivators were already defeated!"

"Black Wind was smart to run fast! If he had gone to retrieve his Flying Sword, he wouldn't have even kept his life!"

After a wave of uproar.

In the Qinglong Market, several Foundation Establishment forces that had been keeping an eye on Shen Xuan fell into silence.

They had originally thought that Shen Xuan was merely relying on his connection with Qin Yuehan of the Qingyun Sect, and that the Ding family was taking care of him because of that.

They never expected his strength to be this formidable!

"The Ding family's interest in Shen Xuan isn't just because of Qin Yuehan of the Qingyun Sect!"

"If even a Sword Cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection is no match for him, then this person is likely hiding his true strength, skilled in Breath Concealment and disguise!"

In the Ding family council hall.

The Ding Family Old Ancestor, the Ding Family Head, and Ding Yijin sat side by side.

Below them, Shopkeeper Ding was constantly wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Just now, he had been recalling the situation regarding Shen Xuan.

He started from when Shen Xuan was seventeen and farming, to when he began crafting talismans at eighteen.

He spoke for over two hours in total.

Even so.

The three leaders of the Ding family were still unsatisfied.

"Ding Qingtao, you've known Shen Xuan for fifty years; did you never notice anything unusual about him?"

Ding Yijin asked with some dissatisfaction.

He had made a serious misjudgment regarding Shen Xuan!

"Unusual? Does bitter cultivation count?"

"And there's also his Talisman Crafting Talent!"

Shopkeeper Ding stammered.

There was one more thing he didn't dare to say.

Extreme caution.

He was timid and fearful, unwilling to cause any trouble.

"Go on then!"

The Ding Family Head waved his hand, signaling for Shopkeeper Ding to withdraw.

"It's not Qingtao's fault. I've also kept an eye on this man, Shen Xuan. My old eyes are dim, and I misjudged him as well!" the Ding Family Head sighed and said.

"Come to think of it, if he were truly mediocre, why would Qin Yuehan and Lu Zhengying of the Qingyun Sect favor him so much and correspond with him?"

"How about we pick a female cultivator from the Ding family and try again?" Ding Yijin asked.

The Ding Family Old Ancestor, who had been resting his eyes, slowly opened them.

"No need!"

"If he truly had the intention, he would have brought it up long ago."

"Relying on external forces is not the way. The revival of the Ding family must ultimately depend on our own people!"

The Ding Family Head and Ding Yijin nodded in agreement.

The same scenario played out successively in other cultivation families, such as the Zifeng Mountain Zhao Family, the Wohu Ridge He Family, and the Wanzhu Forest Tao Family.

Shen Xuan had long anticipated the discussions in the market.

Revealing his strength was something he had done intentionally.

"Properly displaying one's own strength can avoid a lot of trouble!"

Having read extensively in his previous life, he had long understood this principle deeply.

When you are weak, others will only think of bullying you.

When you demonstrate sufficient strength, others will not easily provoke you.

The law of the jungle is, after all, the most basic law of nature.

That was why, when facing the robbing cultivator, he had performed a display of power—it was to establish his authority.

At different stages, one should adopt different strategies.

After fully releasing his stress, Shen Xuan walked out of the bathhouse, feeling satisfied.

Ding Yuyao was already slumped in the bathtub, soaking in hot water, too exhausted to stand up.

"Rest well, wife. I'm going to the training room!"

Walking into the training room, Shen Xuan began to plunder the bloodline talent of the Water Repelling Rhinoceros.

The blood basin on the stone table contained only about ten catties of Water Repelling Rhinoceros blood.

This was the upper limit for the Mysterious Jade Talisman to refine monster beast blood at one time.

"As my cultivation realm deepens, the amount of monster beast blood I can refine will gradually increase."

"But for now, this is all I can do!"

Shen Xuan guided his divine sense to activate the Mysterious Jade Talisman.

After a flash of golden light.

[Plunderable Talent: Water Repelling, Armor Transformation, Water Arrow]

Shen Xuan decisively chose the [Water Repelling] talent.

[Talent: Water Repelling (28/100)]

[Dao Rhyme: 88]