Famous throughout several villages! Li Xian returns to the village again? Cultist fugitive!

Meanwhile, Su Mo's recent surge in popularity had many people from surrounding villages inquiring about his family background and age. Although Su Mo's family was not well-off, his parents having passed away early, leaving him with no one to rely on.

However, Su Mo's superb hunting skills were his greatest asset. As long as he entered the mountains, he could bring back endless prey, and even the guards of Black Wind Stockade dared not provoke him easily.

This led many matchmakers to seek him out, as people from neighboring villages had taken an interest in Su Mo.

They believed that if their daughters married Su Mo, they would surely be cherished and never bullied.

Naturally, Su Mo rejected all these proposals. He currently only wished to obtain Body Tempering and Body Tempering Cultivation Techniques. He had never considered marriage.

But with so many people coming to introduce potential brides, Su Mo had to entrust the rejections to Uncle Chen Shan, asking him to send away the matchmakers. To prevent them from spreading gossip, he also instructed Uncle Chen Shan to give each matchmaker a pound of Green Wolf meat as a parting gift.

This gesture made the matchmakers exclaim at his generosity.

They felt that Su Mo was destined for great things in the future.

As time passed, the matchmakers, having received the Green Wolf meat, felt too embarrassed to bother Su Mo further. This allowed Su Mo to focus even more on cultivating his body and refining his physique.

However, Uncle Chen Shan recently told him something.

"I heard Zhang Tieshan wanted to propose his daughter, Zhang Qian, to you, but Zhang Qian refused, stating she would only marry a Martial Artist, not a Hunter."

This was revealed by a villager from next door to Zhang Tieshan's household, as Zhang Qian and Zhang Tieshan had argued about this matter more than once.

Su Mo merely smiled and didn't take it to heart.

In the following days, while hunting in the mountains, Su Mo also tempered his body within the mountain forests.

Then one day, Village Chief Yang Baishu excitedly told the villagers that Li Xian was returning and would be bringing senior disciples from his sect to exterminate Black Wind Stockade.

This news brought great joy to all the villagers of Shuanglin Village.

Simultaneously, Village Chief Yang Baishu brought back another piece of news: be cautious when entering the mountains during this period. It was rumored that a Cultist Fugitive on the government's wanted list had fled into Qingliang Mountain.

This Cultist Fugitive was reportedly a Martial Artist with considerable strength.

It was possible that constables and officials from the county town might soon arrive in Qingliang Mountain to hunt down and kill this Cultist Fugitive.

Village Chief Yang Baishu warned everyone to be extremely careful when hunting in the mountains during this time.

Su Mo took this matter very seriously. He felt that if even the constables from Anyuan County Town were so cautious about this escaped Cultist Fugitive, their strength must be formidable. Consequently, his trips into the mountains decreased drastically.

As he encountered more Martial Artists, Su Mo understood that this world had a government, and the closest government to Qingliang Mountain was in Anyuan County Town. Many positions within the constabulary of Anyuan County Town could only be held by Martial Artists.

Some important government positions were held by powerful Martial Artists.

In other words, the government also operated on strength.

Anyuan County Town not only housed the imperial government but also many martial arts schools, sects, and influential families that monopolized countless martial arts cultivation resources.

Su Mo had actually considered going to Anyuan County Town to obtain Body Tempering and Body Tempering Cultivation Techniques. However, Li Xian had told him that many sects in Anyuan County Town had strict disciple recruitment qualifications. Even martial arts schools checked one's innate talent, and if it was unsatisfactory, they wouldn't accept them.

The elderly Tendon Changing Realm martial artist who was about to return from Anyuan County Town to open a martial arts school in Qingshan Town reportedly had less stringent requirements for accepting disciples, at least compared to the sects and martial arts schools in Anyuan County Town.

This was why Su Mo had been waiting.

Su Mo even considered that since he currently had a lifespan of one hundred years, as long as he broke through to the Meridian Opening Realm before his lifespan neared its end, he could extend his life by at least thirty years, possibly more.

This was because breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm had already added thirty years to his lifespan. Breaking through to the Meridian Opening Realm would only add more.

Because Su Mo's physical body was exceptionally robust, each advancement in his realm represented an extreme transformation in his life's essence, which in turn led to fluctuations in his lifespan.

Perhaps only Su Mo in the entire world could achieve this.

In the outside world, a Bone Refining Realm martial artist breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm might not even be able to extend their lifespan by thirty years. Extending it by twenty years would be cause for celebration.

This demonstrated just how solid Su Mo's physical foundation was.

Coupled with his daily, unwavering efforts in refining his body, even though his cultivation realm remained stuck at the early peak of the Body Tempering Realm, the strength of his physical body was continuously improving.

Just as Su Mo was quietly laying low and consolidating his foundation.

Village Chief Yang Baishu brought back earth-shattering news.

Li Xian was already on his way back to the village.

Accompanying him were Li Xian's two senior disciples, who were said to be very powerful Martial Artists, far beyond the comparison of ordinary ones.

Based on the descriptions, Su Mo speculated that Li Xian's senior disciples were likely Meridian Opening Realm experts.

Li Xian himself possessed peak Body Tempering Realm cultivation, yet he was still no match for Black Wind Stockade, suffering severe injuries and barely escaping with his life. This showed that destroying Black Wind Stockade would be difficult without Meridian Opening Realm experts.

After all, Black Wind Stockade was home to several Meridian Opening Realm martial artists, and the Great Leader, Huang Heilong, was an elite expert among the Meridian Opening Realm.

Li Xian's courage to return to the village this time must stem from immense confidence, most likely derived from his two senior disciples.

Only Meridian Opening Realm experts could deal with Meridian Opening Realm opponents.