Jade Belt Azure Phoenix

Before leaving that afternoon, Meng Chuan booked a time slot with Master Luo for the next day through Liu Ru. She arranged it for two o'clock in the afternoon.

"Sister Ru, you're really good at boxing. Are you a student at a martial university?"

Meng Chuan didn't know Liu Ru's age and assumed she was a martial university student working part-time at the martial arts hall.

Everyone in the city knew from the news that a Demon Nest had appeared near Yong'an, so the students at the Infinite Martial Arts Hall had all chosen to head home early, before nightfall.

That left Liu Ru with some free time. After seeing off the other students, she walked and chatted with Meng Chuan. She happened to be heading to the station to catch a tram, too.

"Just a few months ago, I graduated from Yong'an Martial Arts University. I'm not a student anymore."

"Even so, you're amazing. I want to be just like you and get into a martial university someday."

"Your bone structure is like mine, and your foundation is already so solid. Go learn a new fist technique from the master tomorrow and build up your vitality. You'll definitely have no problem getting into Yong'an Martial Arts University."

As she spoke, Liu Ru suddenly wondered: Meng Chuan was younger than she was, with more room to grow. He had mastered the Stake Technique half a day earlier than she had, and seemed more gifted. He was so hardworking, too.

If she were Master Luo, and truly wanted to take on a personal disciple, would she choose Meng Chuan or herself?

"The tram's here. I'll be off."

Liu Ru didn't dare think about it any further. As soon as the tram arrived, she hurried away.

Late that night, in Villa 003, Building A, Huayun Mansion.

The house had been given to Luo Guanyun by the Huayun Mansion property developer. Including the small courtyard, it covered more than three hundred square meters. At current resale prices, it was worth nearly ten million.

It was standard practice in luxury neighborhoods. Security guards alone weren't enough to win over the wealthy. They needed powerful martial artists living there, so that other rich buyers could feel confident about purchasing a home.

And that was exactly what happened. After [Qianyuan Thunder Movement · Luo Guanyun] moved in, prices in Huayun Mansion immediately rose by thirty percent.

Inside Villa 003, a refined woman with ear-length hair was packing a suitcase.

"Our daughter's new place is finished. I'm going to stay there. You can be on your own."

The refined woman was none other than Luo Guanyun's wife, Ren Ping.

"Fine. Go ahead."

Luo Guanyun said little and didn't try to stop her. He only slumped on the sofa, smoking, head tilted back as he watched the smoke rings drift from his mouth, his thoughts unreadable.

Soft rustling came from the bedroom; the living room remained silent. A while later, Ren Ping came out, pulling two large suitcases behind her.

Hearing the noise, Luo Guanyun stubbed out his cigarette and stood to help.

"Go move the car. I'll carry them for you."

"No need. Luo Meng drove over and is waiting outside. Do you want to go see her?"

Luo Guanyun furrowed his brow and thought it over.

"Forget it. Be careful over there."

Ren Ping stood in the entryway with her suitcases, looking at her silent husband. Suddenly, all the emotions she'd been holding back burst out.

"Why are you so stubborn? She's your daughter. You can't go your whole life without seeing her!"

"It's been five years. You drove your daughter out of the house and haven't given her a second thought. Is that what being a father means to you?"

Faced with Ren Ping's accusations, Luo Guanyun had no answer.

"Time has proved everything, Luo Guanyun. You lost completely. Are you really going to keep refusing to admit it?"

"Our daughter has exceptional talent in the Xiangxing Lineage, yet you insisted on making her learn your lousy Thunder Method. If you ask me, you were the one who was wrong from the start!"

"What do you mean, 'lousy Thunder Method'? What the hell would you know, you old shrew?"

Ren Ping's words struck Luo Guanyun where it hurt. He erupted, no longer able to control his emotions.

Outside the villa was a streamlined, rose-red sports car. A graceful beauty leaned against its side. Her flowing, pale-green hair paired with the fiery red car in a way that somehow didn't clash at all.

Luo Meng had been waiting in the car for her mother to come out. She didn't want to run into Luo Guanyun. But suddenly, her martial artist's heightened senses gave her a warning: the magnetic field around her had shifted.

She had no choice but to get out. Above the villa, dark clouds had gathered, and faint rumbles rolled through them.

Luo Meng knew Luo Guanyun's Imagery Realm had altered the weather on a small scale.

"Clouds gather and thunder rolls. What's the old man throwing a fit about now?"

Luo Meng headed toward the villa. She beckoned with her right hand, and the phantom of a Qingluan appeared behind her. Undying Azure Flame flickered between its feathers as it circled her and soared into the sky. With a clear cry, it scattered the clouds hanging over the villa.

A master of the Luan Bird Form from the Xiangxing Sect—[Jade Belt Azure Phoenix · Luo Meng].

Inside, Luo Guanyun felt his Imagery Realm being dispelled. Hearing the Luan Bird's cry, he knew his daughter had arrived.

He shoved Ren Ping aside and strode straight outside.

"Studying some lousy bird style? Let's see what you learned at Northern United University."

Luo Guanyun's pent-up frustration had nowhere to go. He had spent five years holed up at the Infinite Martial Arts Hall, and making money had never been his goal. He had been looking for a suitable successor. Yet even now, he hadn't found a single person who caught his eye.

The Thunder Method True Art demanded exceptional talent. Once the Thunder Seed entered the body, if poor bone structure and limited insight made it impossible to keep up with the pace of cultivation, practicing the Thunder Method was no different from suicide.

One in a hundred thousand might be able to cultivate the Thunder Method. But true geniuses were sought after everywhere, with plenty of excellent masters eager to take them on as disciples. Who in their right mind would choose to face a short-tempered, Third Limit old man and cultivate such an unstable Thunder Method?

Besides, though the Thunder Method was astonishingly powerful, who could guarantee they would keep advancing fearlessly for their entire life?

If they hit a bottleneck, the Thunder Seed would go unsustained inside the body and run rampant. In the end, they would explode and die!

No matter how high their cultivation, if they didn't cultivate the Thunder Method to perfection, there would be no saving them.

His daughter, Luo Meng, had superior bone structure. When she was born, they had also detected an [Ethereal] trait. The two qualities together made her one in a million.

She had been born with the perfect talent to inherit his Thunder Method True Art, yet she had fought him from childhood and insisted on studying the Outer Dao of Xiangxing.

Dark clouds gathered again, this time on a far grander scale, covering the entire sky above Huayun Mansion. Watching the terrifying spectacle, the other residents thought a thunderstorm was about to break.

Thick pillars of lightning crashed from the clouds to the ground. Everywhere the lightning struck, all life was snuffed out.

"She's your daughter, not your enemy! Have you gone far enough?"

Ren Ping shoved Luo Guanyun back into the house, and he hurriedly withdrew his Imagery Realm.

His wife was only at the First Limit, a martial artist who had just begun her training. If he accidentally hurt her, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

Luo Meng's Qingluan aspect was covered in wounds, struggling to shield its master from the storm. When the clouds dispersed, the Qingluan let out a mournful cry and vanished.

"Quite the show, Luo Guanyun. I wonder how many years you've got left!"

After cursing him out, Ren Ping turned and led her daughter to the car. Luo Guanyun was left standing alone.

Watching the sports car drive away, Luo Guanyun felt conflicted. Now even his wife had left. He really was all alone.

Yes, how many years did he have left?