Xia Zhao had recovered most of her strength and was confident she could handle a Mutant Beast.
Even if they ran into serious trouble, she could still keep Li Yuan alive.
More importantly, continuing to stay in the wilderness was highly dangerous as well.
Without an Observation Station to hide in, there was no telling what Fierce Beasts they might encounter in the wild.
They might as well head toward Qijia Town.
The closer they got to Qijia Town, the safer they would be.
Li Yuan nodded, and the two set off together, heading northwest.
They did not move particularly fast, because they had to watch every step and remain alert to their surroundings.
After another night fell, they found a concealed spot and squeezed together to rest.
At the first hint of dawn, they continued toward Qijia Town.
They had not gone far when Xia Zhao sensed that something was wrong.
She immediately stopped slowly surveying their surroundings, grabbed Li Yuan's hand, and used her Movement Technique at full speed.
At that moment, Li Yuan truly experienced the extraordinary nature of a Pinnacle Movement Art.
Combined with the strength of Eighth-Rank Martial Dao—
Li Yuan was like a kite, pulled by Xia Zhao as he flew rapidly forward.
At the same time, a Mutant Hound suddenly darted out and gave chase.
A lesson learned the hard way.
Xia Zhao had suffered greatly at the hands of the Mutant Hound before, and this time, she would never make the same mistake.
As long as she was not bitten and poisoned, she was fully confident she could deal with this Mutant Beast.
This time, Xia Zhao chose to keep it occupied.
While circling and restraining it, she searched for an opportunity to strike.
If no suitable opportunity arose, they would run. She had no intention of fighting that beast to the death.
After all the trouble along the way, Xia Zhao came to realize something.
Someone was plotting behind the matter of the Mutant Beasts.
Since she was the martial artist who had discovered the situation, that person naturally wanted to leave her in the wilderness forever.
Right now, getting out alive would be the greatest blow she could deal them.
As they circled and kept it occupied, Li Yuan spotted the Abandoned School when night was about to fall.
That meant they had returned to the New City District of Qijia Town.
Martial artists stationed at the border had begun patrolling nearby.
Their tightly wound nerves could finally relax a little.
They picked up their pace and continued forward.
As they headed toward the New City District, they began to see many martial artists who had come to train.
With more people around, the safety factor was even higher.
The streetlights were on as well, and the area was brightly lit even at night.
As they walked, they noticed quite a few people looking their way.
Then they suddenly realized they were still holding hands, and awkwardly let go.
They had left the wilderness and returned to human society.
It was certainly safe, but here, status and social standing mattered.
Back in the New City District, Xia Zhao took Li Yuan to the best hotel in Qijia Town.
She booked two of the best rooms.
She also had the hotel deliver two sets of casual clothes for them to change into.
After their desperate flight, both of them were rather dirty and definitely needed a wash.
More than half an hour later, after they had finished bathing, they ate together in the hotel restaurant.
During this period, neither of them had eaten well.
Li Yuan especially had only taken a few simple bites here and there, enough to keep himself from becoming unbearably hungry.
Now that they were back, they could finally eat and drink their fill.
They sat in a corner of the hotel restaurant, and both of them seemed somewhat restrained.
They were nothing like their relaxed selves from before.
After changing clothes, Xia Zhao looked even more beautiful.
At thirty, there was not actually much difference in appearance compared with one's twenties.
The greater change was in one's temperament.
Once people entered their thirties, they matured.
From makeup and clothing to bearing and expressions, everything changed.
It was these things that allowed others to discern a person's age.
At that moment, Xia Zhao was like a bottle of aged wine, at the most deserving age to be savored.
It was just that his own status did not seem worthy of tasting that wine.
Xia Zhao, seated across from him, also stole several extra glances at Li Yuan.
Having changed out of his grimy clothes, Li Yuan looked even more handsome.
At the very least, they were both pleased with each other at first sight.
Unfortunately, first impressions often could not play a decisive role.
"I never expected this hotel's dinner to taste so good.
It's even better than food made by many executive chefs."
Li Yuan commented on the evening's meal, breaking the silence between them.
"Maybe it's because the two of us have been eating too badly. Even plain steamed buns would probably taste delicious to us."
Xia Zhao replied with a smile.
In fact, these dishes had been made by executive chefs.
As an ordinary person, Li Yuan did not have the money to enjoy such things.
As for executive chefs, he only knew the title and had no idea what standard of food they could produce.
Xia Zhao liked her answer just now, especially the words "the two of us." They felt comfortable to say.
"Regarding the Beast mutations, the force behind them probably has some tricks up its sleeve.
"When you mention it to others..."
After hesitating, Li Yuan brought up the matter of the Mutant Beasts.
Hearing that, Xia Zhao nodded with a measure of confidence.
"It's fine. Now that we're back, whoever they are, there's no need to fear them.
"On the contrary, you shouldn't mention this matter to anyone, in case someone turns their attention toward you."
After exchanging a few words, the two fell silent again.
They were not as familiar with each other as they had been in the wilderness.
Back then, even while hungry, they had plenty to talk about.
Now that they could eat their fill, they had less to say.
In truth, they both had things they wanted to say, but when the words reached their lips, they swallowed them back down.
By the time they finished dinner, it was already past ten.
They returned to their respective rooms to rest. Tomorrow, they would probably both be leaving Qijia Town.
They each lay on their beds. The hotel beds were soft and comfortable.
They had only escaped danger during the day, and both were quite tired.
Yet they seemed to have developed insomnia together, lying in bed unable to fall asleep.
Once people passed their youthful and reckless years, they liked to weigh the pros and cons before acting.
They had to calculate everything and see whether it was suitable.
Their own feelings were also a factor to consider, but not a high-priority one.
Unable to sleep, Li Yuan simply closed his eyes and looked at the Light Screen within his Sea of Consciousness.
The Experience Points progress bar at the very bottom of the Light Screen was unexpectedly full!
[Experience Points: 404/400]
During these days in the wilderness, Xia Zhao and he had discussed a great deal about martial cultivation.
Quite a few Light Points had dropped on his side.
Xia Zhao's Talents were also excellent, and Light Points frequently dropped during their conversations as well.
Since obtaining the ability to collect Experience Points, this was the first time Li Yuan had felt that Experience Points were so easy to obtain.
Simply discussing things with Xia Zhao allowed her to gain insights, dropping Experience Points for him to collect.
When teaching his students, he had carefully prepared detailed explanations and teaching methods.
Yet even so, some students would not drop a single Light Point in an entire class.
Setting aside his lingering agitation, Li Yuan began condensing his fourth Talent Point.
He looked once more at the Talent Tree.
It was time to choose again: "Enlightenment" or "Combat"...
He currently possessed three Talents, and every one of them had brought him immense help.
No matter which option he added the Talent Point to, the gains should be substantial.
What he needed to consider was which one could provide the most immediate assistance.
What he needed to face next was the long-prepared Youth Martial Tournament.
This Talent Point would be best spent on something that could help with the Youth Martial Tournament.
With that thought, Li Yuan no longer hesitated.
He directly added the Talent Point to the second box in the "Combat" branch.
The box immediately lit up:
[Flaw Insight]
Before you continue