Midnight.

Luo Xiu, exhausted, lay on his side in bed, gazing at Lin Xiyue by his pillow, unable to sleep.

Sated and content, Lin Xiyue had fallen into a deep sleep, snuggling like a kitten, without a care in the world.

Luo Xiu gently caressed her face, his gaze tender, yet his heart was a complex knot of emotions.

This is a tangled knot, impossible to cut and even more impossible to unravel.

He had been so determined to keep his distance from her, but for some unknown reason, whenever he was near her, he was drawn in by a mysterious force. He would lose himself and throw all caution to the wind.

"Lin Xiyue, I must have owed you in a past life, or maybe you've poisoned me," he sighed softly.

Just as he was about to roll out of bed, Lin Xiyue suddenly reached out, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and burrowed into his embrace.

"Darling, look, the baby is kicking me again," she pouted, her voice coquettish. "Darling, if it's a girl, can we name her 'Shan Shan'?"

"..."

Luo Xiu stared blankly at Lin Xiyue talking in her sleep, and a bitter feeling suddenly filled his heart.

It seems you really want to be a mother. You've even thought of a name for the child.

Even though I might leave this world soon… don't worry. I swear that even if I die, I'll make sure you and the child can live on happily.

Lin Xiyue… if there's a next life, let's try to get along properly then.

"..."

「The next day.」

Luo Xiu was up bright and early. Ye Ningxue was still sitting on the front steps, lost in thought as she felt Luo Xiu's sword intent. She had been sitting there all night.

Luo Xiu didn't disturb her; he just got on his electric scooter and left. After eating a bowl of spicy noodles at a diner outside the villa complex, he went straight to Wan Yao Hall.

...

On the third floor of Wan Yao Hall, Luo Xiu looked at Guan Changyun on the bed and noticed his complexion had improved significantly. Guan Changyun had woken up the previous night, but he was still immobile as his wounds had not yet healed.

The wounds, inflicted by sword energy, were incredibly sharp and insidious, even malicious—far more terrifying than those from a triangular bayonet. It was a good thing Luo Xiu was skilled enough to stitch them up, but until they healed, any movement would cause the stitches to break.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better…" Guan Changyun looked at Luo Xiu, his old eyes brimming with tears and his voice hoarse. "Thank you, Master…"

Luo Xiu waved his hand with a chuckle. "My surname is Luo, not Thanks."

Guan Changyun said, "I thought I was surely going to die this time. And even if I didn't… I would have become a cripple."

Luo Xiu asked, "Did you fight him because of me?"

Guan Changyun replied, "Not entirely. I wanted to completely sever ties with my former sect."

Luo Xiu nodded in understanding. He took out a folded piece of paper, placed it on the nightstand, and said, "I'm going to the provincial capital in a couple of days for the Martial Heaven Ritual. You just stay here in Sea City and rest up."

Guan Changyun nodded slightly, his eyes on the folded paper. "What is this?"

"It's a Cultivation Technique called 'Arrogant Thirteen Techniques.' I'm passing it on to you now."

This casual remark sent a jolt of excitement through Guan Changyun. He stared at Luo Xiu in utter disbelief. "Master… how do you possess this peerless Cultivation Technique? I've heard of this legendary technique before, but it was lost to history long ago!"

Luo Xiu smiled. "I don't actually know the Cultivation Technique myself. I just remember its contents. After all, I read a lot when I was a kid."

Feeling as if he were in a dream, Guan Changyun's voice trembled as he asked, "This priceless treasure… you're just giving it to me like this?"

Luo Xiu smiled. "Well, you did call me 'Master'."

At his words, Guan Changyun fell silent, looking at Luo Xiu with deep emotion. He was suddenly overcome with gratitude, glad that he'd had his epiphany that night, recognized his own failure, and set aside his pride to take Luo Xiu as his master.

Luo Xiu suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which… you should probably stop calling me 'Master' from now on. You're an old man, after all. It would sound strange to others if you called me that in public. Just call me 'Mister'."

"Yes, Mister."

Luo Xiu nodded in satisfaction. "Rest well and let your injuries heal. Once you're mostly recovered, you can start your cultivation."

Guan Changyun's voice filled with confidence. "Once I cultivate this technique, the next time I encounter my mast—meet Zhou Jingong, he will be no match for me!"

There are many kinds of Cultivation Techniques, ranging from poor to excellent, and the 'Arrogant Thirteen Techniques' that Luo Xiu had given him was among the absolute top tier. For a Martial Artist, a peerless Cultivation Technique like this was the ultimate dream.

"I'm leaving," Luo Xiu said.

"Take care, Mister."

"..."

「A day passed.」

「Then another day went by.」

On this day, Luo Xiu, Lin Xiyue, and Ye Ningxue set out early in the morning, driving toward Henghai Provincial City. They took the expressway the whole way and arrived in the provincial city by evening. From there, they went directly to a five-star hotel in the city center named Anna Hotel.

Before they left, Luo Xiu and Su Guobang had already arranged to meet there.

At the hotel entrance, Ye Ningxue said she needed to go home first and parted ways with Luo Xiu and Lin Xiyue.

Luo Xiu and Lin Xiyue were chatting on a sofa in the lobby. Before long, the competition team from the Sea City Martial Association arrived. The association had sent a group of more than a dozen people: Su Guobang's family, Ren Xuan and the eight substitutes, and two directors from the Sea City Martial Association.

"Divine Doctor Luo, I didn't expect you to beat an old man like me here!" Su Guobang walked up to Luo Xiu, boasting about his own foresight. "The hotels around here fill up quickly during this time, so I booked this one a week in advance. If I hadn't, we'd be hard-pressed to find a room. We had to act first!"

Seeing Su Guobang laughing and chatting with Luo Xiu, Su Quan and the others looked thoroughly displeased.

Feng Xi spoke with a sarcastic tone, "Is someone here on vacation? Staying in such a high-end hotel without spending a dime is one thing, but bringing an extra person along? Might as well bring the whole family."

Hearing this, Su Guobang's face darkened. He glared at Feng Xi and snapped, "Shut your mouth!"

Lin Xiyue looked at Luo Xiu. "Should we find somewhere else to stay?"

Luo Xiu replied, "We're tired from being in the car all day. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

"..."

Afterward, the group went to the front desk to get their rooms. Just then, a Martial Association Director holding a laptop found Su Guobang and said with a happy smile, "Chairman, the organizers have entered our submitted list of competitors into the system! And we're lucky to have been placed in Group D. There aren't any particularly strong opponents in Group D; they're all teams the Sea City Martial Association has defeated in the past."

Hearing this, Su Guobang was very pleased. As the saying goes, luck is a part of strength. Being placed in such a group meant it would be easy to make it out of the group stage.

"Huh… something's not right." The Martial Association Director suddenly furrowed his brow.

Startled, Su Guobang asked, "What's wrong?"

The director's expression soured. "Chairman, this list… it has Ren Xuan as the main competitor for the Sea City Martial Association. Didn't you designate Luo Xiu for that spot?"

Su Guobang's eyes widened, and he hurriedly snatched the laptop. The others crowded around, curious.

Su Guobang scrolled through the list again and again, confirming that the name of the main competitor was indeed Ren Xuan. As for Luo Xiu, his name wasn't even on the list of substitutes.

This meant that Luo Xiu wasn't just not the main competitor for the Sea City Martial Association; he wasn't even a substitute.

And that meant… Luo Xiu would be unable to compete.

"What on earth is going on?!"

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