Luo Xiu shook his head gently. "Sorry, I don't have time. And I never took you seriously anyway."

At this moment, Su Guobang quickly walked over. Seeing Ren Xuan was still pestering him, he raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

"Haven't you made enough of a fool of yourself? Get lost!"

The slap immediately subdued Ren Xuan. He shot Luo Xiu a resentful glare before turning to leave.

After Ren Xuan left, Su Guobang looked at Luo Xiu and smiled apologetically.

"Doctor Luo, thank you."

He had intentionally sent Su Shanyue up earlier. His intention was obvious—he wanted Luo Xiu to give them a chance, as he didn't want the Sea City Martial Association to be eliminated in the group stage.

Luo Xiu revealed a knowing smile and said, "You're too kind."

Su Guobang smiled sheepishly. "Um... Doctor Luo, if you're free tonight, how about we have dinner together?"

Luo Xiu nodded. "Alright."

Afterward, Luo Xiu quietly slipped out through the stadium's back door and took a cab straight back to Feiyun Villa. There was a large fishpond at Feiyun Villa, and he was anxious to get back to bait his fishing spot.

As for Lin Xiyue, she stayed behind to deal with the reporters who wanted to interview her.

...

「In a high-end hotel.」

Duan Feibai looked at the young man in his twenties before him and chuckled. "This disguise technique is truly top-notch. I can't spot a single flaw even this close."

The young man opened his mouth, but the voice that came out was that of an old man, completely at odds with his appearance. "When will I face Luo Xiu on stage?"

Duan Feibai smiled. "Master Zhou, no need to rush. Luo Xiu's Provincial Capital Martial Association has already made it through the group stage. The qualifying matches are next, and you will meet him then."

This young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, was none other than Zhou Jingong, his face altered by a disguise technique!

Zhou Jingong said coldly, "I will kill him this time for sure!"

Duan Feibai advised, "However, Master Zhou, your name is now 'Watanabe Ichiro,' and you belong to the team from Sakura Country. You should speak as little as possible from now on, or you'll blow your cover."

Hearing this, Zhou Jingong frowned, displeased. "Why did you arrange for me to be on the Sakura Country team?"

Duan Feibai gave a helpless smile. "There was no other way. Under the current circumstances, this was the best this junior could do."

"This junior knows Master Zhou might be dissatisfied, but that isn't important. After all, Master Zhou, your only target is Luo Xiu."

Zhou Jingong huffed coldly and asked, "And what about the real Watanabe Ichiro?"

Duan Feibai replied, "I gave him a sum of money. Who knows where he's off enjoying himself right now."

"..."

...

「In the blink of an eye, night fell.」

「Hengyun Technology Building.」

In the office on the top floor, the handsome young man looked at the middle-aged man standing before him and said, "Red Bat, tonight, your first task is to capture Su Shanyue."

The middle-aged man called Red Bat asked, "Messenger Lord, didn't you summon this subordinate specifically to kill Luo Xiu?"

The handsome young man waved his hand. "There's no rush to deal with Luo Xiu. It's not like he can run away, and I want to use him at the Martial Heaven Grand Ritual to test the abilities of those Mutant Warriors."

He continued, "As for Su Shanyue, she possesses the Void Zen Sound, which has significant research value. We might be able to develop a new mutant serum through her."

Red Bat nodded. "This subordinate obeys!"

The handsome young man added a warning, "However, the power of the Void Zen Sound is terrifying. You must be well-prepared to avoid any unexpected failures."

"This subordinate understands!"

...

「Feiyun Villa.」

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Luo Xiu headed out.

He had wanted to invite Lin Xiyue to the banquet as well, but the great CEO Lin still had work to do. Even while away, Lin Xiyue was glued to her laptop every day, a picture of diligence.

...

In a high-end restaurant, Su Guobang had reserved the most extravagant private room. He arrived early, waiting with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Su Quan was very confused. "Dad, why are we treating Luo Xiu to dinner? And what's with all the ceremony?"

Su Guobang glanced at him and said slowly, "We are, of course, apologizing to Doctor Luo."

"After the disgraceful thing you did, don't you think you owe him an apology?"

Su Quan gave a dry laugh and muttered, "That guy who only knows how to launch sneak attacks..."

"Shut your mouth!" Su Guobang shouted coldly, cutting him off. He then glanced at Ren Xuan and Feng Xi and said in a stern voice, "You're all a bunch of useless good-for-nothings! You only make things worse and walk around all day thinking you're so great!"

"When Doctor Luo arrives later, all of you will apologize properly!"

Su Quan muttered, "Fine, I'll apologize. Dad, don't be angry. I know I was wrong, alright?"

Su Guobang took a deep breath. "Besides apologizing, we must also thank Doctor Luo this time."

"Thank him?" Feng Xi asked, bewildered. "I can understand apologizing, but Dad, why should we thank him?"

Su Guobang replied, "If he hadn't intentionally lost to Yueyue today, do you really think our Sea City Martial Association would have made it into the qualifying rounds?"

Hearing this, Su Quan and the others looked completely unconvinced.

Su Quan said, "But Yueyue won with her own strength! What does that have to do with Luo Xiu?"

Feng Xi chimed in, "I don't know the details, but our Yueyue is a natural prodigy, born with Divine Power!"

"Dad, you've seen for yourself how terrifyingly powerful that sound she makes is."

"Exactly, President!" Ren Xuan also spoke up. "On the Combat Stage earlier, it was clear that Yueyue defeated Luo Xiu with that sound. Tens of thousands of spectators saw it with their own eyes. She won through her own strength!"

Su Guobang chuckled. "Truly a bunch of frogs in a well."

Su Shanyue, who had been sitting quietly to the side, could no longer hold back and began explaining with sign language. She knew perfectly well that her Void Zen Sound had no effect on Luo Xiu whatsoever.

BOOM!

Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly blown open by a tremendous force. A middle-aged man in a red Tang suit then sauntered into the room.

Su Guobang instantly sensed a dangerous aura. He immediately got up and stepped forward, shielding Su Shanyue and the others. The old man braced himself, remaining vigilant as he asked in a grave tone, "Who might you be?"

The middle-aged man smiled faintly and looked at Su Shanyue. "I'm only here for this young lady. I need to take her somewhere. This has nothing to do with the rest of you, so if you don't want to die, stand still and don't move."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening." Su Quan stepped forward, blocking the middle-aged man's path.

"If you want to touch my daughter, you'll have to get through me first!"

THUMP!

No sooner had he spoken than a dull thud sounded. The middle-aged man had struck Su Quan's chest with his palm. The terrifying force didn't send Su Quan flying; instead, it all resonated inside his body. Su Quan was seen clutching his chest, crumpled on the ground and vomiting blood, the pain so intense he was on the verge of passing out.

The middle-aged man then pinned Su Quan to the floor, placed a foot on his back, and stepped over him.

"Little girl, I have now stepped over your father. It's time for you to come with me."

With a grave expression, Su Guobang moved to block Su Shanyue's path, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man.

"The Blood-Devouring Ghoul Bat Palm... You're Red Bat, ranked seventeenth on the Profound List?"

Hearing this, Ren Xuan and Feng Xi were both stunned. Feng Xi was merely frightened, but Ren Xuan's legs went weak. His face drained of all color as he slowly backed into a corner. An expert ranked seventeenth on the Profound List was someone he wouldn't even dare to dream of confronting!

Red Bat grinned. "As expected of an association president. You've got some knowledge, at least."

Su Guobang said in a deep voice, "Bring it on!"

About ten seconds later, Su Guobang was sent flying into a wall, which cracked under the impact. He was unable to get back up after he landed. This Martial Arts Grandmaster of Sea City was utterly powerless against an expert from the Profound List.

Next, Feng Xi charged forward, trying to protect her daughter, but she too was knocked to the ground with a single palm strike from Red Bat.

Red Bat glanced at Ren Xuan. "You want to try too, little guy?"

Ren Xuan swallowed hard, his eyes filled with terror, and retreated even further.

Red Bat sneered in contempt. "What a coward."

Just then, Su Shanyue took a deep breath, centered her energy in her Dantian, and abruptly unleashed the Void Zen Sound.

However, to her utter astonishment, Red Bat was completely unaffected!

She gritted her teeth and lunged at Red Bat with a punch.

"You overestimate yourself!" Red Bat scoffed, sending Su Shanyue flying with a casual backhand slap.

However, he had no intention of harming Su Shanyue, so the slap wasn't heavy.

Su Shanyue pushed herself up from the floor, her heart filled with despair. "What do you want?"

Red Bat gave a faint smile. "Enough with the pointless talk. Come with me, and I'll spare your family."

Su Shanyue clenched her fists and glanced at Ren Xuan, who was trembling in the corner, trying to signal him with her eyes. What infuriated her, however, was that Ren Xuan was so petrified by Red Bat that he seemed to have lost his very soul, making it impossible to even make eye contact with him.

"Uh... Did I walk into the wrong room? Are you guys redecorating in here?"

Yet, upon hearing this voice, Su Shanyue felt her heart lift. The despair vanished in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming sense of security.

The newcomer was none other than Luo Xiu

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