The private room was silent.

Enveloped in the oppressive aura Luo Xiu had deliberately released, no one dared to utter another sound.

The elders all trembled, drenched in cold sweat. For a moment, they even found it difficult to breathe, their eyes filled with resentment and shock as they looked at Luo Xiu.

At the same time, seeing the green Spiritual Energy emanating from him, they found it inconceivable. They had never seen or heard of colored Spiritual Energy before. Spiritual Energy was, by its very nature, an invisible and colorless form of worldly energy; it shouldn't have any color.

Yet today, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

"Sigh, forget it. I don't want you saying I bully the old," Luo Xiu said, breaking the silence.

He glanced at the elders with a smile. "I'm actually quite easy-going and treat everyone with basic courtesy. The only prerequisite is that you must respect me. Only then will I respect you."

"The young should respect their elders, but elders should also respect the young. You old folks have probably gotten too used to having your way," he continued. "Here's a piece of advice for you—those who have climbed to the mountain's peak should never look down on those still at its base. You also ascended step by step, and those at the bottom might just climb higher than you one day."

With that, he quietly withdrew the terrifying aura.

Everyone instantly felt a weight lift from their shoulders and began to gasp for air.

Luo Xiu looked at the long-haired elder with a smirk. "By the time I truly decide to teach you a lesson, you will have lost the right to even try to fight back."

"Your only advantage over me is probably your age."

"Also, to the long-haired elder who asked what kind of people were in this room, I'm sorry, but I have no interest in who you are, nor in the sects or factions you belong to," he said coolly. "Because no matter the sect or faction, they can only bow their heads before Ghost Valley."

Upon hearing the words "Ghost Valley," everyone stared at Luo Xiu in disbelief. But the aura he had just released had nearly shattered their minds and bodies, so they had no choice but to believe him. To possess such terrifying strength at his age… only Ghost Valley could produce such a monster.

Luo Xiu then turned toward Granny Miaoyu, a faint smile on his lips. "I think I misspoke earlier… In fact, Su Shanyue does have a background: Ghost Valley. She also has someone backing her up: me."

"So, if she suffers the slightest grievance in Xianyin Valley, then your valley will be in big trouble. This is my warning to you, and it's the purpose of my visit."

Granny Miaoyu's face turned pale. "What… what exactly is your relationship with Shan Yue?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Luo Xiu considered it for a moment, then retorted, "Didn't you just say that I would have nothing to do with her in the future?"

Granny Miaoyu sighed helplessly and looked away. "Rest assured, she will not be treated unfairly in Xianyin Valley."

Luo Xiu said no more and turned to leave.

Just before walking out of the private room, he suddenly stopped, reached out, and pinched the chin of the woman in the white dress who had opened the door.

"Little fairy, I much prefer your previous cold and aloof demeanor, when you looked like you wanted to kill me."

The woman in the white dress bit her lip and forced her head to the side. Her face flushed red, though whether from anger or shame was unclear.

Seeing Luo Xiu's flagrant flirting with a fairy of Xianyin Valley, the others wore strange expressions and glanced at Granny Miaoyu, waiting to see her reaction. A man had once merely touched this fairy's hand, and Granny Miaoyu had ruthlessly chopped off both of his.

This time, however, Granny Miaoyu pretended not to see a thing.

She couldn't afford to offend Ghost Valley. That terrifying pressure still filled her with dread. Under such an oppressive force, one could only feel fear and despair, a sense of utter insignificance, as if one's life was no longer one's own, liable to be snatched away by the Death God at any moment.

Only a long while after Luo Xiu had left did the people in the private room finally recover.

The long-haired elder wiped the sweat from his brow, snorted coldly, and said, "That kid is truly arrogant."

The short, thin elder beside him shook his head with a slight chuckle. "If we had actually fought, all of us combined probably wouldn't have been his match. He has the strength to back up his arrogance."

"A Descendant of Ghost Valley… how terrifying! Probably only a powerhouse from the Heaven Ranking could challenge him."

「The next morning.」

At Feiyun Villa, Luo Xiu stood by the fishpond, gazing up at the airplane streaking across the sky until it vanished. A faint smile touched his lips.

"Yueyue, I wish you a safe journey," he murmured. "I hope we meet again."

He had just received a message from Su Shanyue. She was leaving with Granny Miaoyu today.

"What's wrong? Can't bear to see her go?" Lin Xiyue's voice, tinged with sourness, suddenly came from behind him.

Luo Xiu smiled, walked over to a tackle box, sat down, and picked up a fishing rod.

"It's not about that. Everyone has their own path to walk."

Lin Xiyue walked to his side. "And you? What path will you take?"

Luo Xiu shook his head gently. "To be honest, I've always been lost, unsure of what I truly want."

He glanced at Lin Xiyue and chuckled. "So for now, I'll just be an ordinary man: greedy for wealth and women, just coasting along until I die."

"…"

「Days went by.」

In the following days, Luo Xiu fought alone and was unstoppable, leading the Provincial Capital Martial Association straight into the top three of the points ranking!

His outstanding performance and unique combat style made him the biggest dark horse of the martial competition. His popularity now rivaled that of Lin Xiyue.

But as the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind. Because he was so high-profile, the top teams from previous competitions all began to study him.

Of course, Luo Xiu himself couldn't care less. He had only one goal: the Scorching Sun Profound Purity Fruit. He had no interest in the squabbles of these small fries.

However, one thing did catch his attention: the team from Sakura Country. To be precise, he was focused on a Martial Artist on their team named Watanabe Ichiro.

Watanabe Ichiro had also chosen to fight alone in the qualifying matches. His personal strength was formidable, and like Luo Xiu, he had steamrolled all his opponents. But unlike Luo Xiu, a man from Sakura Country acting so arrogantly at Hua Country's martial competition ignited the fighting spirit of countless citizens, leading to widespread scorn and invective.

Now, the entire nation eagerly awaited a showdown between Luo Xiu and Watanabe Ichiro on the Combat Stage, hoping Luo Xiu would crush his arrogance and win glory for Hua Country!

「On this day.」

The team from Sakura Country faced the Sea City Martial Association in a qualifying match. Watanabe Ichiro once again chose to fight alone, facing the main lineup of the Sea City Martial Association and their two substitutes.

In the rest area.

Su Quan spoke to Ren Xuan with a grave expression. "Although some things are better left unsaid, those who understand, understand… a match between Team Hua Country and Team Sakura Country… this is about our nation's honor!"

Ren Xuan nodded emphatically, showing he understood.

"Don't worry, Master. I've found that arrogant Watanabe Ichiro insufferable for a long time. Today, I'll be the one to put an end to him!"

Su Quan naturally didn't believe Ren Xuan was a match for Watanabe Ichiro, but with his disciple's morale soaring, he couldn't pour cold water on his enthusiasm.

He reached out and patted Ren Xuan's shoulder. "Go for it, Xuan!"

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