Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 39 – Provocation

In the stone chamber, Luo Xiu collected all the treasures and then turned his gaze to the massive corpse of the Twin-Headed Nether Tiger.

According to the records left by Martial King Buchen, the Twin-Headed Nether Tiger was a fifth-tier demonic beast, comparable to a King of Martial Dao, with formidable strength.

Such a high-tier demonic beast had invaluable treasures all over its body. Luo Xiu immediately waved his hand, storing the enormous corpse into his storage ring.

"There's still about a month until the entry assessment. I might as well train here during this period to enhance my strength."

The entrance of this canyon was shrouded in mist formed by a formation, so there was no worry of being disturbed. Moreover, the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi here was quite abundant, making it suitable for secluded cultivation.

There were many pills in the storage ring, but Luo Xiu dared not use them recklessly, as even the lowest grade among them was fourth-grade, containing medicinal power that a Qi Sea Martial Artist could not withstand.

"A fifth-tier Spirit Gathering Formation device and a mid-grade Yuan Qi Stone—just these two items are enough to make my cultivation advance by leaps and bounds."

Turning around, Luo Xiu entered the stone chamber and embedded a mid-grade Yuan Qi Stone into the fifth-tier Spirit Gathering device. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi from all directions quickly converged, forming a dense mist around him.

The effect of cultivating in such rich Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi was excellent. In just half a day, Luo Xiu felt his cultivation had reached the peak of the first layer of the Qi Sea Realm, almost touching the second layer.

Advancing from the first to the second layer of the Qi Sea Realm required an accumulation of True Qi. As long as enough Yuan Qi was absorbed, breaking through posed no bottleneck.

Taking out a mid-grade Yuan Qi Stone from the storage ring, Luo Xiu operated his cultivation method to absorb the pure Yuan Qi within.

That night, a powerful aura rose from Luo Xiu's body. As his True Qi continued to grow, the space in his dantian expanded, and the mist-like True Qi increased.

When his dantian reached a saturated state, Luo Xiu could no longer absorb more Yuan Qi, and his cultivation advanced to the second layer of the Qi Sea Realm.

"The first Origin Law Diagram of Heaven's Life and Death Cycle..."

The advancement in cultivation didn't bring Luo Xiu much joy, as the Origin Law Diagram was incredibly difficult. He hadn't even grasped the basics.

According to the Spirit of Reincarnation, the Origin Law Diagram consisted of nine diagrams. Just the first diagram was already so profound and complex, so the difficulty of comprehending the subsequent eight diagrams was imaginable.

For the next month, Luo Xiu devoted himself to arduous cultivation in the canyon.

Compared to his martial cultivation, he focused more on comprehending the Swift Sword Art and Heaven's Life and Death Cycle.

...

Qingyun Martial Hall.

"Luo Xiu hasn't returned yet?" The Master of Qingyun Hall, seated in the main seat, frowned. "There are only seven days left until the entry assessment. What should we do?"

"Hall Master, according to our information, Luo Xiu left the city two months ago to train at Yaqi Mountain. Could he have encountered some danger in the mountains?" Elder Zhuang said with some concern.

"Probably not. I don't think Luo Xiu is a reckless person. If he hasn't returned for so long, there must be another reason."

The Master of Qingyun Hall said in a deep voice, "What worries me most is that Zhang Lüliang might have targeted Luo Xiu."

"Should we send someone to Yaqi Mountain to look for him?" Zhuang Nantian suggested.

The Master of Qingyun Hall shook his head and said, "If he's fine, he'll come back on his own. If something really happened, searching would be futile."

"Haha, I heard your Qingyun City's genius Luo Xiu has gone missing?"

At this moment, a loud laugh came from outside the hall. It was the Master of New Stone Hall, who had come to challenge Qingyun City with his men not long ago.

Behind the Master of New Stone Hall, Nie Xiaodie, dressed in red, accompanied him, her bright eyes searching for Luo Xiu's trace.

"Master of New Stone Hall, you come uninvited. What brings you here?" The Master of Qingyun Hall snorted coldly, speaking with displeasure.

"Hehe, since the entry assessment is about to start, I happened to be passing by and thought I'd join your Qingyun Martial Hall on the way to Yunlong Prefecture Capital," the Master of New Stone Hall said with a smile.

Every year, the entry assessment was held in Yunlong Prefecture Capital, gathering top talents from all the martial halls in Yunlong Prefecture.

"Master of Qingyun Hall, after Xiaodie was defeated by Luo Xiu, she trained diligently and has now reached the second layer of the Qi Sea Realm. She plans to compete with him in this entry assessment. Where is he?" The Master of New Stone Hall stroked his beard, smiling.

"You, Master of New Stone Hall, are well-informed, asking knowingly." The Master of Qingyun Hall's face darkened.

Qingyun City and New Stone City were neighbors, and their martial halls had always been rivals. As the masters of their respective halls, he and the Master of New Stone Hall had been old adversaries for many years.

Seeing the Master of Qingyun Hall's unfriendly expression, the Master of New Stone Hall decided to let it go and laughed, "It seems Luo Xiu will miss this year's assessment. In that case, I won't disturb you any longer."

"Don't see you out!" The Master of Qingyun Hall flicked his sleeve, feeling quite displeased.

Time passed quietly, and three days went by in the blink of an eye.

The masters of various city martial halls gathered in Yunlong Prefecture Capital with their talents. Additionally, other young talents from Yunlong Prefecture, not affiliated with martial halls, also came to participate in the Free Spirit Sect's disciple recruitment assessment.

"Hyah!"

When Luo Xiu rode into Qingyun City, the Master of the Martial Hall quickly received the news.

"This kid, if he had returned a day later, he might have really missed this assessment," the Master of Qingyun Hall breathed a sigh of relief and instructed, "Have Luo Xiu come to see me immediately!"

Moments later, Luo Xiu arrived at the martial hall to meet the Master of Qingyun Hall.

Regarding his recent experiences, Luo Xiu had already prepared an explanation, claiming he was ambushed in Yaqi Mountain, severely injured, and thus returned late.

As for killing Zhang Lüliang's three disciples and the matter of the Martial King's Treasury, he didn't mention a word.

After all, Zhang Lüliang's three disciples were two at the fifth layer of the Qi Sea Realm and one at the seventh layer. Logically, with his strength, he couldn't possibly contend with them. If he claimed to have killed them, it would inevitably raise suspicions about him having some special means.

Concerning the secret of the Life and Death Pearl, Luo Xiu dared not be careless. The Spirit of Reincarnation had said that if certain experts who practiced the Law of Life and Death discovered he had the Life and Death Pearl, they would surely kill him to seize the origin of the Law of Life and Death.

"It must be that old man Zhang Lüliang!" The Master of Qingyun Hall showed anger. "The three people you mentioned should be Zhang Lüliang's disciples. It's not easy for you to survive their assassination."

As he spoke, the Master of Qingyun Hall's gaze fell on Luo Xiu, pleasantly surprised, "Your cultivation has reached the second layer of the Qi Sea Realm?"

Luo Xiu nodded, "In a life-and-death situation, I managed to break through."

"Indeed, Zhang Lüliang's disciples are at least at the fifth layer of the Qi Sea Realm. Surviving such a deadly ambush and breaking through in cultivation is understandable."

Being a strong practitioner at the half-step Spirit Refining Realm, the Master of Qingyun Hall naturally understood that in life-and-death situations, martial artists were most likely to break through their limits.

Therefore, many martial experts would travel and venture into dangerous places, seeking to advance their martial path at the edge of life and death.

"There are still three days until the entry assessment officially begins. If we leave now, we can still make it."

The Master of Qingyun Hall said slowly, stepping out of the hall and suddenly letting out a long whistle.

"Chirp!"

A sharp cry echoed from the sky, and Luo Xiu saw a black dot in the sky rapidly growing larger, descending quickly.

As the distance closed, he saw that the black dot was a large eagle with black feathers, its wings spread wide like a black cloud, stirring up gusts of wind.

"Blackcloud Eagle!"

Luo Xiu recognized the origin of this demonic beast, the mount tamed by the Master of Qingyun Hall, a third-tier flying demonic beast!

The Blackcloud Eagle's wingspan was over twenty meters, with a broad back suitable for riding.

The Master of Qingyun Hall stepped into the air, landing on the back of the Blackcloud Eagle, and looked at Luo Xiu, "Come on up. With the Blackcloud Eagle's speed, we can reach Yunlong Prefecture Capital in two days."

Luo Xiu responded, leaping up to land behind the Master of Qingyun Hall, his heart surging with excitement. He thought to himself that once he became powerful, he too would tame a formidable demonic beast as a mount, which would be quite impressive.

"Whoosh!"

The Blackcloud Eagle's wings flapped, sending a powerful gust sweeping around, stirring up dust and leaves.

The fierce wind howled as the Blackcloud Eagle flew at an incredible speed, with the clouds rapidly retreating behind them.

Looking down, the earth appeared vast and desolate, and everything seemed so small.

Two days later, a majestic and grand city appeared ahead, with azure city walls towering dozens of meters high, stretching like a mountain range, covering a vast area.

This was Yunlong Prefecture Capital, larger and more majestic than five Qingyun Cities combined.

Yunlong Prefecture Capital was the base of the Free Spirit Sect's Outer Sect, personally overseen by the Outer Sect Master, who was said to be a Martial Grandmaster at the Spirit Refining Realm.

About ten miles from Yunlong Prefecture Capital, the Master of Qingyun Hall had the Blackcloud Eagle land, and the two of them walked towards the capital on foot.

The city gate was bustling with people, with hunter teams preparing to set out for hunts and various martial artists and merchants lining up to enter the city.

"Follow me."

The Master of Qingyun Hall didn't queue up but led Luo Xiu directly to a side gate at the city entrance.

The gatekeeper, a middle-aged man, saw the token presented by the Master of Qingyun Hall and immediately saluted respectfully, opening the side gate.

As a strong practitioner at the half-step Spirit Refining Realm, the status of the masters of various city martial halls was equivalent to that of Outer Sect Stewards, naturally granting them certain privileges.

For Luo Xiu, this was his first time in Yunlong Prefecture Capital, but the Master of Qingyun Hall was familiar with the place and led him directly to a residence within the city.

This residence was a temporary dwelling for the martial hall talents preparing to participate in the entry assessment.

"Hmm? The Master of Qingyun Hall is here. Wasn't their Qingyun City's Luo Xiu missing?"

The masters of the other seventeen cities were taken aback upon hearing the news.

"That boy in black is Luo Xiu? I heard he mastered the Pure Yang Technique. Even among the Outer Sect disciples, fewer than twenty have mastered it."

"Qingyun Martial Hall is quite fortunate. In over eight hundred years, he's already the fourth to master the Pure Yang Technique, right?"

The masters of the seventeen cities discussed among themselves, watching as the Master of Qingyun Hall and Luo Xiu approached.

"Haha, everyone, I'm a bit late, but fortunately, not too late."

The Master of Qingyun Hall laughed heartily as he approached, greeting the other masters.

Meanwhile, an old servant came over, leading Luo Xiu to the temporary residence for the martial hall talents from various cities, where they awaited the start of the entry assessment.

This was a spacious courtyard, with each martial hall talent having their own room. When Luo Xiu arrived, the talents from the other city martial halls curiously looked at him.

"Are you Luo Xiu?"

In the courtyard, a young man in an embroidered robe stood with arms crossed, blocking Luo Xiu's path.

"I heard you mastered the Pure Yang Technique and defeated Sister Xiaodie?" The young man in the embroidered robe had an arrogant demeanor, glaring at Luo Xiu with hostility.

"So what if I did?" Luo Xiu replied calmly.

On the way here, the Master of Qingyun Hall had already told him that before the entry assessment, the martial hall talents from the Eighteen Cities often challenged each other, advising him to be cautious.

However, Luo Xiu hadn't expected that as soon as he arrived, someone would immediately provoke him.