Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 77 – Crescent Moon Jade Pendant

After taking a Transforming Bone Pill, Luo Xiu walked out of the Hunter Guild.

He noticed a few martial artists lingering in front of the guild's entrance, and it was obvious they were sent by Le Pengcheng to keep watch.

However, as long as Le Pengcheng wasn't there, ordinary Qi Sea Martial Artists and Innate Martial Masters wouldn't be able to see through the disguise of the Transforming Bone Pill.

Luo Xiu first gathered some information in the city and learned that during his seclusion in the Hunter Guild, Lu Mengyao had already left Zuoxing City for the Thunder Martial Sect in Douhai Prefecture.

He hadn't shown himself during this period and wasn't sure if Le Pengcheng had left as well. However, Luo Xiu felt that if Le Pengcheng was truly interested in the secrets he held, he wouldn't have left.

Luo Xiu even suspected that the news of Lu Mengyao's departure was deliberately spread by Le Pengcheng to make him think it was safe, while Le Pengcheng was actually still lying in wait for him to show himself.

In this world full of deceit, Luo Xiu took the precaution of consuming a Transforming Bone Pill before daring to leave the Hunter Guild.

For the next month, Luo Xiu trained in the Guanlei Mountain Range, using his Life Perception ability to hunt third-level demonic beasts. Through these battles, he honed his cultivation and martial arts.

His cultivation level advanced rapidly, filling Luo Xiu with confidence. He attempted to find a fourth-level demonic beast to gauge the gap between himself and the Spirit Refining Martial Sect.

Almost immediately upon encountering one, he realized he was no match. If not for the speed of his Ten-Directional Phantom movement technique, he would have been devoured.

Luo Xiu estimated his strength to be roughly equivalent to the Innate Realm, Seventh Layer. If he could break through to the Innate Realm, he might contend with those at the Ninth Layer or even a half-step Spirit Refinement level.

During this month, Luo Xiu killed over a hundred third-level demonic beasts. Occasionally, he encountered top-tier third-level beasts and sustained injuries, even coming close to death several times.

"Roar!"

A black bear with blood-red eyes stood upright and roared, its sharp teeth menacing.

Not far from the bear, Luo Xiu stepped out from the shadows of the trees. His black clothes were torn in many places, but his eyes were bright and full of spirit.

This black bear was a third-level demonic beast, its strength roughly equivalent to the Innate Realm, Fifth Layer. Perhaps sensing the terrifying aura from the human before it, the bear roared fiercely but continued to retreat.

Demonic beasts had an instinctual sense of danger. From the murderous aura emanating from this human, the bear could tell that many beasts as strong as itself had died at his hands.

Martial cultivation couldn't do without resources. Hunting demonic beasts not only sharpened one's skills but also allowed the sale of beast materials for Yuan Qi Stones. Thus, Luo Xiu had slain many third-level demonic beasts during this time.

The various third-level materials piled up in his Storage Ring were worth thousands of Low-Grade Yuan Qi Stones.

Just as Luo Xiu was about to kill the third-level black bear, a sudden rush of footsteps sounded. A young man, covered in blood, staggered out from the bushes and fell to the ground.

Luo Xiu looked over and found that the young man's life force was extremely weak, his Vital Meridians nearly collapsed. Without a miraculous elixir, he was beyond saving and doomed to die.

As Luo Xiu's attention was drawn to the young man, the third-level black bear took the opportunity to flee.

Luo Xiu didn't chase the escaping bear but instead walked over to the injured young man.

Though he had killed many, Luo Xiu was not a cold-blooded person.

In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, life perished almost every moment. For Luo Xiu, who possessed the Life and Death Pearl and cultivated the profound mysteries of the Law of Life and Death, the higher his cultivation, the more he understood.

"Friend, please help me..."

The bloodied young man weakly spoke as Luo Xiu approached.

Perhaps because the young man was already a dying person, Luo Xiu let his guard down.

"I'm from the Gongsun Family. I was ambushed and gravely injured. I have a token here; I hope you can deliver it to the Gongsun Family."

As he spoke weakly, the young man trembled as he took out a crescent-shaped jade pendant from his bosom.

"If I have the chance, I'll deliver it for you," Luo Xiu nodded, reaching out to take the jade pendant.

But just as Luo Xiu's fingers touched the pendant, a sharp glint flashed in the young man's eyes. A dagger appeared in his hand, stabbing towards Luo Xiu's heart.

"Thud!"

Blood splattered. Although Luo Xiu reacted quickly, the unexpected attack left a wound on his chest, blood gushing out.

Luo Xiu's expression turned icy. If he hadn't dodged quickly, the dagger would have pierced his heart.

The young man seemed surprised by Luo Xiu's quick reaction. In that moment of shock, Luo Xiu's fist had already struck.

"Wait..."

The young man tried to speak, but Luo Xiu's punch landed on his head. Already on the brink of death, the blow finished him off.

Luo Xiu's eyes were cold, his heart even colder. Just because he showed a moment of kindness, he nearly lost his life. The treachery of human nature was chilling.

What puzzled Luo Xiu was why the young man, already a dying person, would try to kill him when he was there to help.

Luo Xiu took the young man's Storage Ring and the crescent-shaped jade pendant, then left without a glance at the corpse.

Inside the Storage Ring was a token with the word "Gongsun" on it, confirming the young man's identity as someone from the Gongsun Family.

There were also some Yuan Qi Stones and pills, but the crescent-shaped jade pendant was peculiar—it couldn't be stored in the Storage Ring.

This was the first time Luo Xiu encountered something that couldn't be stored in a Storage Ring. Considering the pendant was taken from the young man's bosom, it was likely not an ordinary item.

Luo Xiu studied it for a long time but couldn't figure out its purpose.

After taking another Transforming Bone Pill, Luo Xiu returned to Zuoxing City.

He first sold all the materials from the third-level demonic beasts at the Hunter Guild, then rented a chamber to prepare for breaking through to the Innate Realm.

In a month's time, his cultivation had stabilized. With everything ready, it was the best time to attempt the breakthrough.

In the chamber, with most of his Yuan Qi Stones consumed, Luo Xiu decided to reserve the remaining thousands of Yuan Qi Stones and a few hundred High-Grade Yuan Qi Stones for emergencies.

For this seclusion to break through to the Innate Realm, he relied mainly on the Ascension Pill and the Yin Stone.

Taking the Yin Stone from his Storage Ring, he held it in his palm, then swallowed an Ascension Pill. As the pill dissolved, its vast medicinal power spread throughout his body.

At the same time, he activated the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle, absorbing the Yin energy from the Yin Stone, condensing it into Life and Death Extremes True Qi.

True Qi gathered in his Dantian, swirling around the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle, forming a vortex.

Breaking through from Qi Sea to the Innate Realm involved two steps. The first was to condense True Qi into a vortex, also known as a Qi Swirl.

The second step was to refine Elemental Power to form Innate True Qi.

Luo Xiu's True Qi inherently contained the attributes of Life and Death Extremes, so the moment the Qi Swirl formed, it was essentially a successful advancement.

However, the newly formed Qi Swirl was unstable and required sufficient Yuan Qi to stabilize. If the Qi Swirl collapsed, the breakthrough would fail.

Before long, Luo Xiu consumed all four Ascension Pills, and the black Yin Stone dimmed, turning gray and then white.

When the Yin Stone finally crumbled into powder, the Qi Swirl in Luo Xiu's Dantian stabilized completely.

Inside his Dantian, the black and white Life and Death Extremes True Qi formed a vortex, resembling a star swirl in the galaxy.

At the center of this vast star swirl, the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle rotated slowly, like an eternal star, existing since ancient times.

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After breaking through to the Innate Realm, Luo Xiu's first sensation was the heightened acuity of his senses. He could perceive even the slightest movements within a two to three-mile radius.

Previously, even before reaching the Innate Realm, Luo Xiu had the ability of soul perception. With his advancement, this perception became stronger and more expansive.

Combined with his Life Perception ability, unless someone had top-tier concealment techniques, anyone approaching within two to three miles would be clearly sensed by him.

Apart from the enhanced soul perception, Luo Xiu extended his palm, and Life and Death Extremes True Qi gathered in his palm, forming a tangible aura.

Condensing Qi into aura and soul perception—these abilities were what truly made an Innate Martial Master far superior to a Qi Sea Martial Artist.

"Now that I've reached the Innate Realm, I should be able to receive another gift from the Origin Law, right?" Luo Xiu couldn't help but feel eager.

The last gift from the Origin Law granted him the Swift Sword Art, enabling him to easily defeat stronger opponents. With his sword technique reaching Major Achievement and his current Innate Realm, First Layer cultivation, he was unmatched below the Spirit Refining Martial Sect.

The Spirit of Reincarnation had once said that the gifts from the Origin Law would tend to enhance the inheritor's strength, which filled Luo Xiu with anticipation.

Sensing the Life and Death Pearl with his soul, a slight tremor was transmitted, and Luo Xiu's figure vanished instantly. In the chamber, only a pearl emitting black and white light floated in mid-air.

Gazing at the ancient and eternal cycle of reincarnation, every time he saw it, Luo Xiu was filled with deep emotion.

He wondered what level of cultivation he would need to reach to grasp the Origin of the Law of Life and Death and wield reincarnation.

"Weak inheritor, you have broken through to the Innate Realm and can receive another gift from the Origin Law."

The voice of the Spirit of Reincarnation echoed, followed by a beam of light. A ball of light hovered before Luo Xiu.

This ball of light was the gift from the Origin Law, but what it contained remained unknown.