Chapter Thirty-One: The City Lord's Intentions

After Meng Li finished speaking, Lu Qingyun remained motionless. Li Changfeng, observing the look of pleasant surprise on Meng Li’s face, naturally understood the kind of emotions that can grow between young people.

He looked at Meng Li with a gentle smile and said, "Do not grieve too deeply. The injuries he sustained were fatal; there is simply no way for us to heal him. All the medicinal pills I possess are useless against this poison."

"I know that you young people have your own unique thoughts, but I believe you should try to relax. The dead cannot return to life; please, do not let your grief overwhelm you..."

Li Changfeng was truly offering kind advice, as he was, by all accounts, a good man.

Having just seen it with her own eyes, Meng Li spoke with firm conviction: "I really did see his hand move just now. I am not lying to you at all. He is definitely not dead!"

Hearing this, Li Changfeng simply concluded that she must be overcome with grief, which was why she was saying such things. Especially since Lu Qingyun was indeed an exceptional individual; if he were truly to die, it would naturally be hard for anyone to accept.

Li Changfeng tried to persuade her once more. "I think you should not let his efforts go to waste. He traded his life to secure the safety of you and your father. You should hurry and take your father away from this place."

"Bixiao City may appear to be a city of great fortune, but who doesn't know of the City Lord’s schemes? His dream is to dominate the entire continent. How many pawns like Lu Qingyun have already perished because of him?"

Upon hearing his words, Meng Li began to waver, even starting to wonder if what she had experienced moments ago was merely an illusion. She nodded slowly, her expression filled with pain, and said, "Alas... the ways of the world are fickle, and heaven envies the talented. How could such an excellent person be subjected to such an unfair fate? He could have had an unparalleled future."

"Yet he chose to do such a foolish thing. All of this was forced by the City Lord. Had this accident not occurred, what kind of life might he have lived?"

Meng Li had once experienced the tragedy of her own sect being wiped out, so her mindset was naturally something others could hardly compare to. Seeing this situation, she could not help but be reminded of the past. This sense of shared experience left her heart feeling particularly heavy.

Li Changfeng let out a long sigh, his expression grim. "When I first met him, everything he did truly astonished me. I never imagined I would see such terrifying talent in a young person."

"Perhaps we are simply narrow-minded, but he truly felt unique. His death touches us deeply; even now, I find it hard to accept..."

The two were preparing to leave, seeing no point in staying, when a faint, weak voice came from behind them.

"Don't... don't leave..."

The two turned back rapidly, their eyes filled with surprise. They stared wide-eyed at Lu Qingyun, who had opened his eyes. Meng Li rushed over.

"How are you still alive?"

Lu Qingyun was still quite weak, but hearing her words, he offered a wry smile. "What? Were you hoping I would die?"

Meng Li was usually very strong, having been through so much, but at this moment, she could not hold back her tears. She sobbed, "No, no, I just didn't expect..."

She realized that the more she said, the more she blundered, so she chose to fall silent. She looked at Lu Qingyun with tear-filled eyes, not knowing what else to say.

Li Changfeng stepped closer as well. As someone who refined medicinal pills, he possessed some medical knowledge. He looked Lu Qingyun up and down, intending to assess his condition.

After a moment of inspection, he said in utter disbelief, "How is this possible? You clearly consumed a poison pill; there should be no chance of survival left. How can you be completely fine?"

"And it seems... have you broken through to a higher level?"

Li Changfeng’s eyes were filled with shock. Lu Qingyun had taken such a massive risk precisely to obtain the cultivation granted by the system. Just as he was about to check his own body, a voice echoed in his mind.

*Ding! You defeated a weakling! Reward: some cultivation base...*

Lu Qingyun had his memories, and he had read many books in his time, but he had never encountered such a lazy system. Other people’s system interfaces were always incredibly detailed, full of categories and meticulous information.

However, the system Lu Qingyun possessed truly left him speechless. Every time he tried to communicate with it, it was like a clay ox entering the sea—never to be heard from again!

Lu Qingyun wanted to curse, but a massive surge of cultivation energy flooded his meridians like a flash flood. He gritted his teeth, sat cross-legged on the ground, and said with a serious expression, "I must trouble you two to guard me."

Lu Qingyun was not a person who liked to trouble others unless absolutely necessary. In his current state, he needed both of them to help ensure his safety.

He closed his eyes, feeling the turbulent power. The agony of his meridians tearing and reforming was something he found oddly intoxicating. Every shock to his meridians was an excruciating torture, but once they reassembled, his cultivation grew stronger.

For a cultivator, becoming strong inevitably required enduring inhuman pain. True talent was, in essence, the ability to withstand such suffering. If one could not, there was only one outcome: to be a cripple incapable of cultivation—a state Lu Qingyun had once known all too well.

Recalling the humiliation of those years only fueled his motivation. He would carve out his own path and make others look at him with new eyes!

Meng Li and Li Changfeng stood guard, and Meng Li asked with great confusion, "What is actually happening here?"

Meng Li meant no disrespect; she was simply anxious, which made her tone seem slightly blunt. Li Changfeng did not mind at all. He shook his head slowly, his own eyes full of bewilderment. "I am not sure either. The current situation is truly strange; I have never encountered anything like this before."

"Regardless of how he survived, as long as he is alive, there is infinite hope. I believe he can create miracles. The fact that he is still alive is a miracle in itself..."

Li Changfeng was not wrong. That Lu Qingyun could survive such a terrifying poison was beyond what any ordinary person could achieve. Moreover, it wasn't just survival—he was actually increasing his cultivation level. Such a thing was rarely seen. One might even say that such a miracle had never occurred on this entire continent!

Meng Li and Li Changfeng stopped talking and watched Lu Qingyun intently as he advanced in his cultivation.

A scene that stunned them both occurred once more!

Lu Qingyun’s body began to expel a purple liquid—all of it the remnants of the highly toxic pill he had consumed. Along with the poison, he was purging impurities from his body. His breakthrough was not just a minor one.

In this short span of time, he had already broken through two levels and reached the fifth stage of the Body Refining Period, with no signs of stopping.

The two watched on, speechless, unable to find words to describe his state. Even if they were to tell others about this later, it would be hard for anyone to believe them. After all, it had never happened before, and it would sound like a lie.

About an hour later, the purple toxic liquid on Lu Qingyun had dried, and he no longer emitted any scent.

He opened his eyes slowly. From the moment he did, Meng Li and Li Changfeng were completely bewildered.

The progress that would normally take decades to achieve had been completed in such a short time. Lu Qingyun’s cultivation had reached the eighth stage of the Body Refining Period!

One had to understand that reaching such a level usually required decades of hard work. Even for those with extremely high talent, it might take over a decade. But the Lu Qingyun before them could truly be called a monster.

Curious about how he had achieved such a terrifying level in so little time, Li Changfeng asked impatiently, "Qingyun, is this cultivation speed for real? Do you feel any discomfort anywhere in your body?"

As a sect master, Li Changfeng was well-traveled and knowledgeable, but faced with such a miracle, he was stunned into silence. When he asked these questions, his mind was a blank, and he barely knew what he was saying.

Lu Qingyun smiled, shook off the dried poison from his body, and said cheerfully, "I feel full of energy, refreshed, and I’ve never felt better. So this is what the eighth stage of the Body Refining Period feels like."

"I thought I would only gain a little bit of cultivation. I never expected to advance this much. System..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly realized he shouldn't be mentioning the system. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. In his past experience, whenever he mentioned the system to others, it would simply vanish.

Lu Qingyun did not want to take shortcuts, but he knew what he should and should not do. Perhaps it looked like a shortcut, but in reality, wasn't this his talent? Having it was better than not having it at all! He was just surprised that the system was so generous this time.

Lu Qingyun explained to them, "I’m not entirely sure what happened. I just intended to trade my life for your father’s so that at least you would be safe."

"I didn't expect that a blessing would come from a disaster, allowing me to increase my cultivation by so much. It seems I can take more risks in the future..."

Lu Qingyun said this half-jokingly, covering up the truth.

Meng Li rushed over and threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. "You scared me to death! Don't ever do such a risky thing again. I have finally found someone I trust, finally found a friend—I don't want to lose you."

Lu Qingyun was caught off guard, but he knew clearly that Meng Li had developed feelings for him. He said softly, "Alright, alright. But now is not the time for sentimentality. We still have the most critical problem to solve. As long as the City Lord lives, we cannot complete our mission."

"Even though the City Lord left, he didn't take the two keys. This shows just how cunning he is. He must know I am not dead!"

Lu Qingyun had not spent much time with the City Lord, but he already understood the man's treachery. While he was breaking through, Lu Qingyun had naturally considered this. The City Lord was like a mountain—seemingly blunt, but actually possessing an incredibly delicate and scheming mind.

Meng Li did not know the City Lord well, so Li Changfeng said from the side, "The terrifying thing about the City Lord is not his raw strength, but his mind. If we speak of pure power, he has not reached the top level on this continent."

"However, it is precisely because of his meticulous nature that he became the master of Bixiao City. His reputation is such that no one dares to disturb him!"

"Bixiao City is the largest medicinal trade market, and everyone wants a piece of the pie, but no one with real power dares to come here and act openly..."

Lu Qingyun stood still, lost in thought for a moment. Looking at their troubled expressions, he said firmly, "Very well, it seems we must face him. If you want your father to be safe, we cannot avoid him. Don't worry, I will think of a way..."

Having made his decision, Lu Qingyun brought the two of them back. Without going anywhere else, they went directly to the City Lord’s mansion.

As the three of them appeared, the City Lord said coldly, "Lu Qingyun, I truly did not expect you to survive. It seems I really underestimated you."

"Well? Are you planning to negotiate with me again? Are you prepared this time?"