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As soon as the brocade box was opened, not only was Zhou Yu stunned, but even Jin Lema and Xu Ruchu couldn't believe their eyes.
In the end, it was Zhou Yu who acted first. She snatched the Xuan Tie Mu and, looking through the broken sword hole, saw the Xuan Tie Mu inside. Her face instantly lit up with excitement, as if this Xuan Tie Mu was something she had personally retrieved.
Zhou Yu happily handed the box to Xu Ruchu and said, "Elder Sister, look at this brocade box; it seems quite authentic. I wonder if it's real. Please take a look." She then shot a glare at Xu Feng, which seemed to be filled with restrained anger but was actually full of charm, showing no signs of real annoyance.
Xu Ruchu opened the box with a mix of skepticism and curiosity and took out the antler-like Xuan Tie Mu.
"Wow, it really is Xuan Tie Mu! Xu Feng managed to get it back!"
"How did he do that? Could it be that he just found it? His luck is incredible."
"Can you find one for me to see?"
"Uh..."
Jin Lema also came over to take a closer look and confirmed that it was indeed the Xuan Tie Mu that had just been taken away. "Not bad; this is exactly the Xuan Tie Mu we wanted. Xu Feng, how did you get it?" This was also what everyone else wanted to ask.
Xu Feng replied, "Captain Jin, I saw Yue had taken the Xuan Tie Mu that Elder Sister just bought, so I was determined to get it back. I may not have many skills, but I can run fast. I followed the Yue Family all the way. They were unlucky enough to offend a senior who had a spirit beast along the way. The Yue Family thought he was one of us from the Xu Family, and seeing they were no match for him, they abandoned the Xuan Tie Mu and fled. That senior left on his own and didn't care about this box, so I picked it up."
So he really did find it.
This explanation had many gaps in it. Jin Lema understood that everyone involved in Xian Dao had their own secrets; as long as they didn't harm him, it was fine. Jin Lema laughed heartily in approval and stopped pressing for more details.
Xu Ruchu's joy at obtaining the Xuan Tie Mu was evident. She said to Xu Feng, "I don't care how you got it back; what's important is that you did. Xu Feng, you performed well and didn't let me down." The other cultivators sighed inwardly; they had worked hard only to see Xu Feng take all the credit in the end. There was nothing they could do; after all, luck was on his side. At the same time, they reassessed Xu Feng's abilities.
The Xu family members sped back to Minghu City with the Xuan Tie Mu in hand.
Along the way, Zhou Yu deliberately raced against Xu Feng. Xu Feng knew it was time to show his skills, so he did not hold back. He unleashed his Flying Sword, leaving Zhou Yu far behind. Zhou Yu only had the strength of the Nascent Soul Early Stage, while Xu Feng's full-speed flight was equivalent to the Late Stage of Nascent Soul, making it impossible for Zhou Yu to compete.
Seeing Xu Feng's speed surge, which was not inferior to that of a Late Stage of Nascent Soul cultivator, the other cultivators were all amazed. A Golden Core Stage Cultivator displaying such performance was indeed impressive; unfortunately, his cultivation level was too low, otherwise he could have been considered a significant figure.
Xu Feng, fearing that Zhou Yu would be unconvinced and cause further trouble, told Zhou Yu that this was a life-saving skill taught by his master. Each use required a month of rest, so there was nothing to be proud of. Zhou Yu felt somewhat relieved and no longer sought to regain face against Xu Feng.
In the Xian Dao, there are many methods to allow people to perform beyond their normal capabilities. The most common is Xu Feng's method of self-harming mana—burning mana and severely overextending oneself can indeed achieve levels that are usually unattainable, but it is harmful rather than beneficial to one's cultivation and can only be used in emergencies. Seeing that Xu Feng employed such a method was acceptable to everyone.
Upon returning to the Xu family, Xu Ruchu indeed kept her promise and allocated a decent Cave with good spiritual energy for Xu Feng. This Cave had previously been used by an elder of the Xu family, and Xu Ruchu personally requested it back. Additionally, she introduced Xu Feng to the family steward for registration, officially transitioning him from a temporary worker to a formal Xu Family Golden Blade Disciple. He remained under Xu Ruchu's private military command and became her only Golden Core Stage guard.
Xu Feng thanked Xu Ruchu and expressed his intention to enter seclusion immediately, aiming for Yuan Ying. Xu Ruchu also hoped that Xu Feng would quickly improve his strength to serve her better and readily agreed, informing all departments of the Xu family not to disturb Xu Feng's cultivation without reason. She herself then went into the refining tool room of the Xu family, not revealing what she was doing.
The Cave arranged for Xu Feng by Xu Ruchu was located outside Minghu City on Shaoyang Mountain. Shaoyang Mountain spans twenty miles and rises over a hundred feet high, consisting of dozens of independent peaks; Xu Feng's cave was situated on one of these peaks.
This place is where high-level cultivators from the Xu family enter seclusion. A Golden Blade Disciple like Xu Feng originally did not qualify to cultivate here; they typically practiced in secret chambers within the city. However, using Xu Feng's acquisition of Xuan Tie Mu as an excuse, Xu Ruchu managed to secure a spot for him at Shaoyang Mountain.
Accompanying Xu Feng to Shaoyang Mountain was Jin Lema, the leader of Xu Ruchu's private military. Xu Feng had interacted with him during his interview; both had held back their strengths at that time. After performing excellently in battle against Zhao Family Village, Xu Feng earned Jin Lema's recognition. The two exchanged smiles along the way as Xu Feng learned more about the Xu family.
From this interaction, Xu Feng finally understood why Xu Ruchu had seized Xuan Tie Mu.
The Xu family is an old prominent family in Minghu City with a history spanning several thousand years. They were originally close friends with the Shen Family from Pingdao Sect, which currently ranks fifth in Xian Dao. Both families settled in Minghu City before Pingdao Sect grew strong and moved out, becoming the administrators of Daming Lake.
After Pingdao Sect gained fame, they maintained considerable contact with the Xu family until about five hundred years ago when they began to drift apart due to less frequent interactions. The main reason was that the Xu family had always sought a marriage alliance with Pingdao Sect, but Pingdao Sect repeatedly declined their overtures. In frustration, the head of the Xu family developed a rift with Pingdao Sect.
Last year, when the leader of Pingdao Sect was injured in his eyes by an Illusory Fire Beast and needed Tear Vine from the Xu family for treatment, the Xu family refused unless Pingdao Sect agreed to their demands—specifically that Fourth Young Master Shen Qian marry Xu Ruchu.
However, the Pingdao Sect was also quite stubborn and did not agree. Instead, they allowed Fourth Young Master Shen Qian to leave and search for the Tear Vine, which he actually managed to find. From then on, the Shen and Xu families ceased their interactions, and their relationship grew even more distant.
During Xu Ruchu's time, the Shen Family would occasionally visit the Xu family, as they hoped the two families could reconcile as before. Xu Ruchu's name was derived from this hope.
Upon hearing this, Xu Feng finally realized that the Shen Gongzi he encountered at the Jingcheng Auction was indeed Shen Qian from the Shen Family. The Shen Family also owed a debt of gratitude to Xu Feng for reviving the Tear Vine, which in turn cured the Head of the Shen Family's eyesight.
Xu Ruchu and Shen Qian had known each other since childhood and played together, making them childhood sweethearts. Later, due to conflicts within the Yu Family clan, the two families grew estranged. However, Xu Ruchu remained infatuated with Shen Qian and publicly declared multiple times that she would marry no one but him. Now that she had advanced to Yuan Ying and was over three hundred years old, she still… had no boyfriend.
This time, Xu Ruchu put in great effort to seize the Xuan Tie Mu because she wanted to use it to forge an armor for Shen Qian. Although Shen Qian was the most distinguished young master of the Pingdao Sect, his strength was only at Mid Stage of Nascent Soul, making him the weakest among several young masters in the sect—he was even outperformed by his sister. However, Shen Qian was clever and preferred managing affairs; various industries of the Pingdao Sect had gradually shifted into his hands. Due to his lack of martial prowess, he was destined not to inherit the position of sect leader, so the Pingdao Sect focused on nurturing him in business development.
Xu Ruchu's intention in gifting this armor was out of concern for Shen Qian's insufficient strength and potential dangers outside. Unfortunately, despite her good intentions, Shen Qian remained completely unaware.
Jin Lema gossiped with Xu Feng for a while before arriving at Shaoyang Mountain's Cave. He presented Xu Feng's order document to the stationed Xu Family disciples and said, "Xu Feng, I know your abilities exceed this level. I wish you success in your closed-door cultivation this time and hope you reach new heights. In the future, we will fight side by side; I will certainly need your help."
Xu Feng replied, "Leader is joking. With my limited skills, how could I dare to embarrass myself before you? Your might is extraordinary; I admire you greatly."
Jin Lema smiled and said, "Likewise. Alright, focus on your closed-door cultivation here. If anything arises, just seek help from the mountain disciples. We will meet again in the future."
After exchanging pleasantries, Jin Lema turned and descended the mountain.
The peak assigned to Xu Feng was called Jiang Beiba, a rather rustic name meaning "the eighth peak in the north." The mountain was adorned with Azure Vines and lush greenery; gentle streams flowed nearby, and the Spiritual Energy here was even denser than that of Consort Zhu Lin's domain—truly an excellent place for closed-door cultivation.
The Cave was located halfway up the mountain; there was a clearing about ten zhang wide in front of it. Xu Feng took out a Talisman to open the Cave; he unleashed a surge of spiritual energy that caused the Talisman to merge into the formation at the Cave's entrance. A phantom square entrance appeared before him as he walked inside; once he entered, the entrance closed behind him and returned to normal. This formation served as a protective barrier for the Cave—defensive rather than offensive—primarily designed to prevent wandering beasts from entering.
The entrance stood two meters high and three meters wide, extending over twenty meters deep before splitting into two chambers on either side. The left chamber contained a Cold Jade Bed for cultivation purposes, while the right chamber held only an empty Shelf for storing items.
Xu Feng circled around the cave before stepping outside to survey the area on North Eight Peaks. He eventually reached the summit, which would be his place for seclusion, and it was necessary to familiarize himself with the environment first.
The mountaintop was flat, as if it had been sliced off by a sword, covering an area of about a hundred meters. Judging from the traces around, this seemed to be a training ground for cultivators practicing their martial arts.
Shaoyang Mountain had dozens of peaks, with each peak being relatively close to one another. The North Eight Peaks where Xu Feng was located was less than a hundred meters away from the nearest North Seven Peak, while the slightly farther North Nine Peak was also under two hundred meters away.
From the summit, Xu Feng could clearly see a renowned cultivator practicing swordsmanship at the peak of North Seven Peak. The sword techniques being used were similar to those of Xu Ruchu, indicating that the person was likely a direct descendant of the Xu family. That individual seemed to have noticed Xu Feng as well and nodded in greeting from afar, which Xu Feng reciprocated with a friendly gesture.
Looking around, there were over fifty peaks in Shaoyang Mountain, each with its summit flattened for practicing Combat Techniques. It was morning, and only a few peaks had people training with swords; the rest were silent. Those who could enter seclusion here, apart from Xu Feng—who was somewhat of an anomaly—were all Yuan Ying Cultivators. Most were aiming for advancement, while a few sought to break through to the Divine Separation Stage. Once they achieved that stage, their status within the Xu family would change dramatically.
The Xu family had indeed been a powerful clan for over a thousand years. If all fifty peaks had cultivators in seclusion, this group alone would represent a formidable force capable of easily annihilating sects like Sinking Sand Valley or Nine Dragon Pool.
Xu Feng couldn't help but feel grateful to Xu Ruchu once again for providing him such an excellent place for seclusion. He resolved to thank her properly when he had the chance.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Feng returned to the cave and began his journey into seclusion.
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