The debt of twenty thousand gold coins was finally paid.
Luo Tian felt a wave of relief, then his Essence, Qi, and Spirit surged, filling him with a powerful new confidence.
He had been stagnant at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering for over three years, his spirit suppressed for far too long.
But in this moment, he had truly reclaimed his indomitable Martial Arts Heart.
Du Yuncheng stared daggers at Luo Tian, his face livid.
Twenty thousand gold coins!
He had actually managed to pay it off!
He should have had the ethereal, dream-like Ning Xueyao in his grasp within three days!
Dammit!
And it was all ruined by the very person he had once dismissed as trash.
'Luo Tian… Just you wait. I'll make you regret the day you were born!'
Du Yuncheng suppressed his fury and, radiating a chilling killing intent, stormed away with a flick of his sleeves.
"Du Yuncheng got what he deserved. He lost the girl, lost a powerful fighter, and lost all face."
"Knowing Du Yuncheng's character, he won't let this rest."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
But most of the talk was about Luo Tian.
"A Second Layer of Meridian Opening Realm cultivator killed Madman Xiao. This kid's potential is limitless!"
"Maybe one day he'll even make it onto the Azure Cloud Kingdom's Human List, mentioned in the same breath as Qingchang City's top genius, Liu Ziyan."
"You're overestimating him. Liu Ziyan's talent is peerless. Luo Tian is only at the Second Layer of Meridian Opening Realm; he's too far behind."
After leaving the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Tian took a stroll through the Martial City.
After paying off the debt, he had six thousand gold coins left to purchase some Cultivation Resources.
He entered a Spirit Medicine Shop and bought several Spiritual Qi Pills, spending over four thousand gold coins.
Afterward, Luo Tian went to a jewelry shop and carefully selected a Jade Hairpin.
'The debt is paid, so Xueyao doesn't have to marry Du Yuncheng. This little gift should be a nice surprise for her.'
Luo Tian's heart felt light.
...
「That evening, at Luo Tian's home.」
"Xiaotian, you're back?"
Ning Xueyao heard footsteps and walked outside.
BOOM!
The main door suddenly exploded, and four black-clothed, masked men, exuding a fierce and oppressive aura, barged into the house.
"Who... Who are you?"
Ning Xueyao's face paled as she stumbled backward.
Suddenly, she noticed the leader of the four men. He was stout, with a lecherous glint in his eyes, and he looked somewhat familiar.
"Du Yuncheng, it's you!"
Ning Xueyao's face flushed with anger as she instantly saw through his disguise.
"Tsk, tsk. To think I'd be recognized even in a mask. It seems Xueyao holds me quite dearly in her heart!"
Du Yuncheng sneered.
"Du Yuncheng, what do you think you're doing?"
Forced backward by the four men, Ning Xueyao's beautiful eyes filled with worry. She wondered where Luo Tian was.
"Hehe, what am I doing? Of course, I'm here to let you enjoy the true pleasures of being a woman..."
Du Yuncheng's eyes were filled with lust.
With that, he ordered, "Tie her up. Be gentle. If you so much as harm a single hair on this beauty's head, I'll hold you all responsible!"
The three black-clothed men beside him stepped forward. Each had an impressive aura. One of them took out a rope, preparing to bind Xueyao.
Ning Xueyao retreated to a corner, as calm as ever, without the screaming one would expect from an ordinary woman.
'Does it really have to come to this...?'
Ning Xueyao sighed softly, a bitter expression on her face.
Just then.
SWISH!
A blur of motion shot into the room—it was Luo Tian.
"Get the hell out!"
Luo Tian roared, activating the Divine Vein in his body, and a wave of coldness spread out.
"Xiaotian, don't come over here!"
Ning Xueyao cried out, her lovely face etched with worry.
'She was surrounded by four Meridian Opening Realm experts! Luo Tian had only just broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm; how could he possibly fight them?'
"Du Yuncheng! You animal!"
Luo Tian's gaze was icy, and a strong killing intent surged in his heart.
He had thought that paying off the debt would put an end to things for a while.
He never imagined Du Yuncheng could be so vile and despicable as to try and kidnap Xueyao!
Fortunately, he returned in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Xueyao, I'm here to save you!"
Luo Tian suppressed his rage and killing intent, refusing to lose his composure.
'There were too many enemies. Among the four masked men, Du Yuncheng was at the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm, and another was at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm.'
'His Spiritual Sense clearly picked up the fluctuations of their Qi Veins.'
"Luo Tian? Perfect timing! I'm going to make you understand the consequences of crossing me."
Seeing Luo Tian, Du Yuncheng showed a look of pleasant surprise, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
Kidnapping Ning Xueyao was only one of his goals today; the second was to kill Luo Tian.
"Kill this kid first!"
Du Yuncheng and his three men advanced on Luo Tian together, their four powerful auras pressing down on him.
Golden Yuan Palm!
Du Yuncheng's Palm Force was immense and domineering, erupting with a golden light as it bore down on Luo Tian.
Du Yuncheng's Cultivation was at the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening, and he practiced the Du Family's Mortal Level Upper Grade Martial Skill, the Golden Yuan Palm. His strength far surpassed Madman Xiao's.
At the same time, a burly man in black charged forward. He channeled True Qi through five Qi Veins in his body. His fist swelled, wreathed in dark yellow True Qi, and he threw a punch that seemed to shake the very air.
This man was at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm!
'Besieged by four Meridian Opening Martial Artists, including one at the Fourth Layer and another at the Fifth Layer, Luo Tian felt an immense sense of danger. Even with his Spiritual Sense helping him grasp the situation, it was perilous.'
Any other cultivator at the Second or Third Layer of the Meridian Opening Realm would have been annihilated instantly in such a situation.
Wandering Body Step!
Luo Tian activated his Divine Vein and True Qi, and his speed instantly surpassed its limits. Like a slippery fish, he weaved through the narrow gaps in their coordinated attack in a breathtakingly close shave.
Huh?
Luo Tian was surprised to find his body felt much lighter. 'My speed has nearly doubled!'
'Has my Wandering Body Step reached the Great Success stage?'
Under pressure, Luo Tian's Body Technique had reached the Great Achievement Realm!
"Get him!"
Du Yuncheng roared in shock and anger. The four of them had attacked together, yet this kid had managed to dodge.
WHOOSH! SMACK!
With an agile flash, Luo Tian closed in on the back of a man at the Third Layer of Meridian Opening and struck out with a palm as fast as lightning.
WAH!
The black-clothed man vomited blood, a layer of frost congealed on his back, and his body stiffened and trembled from the cold.
"Go!"
With a casual shove, Luo Tian sent the man flying toward Du Yuncheng and the other two.
CRASH! BANG! BANG!
The three men's killing blows all landed on the black-clothed man.
"AHHH..."
With a final scream, the man was torn to shreds, a mangled pulp of flesh and blood. Utterly and completely dead.
What!
Killing one of their own by mistake stunned Du Yuncheng and the other two.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Tian rushed to Ning Xueyao, swept her into his arms, and with a BANG, crashed through the window!
"You're not getting away!"
The burly black-clothed man at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening suddenly threw a punch.
RUMBLE!
The mountain-heavy Fist Force smashed the window and the nearby wall to pieces, kicking up a cloud of debris and dust with a loud explosion.
"Du Qian! I told you to kill that brat, not to hurt my beauty!"
Du Yuncheng's face fell as he snapped at him.
Du Qian, at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm, was the Du Family's Guard Captain, dispatched by Du Yuncheng to act as an enforcer.
"Young Master, they... escaped!"
Du Qian's brows furrowed slightly.
"They escaped? You useless bunch of trash! What are you waiting for? Go after them!"
Du Yuncheng trembled with anger.
He had brought three experts today, including Du Qian, who was at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm. Yet, not only had they failed to kill Luo Tian, but the boy had rescued Xueyao right under their noses and they'd even lost one of their own men.
...
Under the dimming sky, Luo Tian ran at full speed, carrying Ning Xueyao in his arms.
The girl in his arms was as soft and warm as jade. The skin beneath his hands felt smooth and flawless, and her light, elegant fragrance made Luo Tian's heart race.
"You... you can put me down now."
Held in Luo Tian's arms, Ning Xueyao's posture was a little awkward. A blush crept onto her pretty face, and she seemed uncomfortable.
Hearing this, Luo Tian set her down.
He had been worried she wouldn't be able to keep up, but to his surprise, her steps were light and graceful, and she had no trouble staying by his side.
After all,
Luo Tian's Wandering Body Step had reached the Great Success stage. Combined with the explosive power of his Divine Body, his speed was even faster than that of an average cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening.
"Xiaotian, you're injured. Let me treat you."
Ning Xueyao's clear, beautiful eyes studied Luo Tian, a hint of pain in her gaze.
She extended a fair, jade-like hand, which glowed with a faint green True Qi, and placed it on Luo Tian's shoulder.
When they had escaped through the window, he had been caught in the aftershock of the attack from the expert at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm. Even though his Spiritual Sense had helped him evade the worst of it, he had still sustained a minor injury.
"Xueyao, you..."
Luo Tian was very surprised. His wound felt a tingling itch, and it began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He knew Ning Xueyao practiced Martial Arts, but he hadn't realized her cultivation was so high.
What truly astonished him was this strange ability to heal wounds directly. Luo Tian had never seen or heard of anything like it.