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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

n“So, both of you were nearly assassinated on your way here?”

nThe Ling Manor, Living Room.

nLing Huang looked at Lu Xuan and Ling Fei with a darkened expression.

nLing Huang was overcome by lingering fear upon hearing Ling Fei’s recount. If the prior kidnapping could still be considered a mere warning for him to give up on the project, what happened today meant that they had given up on superficial pleasantries and were going all out to get him.

n“Good, good, good. Do they take me, Ling Huang, as some easy pushover?” Ling Huang had finally made up his mind. He would make them pay, tit-for-tat!

nEven if the other party was a world-renowned conglomerate, they had already shed all pretense of cordiality. The moment they disregarded all rules in business and elevated the matter to manslaughter, they rendered all existing laws and regulations meaningless.

nLu Xuan’s expression was also quite grim. That was because their opponent seemed much decisive than he assumed; although not much time had passed since the kidnap, they were able to react immediately and carry out a follow-up attack.

nOnce they threw all pretenses out of the window, they instantly decided to kill them, nipping potential trouble in the bud.

n“I can’t thank you enough for today, Mr. Lu. If not for you, I couldn’t dare think of the consequences!”

nLing Huang thanked Lu Xuan profusely.

n“No need to thank me. Take your money, solve your woes. What I did today was nothing more than my duty. However, us letting the assassin escape today might come back and bite us in the future!” Lu Xuan warned, “While I did not manage to see who he was, for someone to pose a threat to me, he must at least be a Gun King!”

nA ‘Gun King’ far surpassed your everyday sharpshooter; he was the absolute king of all sharpshooters.

nEven when taking an entire military region into account, those who could reach the caliber of a Gun King were few and far between!

nOnce an assassin of that caliber was activated, it would almost always be a guaranteed kill.

n“Looks like I have to cultivate in earnest now!”

nLu Xuan commented.

n“If I’m able to improve my cultivation a step further, that shooter would have no chance of escaping from my hands!”

nIf he had wanted to kill a Gun King, it would have been effortless despite that these Gun Kings had undergone strict, rigorous training, every one of them as powerful and capable as a King Soldier.

nHowever, to Lu Xuan, they were still too weak!

nEven now, if he hadn’t needed to bring Ling Fei along, the assassin would have zero chance of escaping Lu Xuan’s pursuit. However, if he had wanted to ensure a 100% success rate for his actions, he would still need first to enter stage six and become a martial arts legend. By that time, many of the skills and methods currently locked away while he was in level five would be open to him once again.

nTake, for example, the secret art of tracking someone down. Finding a single person within millions was easily achievable with that secret art.

nWhen that time came, the assassin would find it difficult to shake his tracking even if they were hidden in darkness.

nLing Fei looked at Lu Xuan, slightly confused. What did he mean by he’s going to start practicing in earnest? Don’t tell her that Lu Xuan had never cultivated earnestly before this?

nHowever, from her observations, Lu Xuan seemed to cultivate all time all day. If that could not be considered as earnest cultivation, what could?

nLu Xuan detected Ling Fei’s gaze but did not explain further. For the past while, he had been cultivating in terms of the human mindset.

nThe deeper one went in cultivation, the more they learn about the study of the advancement of the mind. This was especially true for Lu Xuan, a Celestial Lord second to none.

nThat was also the reason their concerted attack would kill him during his past life. After Lu Xuan became a Celestial Lord, he discovered a flaw in his mindset, and so he traveled across the land while he cultivated. Someone noticed his plight and went up directly to him.

nIn the end, a great battle erupted, and he was killed and reborn.

nLing Huang, too, had no idea what Lu Xuan was talking about. Nevertheless, Lu Xuan soon made a request, “Please prepare a room for me, President Ling. I am going into Secluded Cultivation!”

nSeeing how Ling Fei still looked a little worried, Lu Xuan smiled and reassured him, “There’s no need to worry. If they dare to barge into the manor, I’ll kill each and every one of the intruders. With me around, no one could wreak havoc!”

nA straightforward proclamation, but to Ling Fei and Ling Huang, it sounded of unquestionable dominance. While Lu Xuan looked like a slender student, for some reason, he managed to evoke a special sort of faith from them.

nAfter saying those words, Lu Xuan made a mild smile. To his surprise, he realized that the flaw in his heart had healed by quite a bit.

nAt that instant, many things became clear. It explained the flaw in his mindset, even though he was already a Celestial Lord in his past life.

nHe had experienced too many hardships and pain in his past life. Not only had his family been shattered, but countless had also lost their lives because of him. All of which became an unmeltable sorrow Lu Xuan buried deep in his heart, even when he had long since killed his enemies and avenged for them.

nHowever, deep in his heart, he had never once allowed himself to let go. He had never forgiven himself.

nNow, he was granted a chance to start over. Everything had not yet happened, and so, it was naturally not too late to make up for everything.

nThe burden of his previous incarnation was too heavy, and now, everything should have disappeared with the fleeting winds the moment he reincarnated into this world.

nLing Huang and Ling Fei both felt that right after he said those words, the air around Lu Xuan transformed in a way visible even to the naked eye.

nOne would probably describe the original Lu Xuan as a man calm on the outside, but deep in his bones, he was icy and aloof, rejecting all who tried to come near.

nHowever, the cold demeanor in his bones that repelled all strangers had slowly dissipated, like an iceberg melting away.

nThat ever uptight stoic-ness, too, faded gradually. Instead, one could feel that Lu Xuan was now more relaxed and slightly more laid-back.

nLu Xuan stretched into a giant yawn, unmindful of the gazes of the Lings. Who was he? The Celestial Lord! No matter what he did or become, need he explain himself to others?

nIt was the same as when he saved Ling Fei back then. In those who could not see the bigger picture, even saving a person needed an evaluation of losses and gains. They would say that a Celestial Lord should do this or that, or that he should not do this or that.

nAs if he was bound by some sort of invisible code of conduct for Celestial Lords.

nWhat a laughable thought!

nGreat freedom and great ease. If he wanted to save them, he would; if he wanted to do it, he would. All he did was simply follow his heart’s demands.

nAfter summoning someone to bring Lu Xuan to his long-prepared room for some rest, Ling Huang called Lin Sheng over and told him what happened. At the same time, he also consulted him about the changes in Lu Xuan.

n“What Mr. Lu underwent was a little similar to what they call ‘enlightenment’ in Buddhism. From the learnings of Buddhism, there was such a record. Buddha Shakyamuni was a prince before he became a monk. After attaining enlightenment under a bodhi tree, he became a monk and cultivated, and then went on to found Buddhism!” Lin Sheng said, “What happened with Mr. Lu seems to be quite similar. It’s a good thing that he advanced in the cultivation of his mindset!”

nOnly then did Ling Huang and Ling Fei finally make sense of Lu Xuan’s change. While they saw Lu Xuan’s situation with their own eyes, they didn’t dare to ask anything more. It was only with Ling Sheng’s explanation that they understood the reason behind everything.

n“As for that assassin, I do not think there is anything to worry about, President Ling. Someone like Mr. Lu is half a step into becoming a martial arts legend and would usually have terrifyingly keen senses and intuition. There is no way that anyone could infiltrate the manor without alerting anybody. However, to err on the side of caution, I will stay here to stand guard tonight, just so that nothing will go wrong!”

nLin Sheng contemplated for a moment before he offered.

n“I’ll have to trouble you, then!”

nLing Huang patted Lin Sheng’s shoulder.

nHalf an hour later, in his room, Ling Huang took out his phone and dialed a string of numbers.

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n“Hello? My old comrade…”

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