The white-robed girl sighed. Her heart aching, she wiped his face and said gently, “I won’t stop you… Young Master, you are a man. A man has things that he needs to be persistent about.”

Li Xiongtu gave her a heavy sound of acknowledgment. His breathing slowly calmed down. Gazing at the white-robed girl, his eyes suddenly turned very gentle. “Big Sister Huanhuan, I am thankful for your care during this period of time.”

The petite form of the white-robed girl trembled. She gradually lowered her head and replied, “I am Young Master’s maid. This is what I should be doing. I am not worthy of Young Master addressing me as ‘Big Sister Huanhuan’.”

Li Xiongtu chuckled. “What’s there to be unworthy of? I, Li Xiongtu, am nothing more than a loser whose family has broken up and died. Having a beauty like Big Sister Huanhuan treat me so is already a great blessing.”

The white-robed girl’s eyes turned misty. She bit on her lip and replied, “In my eyes, you are not a loser! You are the one and only man in this world who can stand upright fearlessly!”

Li Xiongtu sighed. He stood there in a daze for a while. Suddenly, he said, “Big Sister Huanhuan, when I’ve defeated or killed Dong Wushang in a fair fight, I’ll notify the clan and take you as my wife! Is that alright with you?”

The white-robed girl felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Losing control of herself, she raised her head to look at Li Xiongtu, her face turning pale and then red. Her petite form trembled. “Young Master…”

“You can call me Little Tutu…” Li Xiongtu smiled gently at her. “That’s what my parents called me since I was young… Even when I turned thirteen and had already grown to 2.65 meters tall and weighed 100 kilograms, my mother still called me Little Tutu…”

Blushing, the white-robed girl lowered her head.

Chu Yang who was watching them in the shadows almost howled at this.

Little Tutu… One must admit that this name was simply too lovable.

However, Chu Yang ultimately didn’t laugh. In fact, he felt a sense of mild warmth in his heart and was rather moved. Even though the biggest enemies in this man’s heart were Chu Yang’s brothers, he still found this scene rather heartwarming.

Because of Li Xiongtu’s persistence and sincere emotions.

But now, Chu Yang finally also realized what the liquid Li Xiongtu was drinking was. The faint aroma carried over by the breeze told Chu Yang that this was the Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion!

An amazing divine gem formed over a million years only in large mountains through coincidences and chance encounters! Its effect was on par with Chu Yang’s current Spiritual Spring. In addition, other than nourishing the human body, it also boasted an additional effect — Increasing one’s cultivation!

No wonder Li Xiongtu could endure such high-intensity training and break through so many martial domain levels in such a short time.

Based on the current situation, Chu Yang could accurately deduce that Li Xiongtu consumed a cup of Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion per day of training!

The Li Clan had really invested their hard-earned blood capital in him.

Chu Yang heaved a sigh inwardly.

Looks like the Li Clan has completely believed that Li Xiongtu is ‘one of the Nine Tribulations’! Otherwise, even though his aptitude is definitely worthy of the Li Clan grooming him like this… He is an outsider after all.

Mo Tianji’s scheme was going completely according to plan in the Li Clan.

Although this was Mo Tianji’s scheme, to Li Xiongtu, there were only gains to be had and zero demerits. Because if it weren’t for this, he definitely wouldn’t be receiving such good treatment!

However… Just relying on the Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion alone… definitely wouldn’t be enough to raise Li Xiongtu’s cultivation level from third or fourth-grade Emperor to a fifth-grade Supreme Martial Artist! The effect of the Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion coupled with an average person’s diligence could only allow one to reach the level of third-grade Martial Saint at best in this amount of time! This was already the absolute maximum.

The remaining large portion of martial domain level improvement were all results of Li Xiongtu’s extreme training efforts!

In addition, just relying on Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion alone, even though on the surface, it looked like it could make up for the overtaxation of Li Xiongtu’s body and raise his cultivation, in truth… it couldn’t fully make up for it at all. Which was to say that Li Xiongtu was still depleting his life force, just that nobody was able to discover this depletion.

Once it erupted, nothing in this world could cure him.

In this aspect of replenishing life force energy, the Hollow Spirit Stone Emulsion was far inferior to the Spiritual Spring!

Chu Yang, who had the Spiritual Spring at his disposal, didn’t even dare to let Dong Wushang take up such an extreme cultivation routine but right now, Li Xiongtu… had actually sustained this routine for a year!

But there was one thing which Chu Yang couldn’t really understand — Why was Li Xiongtu himself unaware of this? Judging from his honest and upright character, the moment he became aware of the truth, it was likely that he would come clean with it, even if it meant reducing his own strength. He would rather give up such treatment than lie about it to others!

But based on the current situation, Li Xiongtu was obviously unaware!

Why was that?

…

“When the time comes… where I’ve repaid the great kindness of the Li Clan and fulfilled my lifetime wish, we’ll leave the Li Clan together and retire into the mountains,” said Li Xiongtu in a low voice.

“Thank you so much, Young Master!” The white-robed girl trembled lightly.

There was a small smile on Li Xiongtu’s face. One must admit that when staunch and unyielding men like Li Xiongtu or Dong Wushang showed such a smile brimming with tenderness, it always gave people a mysterious kind of warmth and joy.

“The clan… definitely has their reasons for sparing no efforts in grooming me right now. I’ve asked about it several times, but they always say that it will disturb my cultivation and mess up my spiritual state of mind. However, I am guessing that the clan probably wants me to do something big for them!”

Li Xiongtu smiled. “No matter what it is… This big mission is something which I must do for the clan.”

“As for your status… I just need to grow and develop for a while longer and break through to Supreme Martial Artist. Then, I’ll be of enough qualification to raise your status. You don’t need to worry about this aspect…”

Raising his head, Li Xiongtu allowed the snowflakes falling from the sky to land on his cheeks. He said passively, “Humans must know to repay the kindness that people have shown them, and to distinguish clearly between kindness and enmity! Although the Li Clan has their reasons for giving me such treatment, they are still my benefactors after all. Therefore, no matter how dangerous and tough that mission may be, I have to do it. And I must succeed!”

“Fighting Dong Wushang is my lifetime wish!”

“Having an equally-matched rival in this lifetime leaves me with no regrets!”

“Both of these matters require me to risk my life! Therefore, I will raise your status first. But… I can only marry you after I’ve completed these two matters!”

“So that in the event where I die, you will not end up a widow! If I die, forget me and look for your own happiness. I will tell the clan clearly… If I live, then I will be the one to give you your happiness!”

The white-robed girl started to weep. Tears trailed down her cheeks, her pretty eyes filled with mistiness.

She bit on her lip, not saying a word. However, she had already made up her mind.

If you live, I will wait for you to give me happiness! If you die… What is the point of others giving me happiness? I will follow after you for sure.

However, she spoke nothing of this. She knew that if she did, it would give Li Xiongtu pressure.

She didn’t wish to give him any form of pressure at all…

It was only contentment that she felt. The name of Li Xiongtu’s biggest foe of his lifetime — Dong Wushang!

Today, she finally knew! He said it himself!

She kept this name in mind carefully.

I will not tell others, but I want to remember it.

My man is a hero, a good man. Then I shall believe that the rival who can let my man value him this much must certainly be a hero and a good man as well!

“I’ll continue my training!” Li Xiongtu took a break, feeling his strength gradually recover. He said calmly, “Go and rest. Women shouldn’t involve themselves in a man’s matters.”

So domineering!

This sense of dominance moved Chu Yang. He felt like he was looking at his own brother, Dong Wushang.

These two men seriously possessed the same attributes!

The same mighty dominance and a born warrior!

However, Li Xiongtu’s current body condition definitely wouldn’t let him last until his battle with Dong Wushang. Even though he himself was unaware of it, his body’s state of overtaxation was already very serious.

The Sword Spirit who was also watching gave an accurate estimation — Going by this rate of overtaxation, the time of Li Xiongtu’s breakthrough to Supreme Martial Artist level would be the time that he exhausted his life force.

When that happened, even the Nine Tribulations Pill would be powerless to do anything about the exhaustion of one’s life force!

The only solution was to start nursing his health and recover his body condition right away.

But how could Li Xiongtu possibly be willing to slow down his progress that was advancing so quickly?

Chu Yang sighed. “Sword Spirit, give me a big bag of Spiritual Spring Water!”

The Sword Spirit was stunned. “You’re helping him?”

“Yes,” replied Chu Yang in a low voice.

The Sword Spirit was filled with bewilderment at once. He couldn’t understand at all. “Didn’t you hear him? Once his cultivation breaks through, his biggest rival is going to be your brother, Dong Wushang! Are you really going to help the enemy to oppose your own brother?”

Chu Yang replied deeply, “You don’t understand… Dong Wushang is my brother and Li Xiongtu is his rival. However… You must understand that at the same time as Li Xiongtu craves for a rival like Wushang, Wushang is also craving for a rival like him!”

“If Li Xiongtu no longer exists in this world… Wushang will be very lonely!”

“A rival is necessary in a hero’s life.” Chu Yang continued explaining calmly, “The same goes for Mo Tianji. The most magnificent battle in his life requires the presence of a rival such as Diwu Qingrou, where both parties are equally matched and able to come up with amazing strategies respectively! I believe that the most dazzling and splendid time of Mo Tianji and Diwu Qingrou’s lives will be the moment Tianji charges up to the Upper Three Heavens!”

“After this battle, even though there will still be battles and wars more dangerous by a hundredfold in the future, they can only enjoy themselves to the max when two great talents strive against each other.”

“The battle which Dong Wushang had enjoyed himself the most in his entire life before this was precisely when he had battled Li Xiongtu in a showdown at the Lake of Despair! Wushang is waiting for Li Xiongtu; Li Xiongtu is also waiting for Wushang! You… should be able to understand this feeling.”

“A battle where either party dies is only between enemies, not rivals!”

“A rival is a term of honor!”

“Only heroes are worthy of becoming a hero’s rival!”

“Finding and meeting one’s match is the happiest thing in life! It’s also the one thing that can give people a kind of ‘no regrets whether in victory or in loss; everyone is a hero no matter whether he wins or loses’ feeling the most. No regrets — Even if one were to die, he would die happy.”

The Sword Spirit fell silent.

Li Xiongtu slowly drew his wide sword. He murmured, “Dong Wushang, what martial domain level… are you now?”

All of a sudden, the blade of the sword trembled and bright afterimages of the sword being wielded flew everywhere.

Right at this moment, a soft voice suddenly reached Li Xiongtu’s ears. “Li Xiongtu! If you continue to train like this, you will die! Don’t you know that?”

A jolt went through Li Xiongtu’s mighty form. He looked around his surroundings and let out a low shout, “Who’s there?!”