Chapter 55: She Runs, He Pursues

Yunli said indifferently, "You don't need to thank me. I just came out to play."

Hearing this, Lu Zhaoyang was slightly taken aback.

This girl certainly didn't mince words.

Lin Wanqing was much better—sensible and obedient.

Lu Zhaoyang changed the subject: "What do you mean by leaving without saying goodbye? Xiaochen, I told you to take good care of Miss Wanqing. Is this how you take care of her?"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen gave a bitter smile: "Wanqing's legs are on her own body, what could I do? We're all adults and must take responsibility for our own decisions."

Lu Zhaoyang said in a deep voice, "You brat, you're utterly useless! You couldn't even keep Wanqing here!"

Lu Xingchen didn't dare to answer back, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

Just at that moment, Lu Xingchen heard the system prompt.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Rescue the Old Man]

[Reward obtained: 2,000 Experience Points, 2,000 Exchange Points, Black-Tier Advanced Spirit Weapon Sunset Bow.]

[Congratulations to the host for advancing to a One-Star Great Martial Master, obtaining 21 Talent Points!]

A surge of heat flooded through his entire body, and the aura around Lu Xingchen's body suddenly skyrocketed.

Both Yunli and Lu Zhaoyang were utterly shocked.

He just broke through like this?

He was fighting just a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, he broke through?

Others required secluded meditation and extreme caution when breaking through, terrified of being disturbed or suffering any accidents.

Yet you brat, before your Douqi has even recovered, standing on a dragon's back, you successfully broke through?

And it was even a breakthrough of a major realm!

For a moment, a terrifying thought flashed through Yunli's mind, and the look she gave Lu Xingchen carried a hint of solemnity.

Yunli asked in a deep voice, "Lu Xingchen, is it possible for you to elevate your Douqi during combat?"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen felt a shock in his heart.

As expected, he had been found out.

However, his Douqi was elevated through killing enemies rather than mere combat, so Yunli's guess was slightly off the mark.

Since that was the case, he would just go along with her assumption.

Anything was better than exposing the system.

Lu Xingchen nodded gently: "Yes. Every battle makes me stronger. However, the Tianyuan Continent is boundless, and all kinds of special physiques and talents emerge endlessly. My physique of growing stronger through battle shouldn't be considered too outrageous, right?"

Yunli said in a solemn voice, "You're quite clever. There are quite a few people on the Tianyuan Continent who possess a physique like yours. I've heard of several. However, without exception, all of them met premature deaths, and almost none lived past the age of thirty."

"Ah, this..." Lu Xingchen didn't know what to say for a moment.

Before long, however, he figured out the reason.

"If someone who elevates their Douqi through combat wants to break through rapidly, they need to engage in continuous battles, and there will always be a time when they slip up. Those with this physique can win countless times, but they cannot afford to lose even once."

Yunli nodded heavily: "As long as you know. So, young man, keep it up! I hope you can break the curse of the age of thirty."

With that, Yunli patted Lu Xingchen on the shoulder.

Lu Xingchen felt like crying without tears.

His system was just like this; if he wanted to raise his realm, he had to keep fighting, facing the exact same problem as those who possessed such a physique.

Whether he could live past thirty was truly hard to say.

Yet risk and opportunity coexisted, and his rapid leveling speed was entirely thanks to the system's help.

Without the system, he probably would have already died at the hands of the assassins in the teahouse; how could there have been any chance to revive the Dayand Kingdom?

Therefore, he would just do his best.

The curse that holders of this physique could not live past thirty would surely be broken by him!

Lu Zhaoyang also patted Lu Xingchen on the shoulder and smiled, "Xiaochen, don't think too much about it."

"A special physique is something many people seek but can never find. That you can elevate your realm in a short time is entirely thanks to this physique. I believe you will definitely break this curse!"

His old man's thoughts coincided with his own, and for a moment, Lu Xingchen felt even closer to his father.

He nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "Old man, I understand."

Just at that moment, an angry shout came from behind.

"Lu Xingchen, you scum, stop right there!"

All three of them were struck with terror and looked back.

Li Ning had a pair of wings growing from his back and was rapidly closing in on the three of them.

Flight martial skills were extremely rare.

Because martial artists could use Douqi wings at any time once they elevated their realm to the Martial King level, flight martial skills were extremely redundant for experts above the Martial King realm.

Moreover, their manufacturing difficulty was quite high, so they were rarely circulated on the market.

Lu Xingchen had calculated everything, but he never expected that Li Ning would also possess a scroll of a flight martial skill.

"Xiaoyou, accelerate!"

Lu Xingchen said in a deep voice.

Feeling the powerful aura of the pursuer behind them, Xiaoyou also realized the gravity of the situation and accelerated once more.

However, Li Ning behind them also abruptly accelerated, continuing to close in on the group.

Lu Zhaoyang said in a deep voice, "Xiaochen, if Li Ning catches up later, I will cover the two of you as you leave. I am already old, and my life is not worth much. But you are still a rising sun with infinite possibilities."

Lu Xingchen shook his head slightly and smiled, "Old man, don't talk nonsense. We are all in the air. If Li Ning catches up and severely injures Xiaoyou, all three of us and the dragon will fall to our deaths. At a time like this, we can only live and die together!"

Yunli was also somewhat nervous and said softly, "Lu Xingchen, if worst comes to worst, I will remove my seal and help you slay Li Ning. Even though my sect will punish me for this, it's still better than losing my life."

Lu Xingchen shook his head slightly: "Don't be impulsive, we still have a chance."

"From the time we stormed the City Lord's Mansion until now, a quarter of an hour has passed. Li Ning can catch up this quickly, which means he activated his flight martial skill the moment he saw the signal flare and pursued us all the way."

"Flight martial skills have a time limit. For instance, my Azure Cloud Wings can only last for ten minutes. His time limit could expire at any moment, and we have a great chance of escaping."

Yunli said in a deep voice, "Lu Xingchen, you really make me look at you in a new light! To remain so calm in a life-or-death moment."

Lu Xingchen smiled lightly: "I'm used to it."

Time ticked away second by second, and the distance between Li Ning and Lu Xingchen grew closer and closer.

When the distance between the two parties closed to within a hundred meters, Li Ning made his move.

Three fist-sized fireballs condensed in front of him and then flew out one after the other, shooting fiercely toward Lu Xingchen.

Yunli immediately took out that blue-purple longbow and loosed an arrow.

The feathered arrow was melted the instant it came into contact with the fireball.

Immediately afterwards, however, a streak of blue-purple lightning cleaved down, triggering an explosion of the fireball, and the powerful shockwave caused Lu Xingchen to sway slightly.

Having successfully landed the first shot, Yunli did not hesitate at all and loosed another arrow, detonating the second fireball.

Xiaoyou also executed a 90-degree turn in mid-air, dodging the third fireball.

Lu Xingchen couldn't help but applaud.

"Damn, Yunli, your archery is simply too good! To be able to hit a high-speed moving target from such a distance! I admit I don't have that kind of skill."