Chapter 68: The Promise

Lu Qingyun was truly grateful to Guan Wang from the bottom of his heart. Had Guan Wang not appeared in the nick of time, it was hard to imagine what kind of disastrous outcome would have awaited them.

A hint of guilt crossed Guan Wang's face as he replied, "Protecting the safety of our guests is our inherent duty upon welcoming them to the Penglai Inn. Allowing you to face such a threat is entirely our fault."

"You really don't need to thank me. Furthermore, our master expressed a desire to meet with you if the opportunity arises."

Lu Qingyun naturally understood why they wanted to see him—it was undoubtedly because of his Azure Dragon Martial Soul.

Since they all assumed he hailed from an immensely formidable and prestigious clan, they were overflowing with curiosity about him.

No matter who they were, everyone desired to forge connections with prodigious talents. If one could befriend someone from a top-tier family, it would be a matter of utmost importance, potentially even altering the course of their future.

Since Guan Wang had just helped him, Lu Qingyun had no intention of engaging in any deception.

If he were facing enemies, resorting to deceitful tactics would be entirely normal. After all, those wretches were utterly despicable, and employing vile methods against them would simply be an eye for an eye.

However, when facing someone who had extended a helping hand, Lu Qingyun naturally felt he had to speak the truth.

"If you believe that I come from a great clan or some supreme family of another city, I think you should take back your goodwill."

"Because I am truly not that kind of person, and I would hate to betray your kindness. You just helped me and saved the lives of all of us; no matter what, I cannot bring myself to deceive you."

Lu Qingyun was simply that kind of person. His style of conduct had remained steadfast and unchanged from beginning to end.

Hearing these words, Guan Wang felt a profound sense of surprise. He was himself a formidable expert, exceptionally well-educated, cultured, and capable of maintaining absolute composure in front of anyone.

Yet now, he actually burst into laughter, saying with a smile, "If I were in your shoes, I would definitely have taken advantage of those assumptions. Even if it was just for free food and drinks, I could have reaped immense benefits. Even if you had no other mission, at the very least, you ought to ensure your own survival first."

"The fact that you can be so utterly candid with me takes me completely by surprise. But I must also tell you one thing: what our master values most is your character!"

It was worth noting that they had virtually no prior contact, nor any understanding of one another beforehand.

Yet they had already managed to gather certain pieces of information regarding Lu Qingyun, even knowing that he and his companions had come here to fulfill a mission.

They might not know the exact details of the task, but to reach this level of awareness was already terrifying.

Given a little more time, they would undoubtedly acquire even more detailed intelligence.

Lu Qingyun naturally sensed a trace of crisis. If a person appeared completely transparent in the eyes of others, devoid of any shred of mystery, people would quickly lose all interest in them.

However, if one could maintain a degree of mystery—much like his Azure Dragon Martial Soul, which seemed practically non-existent as an ancient divine beast soul across the entire continent—it would be entirely different.

Lu Qingyun had never boasted about it; he simply utilized the power of his martial soul to fight.

As for other matters, he had never given them much thought. To him, unless one truly reached the absolute pinnacle, nothing else was worth bragging about.

Moreover, he possessed a firm grasp of these principles, keeping it firmly in mind that at his current realm, maintaining absolute modesty was paramount.

A towering tree catches the wind; the more one flaunted, the more miserably one died. Lu Qingyun slowly began to speak.

"Had you shown the attitude of those two servants earlier, I naturally would have resorted to deception. Since you chose to help me and save all our lives, I can certainly no longer deceive you. There is truly very little I can do; at least with my current strength, I am unlikely to be of any help to you..."

Lu Qingyun had truly had enough. He was terrified of people continually seeking him out to solve problems or handle tasks—burdens Lu Qingyun felt completely incapable of undertaking.

It was not out of cowardice or fear, but rather because his time and energy were limited; it was simply impossible for him to take on extraneous matters.

Therefore, some things had to be made clear. Under no circumstances could he allow them to pin too many expectations on him.

Guan Wang looked at him with a completely renewed perspective. In this place, he had witnessed far too many people from grand families, and those unreasonable young masters often left him mentally and emotionally exhausted. Yet, for the sake of the inn's business, he could not afford to offend them.

Whether it was those arrogant young masters or anyone else, he had practically never encountered someone quite like Lu Qingyun.

So candid and open, possessed of such staggering talent—he could truly be described as flawless.

With a smile, Guan Wang said, "I've been talking too much. Enjoy this aged brew for now. If it's not enough, send a servant, and I'll fetch some more for you. As for the incident here, I must report it to my master immediately."

"The damage they caused here isn't just a threat to your life; it's a direct affront to the reputation of the Penglai Inn. If word of this gets out, our inn will be utterly disgraced!"

With those words, Guan Wang turned and departed. After all, he had a multitude of matters to attend to. Without such a brisk and decisive temperament, how could one effectively manage a place like this?

After he left, the atmosphere among Lu Qingyun and his companions grew somewhat heavy. After all, they had genuinely faced a life-and-death crisis moments ago, and such situations were undeniably harrowing for them.

Even if they had fought with all their might just now, they would have had virtually no chance of winning; Lu Qingyun would have had to rely entirely on the dormant Azure Dragon soul within his body just to scrape by with his life.

Should that Azure Dragon fall into a deep slumber, however, Lu Qingyun and everyone by his side would have perished without a doubt.

Sensing the gloomy mood of the group, Lu Qingyun slowly broke the silence.

"I believe this can also be considered a blessing in disguise for us. This place is vastly different from other cities; battles can erupt at any time and in any place."

"We must be prepared to deal with today's events at a moment's notice. Let us treat this as a lesson learned. Since everyone is here, I think it is time we formulate some plans!"

Back on the grand ship, Lu Qingyun had already told them that upon arriving here, there was no need to rush into completing any missions; instead, they should each find a suitable place and cultivate through actual combat.

Only by experiencing crisis after crisis could one hope to achieve a breakthrough.

Meng Li was the first to speak up. "We've only known each other for a few months, yet you've managed to achieve such breakthroughs. It's truly enough to make one deeply envious."

"If we don't work hard and continue to rely entirely on you, won't we all turn into useless dead weight in the future? I'm somewhat familiar with this city; I can find a place that suits me."

Xu Feng had also grown remarkably spirited by this point, slowly chiming in, "Previously, I thought my master's words made absolute sense—that no matter how hard one cultivates, one might never reach the highest realms, and that one would be better off becoming an alchemist."

"Not only can you attain high status that way, but you can also reap substantial profits. However, after witnessing your battles, I am resolved to return to the path of cultivation. I've already picked out a place for myself!"

Meng Tianhai naturally had no need to state his intentions, as he was incapable of fighting. Yet, so as not to become a burden to the others, he slowly said, "I have a few good friends in this city. I can go stay with them for a while; I certainly won't get in your way. You all just focus on your cultivation with peace of mind."

The most awkward positions currently belonged to Fatty Wang and Han Man, for the two of them truly lacked formidable strength, and their past combat experience was largely limited to dealing with wild beasts in the wilderness.

Having mostly hunted beasts on the outer fringes, where most squads were exceptionally united and inter-human conflict rarely occurred, bringing them here to fight against other humans meant that while they wouldn't cower, their combat techniques left much to be desired.

Although Lu Qingyun noticed their predicament, there was little he could do, as he could not offer much assistance either.

At that moment, the ring on Meng Tianhai's hand flashed, and the items that suddenly materialized on the table left everyone utterly dumbfounded. They had never imagined they would be able to gaze upon divine artifacts from such close proximity!

Even the usually composed Lu Qingyun widened his eyes and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Faced with this sudden turn of events, they were truly astonished.

Meng Tianhai had already produced several pieces of divine equipment, their radiant, jeweled aura dazzlingly brilliant.

While none of them were greedy individuals, the sight of such divine artifacts naturally filled them with profound shock.

Looking at the group before him, Meng Tianhai chuckled and said, "Actually, the existence of these items holds no great significance for me. Rather than keeping them in my possession indefinitely, I might as well give them to you. You are all kind-hearted people, and trustworthy ones at that. Making you happy by giving these items away brings me joy as well. Rest assured, these are treasures I brought out before I left home back then—though we must keep it quiet and not let too many people know..."

Had it been the Meng family of the past, they would have had no need for such caution; no one would have dared harbor malicious intentions or covet their possessions, for doing so would have been tantamount to seeking death.

It was a pity that the grand Meng family had encountered a madman. No matter how terrified the City Lord of Bixiao was of dying at that fellow's hands, the thought of it still left a deeply unpleasant taste in one's mouth.

Yet the ways of the world were unpredictable, and no one could foresee what the future held. Otherwise, they would surely have taken precautions and avoided ending up in such a tragic state.

Still, the Meng family possessed true backbone. Faced with such overwhelming threats, they refused to compromise, and even after being brutally exterminated, they had not once begged for mercy. Even now, they were plotting how to exact their revenge, refusing to show a shred of weakness before such enemies. This was a resolve that countless others could never match.

Based on their respective combat styles and strengths, Meng Tianhai distributed the divine artifacts. Though they were not top-tier and mostly consisted of defensive gear, they were bound to turn heads in battle and produce unexpected results.

The others repeatedly expressed their gratitude, excitedly exclaiming, "I never imagined that in this lifetime, I, Fatty Wang, would actually get to wear a divine artifact! This is something I never even dared to dream of. If it were the old days, I probably would have sold the damn thing."

Han Man shot him a look of utter disdain, his face twisting into a grimace as he retorted, "Look at your pitiful ambitions! If it were me, I'd choose to live in anonymity, find a woman with good talent to bear me a child, and pass this treasure down as an heirloom."

One had to admit, both of them were thoroughly worldly individuals with conventional views on life.

Xu Feng, having hailed from a major sect, maintained his decorum and said respectfully, "Many thanks, Senior Meng. I will strive never to use this item as a crutch, and I promise to ensure that carrying this divine artifact brings no shame upon myself..."

His words prompted Fatty Wang and Han Man to pull comical faces at him. Knowing what kind of person Xu Feng was—that he wasn't just putting on a righteous act—they knew the two of them were just joking around.

Lu Qingyun also picked up the defensive artifact resting on the table and said earnestly, "I feel that we have already drawn quite enough attention as it is. What we need to do is keep things very simple: aside from completing our mission, I hope everyone can make genuine progress during this period."

"Let us separate and live in different places for now. That way, everyone can foster a sense of covert rivalry. For the duration of one month, I hope we can all achieve rapid advancement. As for everything else, we can discuss it after this month is up."

At this, everyone felt their blood boil with excitement. After all, Hanhai City was inherently a sacred ground for cultivators, and being able to cultivate here was undoubtedly a cause for celebration.

To reap absolute benefits here and engage in high-intensity combat—for anyone who could manage to stay alive—was a cause for joy.

With only a single condition: preserve one's own life and increase one's combat prowess through actual combat. The potential for massive growth was undeniable.

Meng Li, however, expressed a tinge of worry. "What about you? They will definitely come back to exact revenge on you. If worst comes to worst, let my father send some experts from elsewhere to protect you."

"After all, your task is far more perilous than ours. What if something goes wrong..."

Before Meng Li could finish, Lu Qingyun chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "Rest assured, let them come and make trouble however they please; to me, it's nothing more than a form of training. Since everyone has made up their minds, let's rest and regroup for tonight."

"We begin tomorrow. Do you all have confidence?"

Hearing his words, the entire group felt their enthusiasm surge to new heights.

They shouted in unison, "Yes!"

Having regained their confidence, every single one of them felt a deep sense of exhilaration, and the gloom that had hung over them moments before was completely swept away.

At that moment, Guan Wang slowly walked over, a smile on his face as he said, "If it's convenient now, our master wishes to have a word with you. It seems he truly has something important to discuss. Might you be able to come right now?"