Chapter 117

Chapter 117: Battle Techniques

Beneath the night sky, Xu Changsheng’s firm words made Zhou Luo greatly surprised.

He helped him up and said gently, "Brother Xu, I didn’t think you would do this."

Xu Changsheng lowered his head, a look of shame on his face, "It was Brother Zhou’s sincerity that made me suddenly realize the truth."

"I can understand; after all, all of us are just sons-in-law of the Lin Family," Zhou Luo patted his shoulder lightly and sighed emotionally.

"Don’t worry, Brother Zhou; from now on, I am yours, and I will do whatever you command," Xu Changsheng raised his head and declared resolutely.

The other’s baseless trust deeply moved him.

Especially since their friendship was thin, yet the other still wanted to help him return home.

In this world, good people were truly too few.

Everyone was driven by profit, so being treated with genuine care was a rare and precious thing.

Xu Changsheng felt he could not be unworthy of that trust.

He secretly vowed that even if it meant death, he would never betray the other.

"Brother Xu, are you sure about these words?" Zhou Luo showed a slightly startled expression.

"Of course, I cannot fail Brother Zhou’s trust," Xu Changsheng stated decisively.

Looking into his sincere eyes, Zhou Luo clearly understood that those words came straight from the heart.

But that alone was insufficient.

He knew very well that in the face of death, any verbal promise would just be empty talk.

Human nature could not withstand being tested.

So Zhou Luo spoke with feigned difficulty, "Brother Xu, it’s not that I distrust you, but you know the family conflict is escalating."

"My position is awkward now, and unknown many covet me. If someone uncovered the hidden secret, I might face certain doom."

Hearing this, Xu Changsheng looked shocked and stared at him in disbelief, "Brother Zhou, it’s this grave?"

Zhou Luo nodded solemnly, "Therefore, I must ensure absolute safety."

Xu Changsheng immediately fell silent.

He understood the other’s meaning.

This secret threatening life or death—if it were his own, he wouldn’t let others know either.

What’s more, he had once deceived the other before.

He took a deep breath and said seriously, "Brother Zhou, tell me, what must I do to earn your trust?"

Zhou Luo’s eyes glimmered faintly; seeing it was almost time, he took a red pill from his pocket, "Well then, I have a first-class peerless poison."

"Though it’s poison, if you take the antidote each month, it poses no harm to your body."

"If you’re willing to swallow it, I’ll definitely trust you completely."

"Of course, you can choose not to take it; in that case, I’ll have to find a new steward."

Zhou Luo’s words slowly echoed in Xu Changsheng’s ears, causing him great inner turmoil.

He looked at the red pill with a complicated expression.

Once he swallowed it, his life would be completely under the control of the other party.

Moreover, it was a supreme first-grade poison, and even the family head probably couldn’t solve it.

He looked up at the other person.

It seemed this supreme first-grade poison was deeply related to his so-called secret.

Accept or refuse.

Xu Changsheng fell into a dilemma.

Zhou Luo wasn’t in a hurry and silently waited for his reply.

After a long while, thinking of the other party’s long-standing attitude toward him and the earlier trust.

Xu Changsheng finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth, and said determinately, "Brother Zhou, I’m willing to take this poison."

After saying that, he directly took the pill and swallowed it.

Zhou Luo was very pleased; he smiled and said, "Brother Xu, you’ve made the most correct choice. I promise to help you restore your severed arm within a year."

"Really?" Xu Changsheng was overjoyed.

"Of course, and I have some secrets to tell you. Let’s talk inside the house." Zhou Luo said with a serious expression.

In the room.

Zhou Luo told him about being a formation master.

Hearing this news, Xu Changsheng was utterly shocked.

He gazed at Zhou Luo with a stunned look, his voice trembling as he said, "Brother Zhou… how did you become a formation master?"

A top-level Pill Master actually being able to set up formations—if such news got out, it would likely cause a huge commotion in the outside world.

In the cultivation world, there were no shortages of those who mastered two or even three skills.

But these skills were often somewhat useless, like spiritual farming and beast taming, or spiritual appraisal and ore prospecting, and so on.

However, to simultaneously master any two of the four major skills.

Xu Changsheng had never heard of it, nor was it recorded even in the ancient texts he had studied.

Could this be a true genius?

He stared at Zhou Luo, his emotions surging, feeling greatly shaken.

"It’s a long story, but for now, I don’t want the family to know about this news." Zhou Luo said earnestly, appearing very solemn.

Xu Changsheng was filled with reverence.

He understood why the other person chose to share this secret with him.

Because he planned to use him as cover.

After all, formations weren’t like other skills; practicing them would inevitably stir up a sensation.

"I understand." Xu Changsheng said seriously.

At the same time, he wondered inwardly: was the other party just starting out in the path of formations?

Had he already become a formation master?

"Mm, from now on, I entrust the Zhou Garden to you," Zhou Luo said reassuringly.

He proceeded to give some additional instructions.

It wasn’t until Hai hour that Xu Changsheng left the room, still in a daze.

Zhou Luo’s secret had truly overwhelmed him.

Seeing how late it was, Zhou Luo stepped out of his room and noticed all the second-floor chambers were brightly lit.

His numerous wives and concubines awaited him.

Seemed he’d have to start picking the nightly rotation.

He chuckled dryly before finally heading toward Lin Fei Ying’s quarters.

In such matters, fairness mattered most.

As he pushed the door open, candle flames in every other room simultaneously flickered out.

…

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host. Through relentless effort, you have successfully impregnated your partner, earning one lottery draw.]

Having just finished his exertion, Zhou Luo was about to rest when a notification sound chimed in his ear.

He snapped his eyes open.

His recent accuracy rate was this high?

Seemed he’d have to double his efforts.

Pushing aside distractions, he entered the lottery page.

Draw now!

Without hesitation, he triggered the lottery.

A golden sphere of light spun rapidly under Zhou Luo’s gaze before landing on the Battle Techniques zone.

Battle Techniques?

A flicker of disappointment ran through him.

Of the seven zones, this was the one he least desired.

Cultivators below the fifth layer of Qi Refinement couldn’t channel much spiritual energy. Even with a cultivation technique, they’d fail to unleash its full power.

Plus, most Battle Techniques demanded extensive training time.

Wasting effort there seemed pointless when meditating to absorb spiritual energy for breakthroughs made far more sense.

Hence, cultivators under the fifth layer of Qi Refinement rarely trained in Battle Techniques, sticking instead to cultivation-boosting methods.

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve obtained the Five Elements Sword Technique!]

[Reward auto-delivered to your backpack. Please check.]

The system’s voice resounded again.

Zhou Luo’s heart stirred slightly.

A sword technique? That might be useful.

After all, he possessed several spiritual swords, notably that Xuan Tian sword forfeited by Lu An.

He glanced toward the "sword" icon in his backpack.