Thinking of this, Li Mugui suddenly let out a long sigh, his face full of sorrow.
"Alas!"
Seeing this, Pei Liangji and Xu Wenxuan looked at each other in surprise.
They wondered why he had suddenly become so melancholy.
"Brother Li, what's the matter?" Pei Liangji asked in confusion.
With tears in the corners of his eyes, Li Mugui spoke slowly, "The cultivation method taught to me by my master requires long-term foundation building and refinement, but once mastered, it can lead directly to the fourth realm of martial arts."
"That's why I have been suppressing my cultivation at the second realm of martial arts."
"Who could have expected the Demon King of the Nine Green Mountains to suddenly attack, severely injuring my father and ultimately causing his demise!"
"Faced with this crisis, I had no choice but to break through and raise my realm to the third realm of martial arts, but it was already too late to save my father's life!"
After hearing this, the two men understood the situation.
Pei Liangji's various doubts were dispelled.
Because there are indeed similar cultivation methods in this world.
However, it is rare to find one as effective as what Li Mugui described.
This made Pei Liangji even more convinced that the master behind Li Mugui must be extraordinarily powerful.
Perhaps he is a master at the fifth realm of martial arts!
Thinking of this, Pei Liangji felt a little excited.
If he could win over such a powerful ally, then his father would no longer have to carefully face the threat of the King of the North like he does now!
However, as Li Mugui was showing such sorrow, he didn't feel it was appropriate to abruptly ask about his master's situation. Instead, he comforted him, saying, "Brother Li, please accept my condolences. If your father knew about your current abilities, he would surely be comforted."
"I hope so," Li Mugui shook his head.
The heavy atmosphere lifted slightly, and the three men began to chat about other topics.
They discussed the situation in Dongshan Prefecture, the distribution of powerful families and clans, as well as recent rumors and legends.
This helped to strengthen their understanding and bond with each other.
Relying on his insights gained from activating the real-life special effects before, Li Mugui provided some guidance on the martial arts cultivation of the other two.
This made Xu Wenxuan marvel that among those at their level of cultivation, no one had deeper insights than Li Mugui.
He also expressed his determination to train day and night after returning home, striving to catch up with Li Mugui's realm.
He looked forward to seeking further advice from him then.
Meanwhile, Pei Liangji took the opportunity to subtly inquire about Li Mugui's master and expressed his admiration.
After about an hour, the three men reluctantly bid each other farewell.
Once Pei Liangji and Xu Wenxuan had left, Li Mugui let out a sigh of relief.
Although his acting skills had improved, he still felt a lot of pressure when performing in front of those who were actually stronger than him.
However, he had gained a lot from this encounter.
Firstly, his interaction with the high-end circles of Dongshan Prefecture, represented by Pei Liangji and Xu Wenxuan, had exposed him to many secrets unknown to the general public.
Moreover, from Pei Liangji's actions, it was clear that he intended to court both Li Mugui and the "master" behind him.
This was a good thing because more friends meant more paths to take.
Secondly, through these two men, he could spread some of the information he had fabricated.
For example, rumors about his hidden and powerful master, as well as his mysterious and powerful martial arts skills, would soon justify his rapidly increasing cultivation level in the eyes of others.
This would help avoid prying eyes and speculation from those who might be interested in his secrets.
Lastly, this incident would bring him a significant amount of "reputation."
In front of a crowd, he had forced Xu Wenxuan, one of the "Four Heroes of Dongshan," to concede without even fighting and had also gained the friendship of Pei Liangji.
This was sure to be big news.
Especially since most of the spectators today were from various parts of Dongshan Prefecture, the news would likely spread quickly throughout the entire region as they left.
It was expected that he would accumulate enough "reputation" again soon and be able to participate in another lottery.
However, these were ultimately side paths.
Li Mugui knew that to truly survive safely in this world, the fundamental lie in his own strength.
"I still need to break through to the Wanxiang Realm soon!" Li Mugui muttered to himself.
He couldn't believe that in just half a year since arriving in this world, he had quickly progressed from the early stage of the Xiulu Realm to the late stage.
He was even preparing to break through to the Wanxiang Realm.
However, he was already very confident about this step.
After all, he had an advantage that others couldn't match.
Despite being only a Xiulu Realm martial artist, he had already experienced the power of the Wanxiang Realm firsthand.
"But I still need to accumulate and prepare properly. More haste, less speed," Li Mugui pondered.
...
In the eastern district of Feiying City stood the Drunken Immortal Tower, the largest restaurant in the city.
At this moment, in a private room on the second floor, Shen Bing said triumphantly to the middle-aged man sitting opposite her, "Uncle Yu, I told you before that Mayor Li is no ordinary person."
"Those so-called 'Four Heroes of Dongshan' are no match for him," she added proudly.
Uncle Yu smiled and nodded in agreement, "I trust Miss Shen's judgment implicitly."
"This Li Mugui is truly an extraordinary genius," he praised.
Upon hearing this, Shen Bing noddedsatisfactionand said, "In that case, there's no need for the assessment of Mayor Li, right?"
Before Uncle Yu could respond, a small figure burst into the room from outside the restaurant, shouting, "There's no need for any assessment! Mayor Li is too amazing!"
It was the young boy named Xiao An.
He said excitedly, "Uncle Yu, you don't know that Xu Wenxuan didn't even dare to make a move and conceded!"
"And the sword qi of Lord Li is almost indistinguishable from a real dragon!"
Uncle Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "No need to rush, let me visit Lord Li first."
"Well, that's fine," Shen Bing nodded with no objection.
Xiao An jumped up happily and said, "Yay! I want to go with you!"
Hearing his excitement, Shen Bing gave him a glare and said, "Why are you running around instead of staying home and cultivating properly?"
"Huh, Dad said that cultivation is not just about sitting in meditation, but also about going out and experiencing the world to increase one's motivation for cultivation," Xiao An said confidently.
"Like this time, after witnessing such a figure as Lord Li, I will definitely work hard to cultivate and strive to become a powerful expert like Lord Li one day!"
Shen Bing couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.
Uncle Yu looked out the window towards the rolling mountains in the distance beyond Feiying City.
"The autumn wind is bleak, and it's been almost five years since the last beast tide," he murmured.
Shen Bing was taken aback for a moment and said, "That's right, Uncle Yu."
"So, a new beast tide should be coming next year at the beginning of the year."
Uncle Yu stared into the distance and said, "Feiying City is quite close to the Cangmang Mountain Range, and with Lord Li here now, we should be able to reap many benefits when the beast tide comes next year."
"It seems that we have a lot of business to discuss with Lord Li."
Uncle Yu smiled.
Shen Bing was slightly taken aback. She had forgotten about this aspect.
"Uncle Yu, you're so experienced. I didn't even think of that," she said with a sheepish smile.
"Miss, your ability to recognize Lord Li's potential even when he was still unknown shows that you have a discerning eye," praised Uncle Yu as he stood up. "Let's go and pay a visit to Lord Li now."