Park Su naturally wanted to deal with the people outside, as no one liked being watched by a group of people. However, he was more concerned about what Xu Nuo had said later. He looked at Xu Nuo with wide eyes, "Your abilities are about to break through, this quickly?"
It was important to note that the reason he broke through so quickly was, firstly, because he had been constantly absorbing zombie nuclei recently, and his level wasn't high to begin with. Secondly, he had the energy stone as a foundation. Although he had forcefully absorbed the energy from the energy stone, expanding his meridians in the process, he hadn't fully absorbed all the energy.
This was why he managed to break through two levels in such a short time.
But during this period, he had been with Xu Nuo the whole time. He knew that although Xu Nuo had taken those zombie nuclei, he hadn't actually used them.
He also rarely saw Xu Nuo cultivating, and as for the energy stone, he hadn't seen Xu Nuo obtain one either. However, in just over twenty days, Xu Nuo was about to break through to the second stage. Xu Nuo had awakened his abilities later than him by several days. From the time he awakened his abilities until now, it had only been about seventeen or eighteen days in total. Was he really about to advance again?
In his previous life, it had taken him about six months to break through to the second stage of wood-based abilities. Truly, a genius was a genius. Comparing himself to others only led to frustration.
Though he felt a bit jealous of Xu Nuo's talent in abilities, he clearly understood that Xu Nuo was someone he needed to rely on. The stronger Xu Nuo was, the more beneficial it was for him.
Moreover, since Xu Nuo mentioned teaching him Taoist techniques, it indicated that their time together might be much longer than he initially thought. Just this point alone made him feel that Xu Nuo had endless treasures for him to explore. He could ask for advice on faster methods to cultivate abilities. Of course, he would also share what he knew without hesitation, since Xu Nuo was so generous to him. He couldn't be stingy either!
Xu Nuo, seeing Park Su's expression, knew what he was thinking. Since he planned to teach him Taoist techniques, it meant they might be spending a lot of time together, so he needed to clarify his own breakthrough situation. After all, Park Su would find out sooner or later.
"My breakthrough isn't in abilities but in my Taoist techniques. If it were just an ability breakthrough, I wouldn't care. I believe my ability breakthrough wouldn't cause as much commotion as yours.
It's the Taoist techniques that might cause unusual occurrences. As for the Taoist techniques, once we deal with the people outside, I will gradually teach you some basics and foundational knowledge. How well you learn depends entirely on your own aptitude, so don't always rely on me."
Xu Nuo's several mentions of his breakthrough causing a commotion made Park Su a bit skeptical. After forcefully absorbing the energy stone, his abilities indeed had some changes, and the feeling after his breakthrough was different from before.
He wasn't sure if Xu Nuo was mocking him or stating a fact, so he decided to change the topic to avoid awkwardness, "So, how do you plan to deal with those people outside?"
Xu Nuo looked at him with a faint smile, "So you brought these people here and now don't want to deal with them yourself? Are you going to throw this to me?"
Hearing this, Park Su immediately rubbed the back of his neck and smiled ingratiatingly, "You said those people are obviously smarter than me. I'm afraid I might get tangled up with them and end up embarrassing you.
Even though you seem quiet, you're always more astute in dealing with these people than I am. They're definitely not your match. Besides, you're my creditor; you decide how to handle it, and I'll follow your lead. I've already dealt with Lǚ Xia's situation, so this matter should be your decision."
Seeing him like this, Xu Nuo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "I see you're just shirking responsibility."
Park Su didn't deny it and continued to grin at Xu Nuo, knowing that this was exactly what Xu Nuo liked. After all, he was very clear that he could handle zombie issues within his capability cleanly.
However, dealing with people was where he struggled the most. Rather than creating a mess and getting scolded by Xu Nuo, and possibly putting Lǚ Xia in danger, he thought it was best to leave it to Xu Nuo from the start. He believed Xu Nuo would handle things without causing a mess.
He was fine with flattering Xu Nuo more often; after all, he had thick skin and was used to relying on him. One more time wouldn't hurt.
As expected, Xu Nuo did not refuse after Park Su said this. Instead, he looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Alright, let's go downstairs and meet them. But since you've handed this matter over to me, you'll have to follow my lead. No matter what I say, you must cooperate and not object. Is that clear?"
Park Su readily agreed. For him, having Xu Nuo handle the situation was the best possible outcome. How could he not agree? Besides, he always supported whatever Xu Nuo said, so this requirement was no different from saying nothing.
After they discussed and agreed, they went downstairs. Before opening the door, Park Su specifically instructed Chen Jingxuan to stay inside and take care of his mother.
He explained that something had come up outside that he and Xu Nuo needed to handle. Chen Jingxuan didn't know what was happening outside, but he could tell that anything requiring special instructions from Park Su and personal attention from Xu Nuo couldn't be easy to resolve. He nodded confidently and said, "I'll wait for you both to come back," and then closed the door.
Outside, Zuo Xiong's patience was wearing thin as the sky darkened. He felt his temper rising because the flow of spiritual energy in the air had long since ceased, indicating that the people inside had completed their breakthrough.
However, it had been half an hour since then. From the appearance of the sunset to the onset of darkness, no one had come out to acknowledge them. Meanwhile, they had been dealing with zombie corpses and fighting off zombies attracted by the scent of blood, which was tiring. The people inside seemed to be putting on airs.
Even if they were masters, Zuo Xiong and his group were ability users with considerable numbers. How could the people inside be so dismissive of them?
Thinking this, Zuo Xiong couldn't help but blame Zhu Xian for always finding excuses. If it weren't for Zhu Xian, he would have left the zombie corpses there, torn off the talismans on the door, and let the people inside experience being surrounded by zombies at night. That would teach them that they were not to be trifled with.
More importantly, Zuo Xiong felt that without showing the people inside some hardship, they wouldn't understand the importance of what they had done.
After being outside for so long and putting up with all this, he felt like he was just wasting his efforts.
He was inwardly complaining when the door suddenly opened from inside. He looked up to see two very young men standing in the doorway.
One had a stern face paired with fox-like eyes that exuded a cold aura. His body was strong and lean, and he stood with a slight tilt of his chin, giving off a high and aloof vibe.
The other looked much cuter, with a baby face and almond eyes that blinked at them. He was a good half a head shorter than the man beside him, exuding a childlike air.
Zuo Xiong immediately shifted his gaze to the taller man, sizing him up. Meanwhile, Park Su, who had been observing them since opening the door, couldn't help but purse his lips. Did he really not look like a master? He was the one who had just broken through, after all.
Did they have to immediately assume that Xu Nuo was the master? Though Xu Nuo was indeed a master in his eyes, he wasn't that much worse, right?
What made him look so unworthy of being a master? Feeling a bit deflated, he acknowledged that his strength couldn't compare to Xu Nuo's, but to think that even his appearance, which he had always been confident in, fell short, left him inexplicably disappointed.
But with two strangers in front of him, he couldn't show too much emotion. He continued to stand obediently behind Xu Nuo, saying nothing and just watching the scene unfold.
Xu Nuo, on the other hand, didn't speak either. He merely glanced coldly at Zuo Xiong and his companions, his inscrutable gaze fully revealing his status as a master.
Seeing this side of Xu Nuo, Park Su couldn't help but marvel. Xu Nuo always appeared noble and aloof, but with this intentional display of presence, he indeed felt unapproachable. Park Su could understand where the outside rumors came from.
This version of Xu Nuo was quite intimidating, though his strength was equally unassailable!
Zuo Xiong, although he thought this person looked quite powerful, felt he was too young, at least ten years younger than himself.
Still, he didn't dare underestimate him and greeted politely, "Hello, my name is Zuo Xiong, a strength-type ability user and the leader of this convoy. I apologize for the intrusion. May I know your names?"
He specifically mentioned his status as an ability user and convoy leader in one breath, intending to let Xu Nuo and Park Su know that his status wasn't low and that they shouldn't keep putting on airs.
Unfortunately, Xu Nuo didn't give him any face. Instead of answering directly, Xu Nuo looked him up and down before slightly nodding and saying, "Indeed, it is quite the intrusion. I was in the middle of a breakthrough and don't like people wandering around outside. What exactly do you want? Speak directly and don't waste my cultivation time."
Zuo Xiong was taken aback. Despite revealing his identity and speaking politely, Xu Nuo still maintained such an expression, leaving him feeling stifled. However, knowing he needed something from Xu Nuo, he couldn't afford to show anger. Yet, he was unwilling to further curry favor with him.