Chapter 39: Eating, drinking, having fun, and romance

Xu Qingzhou was not completely lost in the lap of luxury, ignoring everything else.

Just like before, he held a Family meeting at the beginning of each month, allowing the seven Other Elders to report on their work for the past month, summarize it, and discuss the goals for the next month.

Xu Qingzhou specifically instructed the Other Elders not to disturb him unless there was a major issue, and just handle things themselves.

His courtyard was surrounded by various Formations, preventing any smells or sounds from escaping. The Other Elders thought he had been diligently cultivating at home.

Little did they know, he spent his days with Su Xinyan enjoying lavish meals and drinks, while also indulging in romance and affection.

Just like that, without realizing it, Su Xinyan had already been in the Xu Family for four months.

For these four months, Xu Qingzhou accompanied her, enjoying food, drinks, and entertainment, exploring every corner of Yuhe City. They even left their footprints in some scenic spots near Yuhe City.

Their relationship also grew closer.

From the formal Xu Family Head and Immortal Su at the beginning, to the current Qingzhou and Xin Yan.

From being polite and courteous at first, to now hugging, embracing, and playfully bickering.

This period made Su Xinyan feel unprecedented relaxation. She felt that none of her experiences from birth until now were as rich and colorful as these four months.

Her mindset underwent a significant change. She felt like the clouds had parted to reveal the bright moon, and her state of mind was greatly enhanced as a result.

Not only did she easily break through the Bottleneck of her Cultivation Technique, but she also gained a completely new understanding of the Cultivation Technique she practiced.

After ending her seclusion, she walked out of the courtyard and saw Xu Qingzhou lying under the pavilion by the pond, reading a book. Her lips couldn't help but curl into a bright smile. With light lotus steps, she flew over.

Xu Qingzhou smelled a faint fragrance drifting over, knowing that Su Xinyan had arrived. He got up, put down his book, and opened his arms.

"A day without seeing you feels like three years. It's been over ten years since we last met."

Su Xinyan, who had landed in the pavilion, pouted, feeling too shy to hug him.

"It hasn't been that long."

Xu Qingzhou stepped forward and held her soft and boneless jade hand. "How is it? Did you break through?"

Su Xinyan nodded, "I broke through very easily. I even feel that this Cultivation Technique won't have any more Bottlenecks in the future."

"That amazing?" Xu Qingzhou exclaimed in surprise.

Su Xinyan tilted her head slightly, "Of course."

No wonder she was called the number one Genius of the Lingyue Sect before Xu Muge went there. With just a slight improvement in her state of mind, she directly comprehended an entire Cultivation Technique.

Perhaps this was the world of a Genius.

Xu Qingzhou's bent finger gently stroked her exquisite nose, teasing, "Your tail is wagging up to the sky."

His affectionate gestures always made Su Xinyan blush with shyness.

Xu Qingzhou pulled her to sit down, gently holding and playing with her small hand.

"Fortunately, you came out of seclusion in time. If it were a few days later, I would have gone out."

"Where are you going?" Su Xinyan asked, looking at him.

Xu Qingzhou replied, "The Azure Dragon Secret Realm is about to open. I need to take a few clansmen to the Royal Capital."

This was something Xu Luo had reminded him of in a previous letter. Otherwise, immersed in his relaxed lifestyle and the lap of luxury, he wouldn't have remembered at all.

Su Xinyan knew about the Azure Dragon Secret Realm. It was a very famous Secret Realm within the Great Qi Dynasty, opened by the combined efforts of the Royal Family and the three major first-rate forces back then.

Inside the Secret Realm was an independent Small World, where the flow of time was different from the outside world.

One day passed outside, while thirty days passed inside.

The Azure Dragon Secret Realm opened once every ten years for three days. The Secret Realm was rich in spiritual energy and contained various rare treasures, medicinal herbs, and exotic beasts.

Even cultivating inside until the Secret Realm closed would yield great rewards.

Furthermore, it was rumored that the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was an independent world formed by the sitting transformation of an ancient Divine Beast, the Azure Dragon. There was even a possibility of finding the Azure Dragon's essence blood within the Small World.

However, because the Small World of the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was naturally formed and extremely unstable, Cultivators who were too strong entering would cause the world to collapse. Therefore, only Cultivators below the Xuan Dan Realm could enter.

Thus, most Cultivators entering the Azure Dragon Secret Realm were in the mid to late Naling Realm. Some Cultivators even deliberately held back from breaking through to the Xuan Dan Realm just to enter the Secret Realm and seek opportunities.

Su Xinyan asked curiously, "Did you go the last time it opened?"

She went last time, but other than a few Heavenly Prodigies she had fought against, she didn't remember most people.

"At that time, our Xu Family was too weak. There weren't many Naling Realm Cultivators, and they were all elderly Other Elders, so they didn't dare to take risks."

Su Xinyan had slightly overestimated Xu Qingzhou. At that time, he was only in the early Naling Realm; he wouldn't have dared to go even if asked.

Inside the Secret Realm, there were not only powerful demonic beasts but also Cultivators with malicious intentions. If one's strength was insufficient to venture in rashly, they might not only fail to find treasures or opportunities but also risk losing their lives.

Now that the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was opening again, the Xu Family was much stronger than before. There were a few young clansmen in the late Naling Realm who could give it a try.

Of course, the main reason was to take Xu Luo. Xu Muge would also go, but he would be with the Lingyue Sect's team.

Su Xinyan said seriously, "The Secret Realm is more dangerous than imagined. Cultivators in the mid-Naling Realm will find it difficult to move forward unless they form a group of five or more. If their luck is bad, even those in the late Naling Realm can perish."

"If that's the case, then we'll have to reduce the number of clansmen from our Xu Family going," Xu Qingzhou said solemnly.

Su Xinyan said, "That's not necessary. Before entering the Secret Realm, there's a small competition. Only by achieving a certain ranking can you qualify to enter the Secret Realm. Those whose strength is insufficient will be directly eliminated. However, this competition isn't very dangerous and can temper them."

"This…"

"You didn't know?"

"I didn't know."

Su Xinyan explained, "The Azure Dragon Secret Realm was opened by the joint efforts of the Royal Family and the three major first-rate forces back then. For sustainability, the four parties discussed and decided that only eighty people would be allowed in each time it opened."

"The Royal Family has twenty spots, the three major first-rate forces have fifteen spots each, and another fifteen people are selected through a competition."

Xu Qingzhou nodded as if he understood.

In that case, Xu Muge, who was in the Lingyue Sect, would definitely have a spot. If Xu Luo participated in the competition, with his methods, he should also be able to secure one.

As for the other clansmen, they could just go to gain experience.

Su Xinyan suddenly said, "I'll go with you."

"Huh? You're going too?" Xu Qingzhou looked at her in disbelief.

When she first came to the Xu Family, Xu Qingzhou noticed that she was a homebody and a bit socially anxious.

Xu Qingzhou didn't expect her to want to participate in something like this.

Su Xinyan stammered, "I… as an Elder of the Lingyue Sect, it's normal for me to lead a team."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Su Xinyan had a habit; her ears would turn red whenever she lied.

Xu Qingzhou looked at her reddened ears and didn't expose her lie.

It was obvious that she wanted to be with Xu Qingzhou but was too shy to say it.

It seemed like she was already a bit inseparable from Xu Qingzhou. If her Father Su Xin knew that his daughter didn't want to go home after going out once, he wondered what his thoughts would be.