You promised yourself to be a caged bird, but you became the supreme young master?

"Time," Lu Guhong said, his expression complex.

Back then, if he had met either the resource or time requirement, he was confident that he could break through the Qi Refining Secret Realm with the "Basic Body Refining Method" at a high level.

Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this.

He may seem to enjoy the riches and honors that other members of the branch family cannot, but these are nothing in the eyes of any member of the Lord's family.

Because his path is blocked!

Unfortunately, he had nothing back then. If he hadn't taken advantage of the four years in the outer academy to break through, his chances of breaking through to the Qi Refining Secret Realm would have been even slimmer once he left the outer academy.

As long as one has enough talent, one can have free spiritual food as a cultivation resource in the outer courtyard. Even if one fails to break through, one can spend some time recuperating and still be able to attempt to break through to the Qi Refining Secret Realm again.

Once you leave the outer courtyard, aside from everything else, the numerous mandatory tasks and the need to restore the original price of spiritual food are enough to keep you busy.

More likely...

After failing to break through once, he fell below the family's kill line.

There was no possibility of breaking through again; he would be destined to be a servant in the family for the rest of his life.

Therefore, he wisely chose to give up.

………………

"You should work hard, kid. Maybe you can get a woman from the main family to marry into your family, so that the next generation won't have to live as separate families again."

Lu Guhong patted Lu Heng on the shoulder and said this as a final gesture.

If he were a heartless and treacherous person, he might even feel jealous of the boy.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

This boy was actually no different from him back then; Lu Guhong could see his own shadow in him.

Even worse in terms of talent, if it weren't for the bloodline returning to its ancestral form, the hope of reaching the Qi Refining Secret Realm would be even more remote.

What Lu Guhong didn't notice was...

The girl beside him subtly darkened her expression...

"Let's go." She interrupted Lu Guhong's one-sided conversation without a smile.

There's a reason why Lu Guhong is still unmarried at middle age, Lu Qingyan couldn't help but think.

………………

On the road in Qinghe City, the two walked side by side ahead, with Lu Guhong following behind, looking thoughtfully at the young man and woman in front of them.

Not far away, on a street that was inexplicably deserted, Lu Qingyan suddenly stopped in front of a huge mansion.

"We've arrived." Looking at the mansion before him, Lu Heng was momentarily incredulous.

In his estimation, something as clandestine as an underground boxing ring would certainly not appear underground, but it certainly wouldn't appear in the form of a mansion.

How to solve the venue and sound problems?

Even if the government officials do nothing, they cannot allow underground boxing to continue in broad daylight.

If that were the case, those adults who rise to high positions would never have been able to reach those positions.

"I knew you'd ask that this underground boxing arena has a formation master who has set up soundproofing and illusion arrays."

The reason we were able to get here without being stopped by the formation is that the formation only blocks ordinary people.

Although I have never been here before, I have heard from people that the layout inside is actually similar to that of a gladiatorial arena in the Western continent.

There isn't just one entrance in front of you.

It's normal that there's no one here during the day; people only start arriving gradually at night.

Lu Qingyan seemed to have anticipated the boy's question and answered with a light laugh.

"Put on a mask."

"No one is watching here," Lu Guhong reminded Lu Heng.

Lu Heng naturally couldn't put on a mask before arriving at his destination.

That would seem too strange and would make it easier for people to notice something unusual.

"Okay," Lu Heng replied, then took out a mask from his pocket.

The mask was nothing special; it was carved from black hardwood, with a narrow outline and a tighter curve that fit snugly against the face.

The eye socket is a slender, willow-leaf-shaped cutout, with the outer corner of the eye slightly upturned, and a fine serrated pattern engraved around the edge of the eye socket.

The nose bridge is hollowed out to allow for a clear view, with only thin wooden pieces on either side to hold the fists. The mouth area has three short vertical slits hidden under the slightly protruding chin carving. The mask is polished smooth but has no luster.

But the instant he put on the mask, Lu Heng felt a layer of spiritual energy, like a light veil, covering his body.

If nothing unexpected happens, this is the concealment effect of the mask as a concealment artifact, as Lu Qingyan mentioned.

"The effect is pretty good, isn't it? Although this mask artifact is only a first-tier top-grade item, its price is comparable to that of a second-tier magic artifact."

Even cultivators in the Qi Refining Secret Realm, if they try to discern your true appearance through divine sense, will inevitably be exposed.

Lu Qingyan said with a hint of pride.

Lu Heng was somewhat speechless.

If it weren't for Lu Guhong, a fellow cultivator of the Qi Refining Realm, standing nearby...

Even if you try to spy on him with your divine sense and he discovers it, what can he possibly say?

This might even be superfluous and create unnecessary complications.

Those who were originally uninterested in Qi Refining Secret Realm cultivators may become interested because of this.

"It's alright," Lu Heng replied, somewhat satisfied.

………………

Without any obstruction, Lu Guhong walked ahead of the two and pushed open the door.

Behind the door, it was indeed not the mansion as it appeared from the outside, but a room that resembled the old registration office in the outer courtyard.

Sitting in the room was a gloomy middle-aged man with the aura of a peak body refinement expert.

The middle-aged, gloomy man, noticing someone approaching, looked up, about to say something.

But upon seeing that all three of them possessed blue eyes, he abruptly stood up.

Having blue eyes is the most conspicuous identity marker in Qinghe City.

As the head of the underground boxing registration office, the middle-aged man was naturally well aware of the situation.

"Gentlemen, what is it?" The middle-aged man, who had become even more aware of the unfathomable aura of the person in front of him, asked with even greater respect.

"I brought him here to register for underground boxing," Lu Guhong said coldly, pointing at Lu Heng.

"No problem." The gloomy middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief, and, unsurprised by such behavior, quickly took out a register.

Looking at the three, the only one wearing a mask was Lu Heng, who was about to sign up for the underground boxing match.

"Name?" the middle-aged man asked.

"No," Lu Heng replied.

This is just part of the underground boxing process; he doesn't necessarily have to answer. He could even make up a fake name if he wanted.

"Cultivation level?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"Sixth level of Body Refinement," Lu Heng replied.

"Target?" the middle-aged man continued to ask.

"Ten consecutive wins," Lu Heng replied calmly.

"Are you sure?" The gloomy-looking middle-aged man glanced at Lu Heng in surprise, wondering where the young man got his confidence, and asked again.

"I'm sure," Lu Heng said again.

"When does it start?" The middle-aged man didn't say anything more. After the registration was finished, he asked.

He had heard that the Lu family, whether the main family or a branch family, who possessed blue eyes, were destined to become cultivators in the Qi Refining Secret Realm.

Since the young man in front of me is aiming for a ten-game winning streak, he probably plans to cultivate until he reaches the peak of the Body Refinement Secret Realm before he officially begins.

"Today, the sooner the better," Lu Heng replied decisively.

If possible, he wants to achieve a ten-fight winning streak in underground boxing today.

As he said, the sooner the better!