After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 263 Meeting
On the stone path among the trees on the main peak of Luoshen Peak, only the big black cat remained, meowing angrily.

It suddenly stopped and looked up in the direction of the main hall.

Those bright green cat eyes darted around rapidly, as if hesitating whether he should just run away too.

After all, it had lost such a precious treasure; it wouldn't believe it if Li Musheng didn't kill it with a single slap.

However, after hesitating for a while, the big black cat finally lowered its head.

Then, it let out a seemingly helpless meow and, with stiff cat legs, returned towards the main hall.

Not long after, Li Musheng saw the big black cat return, completely naked. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked:
Where is the person I asked you to invite?

Upon hearing this, the big black cat immediately raised its head, its two ears drooping to one side, and pointed to its back with its paw, as if reminding Li Musheng that the focus should be on this.

However, Li Musheng merely sneered and said:
"Go and invite Miss Murong here first. I'll settle this score with you later."

Upon hearing this, the big black cat was clearly stunned, seemingly not understanding why Li Musheng wasn't worried at all about losing such an important treasure, while it was the only cat that was anxious.

However, the cat was quite happy that Li Musheng didn't kill it with a slap on the spot.

The big black cat immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Since everything was alright for the moment, it dared not bring up the matter of losing the cyan jade tablet again, lest Li Musheng suddenly have a change of heart and slap it.

So it quickly meowed in response, then turned and left the main hall to find Murong Xiaoya.

Li Musheng watched the black cat's departing figure, then looked down at the two strands of true energy wrapped around his fingers, a thoughtful expression on his face.

One of the true qi threads was connected to the big black cat, while the other was connected to the divine monument of talent.

"These divine beings are quite interesting. There must be an organization and a powerful force behind them, otherwise they wouldn't be able to gather such a group of people to act in a planned manner."

Li Musheng was not in a hurry to retrieve the Divine Stele of Talent.

On the contrary, he wanted to take this opportunity to let the Divine Tablet of Talent fall into the hands of these divine beings.

The relationship between divinities and the Divine Stele of Talent is intricate, and as a non-divine person, he had no clue how to comprehend it.

The fact that the group of divine beings were clearly there for the Divine Stele of Talent suggests that they probably knew something about it.

Rather than wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly, it's better to entrust the task to these people to study the Divine Stele of Talent.

It would be much easier for him to simply reap the benefits of what he has already achieved.

Of course, the martial arts essence that Li Musheng had already left on that dark blue jade tablet wouldn't have been wasted, and those divine beings wouldn't have actually benefited in the end.

"What are you thinking, you bunch of tools? You have to return what you stole in the end."

Li Musheng glanced outside the main hall, then looked away. Taking advantage of the fact that he had nothing else to do, he began to study the Formless Divine Scripture from the Myriad Forms Demon Sect.

Although this technique was barely acceptable to Li Musheng, some of the ingenious applications it contained were still worth studying.

Not long after, the big black cat finally brought Murong Xiaoya to the main hall of the peak.

Murong Xiaoya wore a red dress, her skin was as white as snow, her lips were red with rouge, her waist was slender and her figure was petite and exquisite.

At this moment, the formidable power that the Vermilion Bird Bone had brought her had long been concealed, and her aura was just like that of an ordinary woman from the martial arts world.

"Does Your Highness intend to take the Vermilion Bird Bone from my body?"

Murong Xiaoya seemed to have guessed Li Musheng's purpose, and her expression remained quite calm.

Li Musheng glanced at the other person, nodded, and said:

“I told Miss Murong before that I could take the Vermilion Bird Bone without harming her life, so naturally I must keep my word.”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Murong Xiaoya's chest.

Upon seeing this, Murong Xiaoya blushed and subconsciously lowered her head. She was completely different from the person who had dominated Shengzhou City before.

Li Musheng didn't pay attention to Murong Xiaoya's expression. Instead, he moved and instantly appeared in front of her.

“Miss Murong, there’s no time to lose, let’s begin immediately.”

Li Musheng spoke softly, while Murong Xiaoya was clearly nervous. She looked down at the big black cat crouching beside her.

The big black cat kept its bright green eyes wide open, staring at Li Musheng and the other person like two light bulbs.

"Could you ask this cat to leave for a moment?"

Murong Xiaoya clutched the hem of her clothes and bit her lip.

Upon hearing this, the big black cat tilted its head, as if it felt that it was being treated so unwelcomely that it wasn't even allowed to stand aside and watch?

At this moment, Li Musheng waved his hand and said:

"Miss Murong, please don't worry about it. It's just a cat. We'll be there soon."

Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya withdrew her gaze, ultimately saying nothing more, and nodded gently.

Then, she stretched out her smooth, alabaster arm and, with a slight tremor, began to untie the sash of her red dress.

However, the next moment, Li Musheng gently grasped her arm and said:
“Miss Murong, there’s no need for you to undress. I only need the power of the Vermilion Bird Bone; I don’t need to dig it out.”

As he spoke, Murong Xiaoya felt herself enveloped by an irresistible aura.

Then, she could clearly sense that the Vermilion Bird Bone in her chest suddenly erupted with an extremely scorching aura.

Furthermore, a murderous and violent consciousness suddenly spread from the Vermilion Bird Bone, as if it wanted to devour her completely.

However, soon, the Vermilion Bird Bone seemed to be suppressed by a terrifying power as deep as the ocean, and its aura instantly subsided, and the murderous consciousness that had spread out also dissipated in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, strands of molten golden light flowed from Murong Xiaoya's chest, then flowed along her meridians into Li Musheng's palm.

Li Musheng, on the other hand, used the Divine Beast Power Devouring Technique to quickly absorb the power from the Vermilion Bird Bone.

The improved Azure Dragon and Azure Darkness Scripture absorbed power much faster than before. In about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the power of the Vermilion Bird Bone in Murong Xiaoya's body was completely absorbed by Li Musheng.

Seeing that the molten gold light was no longer flowing from Murong Xiaoya's chest, Li Musheng grasped her arm, circulated his own energy within her body, and after confirming that there was no problem, withdrew his hand.

"I have taken all the power from the Vermilion Bird Bone. Without the support of this power, the Vermilion Bird Bone is like a tree without roots, and it no longer has any power. It will not affect Miss Murong."

While experiencing the boost he received from absorbing the power of the Vermilion Bird Bone, Li Musheng explained to Murong Xiaoya:

"In addition, the power that Miss Murong absorbed through the Vermilion Bird Bone can be retained, and the scar on her heart can also be slowly healed."

Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya subconsciously touched her chest. At this moment, she could indeed feel that the wound that had seemed to never heal was now slightly itchy, clearly indicating that it was slowly healing.

"Xiaoya thanks Your Highness."

Murong Xiaoya withdrew her hand and bowed to Li Musheng in thanks.

However, she then slowly lowered her head. At that moment, she found it hard to describe how she felt.
The Murong family was destroyed, and all her relatives died. Although she later destroyed the four major families and General Han Chuiyuan of Shengzhou, it could not bring back her father and brothers.

Moreover, even if she had avenged her great enemy, it could not erase the slightest bit of sadness and pain in her heart.

In fact, deep down, Murong Xiaoya did not want to live a wretched life; she only wanted to follow her father and brothers in death.

Previously, when she asked Li Musheng to dig out her Vermilion Bird Bone, she had the same idea, no longer caring about her own life or death.

Now, Li Musheng has helped her resolve the hidden dangers of the Vermilion Bird Bone, allowing her to continue living instead of dying.

She was naturally grateful to Li Musheng, but what should she do in the future? What was the meaning of living?
She had no answer in her heart at that moment.

At this moment, Li Musheng withdrew his senses from absorbing the power of the Vermilion Bird Bone and waved his hand in response to Murong Xiaoya's thanks.

After absorbing the power of the Vermilion Bird Bone, his overall physique improved by another 10%.

This 10% improvement is relative to Li Musheng's perfect martial arts physique.

Although he didn't know what the standard was for the most perfect martial arts physique in the world.

However, based on his own understanding and pursuit of martial arts, he set a set of standards for himself.

Therefore, his original aptitude was only extremely ordinary, or rather, his natural talent was very poor.

But now he is already considered very outstanding, and even in some sects in the martial arts world he can be considered a martial arts genius.

Li Musheng was quite pleased with this, since his aptitude was predetermined from birth and could not be changed or improved later.

Originally, with his talent, he would have been just a menial worker in the small martial arts school, but he managed to reach the pinnacle of martial arts with his extraordinary comprehension.

Now that he is slowly making up for his shortcomings in natural talent and physique, he may well achieve transcendence in martial arts in the future.

Thinking of this, Li Musheng fixed his gaze on Murong Xiaoya in front of him.

To be honest, he had to thank Murong Xiaoya. After all, obtaining the Vermilion Bird Bone was a completely unexpected surprise for him. If he hadn't met her, he might not have been able to get it at all.

"Now that Miss Murong has retained all her martial arts skills, she is considered a formidable expert in the martial arts world. I wonder what her plans are for the future?"

Li Musheng naturally noticed that Murong Xiaoya was in low spirits, so he took the initiative to ask her.

Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya looked up at Li Musheng, then gently shook her head and said:

"Xiaoya doesn't know."

But she quickly realized that her answer was somewhat abrupt, so she took a deep breath and continued:

"Perhaps I will return to Shengzhou City, gather the remaining members of the Murong family outside, and rebuild the Murong family."

"Perhaps, I will also travel the world and visit the other four kingdoms..."

With that, Murong Xiaoya stopped talking, which was her way of finding some reasons to keep living.

As for whether she will actually do these things in the future, she is not sure at the moment.

After all, she was socially awkward, not good at socializing, and had no leadership skills, so rebuilding the Murong family was too difficult for her.

She has absolutely no interest in traveling the world right now.

At this moment, after listening to Murong Xiaoya's words, Li Musheng stroked his chin and said:
“It’s good that Miss Murong has goals, but you have to do things step by step. Given your current state, I can give you some advice.”

Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya's eyes flickered slightly. She looked up at Li Musheng, clearly curious, and asked:
"What suggestions does Your Highness have? I am willing to consider them."

Li Musheng nodded slightly, and then earnestly offered his advice:

“I suggest that Miss Murong join the Tianjin Guard. The Tianjin Guard is in dire need of manpower right now, and the Murong family has a good relationship with Lord Fu. With Miss Murong’s current strength, she will surely achieve great things in the future.”

As he spoke, Li Musheng added meaningfully:
"Furthermore, I will be in charge of the Great Li Tianjin Guard from now on, so Miss Murong can visit me more often."

Li Musheng naturally remembered that Murong Xiaoya, this socially awkward girl, used to often peek at him.

He knew very well that the other person must have been attracted by his handsome appearance and was somewhat unable to resist him.

Now that he is using himself as bait, he will surely be able to recruit another great general for the Tianjin Guard.

At this moment, Murong Xiaoya did not refuse after hearing Li Musheng's blunt suggestion.

Instead, he began to think about it quite carefully, as if he was seriously considering Li Musheng's words.

After a moment, Murong Xiaoya slowly nodded and said softly:

"Your Highness's suggestion is actually quite good. Xiaoya really doesn't know where to go right now. If she can find something to do to distract herself from the Murong family's affairs, perhaps she can get over it as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng gave Murong Xiaoya a deep look and nodded slightly.
"It's good that Miss Murong thinks this way."

However, he thought to himself that Miss Murong was clearly too socially awkward and spoke rather reservedly.

Of course, Li Musheng was very happy to receive a positive reply from Murong Xiaoya.

People always have to look forward. If you carry too much on your shoulders, life will be very tiring.

Sometimes, Li Musheng wondered if things would have been different if he had helped Murong Xiaoya and the Murong family back then.
However, upon closer reflection, aside from the fact that he was unaware of the Murong family's situation at the time, he also did not want to get involved in the battles between these martial arts forces, so he had no reason to intervene.

Furthermore, even if he had helped the Murong family back then, unless he had wiped out the other four major families, given the grudges and entanglements between them, he could not help them forever, and the final outcome would still be the same.

"Sometimes that's just how it is; you never know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first."

Li Musheng sighed inwardly, glanced at Murong Xiaoya in front of him, and then looked away.

By this time, it was already daylight outside the main hall, and this trip to Luoshen Peak had truly come to an end.

Next, he would set off to return to Shangyang City.

Although the schedule was a bit tight, he still had his own things to do.

Moreover, he might not stay in the capital of the Great Li Dynasty for very long.

(End of this chapter)