Xu Luo felt like a balloon that had been instantly inflated, as if his body had expanded countless times over!
In reality, Xu Luo's physical appearance hadn't changed at all.
But this powerful energy had instantly stretched his meridians taut, making him feel as if his body was about to burst.
All the meridians in his body were flooded with immense Spiritual Power. At the same time, however, a protective force was reining in the power, keeping it from running wild. Otherwise, Xu Luo's meridians might have burst outright.
If not for this, Luo Xinlan would never have dared to let Xu Luo consume the Elixir directly.
But even without that force suppressing the Elixir's Spiritual Power, Xu Luo would have been fine. The Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian was currently in a state of wild excitement, frantically plundering this new energy!
Even Xu Luo could clearly sense its greedy fervor.
The Shadow Shaking Heart Method began to circulate at a speed countless times faster than before. A surging, majestic torrent of Spiritual Power, like a river bursting its dams, rushed into his Dantian, only to be completely absorbed by the Shaking Light Star Soul.
In just half a day, every last drop of the Spiritual Power that had nearly made Xu Luo explode was siphoned away by the Shaking Light Star Soul.
Xu Luo opened his eyes, on the verge of tears. He grumbled, "I mean... aren't you a bit too ruthless? You could have at least left me a little something to break through to the next realm. But no, you took it all. What am I supposed to do now?"
His only answer was the Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian, which now shone just a little more brightly than before.
"Fine, you win. I'm no match for you," Xu Luo conceded frankly. Although he hadn't broken through, he could feel that the power within his body was much stronger than before.
"Maybe this is a better outcome," Xu Luo said softly, propping his chin on his hand. "To outsiders, it just looks like my constitution has changed a little, but in reality, I already possess the strength of a Swordsman. If I can keep this up, it's actually for the best!"
A sixteen-year-old boy should be in the prime of his youth, full of vigor and with no thought of hiding his talents. But Xu Luo had been mocked since childhood and had experienced far more than his peers. It was no surprise that his mentality was far more mature than his actual age.
Another month passed. Xu Luo shut himself away at home, spending every waking moment—aside from eating and sleeping—cultivating the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and practicing the Breaking Army Seven Kills.
During this time, Luo Xinlan came to see Xu Luo twice. Seeing that her son's constitution had indeed changed, she cried tears of joy, skillfully hiding the trace of sorrow deep in her eyes.
During this period, a new rumor began to circulate in the Imperial Capital.
"Did you hear? The second young master of the Xu Family—yeah, the 'Civil Servant's Rice Bowl'—the reason he knocked out Zhao Chong, another noble, with a single slap at the Fengyue Building is because his mother brought back a Top-Grade Elixir from her sect!"
"So the Elixir changed the Civil Servant's Rice Bowl's constitution?"
"That's the word on the street. But it probably just made him a normal person. Whether he can actually cultivate is another question entirely. Besides, even if he can, Xu Luo is already sixteen. He's long past the golden age for cultivation. Even if he starts now, he won't amount to much!"
"What kind of Elixir is that miraculous?"
"No one knows. But it must be something special."
The rumors were spread by Huangfu Chongzhi and the others. They all knew that Xu Luo's transformation had little to do with the Elixir Luo Xinlan brought back, but they could use the incident to cover up the real truth.
That way, even if the Emperor were to ask about it, they could claim that the Elixir Luo Xinlan brought back from her sect was what changed Xu Luo's constitution.
In short, it had nothing to do with the Star Festival!
...
"A Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill. Madam Xu's sect is no simple matter!" The middle-aged man who had appeared at the Fengyue Building was here again. Across from him sat the building's master, Phoenix.
"An Elixir of that caliber is extremely precious even to us. The fact that Madam Xu could acquire one is truly extraordinary," Phoenix said softly. "I've overlooked this beautiful madam of the Xu Family in the past. I wonder which sect she's a disciple of. Have you looked into it?"
"I have, but I didn't find much. Just a small clue," the middle-aged man said. "When Luo Xinlan was a child, she was taken away by an old nun. She returned ten years later and married the Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji. That old nun might have been Luo Xinlan's master, or at least someone from her sect."
"A nun? Among the world's nunneries... there are only two or three famous ones. And one that would give a Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill to a secular disciple... it seems there's only that one in the South Sea." Phoenix furrowed her lovely brows and murmured, "To think the Xu Family has such a deep background. No wonder the Emperor immediately granted Xu Su a noble title after humiliating Xu Luo. Looking at it now, it might not have been purely to placate Xu Ji."
The middle-aged man nodded. "I checked Luo Xinlan's travel route from when she left a while ago. She did indeed head south. But whether she went to the South Sea, I couldn't say."
"Mm, let's make a note of this for now. We aren't hostile with the Xu Family, so don't alarm them." Phoenix narrowed her eyes and said softly, "But about Xu Luo... it seems Madam Xu hadn't yet returned when he had his outburst."
"Perhaps she hadn't returned, but the Elixir was delivered ahead of her," the middle-aged man said coolly. "You seem a little too concerned about Xu Luo."
Phoenix raised an eyebrow and looked at the man. "I'm more interested in the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill!"
The middle-aged man pursed his lips but said nothing more. In truth, he was quite interested in both Xu Luo and the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill himself.
...
"My Lord, we've found out. Xu Luo's constitution changed and he gained great strength because he took a Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill." The gray-robed elder looked at the young man and chuckled. "That Madam Xu certainly hides her secrets well. And this time when she went to get the medicine, she didn't travel with the Elixir. The Elixir must have been sent to the National Guardian General's Mansion ahead of time, and she returned a few days after it arrived."
"Mm, no wonder." The young man nodded and sighed softly. "A Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill... what an incredible gesture. I finally understand why Father Emperor is so courteous to the Xu Family. So, Luo Xinlan has a background like that."
The elder nodded. "The Xu Family has stood for a thousand years without falling; there are certainly reasons for it. My Lord, should we... perhaps change our attitude toward the Xu Family?"
The young man shook his head and said indifferently, "My biggest taboo right now is getting involved with any court ministers, especially the Military Generals. Go warn Leng Ping and the others not to provoke Xu Luo for the time being. I have my own plans for certain matters."
"Understood." The gray-robed elder nodded and took his leave.
A glint flashed in the young man's eyes as he whispered, "A Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill... to use such a powerful Spirit Medicine on a good-for-nothing... It seems the Xu Family's indulgence of Xu Luo has reached a new height. In the future... I might be able to use this Xu Luo to my advantage."
...
Zhao Chong felt he'd been incredibly unlucky lately. To think that he, a dignified Tier Nine Sword Disciple, had nearly half his teeth knocked out with a single slap from that waste of space, the "Civil Servant's Rice Bowl." It took many days for the swelling in his face to go down.
Now, a month later, whenever he thought about it, his face still seemed to ache faintly.
'Xu Luo, I won't forget this. You just wait. Don't let me run into you, or I swear I won't let you off, even if it means being punished by Young Master Leng and the Lord!'
After hearing that Xu Luo's change was due to the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill, a hateful light flickered in Zhao Chong's eyes as he secretly made his vow.
He hadn't taken that slap for nothing. His father's official rank had been promoted by one level—this was Young Master Leng's compensation.
Zhao Chong's father was overjoyed by this and consoled his son, telling him to serve Young Master Leng and the others well in the future, to consider the bigger picture, and not to think about getting revenge on Xu Luo.
Setting aside the benefits the Zhao Family had received, Xu Luo's status alone was not something the Zhao Family could afford to provoke.
But Zhao Chong, his mind clouded with anger, couldn't be bothered with such considerations. He was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, at a hot-blooded and impulsive age. He knew his family had benefited, but what he knew even more clearly was that he, Zhao Chong, had lost a tremendous amount of face over this incident.
Now, many people in the Imperial Capital would point and whisper behind his back whenever they saw him. Their mocking gazes made Zhao Chong burn with fury.
"Young Master, look! What do you think of this outfit? It suits you perfectly, don't you think? If you wear this to the Seventh Princess's coming-of-age ceremony next month, you'll definitely outshine everyone!"
A clear, pleasant voice suddenly caught Zhao Chong's attention. He looked up, following the sound, and his gaze instantly turned chillingly cold. He called over a subordinate, whispered a few words in his ear, and the subordinate departed.
A cold sneer spread across Zhao Chong's face as he muttered, "Well, if it isn't a small world. Xu Luo, oh, Xu Luo... let's see you run this time!"
"Is the Princess's favor such a big deal? Besides, I already told you, Lianyi, I don't want to go to her coming-of-age ceremony." Xu Luo looked at the lovely young Maid, Lianyi, with a pained expression and said, "In my eyes, you're ten thousand times better than any princess."
"What nonsense are you spouting? This is an order from the Madam, you have to go. Young Master, please have mercy and spare this servant. This servant wouldn't dare compare herself to the Princess." Lianyi looked at Xu Luo with a shy blush. She didn't know why, but the Young Master had changed so much recently. To Lianyi's mind, perhaps the Elixir the Madam had procured had truly changed his destiny.
"Sigh... what am I supposed to do there? Make a fool of myself?" Xu Luo shook his head slightly, letting Lianyi dress him in one magnificent garment after another.
Just then, several menacing-looking thugs burst in. One of them rushed toward Lianyi, raising his hand to slap her while roaring, "You unfaithful bitch! I'll teach you to cheat on me!"