Chapter 263 – Why Does It Feel Like Going on a Blind Date?

Undoubtedly, Longyao City is now unprecedentedly powerful.

With support from major base cities worldwide, today’s Longyao City boasts numerous powerful guardians, far surpassing even Yinze City, which was once hailed as the strongest among the Four Coastal Base Cities.

Two Seven-Star Professionals, forty-four Six-Star Professionals, two hundred eighteen Five-Star Professionals, and over a thousand Four-Star Professionals—the sheer terror of this force is self-evident.

It can be said that with this force stationed here, Longyao City no longer needs to fear 『Sin』. Even if 『Sin』 were to gather all its underground professionals and launch an attack, the current Longyao City has the capability to fight back head-on.

This illustrates just how strong and formidable Longyao City has become.

However, while external threats have vanished, internal troubles have emerged.

Faced with these powerful external forces, Longyao City’s local strength pales in comparison.

In the past, the highest echelons of Longyao City were merely a few Six-Star Professionals and their respective Families and factions.

But now, Longyao City alone has dozens of Six-Star Professionals and even two Seven-Star Professionals. This force completely overshadows the local power, putting considerable pressure on Longyao City’s native factions.

In the past, they could act as they pleased in Longyao City, relying on their status and family strength.

Now, even a casual stroll down the street might lead them to provoke someone they shouldn’t.

Moreover, how these external forces will react upon realizing the local strength is far inferior to theirs—whether they’ll feel contempt and freely bully the native factions, or even dominate them—remains an unknown.

At the very least, many ambitious and restless strong individuals, upon seeing a few top Families controlling the entire city’s authority with just a handful of Six-Star Professionals, would surely want to do something about it.

Since they plan to settle in Longyao City long-term, and the city is set to become unrecognizably transformed, it’s not hard to guess what ambitious individuals might think upon seeing the local factions so “weak.”

In such circumstances, the native factions, led by the Six Great Families, have naturally become apprehensive and vigilant.

The Xu Family, to deter troublemakers and prevent potential schemes, has fortified their clan territory into an impregnable stronghold, with security becoming extremely tight.

Undoubtedly, other Families and factions have taken similar measures, all beginning to heighten their alertness to guard against strikes from these external forces and factions.

Their greatest concern is no longer the threat posed by 『Sin』, nor the danger from the terrifying species sealed beneath Longyao City, but rather whether the influx of external factions will threaten the long-stable power structure and influence circles within the city.

If they don’t take precautions now, it’s likely that the factions and social strata within Longyao City will undergo a massive reshuffle.

Thus, all major Families sensing this crisis have taken corresponding actions.

That’s why Su Ming encountered such a heavily guarded Xu Family—from the moment he entered, he was watched by hidden sentries, with not a moment’s relaxation throughout.

“It seems your days ahead will be tough.”Su Ming wasn’t exactly gloating, but he did feel somewhat amused.

“This is something for the adults to worry about, not something I should be considering.”

Xu Qianqian appeared equally detached, seemingly unconcerned about what might happen to the Xu Family.

This Young Miss had always been weary of the scheming and power struggles within great families, holding little attachment or nostalgia for the Xu Family’s exceptional status.

For her, as long as those close to her remained safe, everything else was probably inconsequential.

And if Xu Qianqian didn’t care, Su Ming cared even less.

To put it bluntly, what did the Xu Family’s affairs have to do with him?

He only needed Xu Qianqian to be well. Whether her Family prospered or declined, whether it could maintain its former strength and influence—these were none of Su Ming’s concerns.

Thus, Su Ming straightforwardly changed the subject.

“Who did you want to take me to see?”

Su Ming looked at Xu Qianqian as he asked.

But Xu Qianqian’s response seemed evasive.

“I have an aunt who just turned thirty this year. She’s rarely home, but she happened to return recently.”

Xu Qianqian’s sudden statement made Su Ming’s eye twitch.

What did that mean?

Why are you telling me about your aunt?

…Why does this feel like a setup for a blind date?

It couldn’t be… could it?

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Su Ming stared at the back of Xu Qianqian’s head, resolved that if she didn’t provide a proper explanation, he would immediately leave and never set foot in the Xu Family Estate again.

Naturally, Xu Qianqian had no idea what was going through Su Ming’s mind.

She had only one reason for telling Su Ming this.

“Do you know why my aunt is rarely home, yet returned at this critical moment?”

Xu Qianqian turned to look at Su Ming, her eyes conveying that what she was about to say was closely related to his own affairs.

Recalling Xu Qianqian’s earlier statement about helping him reach Tianfeng City, Su Ming suddenly formed a bold speculation.

“Could it be… your aunt returned from Tianfeng City?”

Su Ming expressed his surprise.

But this seemed to be the truth.

“Correct.”

Xu Qianqian nodded and began explaining to Su Ming.

It turned out that Xu Qianqian’s aunt had left home and Longyao City for Tianfeng City a very long time ago.

“Although my aunt is the youngest among my father’s siblings, her Bloodline is the highest grade among them, with the best talent and greatest potential.”

Xu Qianqian continued her account.

“Grandfather valued his youngest and most promising daughter immensely, imposing strict demands on her since childhood. Thanks to this, my aunt’s talent wasn’t wasted and she grew rapidly in strength.”

According to Xu Qianqian, her aunt’s life could be considered something of a legend.

“When she entered the Demon Hunter Academy at seventeen, my aunt immediately became the top student in the Hunter Department, with strength comparable to a Two-Star Hunter.””When she advanced to her second year at the age of eighteen, Aunt already felt she couldn’t gain effective improvement in the Academy. Despite the Family’s opposition, she submitted an early graduation application to the Academy and ultimately graduated with a ‘Three-Star’ evaluation, becoming a heavenly favored daughter who debuted as a Three-Star Professional.”

“After that, Aunt ventured in the professional circle for three years. By age twenty-one, she had already reached the limit of Three-Star, just one step away from becoming an Upper-Rank Professional.”

Yet this single step proved as insurmountable as a heavenly chasm.

It must be known that the youngest Upper-Rank Professional in history successfully achieved their Breakthrough at twenty-three, ascending from the human Domain into the superhuman Domain.

Xu Qianqian’s Aunt was already a Three-Star Hunter at eighteen, yet after three full years of adventuring, she still failed to Breakthrough.

Su Ming refused to believe that a peerless Genius who became a Three-Star Hunter at eighteen would take three years just to reach the Three-Star limit.

In other words, Xu Qianqian’s Aunt must have reached the Three-Star limit early on, yet remained unable to Breakthrough or advance, stuck at that stage for several years.

Otherwise, why would everyone say the difference between Upper-Rank and lower-rank Professionals is like heaven and earth?

Among the nearly hundred thousand Professionals in Longyao City, only a few hundred become Upper-Rank Professionals – merely one in several thousand achieves this rank. The difficulty involved requires no further elaboration.

History has indeed seen super prodigies who reached the Three-Star limit faster and younger than Xu Qianqian’s Aunt, yet none managed to break the world record of becoming the youngest Upper-Rank Professional at twenty-three. For this Aunt to succeed at twenty-one was undoubtedly a fantasy.

Had it been otherwise, why would Young Miss Wang have been so shocked when she saw Su Ming’s true appearance last time?

An eighteen-year-old Upper-Rank Professional was truly somewhat exaggerated.

Yet Su Ming had both his professions advance to Upper-Rank in the same year at eighteen – this went beyond exaggeration into outright cheating.

Of course, Su Ming indeed had cheated, succeeding in becoming a dual-profession Upper-Rank Professional at this age thanks to his Golden Finger and various other factors.

But Xu Qianqian’s Aunt couldn’t accomplish this.

She was merely a Genius, not a cheater, clearly incapable of easily breaking the world record for fastest advancement to Upper-Rank Professional.

However, given her Aunt’s potential, if she continued training steadily, becoming an Upper-Rank Professional before thirty shouldn’t be problematic.

She might even possibly achieve it by twenty-five.

Such a Genius, frankly speaking, already somewhat exceeded what a remote rural Base City like Longyao could contain.

In Longyao City, almost no one became Upper-Rank Professionals before thirty – the appearance of a single Bai Xuefei had caused quite a stir, let alone a super Genius like Xu Qianqian’s Aunt.

Because of this, Xu Qianqian’s Aunt caught certain people’s attention.

Her destiny was thus transformed.

“Precisely in that twenty-first year, Aunt received a recommendation from Tianfeng City’s envoy at that time. Through accepting sponsorship, she was taken to Tianfeng City.”

Xu Qianqian informed Su Ming of this matter.”My aunt was gone for nearly ten years, and it wasn’t until today’s incident that she finally returned to Longyao City along with the powerful experts dispatched from Tianfeng City.”

Xu Qianqian’s explanation finally made Su Ming understand what she intended to do.

Just as expected…

“My aunt came back with a mission this time. She’ll be setting off again soon to return to Tianfeng City.”

Xu Qianqian spoke each word deliberately.

“I’ve already asked my aunt to take you along on the journey.”

This was what Xu Qianqian had arranged for Su Ming.

(End of Chapter)