"Xiang Tianxing and his wife had ventured into something dangerous that I can't explain. I wanted to follow them, but he insisted that we return. It was perilous there; I almost lost my life, and it was they who saved me. Having no other choice, I had to leave. Their inability to return may partly be my fault. Thus, regarding the marriage contract, no matter what, I must adhere to it. It's the only thing I can do," he said.
Xi Wenxuan stared at Xiang Beifei, his gaze intense.
It was a drunken marriage promise, without proof, merely an agreement. If he didn't mention it, even Xiang Beifei wouldn't have known.
Although Xiang Tianxing had already met with misfortune, he had never thought of breaking off the engagement, still choosing to have his daughter seek out Xiang Beifei.
Whether his daughter was willing or not, whether Xiang Beifei was willing or not, all he could do was to clarify the matter of the marriage contract and let the two young people decide for themselves, aiding them if necessary to bring them together.
Now, it seemed, the outcome was quite satisfactory.
Because his hotel sheets were all messed up!
That explained a lot!
"I understand, thank you for letting me know," Elder Luo said.
"Professor Luo is too kind. If Professor Luo has any orders, just say them. I, Xi Wenxuan, though not talented, am willing to exert myself for Professor Luo," Xi Wenxuan said solemnly.
Xi Wenxuan soon left. Being a retired pioneer, there were many acquaintances present, and he did not neglect the necessary courtesies.
Elder Luo didn't say much more; he just sat somewhat dejectedly on a chair to the side.
Xiang Beifei also sat nearby, watching the customers coming and going in the shop, not making a sound.
"Not willing to be cannon fodder, so you want to be a phoenix that rises from the ashes?" Elder Luo murmured to himself.
"Elder Luo need not blame himself; this isn't something you caused. That SSR paid a price too," Xiang Beifei said.
"After killing one Liusheng Dong, there are still countless Liusheng Dongs out there," Elder Luo sighed. "If such things happen again, countless martial artists will still end up as cannon fodder."
This was the harsh reality.
"But after Qin Hongyi returns, he is no longer cannon fodder!" Elder Luo said quietly.
An S-level martial artist, forced to his demise by a self-important SSR, returns as though he has undergone a rebirth.
It was like a story of a revenger.
Unrestrained allowed Qin Hongyi, who should have only been at the intermediate stage of Meridian Opening, to rebirth as a phoenix transcending an SSR!
"Is the path of change really with the Unrestrained?" Elder Luo couldn't help but sigh.
A low-level System Awakener had broken the constraints of system levels; the level no longer a limitation.
Doesn't this mean that the entire league's structure could be changed?
Isn't this the path he had been searching for?
But Xiang Beifei didn't think so.
"There's a big problem with Qin Hongyi's resurrection," Xiang Beifei said. "This man is definitely not so simple; I can assert that the founder of the One-Armed Crab is him!"
Perhaps this is a revenger's story.
However, in Xiang Beifei's view, this revenger was far from simple.
A true revenger should not attack civilians at any cost!
What puzzled Xiang Beifei most was, if the testimonies of those witnesses were right, how did he manage to survive?
In other words, is the reborn Qin Hongyi still Qin Hongyi?
Elder Luo's gaze flickered uncertainly.
"Anyway, you should stop trying to investigate this for now," Elder Luo said.
"At least while you lack cultivation skills, digging deeper won't change anything," Elder Luo looked at Xiang Beifei. "You need strength."
Strength is the most effective way to change the situation!
"I understand," Xiang Beifei said.
He needed strength, needed to rapidly reach the God Refining stage!
Elder Luo didn't linger, he left the restaurant and came to the bustling streets, watching the System Awakeners coming and going.
The streets were crowded, with countless N-level Awakeners pointing and showing excited expressions.
They seemed to be looking for Xiang Beifei, but since they did not see him, they were watching Xiang Qingde instead. To be able to see Xiang Beifei's grandfather was an honor for them.
These were all people from the lower levels, merely because their awakened systems were not powerful enough, they were destined to crawl at the bottom for a lifetime. They could not imagine what the life of higher-level Awakeners was like, nor did they ever think about how those at higher levels viewed them.
To the higher-level Awakeners, the importance of N-level people was simply because they were part of the ruled masses.
Without these lower-level N-level Awakeners, where would the superiority of the higher levels come from? Who would they rule over?
If this world lacked N-level, R-level, and S-level, then SR-level would be the oppressed bottom layers! They would become the targets of oppression and control!
In this world, being one level higher in system rank means surpassing a large number of people in status!
Therefore, the alliance needed to control these lower-level awakeners, only then could they remain lofty and have others do their bidding.
Even in critical moments, they could send these lower-level awakeners to the battlefield—
A person's destiny was almost predetermined at the moment of their system awakening.
This was precisely what Elder Luo did not wish to see.
"Unrestrained, can it really change this situation?" he asked.
Elder Luo clenched his fists.
Qin Hongyi, an S-level, had achieved a status beyond SSR, as if breaking free from the system's shackles.
The phoenix in the cage had flown out of its prison!
It turned out the path he was seeking had always been with Unrestrained.
After a while, Elder Luo's hand flashed with a golden glow.
It was a delicate little cage, no larger than two inches, each pattern intricately intertwined, securely connected together, impossible to break apart.
The cage had a small entrance, circular, just large enough to accommodate a finger. Around this opening, were blades sharp as teeth, incredibly fine.
If a finger were extended into it, it would be cut.
Elder Luo stared intensely at this small cage.
This cage was a token of Unrestrained, not only did Xiang Tianxing have it, he had one too.
He turned to look at Xiang Beifei who was seated in the crowd, pondering in the restaurant.
Xiang Beifei was full of hope for his life, he might act rashly, but his brashness contained subtleties; he never gave up.
He was a very optimistic young man.
His whole being glittered with the light of hope.
But could he really find that path?
A struggle appeared in Elder Luo's weathered eyes.
[Please, host, quickly cultivate Xiang Beifei's improved spiritual power cultivation technique]
A prompt appeared on the SR-level Leisure System.
"To cultivate, for what do we really cultivate?" he asked.
Elder Luo tightly gripped the cage, took a step forward, and the space around him rippled slightly, then he disappeared altogether.