Nie Li was not troubled by many things.
He had not expected his luck to be so poor that on his first visit here, he would end up being caught by the City Lord.
However, Ye Zong did not take any action against him, likely having learned something from the Alchemist Association.
With that being the case, Nie Li had nothing to fear.
In no time, he would make Ye Zong submit completely and offer his daughter up willingly...
At the thought of this grand goal and ideal, Nie Li revealed a faint smile.
He knew he had to work hard for it.
Swallowing a few pills, he sat cross-legged to cultivate, relying on the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique to break through to Silver Four Stars.
In the small courtyard, ever since cultivating the Nine Transformations Ice Phoenix Art and merging with the Spirit of the Snowstorm Queen, Ye Ziyun's cultivation had progressed rapidly, matching Nie Li and reaching Silver Three Stars.
Her techniques were far more aggressive and advancing than Nie Li’s, as the full power of the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique would only reveal itself in later stages of cultivation.
Among the seven people practicing their techniques, Nie Li's progress with the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique was the slowest; the difficulty of his training was several times higher than the others.
However, once he succeeded, his strength would be the greatest.
Even at the same level, Ye Ziyun and the others teaming up might not be able to match Nie Li.
Although his technique was the hardest to cultivate, he was able to keep pace with the others, and this was the advantage of his rebirth.
"Saint Emperor, once I master the Heavenly Dao Divine Technique to its peak and cultivate seven god-level powers, let’s see who is stronger!" Nie Li secretly thought.
In his previous life, his defeat was due, in part, to his weaker cultivation level, but also because the Saint Emperor had several god-level demon beasts, who continually wore him down during their battles, causing his swift downfall.
This time, he absolutely would not repeat the same mistakes.
Besides improving his power, he needed to find some strong allies; he could no longer be as isolated as he was in his past life.
After practicing for over an hour, Nie Li’s injuries had mostly healed.
"Nie Li, how are you feeling now?" Ye Ziyun asked, narrowing her beautiful eyes.
Hearing Ye Ziyun's words, Nie Li thought she was concerned about him.
He nodded and replied, "I’m almost recovered!"
"Great! Since that's the case, it's time for you to leave! If you stay here any longer, I won’t be polite!" Ye Ziyun said, straightening her pretty face as she pushed him toward the door.
"Ziyun, I hold deep feelings for you, and this is how you treat me? My internal injuries haven’t fully healed; I still need a couple more days to recuperate!" Nie Li exclaimed dramatically.
"I can't take it anymore; I’m going to cough up blood!"
"I will never believe you again! If you don't leave, I will chase you away with a broom!" Ye Ziyun gritted her teeth; Nie Li was simply too shameless.
"Could you be so heartless?" Nie Li gazed at her with wide eyes.
"Try me!" Ye Ziyun placed her hands on her hips and huffed.
Given what had happened, she was already being very understanding by not hitting Nie Li.
"Fine, I’ll head back for now. I’ll come to see you tomorrow!" Nie Li relented.
"If you dare come back tomorrow, just wait and see!" Ye Ziyun pushed him outside, pouting and placing her hands on her hips in frustration.
"What? When can I come back to find you?" Nie Li frowned as he looked hopelessly at Ye Ziyun.
With a loud bang, Ye Ziyun slammed the door shut behind him.
"I guess I'll come the day after tomorrow then!" Although Ye Ziyun had kicked him out, Nie Li's mood was not too bad.
With his hands behind his head, he hummed a little tune as he walked back to his lodging.
Looking at the tightly shut door, Ye Ziyun stomped her foot in irritation, feeling frustrated, but then a thought seemed to cross her mind, making her chuckle softly, her smile breathtakingly radiant.
If someone saw it, they would surely be captivated.
She felt a bit helpless toward Nie Li's persistent nature.
However, since things had developed to this point, she felt she had no choice but to take his whims in stride.
As if recalling something, Ye Ziyun’s cheeks flushed like the dawn.
Nie Li walked on, lost in thought, as if returning to his previous life.
He didn't really know how to pursue a girl.
In his last life, his relationship with Ye Ziyun blossomed naturally after they had faced various life-and-death challenges together.
After Ye Ziyun was killed by a demon beast, although he had interacted with other girls, he had never formed any flirtatious relations with them.
Ye Ziyun was always on his mind, and he had no interest in anyone else.
Seeing her again in this life filled him with joy, but without those life-and-death trials, Nie Li had no idea how to win Ye Ziyun's affections.
He could only cling tightly to her.
Even if she disliked him, he would stubbornly stay by her side, for Nie Li did not wish to lose her again.
He thought to himself that no matter how Ye Ziyun treated him, he would always be by her side.
In Nie Li's manor, Nie Yu was diligently practicing.
When she saw Nie Li, her face lit up with surprise.
"Brother Nie Li, you’re back?" Nie Yu rushed over, having been worried ever since he left.
Nie Li patted her small head, "Did you practice diligently, Xiao Yu?"
"Yes, I’ve worked hard! The technique you gave me is so amazing; I've reached Bronze Two Stars!" Nie Yu looked up at Nie Li with sparkling eyes full of admiration.
In her eyes, Nie Li was nearly omnipotent.
"Very good!" Nie Li smiled and nodded in approval.
Nie Yu's progress in cultivation was quite impressive.
While Nie Li was chatting with her, a series of knocks sounded on the door of the manor.
Upon opening the door, he found it was Du Ze, Lu Piao, and three others.
Surprised, he asked, "What are you all doing here?"
"We heard you were at the City Lord's Mansion, so we came to find you. But it wasn’t easy at all! We had to find President Gu Yan and get a pass from him to come in!" Lu Piao laughed.
"You’re really something, chasing Ye Ziyun all the way to the City Lord's Mansion; it’s impressive!"
Du Ze looked him up and down.
"You actually defeated the genius Shen Xiao of the Divine Sacred Family? Were you trying to show off your strength? Otherwise, knowing your personality, you’d usually be very low-key!"
"I used to be too weak to act too boldly, but ever since I merged with my demon spirit, I have the strength to protect myself—even against the Dark Guild. Besides, who wouldn’t want to get one over on the Divine Sacred Family?" Nie Li smiled mildly.
Hearing his words, Lu Piao, Du Ze, and the others couldn't help but laugh.
"The Divine Sacred Family really got hit hard this time, losing four hundred fifty million demon spirit coins!"
"Yeah, I bet the head of the Divine Sacred Family is going to be furious!"
Nie Li shook his head.
"Four hundred fifty million demon spirit coins won’t shake the foundation of the Divine Sacred Family!"
"Nie Li, you can’t be serious about wanting to take down the Divine Sacred Family, right? That’s one of the Three Peaks Families!" Lu Piao's eyes widened as he looked at Nie Li.
"Of course, I’ve already cheated them out of some coins. The Divine Sacred Family will definitely seek revenge, but I have no intention of letting them off the hook!" A cold glimmer flashed in Nie Li's eyes.
Seeing Nie Li's expression, Du Ze felt a chill.
Nie Li didn’t seem to be joking.
Was he really planning to take down one of the Three Peaks Families all on his own? This was much more serious than a few competitions!
"No matter what you plan to do, just tell us. As your brothers, we’ll definitely support you!" Du Ze said firmly.
Without Nie Li, there wouldn’t be today.
No matter what it took, he wouldn’t hesitate to stand by his side.
"How could I not be involved in such matters?" Lu Piao added with a grin.
"Good brothers!" Nie Li gave Du Ze a friendly punch on the chest.
With such friends who would brave fire and water together, he felt truly fortunate!
Thinking of the sacrifices Du Ze and Lu Piao made for Glory City in his past life, he couldn’t help but feel a sting in his eyes.
This time, he absolutely would not let Glory City suffer the same fate again!
(End of Chapter)