After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 413 Spirit of the General Affairs Hall

The old man's lifestyle was clearly unkempt; his room was very messy, with various items piled up haphazardly. Apart from a bed and a recliner, there was no clean place at all.

"Grandpa Wang, what did I tell you before I left?" Guanbi couldn't help but feel angry when she saw this.

"Oh! I think this is fine, and besides Guanbi, I don't want anyone else to touch my things."

The old man said nonchalantly, then pulled off the red cloth covering a platform in the center of the room, revealing a white crystal sphere hidden beneath.

The old man placed his hand on it, and the originally dim sphere suddenly began to emit a faint glow, which then grew brighter and brighter until the entire room was enveloped in the sphere's light.

As the light faded, a phantom white figure appeared on the sphere, "The spirit of the Heavenly Sword Mountain General Affairs Hall, 'Wu Shi,' is at your service!"

The ethereal voice of the phantom figure was so clear and ethereal that it was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from.

Shen Xu was shocked by what he saw; he never expected that the entire General Affairs Hall was actually a magical artifact.

"Young man, stop looking and give me your identity jade token," the old man said impatiently.

"I'm sorry!" Shen Xu took out the jade token and respectfully handed it to the old man.

"Shen Xu?" The old man felt he had heard the name somewhere before, but it was irrelevant.

"Raise his authority to the Qi Sea Realm." The old man tossed his jade tablet into the illusory body of "Wu Shi".

"Yes, sir!" As soon as Wushi finished speaking, the light within its body began to swirl around Shen Xu's jade pendant, then gradually seeped in. As the light penetrated, a golden pattern gradually appeared on Shen Xu's originally smooth jade pendant.

Once the patterns were fully revealed, the jade pendant was expelled from the body and then slowly returned to Shen Xu's hand.

"How is the General Affairs Hall doing lately?" the old man asked Wu Shi.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Yes! You may leave."

"Yes, sir." The body shrank back into the white sphere, which gradually dimmed.

Seeing this, Guan Bi silently started tidying up the room for the old man. Although Shen Xu wanted to help Guan Bi, he could only stand there, somewhat at a loss, thinking about what the old man had just said.

"Young man, what is your relationship with Guan Bi?" the old man asked casually, reclining in his chair.

Upon hearing this, Guan Bi paused for a moment before continuing her work, knowing how Shen Xu would respond.

"Guanbi and I are very good friends."

"Just friends?" The old man's imposing aura, as heavy as a mountain, pressed down on him like a surging tide, crushing him like Mount Tai crushing an egg.

Shen Xu felt his breath catch in his throat and couldn't help but groan. He then immediately raised his sword stance to resist the old man's aura.

Even so, the sword aura he had built up only lasted for a moment before it was easily suppressed back into his body by the old man's boundless and powerful aura, just like fragile paper.

As the sword's momentum receded into his body, he was forced to confront the old man's imposing aura directly.

He felt the old man in front of him completely disappear, replaced by a huge, ferocious, ancient beast!

Those scarlet eyes stared intently at him, their gaping maws seeming to devour him completely.

But the old man seemed to have no intention of suppressing him further. After successfully suppressing his sword aura back into his body, the powerful aura that seemed capable of destroying the world quickly receded and dissipated into nothingness, just like the receding tide.

At this moment, Shen Xu's forehead was already covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat, and even the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

Shen Xu stared intently at the old man before him, realizing that the old man's control over his aura had reached an unparalleled level.

It's not difficult to simply shatter his sword aura, but to suppress it back into his body with the same precision as before, without harming him, is a different story.

This requires an incredibly refined level of control, especially considering that the old man in front of him is a body-refining cultivator.

"Grandpa Wang, what are you doing!" Guan Bi also noticed that something was wrong with Shen Xu and immediately stepped in front of him to protect him.

"Guanbi, I'm alright, thank you, senior." Shen Xu bowed to the old man. After experiencing the old man's aura, he seemed to understand the flaws in his sword technique.

"You have some understanding, and you are a good match for Guanbi. I agree to your relationship."

"Grandpa Wang, what are you saying! Shen Xu and I are really just ordinary friends, and I will only follow Miss, I won't consider anything else," Guan Bi hurriedly explained.

"Sigh! Bailu has never treated you like a maid. Why do you keep torturing yourself like this?"

"Grandpa Wang, Shen Xu and I have something to attend to, so we'll be leaving now." After saying this, Guan Bi pulled Shen Xu out of the room, leaving behind only a deep sigh.

Seeing that Guan Bi was in a bad mood, Shen Xu didn't dare to say much and just walked silently beside her.

After leaving the General Affairs Hall, Guan Bi finally spoke, "Grandpa Wang is just concerned about me. Don't take his words too seriously. Also, I am deeply sorry for what he did to you."

"The senior was just teaching me; he meant me no harm."

"He's not good at teaching!" As if she had thought of something, Guan Bi couldn't help but laugh. "Then tell me, what has he taught you?"

"I can feel an uplifting, fearless, and indomitable spirit in the aura that my senior exerted on me. That is the senior's 'momentum' and his 'intention'."

And that is precisely what my swordplay lacks.

I once heard a senior swordsman say that swordsmanship originates from the heart and manifests outwardly. My swordsmanship was awakened through resistance, but now I have lost the mindset to resist, and naturally, my swordsmanship cannot improve.

Looking at Shen Xu's serious expression, Guan Bi couldn't help but ask, "Isn't Su Jing enough pressure for you?"

"Of course he can, but at least I have a chance to beat him. What I'm worried about is the future where I can't see a way forward."

Upon hearing this, Guan Bi fell silent. She felt that Shen Xu was already the most talented young generation in the entire Four Directions Sword Alliance and even the entire Xingchuan Domain.

Even when he had just broken through to the Sea of ​​Talent Realm, and should have been full of vigor and ambition, what could have made him completely give up the will to resist?

“The road ahead is destined to be uncertain. No one can fully grasp the future, but what we can truly grasp is the present.” Guan Bi reached out and tightly grasped one of Shen Xu’s hands.

"I don't care what you're worried about, but the Shen Xu I know will always deal with any predicament calmly and rationally, instead of easily giving up."

"Shen Xu, you can do your best, but you must not run away." Guan Bi looked firmly into Shen Xu's eyes.

"Do you know? Without realizing it, you have become someone as important to me as Miss."

I trust you unconditionally. You can't let me down, otherwise I'm not sure what I might do.

At this point, Guan Bi mustered her courage, stood on tiptoe, and gently pressed her red lips to Shen Xu's cheek. Shen Xu felt a warm touch, and time seemed to stand still. All he could hear was his and Guan Bi's rapid breathing and heartbeat.

"This is just interest." After a moment, Guan Bi pressed her head against Shen Xu's chest and said with a blush.

Feeling the warmth of the girl against his chest, Shen Xu suddenly didn't know what to do. Although both the witch and Li Xiaoyi had kissed him, the feeling now was completely different from that time, and it even made him feel nostalgic.

But Shen Xu knew he had made a huge mistake and he couldn’t let him continue down that path. So he gently pushed Guan Bi away, held her shoulders and said earnestly, “Guan Bi, I will do my best to do what I should do, but there are always limits to human ability, and sometimes running away is the only option.”

"Yes! After all, my original intention was not to send you to your death." Guan Bi revealed a handsome smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xu was taken aback. He had thought Guan Bi would be angry, since he had ultimately said something about escaping.

"Thank you, Guanbi," Shen Xu said with a touch of emotion.