"After that comes an even stronger realm: Golden Body."
Xu Mu looked at Xu Ningbing. "That realm also has another name—Grandmaster."
"Grandmaster?"
Xu Ningbing was secretly shocked, then asked, "In that realm, does the body literally turn golden?"
"No. 'Golden Body' doesn't mean a golden color; it's a general term. At that realm, the Qi you emit is no longer scattered like stars."
Xu Mu raised his arm to explain. "Instead, the surface of your body is completely shrouded by the color of your Qi."
"And after that? What comes after Golden Body?"
Xu Ningbing pressed on.
"Don't ask me— the senior I know only told me this much. See if Dad knows the rest."
Xu Mu leaned back with his hands behind his head and glanced at Xu Shou with a smile.
Once you reach Grandmaster, you can basically walk sideways across the secular world.
But to the great sects, it's still not much.
Some sects have existed for thousands of years—their heritage isn't something the secular world can compare with.
And beyond the sects, there are also those… non-human beings.
"Dad, what realms come after?" Ningbing asked with a grin.
"You're only at Hidden Force. What are you thinking so far ahead for?"
Xu Shou waved her off. "Forget reaching Grandmaster—focus on stepping into Mystic Art Realm first. The moment you reach that realm, our Xu family will count as a hidden clan."
Ningbing pouted lightly, then clenched her fists. "It's just a few realms. Watch me!"
Xu Shou smiled. Those "few realms" are chasms most people can't cross in a lifetime.
"Right—this time I got two good things."
Xu Mu took out Qi Sea Pills. "One each for you two."
Seeing what was in his son's hand, Xu Shou's eyes widened. "Qi Sea Pill! Where did you get that?"
"A senior gave them to me."
Xu Mu smiled.
From Xu Shou's reaction, Ningbing could tell it was no ordinary item. She asked, "Dad, is this pill that precious?"
"A Grade-7 Qi Sea Pill— even hidden clans with Grandmasters can't afford to burn through those."
Xu Shou looked deeply at Xu Mu. "That senior must think highly of you. You should keep them for yourself."
"I've already taken two. Go on, take them."
Xu Mu smiled at him.
Xu Shou hesitated, then shook his head. "It's too valuable. Give one to Ningbing. If I take it, it's a waste."
Xu Mu more or less guessed his father's thinking. Xu Shou's strength was recovering.
Taking a Qi Sea Pill would only speed up that recovery to his former realm.
But his current pace wasn't slow; using a Grade-7 pill would be wasteful.
"Alright then, I'll keep this one. Sis, here—yours."
Xu Mu handed one to Xu Ningbing and put the other away.
[Favorability +20]
Ningbing felt more and more grateful to Xu Mu.
Thinking back—from becoming a martial artist to now—almost all her progress had been thanks to him.
The only time she got something herself was that divine medicine, and even then, without Xu Mu, she might not have made it out alive.
"Xiao Mu, thank you," she said.
"No need to be polite—we're family."
As he spoke, Xu Mu's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen: a message from Fan Shiyu.
She told him her Big Sister had already set out and was coming to take him down.
Xu Mu sighed helplessly. That woman would be hard to deal with.
He couldn't just… toss her a beauty, could he?
"I've got something to handle—heading out first."
After saying goodbye, Xu Mu pondered a solution. In the end, one person came to mind: Jiang Huihui.
Looks like he'd have to help her notch another achievement.
Meng Wanyue was still cultivating the Earth Rank technique; Xu Mu didn't want to disturb her.
Besides, even if she reached mid-stage Gang Qi, she still wasn't a match for the Moonlit Dancer.
The ideal plan was still to find… a sanitation worker.
He drove to Yang City and called Jiang Huihui on the way.
Hearing that a Death List assassin was coming, Jiang Huihui got excited, jumped on her e-bike, and headed straight for the Yang City branch.
"Huihui."
Xu Mu spotted her valiant figure from afar, parked in the company lot, and walked over.
"Where's the assassin? Ranked high on the Death List? And why does someone keep trying to kill you?"
She greeted him with a rapid three-question volley.
"The killer should arrive today. I don't know what rank. As for why they keep coming…"
Xu Mu thought a moment. "It's basically all because of one person."
"One person?"
Jiang Huihui puffed a cheek. "Then why don't you just—"
She cut herself off mid-sentence.
Xu Mu laughed. "Just what—kill them? Is that something a sanitation worker should be saying?"
"I didn't say it."
She looked away. "So what do we do next?"
"Take me around Yang City. I'll also see what your daily work is like."
He hopped onto the back seat of her e-bike.
"Okay."
She nodded—better than sitting around bored.
Her loose hair streamed back, brushing Xu Mu's face; he closed his eyes for a moment.
"Huihui, you're already an Intermediate sanitation worker. Why are you still grinding this hard?"
Xu Mu asked from the back.
"I made a bet with my family. I must become a ranked squad captain in the Environmental Sanitation Bureau."
She stared ahead.
"If you can't, then what?"
Xu Mu was curious.
"I… That's my private business. Why should I tell you?"
She'd nearly forgotten it, and bringing it up made her mood sour.
"You've got the 'Hate-Magnet Holy Body' riding behind you. The martial artists who come to kill me—I can have you handle them from now on."
Xu Mu teased.
Hearing that, the sourness faded and Jiang Huihui smiled, puffing a small bubble.
"Fine, I'll tell you— I have a fiancé I've never met."
Xu Mu frowned. Could her fiancé be Chen Xuan?
"My grandpa decided it himself. One of his old friends adopted a boy—super gifted.
They got drunk that time, and my grandpa promised away my marriage. Both sides even pressed their handprints."
Xu Mu couldn't help but smile. Looked like it really was Chen Xuan.
"Ridiculous, isn't it? What era is this? When I found out, I had a huge fight with Grandpa. He agreed to talk to that old friend—unfortunately, the friend died."
Jiang Huihui shook her head. "My grandpa's too old-fashioned. He thinks if his friend is dead and he backs out now, he'd be an inhuman ingrate—so he refuses."
"Your grandpa keeps his word, but he really isn't respecting you. You two have never even met; you don't know each other's character, yet he agreed to the marriage. That wasn't great."
Xu Mu offered the high-EQ answer—offending no one.
[Favorability +10]
"You're absolutely right!"
Jiang Huihui nodded repeatedly—finally, someone who understood her.