Xian has been cultivating

After going through countless life-and-death tests and hardships, Liu Lei finally got his wish and ascended to the position of city lord.

However, he did not feel the slightest bit of joy at this moment, because he knew clearly that his body was in an extremely dangerous state.

Recalling the thrilling and magnificent battle for the city lord, Liu Lei couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

In that fierce competition, he relied on his rock-hard will and extraordinary wisdom to overcome all obstacles and finally stand out from many competitors.

But at the same time, he also paid a terrible price for this—his internal injuries were extremely severe, and his meridians were severely damaged in many places. If he didn't receive timely and effective treatment, he would probably leave behind a difficult-to-treat root cause, which might even directly threaten his life.

Faced with such a serious situation, Liu Lei made a prompt decision and decided to go into seclusion to recuperate without hesitation.

After all, as the lord of a city, he bears heavy responsibilities. If he is unable to handle the city's affairs normally due to his own injuries, it will have a huge impact on the entire city.

Therefore, during this period of seclusion to recuperate, he must find someone who is trustworthy and can temporarily replace him to perform the duties of the city lord.

After careful consideration and repeated weighing of the pros and cons, Liu Lei finally set his sights on his younger brother Liu Yun.

Although Liu Yun is slightly inferior to himself in all aspects, he is always loyal to the family and has great prestige within the family.

Overall, Liu Yun is the most suitable candidate to serve as the acting city lord.

"Liu Yun!" Liu Lei's voice was a little weak. His face was as pale as paper, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. "My injuries are too serious now. I must go into seclusion to heal for a period of time. During this time, the position of city lord... I plan to hand it over to you temporarily." After speaking, Liu Lei's originally dull eyes suddenly flashed with a light, and he stared at Liu Yun in front of him, his eyes so firm that it seemed as if he could see through everything.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun's face was filled with astonishment, his mouth slightly open. It took him a long time to come back to his senses. He waved his hands frantically and said anxiously, "Brother, you absolutely cannot do this! Although I have always served our family wholeheartedly, I am not very good at political intrigue. I am afraid it is difficult for me to shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"

Seeing this, Liu Lei gently shook his head, a bitter smile spreading across his face. "It's alright, brother. I still have faith in you. You've learned a lot from me over the years. While you may not be proficient, you should be able to grasp the basics. You just need to listen more to the advice and suggestions of your family elders and advisors, and do your best to keep the city's affairs running smoothly."

Seeing his elder brother's determination, Liu Yun knew it was futile to continue refusing. He took a deep breath, his eyes hardened, and he nodded solemnly, responding, "Since you trust me so much, I will do my best to live up to your trust! Even if I still feel uneasy, I will grit my teeth and strive to complete this arduous task."

At this moment, Liu Yun clearly realized that this trust not only came from his eldest brother personally, but also from the expectations and entrustment of the entire family to him. No matter what, he must not let everyone down.

Liu Yun had just taken office as the acting city lord, and before he had time to fully experience the joy of taking office, he was overwhelmed by the enormous pressure that surged like a tide.

The affairs of this city are so complicated and intricate that it is like a tangled mess that makes it impossible to know where to start. The forces from all aspects are like the roots of an old tree, intertwined and intertwined.

Although Liu Yun tried his best to deal with these difficult problems, he was still inexperienced after all, and inevitably showed some immaturity and naivety when handling affairs.

You know, there were originally five major forces in Jigui City. They have always been dissatisfied with Liu Lei's ascension to the position of city lord. Now seeing Liu Yun coming to act as the city lord and not being sophisticated enough in handling things, they immediately smelled an opportunity and began to move like hungry wolves seeing a wounded lamb.

These five major forces secretly colluded with each other, attempting to unite to deal with the Liu family, thereby gradually weakening the Liu family's influence and control in the city.

Liu Yun was naturally also clearly aware of the difficult situation he was currently facing. He knew very well that if he only relied on the existing strength of himself and the Liu family, he would not be able to compete with the powerful alliance formed by these five major forces.

After deep thinking and repeated weighing, Liu Yun finally made an important decision - to follow the strategy adopted by his elder brother before and actively look for other forces to cooperate with.

After receiving the support and approval of the family elders, the Liu family quickly took action. They dispatched envoys, bearing sincerity and conditions, to contact and negotiate with potential partners. Thus began a series of intense negotiations and consultations.

After rounds of arduous negotiations full of twists and turns and variables, the two sides finally found a balance acceptable to each other amidst the long stalemate and fierce confrontation, and successfully reached a crucial agreement.

At this point, a delicate and relatively balanced situation was formed - both sides had suffered heavy losses from the thrilling City Lord Competition, and their vitality was severely damaged. Both human and material resources were greatly lost, and they urgently needed some time to recuperate and recover.

At the same time, in another world, after Lin Fan personally experienced this series of ups and downs and heart-wrenching changes, his heart was like a vast ocean and could not calm down for a long time, and emotions surged into his heart like a tide.

He understood deeply that in this extremely cruel battle for the city lord, he was just an insignificant chess piece.

Although he was lucky enough to survive the vortex of bloody fighting thanks to the help of the god of fate, this dangerous experience also made him fully realize the endless dangers and intricate disputes hidden behind this seemingly prosperous world.

After careful consideration, Lin Fan resolutely made a major decision: he would continue to stay in the Alliance of Cultivators, to which Zhang Wenyu had belonged before, discard all distractions, and focus on improving his own cultivation.

Here, he was fortunate to meet many like-minded people who shared the same persistent pursuit and spirit of exploration in the path of cultivation.

Therefore, they often gathered together to enthusiastically discuss the ways of cultivation, shared their experiences with each other without reservation, and from time to time launched a series of wonderful and exciting skills competitions.

Through such day-to-day communication, interaction and actual combat training, Lin Fan's strength has improved dramatically and silently, just like bamboo shoots nourished by spring rain.

Looking at the other side, Hong Huang and Ling Qingyue set out on their return journey side by side and returned to the Demon Blood Sect together. This mission they went out to carry out was a complete success and they gained a lot.

On the surface, it seemed that the two of them had fulfilled their mission. With their extraordinary wisdom and courageous and resolute actions, they had made great achievements for the Demon Blood Cult and won unanimous praise from everyone in the cult.

However, in reality, only they themselves knew that the successful completion of this mission not only brought them glory on the surface, but more importantly, they had cleverly laid out and carefully planned in secret, and quietly weakened the overall strength of the Demon Blood Cult to a certain extent, thus laying the groundwork for the various challenges they might face in the future and laying a solid foundation.

"In fact, when I first learned I wasn't on this mission alone, I couldn't help but feel a surge of panic. You know, it really goes against my principles and moral bottom line to let me play tricks behind my teammates' backs. Even after we confirmed each other's identities, that vague worry still lingered in my heart - I wondered if you would become a burden to me. However, looking back now, I'm surprised to find that our cooperation was so seamless and tacit!"

Hong Huang stared at Ling Qingyue beside him, his eyes revealing indescribable complex emotions.

Ling Qingyue smiled faintly, her red lips parted as she spoke, "Of course. Don't you see who I am? Well, it's quite interesting to note that your thoughts are exactly the same as mine. I think we can become a perfect pair of partners in the future."

After the two returned to the Demon Blood Cult, they went straight to the magnificent hall where the leader was without hesitation. The purpose of this trip was clear, which was to receive the generous reward for successfully completing the mission.

Wu Rao had already heard and witnessed their heroic deeds in this mission, and gave high praise and appreciation to their outstanding performance.

Wu Rao smiled broadly, gazing kindly at Hong Huang and Ling Qingyue before him, and said slowly, "You completed this mission flawlessly. Not only did you demonstrate extraordinary strength and wisdom, but you also won supreme glory for our Demon Blood Sect. This is truly a great achievement!"

Hong Huang took a small step forward, bowed slightly, and with an expression of great respect on his face, he said in a loud and clear voice, "Thank you, Lord Wu, for your generous praise. These things are our responsibilities and obligations. I really don't deserve such praise!"

Wu Rao smiled and nodded gently, expressing his agreement with Hong Huang's words. He then said slowly, "Just relax. With your outstanding abilities and performance, it won't be long before you get a chance to be promoted. When that happens, maybe even I will have to rely on you two!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Huang couldn't help but feel delighted, but he remained humble on the surface and quickly responded, "Oh, Master Wu, you are so kind to us. If it weren't for your careful care and strong support all along, how could we have achieved such a small success today? We will never forget this kindness!"

Ling Qingyue, who was standing nearby, also quickly agreed, nodding repeatedly and adding, "That's right, it's indeed all thanks to your support and help, Master Wu, that we are where we are today."

Wu Rao smiled with satisfaction and continued, "Well, as for the rewards for this mission, I will personally hand them over to you later. And, as an additional reward, you will also be eligible to visit our sect's treasury and choose any treasure that satisfies you."

Upon hearing this news, Hong Huang and Ling Qingyue exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with unconcealed excitement. They bowed to Wu Rao once more to express their gratitude, then happily accepted the generous reward.

After all matters were settled, Hong Huang and Ling Qingyue returned to their respective residences with excitement.

After entering the room, they did not delay at all and immediately began to prepare for secluded training in order to improve their own strength as soon as possible so as to better cope with the new tasks that may come at any time.

In the following days, Liu Yun, who was in Jigui City, began to slowly adapt to the responsibilities and pressures brought by the position of acting city lord.

Although he was not very good at political intrigue at the beginning, his ability in this field is gradually improving due to his unyielding spirit and unremitting efforts.

On weekdays, Liu Yun spends a lot of time studying various policies, regulations, management strategies and other knowledge. When he encounters something he doesn't understand, he humbly asks experienced seniors for advice.

As time went by, he was able to handle all the affairs of the city with ease and was no longer as flustered as he was at the beginning.

Not only that, Liu Yun knew that if he wanted Jigui City to truly achieve long-term stability, it was far from enough to rely solely on improving its own management capabilities. Therefore, he devoted his energy to the construction of all aspects of the city.

On the one hand, he vigorously promoted the improvement of infrastructure, including road construction, water conservancy project improvements, etc.; on the other hand, he actively took measures to improve people's livelihood, increase employment opportunities, and reduce the tax burden on the people...

These measures have significantly improved people's living standards, and everyone is full of praise for the acting city lord.

In addition, Liu Yun also attached great importance to city defense. He not only personally supervised the progress of the city wall reinforcement project, but also organized and trained an elite city defense army to ensure that Jigui City had strong enough defense to resist foreign invasion.

Under Liu Yun's meticulous management, Jigui City gradually regained its vitality, presenting a beautiful picture of prosperity and stability. People were coming and going in the streets and alleys, shops were doing a booming business, and people's faces were filled with happy and satisfied smiles.

However, even though the current situation is very good, Liu Yun always maintains a clear understanding deep in his heart. He knows clearly that the current alliance composed of the five major forces and the Liu family has only formed a temporary balance.

The other party will definitely not let go of the Liu family's fat piece of meat easily, and will definitely find ways to create trouble or even launch an attack. Faced with numerous unknown challenges and potential crises, Liu Yun feels that the burden on his shoulders is as heavy as a mountain.

But he had no intention of retreating. Instead, he was determined to do his best to improve his own strength and the strength of the entire Liu family in this limited time. Only in this way could he gain a firm foothold in the turbulent and ever-changing world and protect this hard-won peaceful home.