Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1331: Chapter 434: Making Friends, Departure, Beining Sword Master, Arrival at Jinyang

Among the seven people present at this moment, the most heavily impacted is undoubtedly Lu Yun.

Lu Yun is twenty-one years old this year and has been under the tutelage of Lu Yang for nearly five years. Not only has he been a disciple the longest, but in terms of strength, he is indisputably the first among Lu Yang’s seven disciples.

His second junior brother Han Li, who joined last year, is two years older than him. His cultivation is currently at Mid-stage Cold Resistance, with a strength of 5 tufts, which is extremely close to Lu Yun’s, but the two had already crossed paths in East Ridge, and the final result was that Han Li slightly lost by a margin.

It can be said that Lu Yun’s greatest reliance on securing the position of the senior brother in East Ridge is his strength.

Having been under Lu Yang’s tutelage for nearly five years, not to mention the Jingxi District, he has even been to Beishuo City several times. Because he has seen many geniuses of the same age, and even fought against quite a few of them over the years, Lu Yun’s confidence has inflated even more in recent years.

Especially this April, Beishuo, in order to counteract the influence brought by the Great Xia Martial Arts Competition, specifically let the Inspectorate take the lead in organizing a martial arts contest, gathering all the young talents under the age of 25 from the town and the seven districts.

Lu Yun also participated and ultimately ranked 12th with a strength of 4 tufts. It can be said that apart from the Yang Family and a few elites from the town’s nobility, all the young talents from the seven districts of Beishuo were defeated by him.

His mentor Lu Yang’s reputation has risen rapidly in Beishuo in recent years, especially last March, when in a battle with Zhu Yang, the dean overseeing Jingxi District, he defeated him in three strokes, earning the title of Beining Sword Master.

Due to his mentor Lu Yang’s fame, as his senior disciple, Lu Yun achieved the good result of 12th place in the martial arts contest in Beishuo this year, and he was crowned with the title of Little Sword Chief of Beining by idle talkers.

These events have undoubtedly accelerated Lu Yun’s inflation of self-confidence dramatically.

This May, when his mentor Lu Yang openly revealed to them his identity in Great Xia and stated his intention to take them back to Great Xia for the Martial Arts Competition, Lu Yun immediately guaranteed by pounding his chest that he would do his utmost to strive for the top three, and if not possible, at least to enter the top ten, so his mentor could elevate his reputation in Great Xia.

Upon hearing his words, his mentor merely smiled with a peculiar expression. At that time, Lu Yun couldn’t understand why his mentor had that reaction. Now that the Martial Arts Competition is over and the results are out, he has suddenly realized.

With such limited strength, he shamelessly boasted about entering the top three. His mentor didn’t ridicule him on the spot, which was already an effort to maintain his dignity.

78th place!

”If it were purely about cultivation, my 78th place would even be inflated. Second junior brother has a strength of 5 tufts, which is similar to mine, yet he ranked 99th. Not to mention further back, I saw even beyond the 100th place, there are those with strength above 5 tufts, which means my 78th place is assisted by martial arts and combat talent.”

The moment Lu Yun spoke, the others immediately quieted down.

Han Li listened, shaking his head with a bitter smile, saying, ”Senior brother, you’re still unaware that the descendants of Great Xia who participate in the Martial Arts Competition were all restricted in strength. If the restrictions were lifted, their actual strength could increase by another thirty percent.”

”What?”

Upon hearing Han Peng’s words, not only Lu Yun, but Zhu Baixu and the other five instantly stood up, looking at him with disbelief.

”It was Lu Dong, our junior uncle, who told me this directly during the Martial Arts Competition. I think he has no reason to deceive me.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yun and the other six fell into silence.

What does the ability to increase strength by another thirty percent imply?

It’s one thing for Zhu Baixu and the other five since they didn’t make it into the top hundred anyway; the issue is with Lu Yun and Han Peng, who, if the descendants of Great Xia were not restricted, they both probably wouldn’t have made it into the top hundred at all.

”Why are you all sitting here in a daze?”

Amid the silence of the seven, Lu Dong swiftly walked in from the side hall entrance, dressed in black. He wore a friendly smile as he entered the hall, quickly surveying the six excluding Han Peng.

”Greetings, junior uncle!”

Inside the hall, Lu Yun and the seven others saw Lu Dong walking in and immediately paid their respects to him respectfully. Since Lu Yang is their mentor, by seniority, they should call Lu Dong junior uncle.

After completing the salute, besides Han Peng, who had already met Lu Dong, Lu Yun and the six others then raised their heads to carefully observe their junior uncle, who, despite being younger than them, possessed profoundly immeasurable strength.

Lu Dong, clad in black summer attire, was not wearing the longsword used in the competition. With a faint smile, although he did not emit any aura at the moment nor bore any arrogance on his face, recalling his valiant performance in the ring and his title as champion of the youth group, Lu Yun and the other six couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority and unconsciously lowered their heads slightly.

”Brother Han, didn’t we agree just now? Why are you calling me junior uncle again?”

Lu Dong then spoke again, first reproaching Han Peng with a playful tone, then smiling at Lu Yun and the six others, saying, ”You’re all my brother’s disciples; he’s him, and I’m me. We’re not much apart in age, so let’s refer to each other as brothers henceforth. Don’t call me junior uncle anymore; you’re making me feel old.”

Upon hearing such affable words, Lu Yun and the seven immediately developed a fondness for Lu Dong, especially looking at his face, which bears a seven-part resemblance to their mentor Lu Yang’s youthful visage, an unwarranted sense of closeness arose.

”On the ring, I only had brief contact with Brother Han, and it’s my first time meeting the rest of you, so let me guess you are Brother Lu, Brother Zhu, Brother Bai, Brother Wan, Brother Nie, Brother Yang—isn’t that right?”