Firmament Sword

”Haha, who told you the Seven-Colored Light could only produce one flower?”

Xu Luo smiled at Lianyi. ”I checked the notes my brother gave me. The Seven-Colored Flower can be consumed directly. Not only will it dramatically increase your strength, but it can even alter your constitution! Sis, this one is for you. I hope it helps you achieve another breakthrough.”

”I... I can’t. This is far too precious, and it’s much more useful to you. I can’t take it!” Lianyi refused, her expression firm.

”If you don’t want it, I’ll just throw it away,” Xu Luo said, pretending to toss it.

”Don’t! You little rascal!”

Lianyi glared at the mischievously grinning Xu Luo, then said with a serious expression, ”You’re a man, with higher peaks to climb in the future. No matter how strong I become, I’m still just a woman. Your constitution has just changed; you need all kinds of Spirit Medicines to improve your strength far more than I do!”

”Here... look.” A plant suddenly materialized in Xu Luo’s hand. It was almost transparent, its body a pure white, yet a seven-colored light flowed within. It was like a jade carving—so exquisitely beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

”This... This is... the Seven-Colored... Light!” This time, Lianyi was truly stunned. She had never imagined that Xu Luo had obtained the entire Seven-Colored Light plant as well!

”Just don’t blame me for being partial, Sis. I have other important uses for this Seven-Colored Light plant, so a single flower is no big deal. Please, take it,” Xu Luo said with a smile.

Lianyi’s eyes welled with tears. She no longer refused and accepted the Seven-Colored Flower.

She murmured softly, ”You must have been under unimaginable pressure to get this... I can’t believe it. Something that countless masters from the Royal Family failed to do, something the great families of the Imperial Capital wouldn’t even dare dream of, you actually accomplished.”

”It wasn’t as dramatic as you’re making it out to be,” Xu Luo said with a laugh. ”I just got lucky. Oh, right. For this Seven-Colored Flower, consume one petal at a time. Only take the second petal after you’ve completely absorbed and refined the energy from the first.”

”Yes, I understand,” Lianyi said softly.

”I have to report to the academy in the next couple of days,” Xu Luo added.

”So soon?” Lianyi was reluctant to see Xu Luo leave for the academy just yet.

”I don’t need to go to the True Martial Academy to learn martial skills or Heart Methods. What I lack right now are combat techniques and various kinds of experience.”

”While life-and-death battles are a great way to train, they’re still very different from what you gain through systematic learning.”

”To become a true expert, you need more than just practical combat experience. The systematic theoretical knowledge taught in an academy is also essential!”

”Haven’t you seen? Disciples from those great hidden sects study within their orders for many years before they’re let out to gain experience.”

”Also, I should be able to make some friends at the academy. We might not need them now, but I must do my part to contribute to the family’s strength.”

”Lately, the Xu Family’s reputation has grown a little too prominent. For a Military General Clan, that’s not a good thing.”

”Going to the academy is also a way to lie low for a while. After some time, all those messy rumors in the Imperial Capital about the Xu Family and me will naturally die down. Besides, I might not even stay at the academy for that long.”

Thinking of what the Yuan Brothers had told him, and then of the assassination attempt he had just survived, Xu Luo had a gut feeling the two events might be connected.

Xu Luo’s reasoning was sound, so Lianyi could only nod in agreement.

...

In the northern part of the Imperial Capital City, a sprawling complex of buildings lay nestled among towering trees. This was the most prestigious academy in the Cangqiong Kingdom—the True Martial Academy!

”You are the second young master of the Xu Family... Xu Luo?”

A refined-looking man in his sixties, his hair streaked with gray but his spirit sharp, gently pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. He glanced at Xu Luo before lowering his head again to look at the documents in his hand.

”Greetings, Dean Zhou. I am Xu Luo,” Xu Luo said respectfully.

This seemingly unremarkable old man was the dean of the most prestigious academy in the Cangqiong Kingdom, and there were countless legends surrounding him.

The most famous of these tales took place thirty years ago. Zhou Liang, then in the prime of his life and serving in the military, had led a twelve-man squad over fifteen hundred miles deep into the territory of a neighboring kingdom.

Over the course of more than six months, they fought dozens of life-or-death battles and endured countless hardships, but against all odds, they rescued a Prince who had been cleverly abducted by the enemy!

At the same time, they also captured the one who had betrayed the Prince—an enemy kingdom’s ace spy who had been hiding in the Cangqiong Kingdom for nearly twenty years—and dragged him back with them!

Under interrogation, the spy identified hundreds of other agents hidden within the Cangqiong Kingdom, some of whom held key positions in the military and government.

At the time, the incident caused a massive uproar in the Imperial Capital and throughout the entire Cangqiong Kingdom.

Countless officials were deposed as a result, and the entire political climate of the Cangqiong Kingdom was cleansed.

It was an achievement of monumental proportions.

In comparison, Xu Luo being made a Marquis just for finding a Seven-Colored Flower seemed like child’s play, utterly insignificant before the accomplishments of this man.

Although Xu Luo never formally accepted the title of Marquis, the Emperor seemed to simply ignore his refusal.

The very next day, the Emperor sent men to deliver the Seven-Colored Marquis Badge, the deed to his new fief, and the ceremonial robes befitting his rank.

The Emperor was insistent, acting with an almost roguish shamelessness, and there was nothing Xu Luo could do about it.

Had Zhou Liang remained in the military, this man from the same generation as Xu Luo’s grandfather, a soldier skilled in both literary and martial pursuits, would undoubtedly have had an incredibly bright future.

At the very least, Zhou Liang’s current status would surely be higher than, not lower than, that of Xu Ji, the Grand General of National Guardian and Duke of the Country.

But for reasons no one understood, not long after that incident, Zhou Liang retired from the military and married the daughter of the Prince he had rescued. He then joined the True Martial Academy in the Imperial Capital as an ordinary instructor.

Thirty years later, the young man of the past now looked somewhat old, and he had become the dean of this academy, an institution of utmost importance to the Cangqiong Kingdom.

As he watched Dean Zhou poring over the documents, Xu Luo couldn’t help but think of his own grandfather. Come to think of it, Xu Luo hadn’t seen his grandfather in ten years.

Ten years ago, Xu Dingsheng, then the Grand General of National Guardian and Duke of the Country, had a four-hour meeting in the palace with the still-young Emperor. Upon returning home, he handed the Seal of the Grand General to his son, Xu Ji.

Afterward, the old man simply left, and his whereabouts had been unknown ever since.

For some reason, Xu Luo felt that there was something about the old man’s aura that was similar to his grandfather’s.

”Looking at your past performance, your various results are considered outstanding,” Dean Zhou said, looking up at Xu Luo and interrupting his train of thought.

He then continued, ”Your mother came to see me before, wanting you to enroll in the True Martial Academy. At the time, I refused.”

Xu Luo watched the old man quietly, saying nothing.

Dean Zhou nodded, somewhat satisfied. ”Because this,” he said, ”is the True Martial Academy. It is a place for cultivating martial arts to strengthen oneself, a place that supplies the pillars of talent for the nation’s armies. And you... not only could you not be considered exceptionally talented, you were... very weak. You don’t mind me saying so, do you?”

”I don’t mind, Dean. You’re speaking the truth,” Xu Luo replied.

”But when your mother came to me for help, it put me in a difficult position. I have good relations with your mother’s family, and I was also on good terms with your grandfather. Although his status was much higher than mine back then, your grandfather never judged people by their station when making friends.”

Dean Zhou spoke calmly, his refined and noble aura completely masking the shadow of the fierce general he had once been.

”So, I am, in a sense, your elder. I promised your mother that you could come give it a try, but if you didn’t succeed, you were to return home immediately.”

”First, the True Martial Academy is not the Zhi Xue Hall; we have no time to coddle children. Second, forcing you to stay here could very well cost you your life.”

A hint of his former military personality finally broke through in Dean Zhou’s direct words. ”The True Martial Academy never prohibits students from fighting. As long as no one is killed or crippled, it’s not a problem. But I was afraid someone would beat you to death, and I would have no way of explaining that to your family’s elders.”

Xu Luo finally scratched his head in embarrassment. ”That... probably shouldn’t be a problem now.”

”Indeed. A young man who can snatch a Seven-Colored Flower from right under the nose of a Tier Nine Spirit Beast and escape unscathed; who can stir up a storm in Black Wind Town; and who can survive being surrounded by assassins, who couldn’t kill him even with Military Heavy Crossbows, and instead get a dozen of their own not-so-weak members killed... yes, a young man like that probably won’t be beaten to death at the True Martial Academy.”

At this, a smile finally touched Dean Zhou’s lips. He looked at the astonished Xu Luo with a knowing grin and said, ”Kid, you didn’t really think that just by putting on a black cloak, no one would figure out you were the one who stirred things up in Black Wind Town, did you?”

”I... I’ve been foolish. I ask for your guidance, Dean.”

Xu Luo was genuinely surprised. The matter of the Seven-Colored Flower and the assassination attempt that night were supposed to be confidential, but it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with Dean Zhou’s status to learn about them.

But in Black Wind Town, Xu Luo was certain he had been perfectly discreet. How could he have been discovered so easily?

”Heh, little fellow, let me teach you a lesson. Remember this from now on. When someone correctly guesses something you thought was a secret, you must never admit it. And more importantly, don’t stare at them in astonishment. Understand?”

As he spoke, a mischievous grin appeared on Zhou Liang’s face, and he looked at Xu Luo with a smug expression.

It suddenly dawned on Xu Luo. He stared, dumbfounded. ”You were just guessing?”

”Of course! I’m not going to make a special trip to Black Wind Town to follow you, nor am I interested in having you watched. If I wasn’t guessing, what did you think? That I saw it with my own two eyes?”

”Dean, this student has been taught a valuable lesson,” Xu Luo said with a deep bow, completely convinced.

”Good, a quick learner.”

Zhou Liang reverted to his refined, scholarly demeanor. He looked at Xu Luo and said calmly, ”Remember this in the future. Even if you’ve done something wrong, never admit it easily. Even if they present evidence, your first move should be to accuse them of framing you!”

”What is a secret? A secret is something that even the people closest to you don’t know! A *true* secret is something only you yourself know... only that counts!”

”Understood,” Xu Luo said, looking like a dutiful student. How could an honest and upright young man be a match for such a cunning old fox?

”Alright, I only brought this up as a reminder, so you won’t be at a disadvantage later,” Zhou Liang said, smiling warmly at Xu Luo. ”My dear Seven-Colored Young Marquis.”

”Er... I am ashamed...” Faced with this legendary Dean, Xu Luo could only give a wry smile.

”What’s there to be ashamed of? Heroes have always emerged from the young! The Emperor is no fool. If an old man like me can see through these things, there’s no way he can’t. Otherwise, on what grounds do you think he made a young man like you a Marquis?”

Xu Luo looked up and stared blankly at the old man for a long moment.

The young man’s first lesson upon entering the True Martial Academy had been a vivid one. What kind of impact would this old man’s words have on the rest of Xu Luo’s life?

Perhaps, not even the old man himself could know.