Firmament Sword

Soon, the CLANG CLANG CLANG of hammering iron echoed through the camp, leaving everyone else rather speechless.

Li Hong approached Xu Luo and said softly, ”Captain, now that we’ve entered the Empire’s territory, shouldn’t we try to be a little more low-key?”

Xu Luo smiled and said, ”Don’t forget, right now we’re just a team of students out for training. If we actually acted like a real scout team, *that’s* what would arouse suspicion.”

”That’s a good point, but I still think it’s better to be careful,” Li Hong said. He then took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xu Luo. ”These are some of my thoughts on the operation. They’re a bit underdeveloped, but I hope you’ll take a look.”

Xu Luo was a little surprised. He took it, glanced over it, and nodded. ”These are all excellent suggestions. Mu Zi, is anyone in your family in the military?”

The paper listed numerous points to keep in mind for this type of scout operation. Although Xu Luo had already heard most of these ideas from his father and older brother, he was still surprised that they came from Li Hong.

”Yeah. One of my granduncles used to be a scout in the army. He really put me through the wringer when I was a kid.” Li Hong gave a wry smile, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes. ”My granduncle passed away a few years ago. While he was alive, his greatest hope was for the Li Family to produce another elite scout.”

”Oh, no wonder. Your granduncle must have been a real pro in the army back in his day!” Xu Luo said.

”Yeah, he was very strong. At his peak, he reached the realm of a Tier Nine Sword Master!” Li Hong said softly. ”It’s just a shame he was injured while gathering military intelligence on a mission and had to retire from the army.”

”I’m sure you’ll be able to fulfill your granduncle’s wish, and even do him proud!” Xu Luo said with a smile.

Li Hong chuckled, then said, ”Speaking of which, Captain, your own story is even more of a legend. You probably don’t know this, but there are a lot of people who secretly admire you!”

”Oh? Really?” Xu Luo laughed. ”Just over half a year ago, I was the laughingstock of the entire Imperial Capital.”

Li Hong scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. ”To be honest... I was one of them back then.”

”Hahahaha.” The two of them met each other’s eyes and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

”But ever since you entered True Martial Academy, I’ve been paying attention to your performance. Other people all said you only became an expert because you relied on the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill and other superior Spirit Medicines that your mother begged for from her sect. But in my view, if one could become an expert just by relying on Spirit Medicine, then experts in this world would be a dime a dozen!”

Li Hong said softly, ”The path of cultivation is incredibly difficult; you must have sacrificed a great deal to get where you are today. In fact, most of the students at True Martial Academy share my view. They might look down on the weak, but they absolutely revere the strong!”

”I wouldn’t say I’m an expert just yet.”

Xu Luo gave a wry smile. ’I know my own situation best.’ He had been cultivating diligently these past few days, but most of the True Essence he absorbed was mercilessly devoured by his Shaking Light Star Soul.

’To this day, my realm is still stuck at the Tier Two Sword Master level, and I have no idea when my next breakthrough will be.’

If Li Hong could hear Xu Luo’s thoughts, he would probably have a breakdown and tell him: I’ve been cultivating for over a dozen years, since I was a child, just to barely reach the realm of a Tier Two Sword Master, and I’m already considered a rare genius!

And you... you reached the Tier Two Sword Master realm in just half a year, and you’re still not satisfied? Are you trying to make it impossible for anyone else to live?

Although Xiahou Xian, Liu San, and Xiaotian were somewhat aloof and proud, they weren’t clueless about social graces. The three of them were quite interested in Xu Jie’s smithing.

They soon joined Xu Jie, Sui Yan, and the others, and were chatting happily.

Liang Ziyi and Ling Luoxi seemed to have more in common with Liu Feng. The three of them huddled together, letting out a few shady laughs from time to time, though no one knew what they were saying.

The bashful and shy Xu Lingtian, on the other hand, got along very well with the Eldest Prince, Huangfu Chongzhi, and surprisingly, he also had very strong opinions on alchemy.

Li Hong looked at the groups forming and said with a smile, ”Looks like everyone is getting along pretty well. I’m feeling much more confident about our mission now.”

”Oh? You weren’t confident about this mission at the start?” Xu Luo asked, smiling.

Li Hong shook his head and sighed softly. ”For this type of mission, not even the so-called elite scouts of the army would guarantee success, let alone a group like us. Instructor Zhou really lives up to his name as the Devil Instructor. He truly stops at nothing to train us.”

”Haha, so you also don’t believe that he doesn’t have any of his own scouts?” Xu Luo asked, smiling.

Li Hong looked at Xu Luo. ”Do you?”

”I don’t believe it either!” Xu Luo said, and the two of them shared a knowing smile.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that none of Instructor Zhou’s Personal Guards were weak. If they were to act as scouts, they would surely be much better than a bunch of students.

And yet, Instructor Zhou had insisted on selecting them from thousands of students to carry out this crucial mission.

His intention to train them was obvious, but this ”training” was far more than just a test of endurance. If they weren’t careful, people could die.

”I wonder how Wei Ziting and his team are doing right now,” Li Hong said, then looked at Xu Luo. ”Wei Ziting is sinister to the core. You have to be on your guard against him.”

Xu Luo nodded, thinking to himself, ’I actually really hope he does come looking for trouble right now...’

「As night fell, the forest was utterly silent.」

The spot Xu Luo’s group had chosen for their camp was very well hidden. It was backed by a mountain with a source of fresh water, and situated halfway up the slope, making the terrain easy to defend and difficult to attack. They didn’t even have to worry about the occasional powerful beast that might pass by.

Especially with Master Mao around, it was unlikely any beast foolish enough to be a threat would dare approach.

When Master Mao returned, Xu Luo was inside his tent, deep in cultivation.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was most active at night, making it the best time for a Martial Artist to cultivate. Guided by the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, wisps of this Qi entered Xu Luo’s body, nourishing and refining his meridians and sinews before transforming into streams of True Essence that flowed into his Dantian.

And then...

...it was shamelessly snatched away by the Shaking Light Star Soul.

Xu Luo had a love-hate relationship with his Shaking Light Star Soul. It had changed his constitution, and with it, his destiny. But at the same time, it was also the thing that stole the True Essence he worked so hard to absorb each day. Its disgusting table manners were like those of a damn miser.

”Kid, Master Mao is back!” Miaomiao sauntered into the tent, head held high in a proud cat-like strut, and sent a telepathic message to Xu Luo. ”Master Mao has scouted a three-hundred-li radius. Nothing’s stirring. You can go ahead and sleep without a care in the world!”

”...” Xu Luo gave Miaomiao a speechless look. ’I asked you to scout the area, but not so I could get a good night’s sleep.’

Still, Miaomiao’s words did put Xu Luo at ease. At least they shouldn’t run into any surprises on the road tomorrow.

...

「Meanwhile, at a campsite over four hundred li away from Xu Luo’s group.」

Wei Ziting sat in the seat of honor inside a tent, surrounded by Li Tie and seven or eight of his other loyal cronies.

As a recent addition to the group, Li Tie was naturally eager to prove his worth.

”Young Master Wei, we must complete this mission before Xu Luo’s group does. I have a rough idea, but I’m not sure if it’s my place to say...”

”Speak freely,” Wei Ziting said with a faint smile.

”Well, Instructor Zhou only gave us a map that marks the areas where the enemy might be active. He gave Xu Luo’s team a map too, and I assume it’s more or less the same as ours.”

Li Tie continued his analysis, ”I believe the locations on the map are just places Instructor Zhou suspects. If we want to find their actual hiding place, we’ll need to find another way!”

Wei Ziting nodded. ”And what way is that?”

Li Tie shook his head slightly. ”I’m still thinking about it.”

Everyone else in the tent couldn’t help but secretly purse their lips. ’After all that talk, you don’t even have an idea? What a load of crap.’

Of course, Wei Ziting didn’t mock Li Tie. He just smiled warmly and said, ”You have a point. I also had no intention of relying solely on this map to find the enemy’s trail. If it were truly that simple, why would they have sent us?”

”Young Master Wei, I happen to have a plan,” a detached voice suddenly called from outside. The tent flap was lifted, and Lin Chi walked in.

Ignoring the strange looks from the others, Lin Chi stared directly at Wei Ziting and said, ”The only question is whether you have the guts to take a risk!”

”How audacious!”

”Insolent!”

”How dare you speak to Young Master Wei like that?”

”Lin Chi, remember your place!”

Wei Ziting’s cronies immediately began to rebuke him in anger.

But Lin Chi acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, simply staring calmly at Wei Ziting with a hint of barely perceptible mockery deep in his eyes.

Wei Ziting smiled faintly. ”Lin Chi, just as you don’t like me, I don’t like people like you, either. You’re too self-righteous. Here, I am the captain, and you are a team member. If you have a suggestion, just say it. There’s no need to be dramatic.”

”Heh...” Lin Chi sneered. ”I’m just afraid you don’t have the guts!”

”Lin Chi, are you looking for a beating?” Li Tie shot to his feet, glaring daggers at Lin Chi.

Lin Chi shot Li Tie a contemptuous glance and said coolly, ”You? Heh...”

”You...” Completely enraged by Lin Chi’s dismissive attitude, Li Tie was about to lunge forward.

”Enough!” Wei Ziting barked, stopping Li Tie. He then raised his head, looked at Lin Chi, and said coolly, ”Lin Chi, I hope this is the last time... you challenge my authority.”

Lin Chi gave a cold smile, stepped forward, and pointed a finger at the map. ”Three hundred li straight from here, there’s a small town in the Cao Kingdom. The Cao Kingdom is capable of carrying out inhumane massacres, isn’t it? Well, so are we!”

”What do you mean by that?” Wei Ziting was taken aback for a moment, his eyes flickering as he stared at Lin Chi.

”Kill,” Lin Chi said coldly, forcing the single word from between his teeth.

”Lin Chi, have you lost your mind?” Even Li Tie, who had wanted to beat him up a moment ago, was now looking at him in utter disbelief.

The others also stared at Lin Chi in shock, finding it hard to believe such words could come from a student who had always been a model of excellence.

Wei Ziting, however, had a thoughtful expression on his face.