Firmament Sword

Most people in this vast world were mere mortals. To ascend to a higher level, breaking through from a Great Sword Master to a Sword Venerable, was as difficult as reaching for the heavens. For even one person in ten thousand to achieve this was considered a stroke of great fortune.

Therefore, the realm of the Sword Venerable was known as the True Martial Realm!

Upon reaching this realm, even an ordinary martial technique, when unleashed by a Sword Venerable, would become something entirely different, its power increasing immensely!

However, few Martial Artists in the secular world knew that above the True Martial Realm, there was an even higher realm!

Those from the great sects called it the Transformation Realm!

That realm was called the Sword King!

Xu Su originally hadn’t known about these things. He only learned of them after meeting Guo Ying, who had mentioned the names of various Martial Artist ranks, which he then committed to memory.

But he had never imagined that he would so quickly have the chance to choose whether or not to break through to the Transformation Realm...

”Life is always full of the unexpected, and that’s why we have emotions like surprise...” Xu Su murmured to himself. He looked at the blood-red elixir in his hand and smiled faintly, then swallowed the Blood Pill.

’Unstable foundation? No problem. After I come out of seclusion, I’ll find some of those ignorant fools who dare to provoke me and fight them all. That should stabilize it!’

’If that’s still not enough, I’ll go with my brother to storm that sect! We’ll bring Mother back!’

After Xu Su consumed this third Blood Pill, he felt that this time was completely different from before. His Dantian didn’t expand as it had during his previous breakthroughs. Instead, it began to contract rapidly!

His Dantian, which had originally occupied almost his entire lower abdomen, had shrunk to the size of a fist in a remarkably short time!

This change terrified Xu Su at first. He wasn’t a disciple from a sect and lacked their extensive knowledge. He had no idea this phenomenon was called Core Formation!

Then, the increasingly vast and powerful energy in his Dantian put his worried heart at ease. He reveled in the feeling of overflowing power coursing through his body and couldn’t help but unleash his entire aura...

And so, Xu Luo, who was just walking in from outside, was the first to feel this presence.

Xu Su instantly sensed Xu Luo’s arrival. Before his dearest brother, he held nothing back. He reveled in his control over the aura of the Transformation Realm, his entire being like a newly unsheathed sword pointing straight to the heavens!

HAAAAH!

As Xu Su completely retracted his aura, he let out a long breath.

His entire demeanor was completely different from before.

Standing there, he exuded the air of a Grandmaster. This was the metamorphosis from Sword Venerable to Sword King, and... from the True Martial Realm to the Transformation Realm!

It was like a caterpillar that, after enduring countless hardships in its cocoon, finally broke free and transformed into a butterfly!

Resplendent with color, it danced and flitted among the flowers.

This was a true, life-altering transformation!

Shedding the cocoon, emerging as a butterfly!

Only a Martial Artist who had successfully undergone Core Formation and reached the Transformation Realm could be said to have truly taken a step of their own on the path of cultivation!

This... was only the beginning!

But for a young man who had grown up in the secular world, this signified a moment of immense glory!

The door was pushed open gently, revealing Xu Luo’s young, handsome face.

Xu Su looked up at his younger brother, momentarily overcome with a mix of emotions and unsure of what to say.

Back in the ruins of the Ancient Emperor Tribe, Xu Su had clearly sensed it. When the Thunder Beast looked at him, its gaze was benevolent, like an elder looking upon a junior.

But when it looked at Xu Luo, its gaze was far more complex. There was benevolence and nostalgia, but more than anything else, there was reverence!

Xu Su had been surprised at the time, unable to understand why the Thunder Beast’s gaze toward his brother was so complex when they were both descendants of the Ancient Emperor Tribe.

Xu Su never mentioned this to his brother, choosing instead to bury this discovery deep within his heart.

’Xu Luo is my brother. I’d rather he live this life happily and without pressure, than see him spend it toiling and suffering...’

’Besides, no matter how powerful Xu Luo became, he... was still his little brother!’

’He’s my closest family in this world!’

”Brother, your woman was attacked. She’s seriously injured. I didn’t handle it myself because I figured you’d be very interested in taking care of it personally now.”

”What? Mu Yao was attacked? Who did it?”

An intimidating, cold light flashed in Xu Su’s eyes. Though it vanished in an instant, Xu Luo, who stood opposite him, felt a searing heat from the glare.

”You actually broke through to this realm... You need time to consolidate it.” Xu Luo frowned slightly before continuing, ”It wasn’t Sister-in-law Mu Yao. It was Guo Ying...”

Xu Luo then briefly explained to Xu Su what had happened over the past two days.

After listening, Xu Su didn’t fly into a rage and rush out for revenge. He only reacted that way when he heard that Xu Luo was being bullied.

At all other times, Xu Su remained as calm and composed as ever.

The cold glint in his eyes just now, upon hearing his woman had been seriously injured, was merely an instinctive reaction. In front of his brother, he would never hide his true emotions.

”So the Wei Family finally made their move? That old fox Wei Feng couldn’t hold back any longer?” Xu Su sneered. ”And Huangfu Haoyue... he’s just one of the Royal Family Descendants from Ying City. Why is he getting involved?”

”He’s close to the Sixth Prince,” Xu Luo said.

”The Sixth Prince? He’s nothing but an arrogant fool. Does he really think he can sit on the throne?” Xu Su scoffed, full of disdain for the Sixth Prince. ”And I doubt even Huangfu Haoyue is genuinely helping him.”

Xu Luo nodded. ”I thought of that, too. Huangfu Haoyue had a perfectly good reason to make a move, even if it was just a frame-up... But as you know, Brother, framing people and slinging mud are what these noble families do best.”

Xu Su nodded, his voice cold. ”I learned just how shameless those people are many years ago. But this time, I won’t let them off lightly!”

”Right now, the rumor mill is saying our family can’t win against the Civil Servant faction and has already admitted defeat...” Xu Luo said with a smile.

”You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Xu Su looked at Xu Luo. ”If I remember correctly, you’ve been full of mischievous ideas since you were a child. You’re the one who led Little Fatty astray.”

”But you’re my own brother!” Xu Luo said with an aggrieved expression. ”Little Fatty was born a rascal. How can you say I was the one who led him astray?”

Then, Xu Luo laughed. ”But all jokes aside, this matter is actually quite tricky. Unless we use brute force, Huangfu Haoyue technically has justification on his side, even though he’s just being a busybody. So, why don’t we give him a chance, too?”

”What kind of chance?” Xu Su asked.

...

On Cyan Dragon Avenue, Su Qianqian was taking a leisurely stroll by herself, occasionally stopping in front of shops to look around.

A young woman as beautiful as she, with her bright eyes and radiant smile, was like a peerless beauty descended upon the Mortal World. She naturally drew everyone’s gaze and became the center of attention wherever she went.

Every passerby who saw Su Qianqian was struck by her beauty, secretly speculating about her identity.

Su Qianqian, however, seemed completely oblivious, continuing to stop and start as she pleased, perfectly at ease.

Huangfu Haoyue, surrounded by a group of followers, was walking in her direction. From a distance, he spotted Su Qianqian in a goose-yellow dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. His eyes immediately lit up.

”Miss Su, we meet again.” Huangfu Haoyue smiled faintly as he approached Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian’s elegant eyebrows twitched slightly. Without giving Huangfu Haoyue a single glance, she brushed right past him and kept walking.

”Didn’t you hear my master speaking to you?” one of Huangfu Haoyue’s servants shouted harshly at Su Qianqian. ”Whose daughter are you to be so rude!”

SLAP!

The servant, a Great Sword Master, had barely finished speaking when a heavy slap landed across his face. The sound was so crisp and loud it could be heard from far away.

The force of the slap sent the servant spinning in place seven or eight times before he collapsed to the ground with a THUD. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with what looked like half his teeth, and fainted on the spot!

BOOM!

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar and scattered, staring in horror at the breathtakingly beautiful young woman.

No one had expected this stunningly beautiful girl to have such a fiery temper, attacking without a moment’s hesitation!

But what was even more dumbfounding was yet to come.