Firmament Sword

”Hahaha, Xiaoluo, you should have seen the look on Wei Feng’s face! It was priceless! He looked worse than if his own father had died! It was hilarious!”

The ever-rigorous Xu Su, who was even seen as a bit stiff by outsiders and had carried himself like a soldier since childhood, was now waving his arms and legs, laughing like a child who had just pulled off a successful prank.

”Those people probably won’t dare to cause trouble so easily now. Speaking of which, our Xu Family... has gained power, but the ’strength’ we can wield... is still not enough. To be blunt, you can blame the previous generations for not working hard enough. Why is it always a single heir?” Xu Luo said, sounding a bit conflicted.

”You brat, stop talking nonsense!” Luo Xinlan shot Xu Luo a glare, but she had a smile on her face.

Xu Ji, however, nodded in agreement and muttered under his breath, ”You should be content. If I hadn’t insisted back then... you wouldn’t even exist!”

”Shut your mouth!” Luo Xinlan glared fiercely at her husband, her face flushing red. She was mortified. ’How can he say something like that in front of the children?’

Luo Xinlan sat to the side, watching her two sons with a look of pure bliss. From time to time, she would glance at her husband sitting beside her... Xu Ji, who was now the Grand General King.

Luo Xinlan had a feeling that right now, she was the happiest woman in the world.

Master Mao and Sister Ying had run off to play somewhere. Strangely enough, perhaps because Spirit Beasts had more in common with each other, after spending a few days together, Master Mao and Sister Ying’s relationship had become quite harmonious.

Xu Luo had just heard the two of them whispering furtively, as if they were plotting some mischief, but he didn’t pay it much mind.

There weren’t many in the Imperial Capital who could threaten those two ferocious creatures. As long as they weren’t foolish enough to go stir up trouble at the Imperial Palace, they should be fine.

Xu Luo had returned quietly with his mother. No matter what, the Luoshui Nunnery in the South Sea had suffered a considerable loss this time, and they probably wouldn’t forget it so easily.

It was highly likely they would send people to the Imperial Capital to gather information. Xu Luo wasn’t particularly afraid, but it was always better to have less trouble if possible.

Most importantly, as soon as Xu Luo returned to the Imperial Capital, he received a letter.

The letter had been sent by someone from Phoenix. The upheaval at Fengyue Building had, after all, alarmed the Merak Sect. Moreover, their reaction was extremely fast; they had already dispatched a Merak Disciple to take over Fengyue Building.

Xu Luo knew this disciple. It was one of the female disciples who had been guarding Sect Leader Li Wenxi’s courtyard the day he entered the Merak Sect. She was considered a trusted subordinate of Phoenix’s faction.

This young woman was also the one who delivered the letter. She had an excellent impression of Xu Luo and said with a smile that if he ever needed to use Fengyue Building for anything in the future, he just had to ask.

Xu Luo didn’t stand on ceremony and asked her to look after his two future sisters-in-law, Xia Muyao and Guo Ying.

The young woman naturally agreed with pleasure. To her, building a good relationship with Xu Luo was as good as securing her footing in the Imperial Capital. The only thing left was to figure out how to manage Fengyue Building.

The fact that she had been sent here showed that the young woman was no fool. There were many things Xu Luo didn’t need to worry about.

What Xu Luo was concerned about now was the content of Phoenix’s letter: the Sect Assembly... was about to begin!

From the day Xu Luo had first heard of the Sect Assembly, he had been extremely interested in the event.

At the time, he had thought that if possible, he had to go see for himself what those powerful, semi-hidden sects were really like.

More importantly, at the Sect Assembly, it was highly likely he would run into Qiqi and Lianyi. He realized it had been a long time since he had seen them, and he missed them dearly.

Right now, he was asking for his parents’ opinions.

He had no choice. No matter how strong he was, in his parents’ eyes, he was still just a child.

Before, with Xu Ji at the front lines and Luo Xinlan at the Luoshui Nunnery, Xu Luo had been left to his own devices. Now that both his parents were back, leaving without saying goodbye would be inexcusable.

”The Sect Assembly... I’ve heard of it. Almost all the sects on the Central Plains Star Continent participate. It’s an especially good opportunity for the younger generation to make a name for themselves or gain excellent experience.” Luo Xinlan said, looking at Xu Luo with some reluctance. ”It’s just... I’m a little reluctant to let you go...”

”When a child grows up, he’ll naturally have his own business to attend to.” Xu Ji coughed lightly and gave Xu Luo a benevolent look. ”If you feel you must go, then go. But remember, nothing is more precious than your own life!”

Xu Luo looked at his stern-faced father, a warmth spreading through his heart. He knew his parents doted on him. At the Centennial Star Festival, he had made such a fool of himself. If it had been any other parent, they probably would have slapped him across the face and called him useless to vent their anger.

But his father had told him, ”Don’t be afraid. Even if the sky falls, your dad will be here to hold it up for you!”

A father’s love is like a mountain—heavy and understated, warming the heart and making one’s nose tingle.

Luo Xinlan was not an unenlightened woman. She nodded at her husband’s words. ”That’s right. In this world, nothing is more important than life. If you lose other things, you can get them back, but you only have one life. I’ve never really cared about you becoming famous or successful. I just want you and your brother to live your lives in peace and safety. If you can do that, I’ll be content!”

As Luo Xinlan spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked at Xu Luo and said, ”Oh, right. I’ve heard that quite a few pretty girls have appeared by your side these past two years. Want to introduce them to your mother?”

”Heh heh, Mom, where did you hear that? There’s nothing of the sort. I think you’d be better off finding some time to meet my two sisters-in-law and setting a wedding date. That way, you can have grandchildren sooner!” Xu Luo said with a grin.

”Xu Luo...” Veins throbbed on Xu Su’s forehead as he ground his teeth, glaring furiously at Xu Luo. He was extremely displeased that his younger brother had redirected the disaster and thrown him under the bus.

”What are you glaring for? Is your brother wrong? You’re not getting any younger. No one was nagging you before, but now you have two girls in love with you. Do you want them to waste their youth and die alone?” Facing her older son, Luo Xinlan was far less gentle and polite, her expression stern.

”I...” Xu Su was speechless. He secretly shot a glare at Xu Luo. ’You damn brat, you just had to bring up my sore spot. You’re killing me.’ Facing his mother, it didn’t matter that he was a Sword King. Even if he were a god, he’d have to listen obediently.

”’I’ what? Am I wrong?” Facing her eldest son, Luo Xinlan was in full command.

”You’re right...” Xu Su looked aggrieved. This iron-willed soldier from the battlefield was like a henpecked husband in front of his mother. He complained silently, ’It’s not as serious as you’re making it sound. We’re all still very young, okay?’

”Alright, it’s settled. Find a day when you’re free and bring both girls over for me to see. I’ll help put in a good word for you. If there are no issues, we’ll arrange the engagement!” Luo Xinlan made the final decision.

With a pained expression, Xu Su could only nod in agreement. Inwardly, however, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Xu Luo was right; after his strength advanced to the Sword King Realm, the two women’s attitudes toward him had indeed changed again.

It wasn’t that Xia Muyao and Guo Ying were vain or materialistic women. It was just that in this world, what young maiden in love wouldn’t want the man of her heart to be powerful?

Xu Luo had successfully diverted his mother’s attention. He then took the Jade Marrow Bottle from his robes, and both Xu Ji’s and Luo Xinlan’s gazes were immediately drawn to it.

Everyone in the Xu Family was a martial artist. Xu Su’s recent transformation had already left Xu Ji amazed, and he had long yearned for these Elixirs passed down from ancient times.

At this point in his life, it was difficult for anything to move Xu Ji. But for a martial artist, when it came to items that could enhance one’s power, no one—no matter how mighty an expert they were—could remain indifferent.

”When I obtained these Blood Pills, I also heard a secret. It’s said that our family are descendants of the Ancient Emperor Tribe. Heh, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but these Elixirs are definitely genuine Top-Grade Elixirs...” Xu Luo said with a smile.

”Enough with the nonsense. Hurry up and hand them out so your mother and I can go into seclusion to cultivate!” Xu Ji said impatiently.

”What’s your hurry? It’s the boy’s thing. Look at you drooling over it!” Luo Xinlan snapped at her husband, but her eyes betrayed her. She, too, was staring intently at the Jade Marrow Bottle in Xu Luo’s hands.

Xu Luo smiled faintly and said, ”There were fifty in total. Big Brother got ten, my four sworn brothers each got three, and I gave four to Su Qianqian...”

”See? You treated that girl even better than your sworn brothers. And you still dare to say there’s nothing going on? But if that’s the case, what about Qiqi? What about Lianyi? And what about that young woman, Phoenix...” At the mention of girls, Luo Xinlan’s attention, which had just been diverted, immediately snapped back to Xu Luo.

Xu Su snickered on the side, giving Xu Luo a gloating look. ’You brat,’ he thought, ’let’s see you talk your way out of this one.’

”Ahem, there was a reason for what happened with Qianqian. I’ll... explain it to you later.” Xu Luo pressed a hand to his forehead, exasperated. His mother seemed terrified that he and his brother would never find wives; her enthusiasm for this topic was staggering.

”There were originally twenty-four Elixirs left. I took one, so there are twenty-three remaining. As for you two, you can each have ten. Be careful when you take them. The effects are extremely potent, so you probably won’t be able to absorb it all at once. My advice is to stop once you reach the Sword King Realm. After all, once your realm has advanced, you still need time for your state of mind to catch up and to master your new abilities...”

Xu Luo said all this casually, but his words left both Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji completely stunned.

”Sword King...” A muscle twitched violently on Xu Ji’s dignified face, and a fervent light flashed in his eyes.

What martial artist didn’t dream of breaking through to that realm?

Forget the secular world—even among the sects, how many could break through to that realm in their entire lifetime?

Luo Xinlan was also filled with amazement. She thought back to all the trouble she had gone through just to obtain a single Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill, and her heart filled with a mixture of sorrow and pride.

Meanwhile, Xu Su stared at Xu Luo in utter shock. It wasn’t the other things that surprised him, but the number of Blood Pills Xu Luo had left. He couldn’t help but blurt out, ”You... you only took one Blood Pill?”