Firmament Sword

The night was deep and quiet. From the distant mountain range, the low roar of a wild beast would occasionally tear through the night sky, striking a faint fear into one’s heart.

Any beast that could reign supreme in this Small World was extraordinary. At the very least, they were cubs of Holy Beasts with sacred bloodlines, or high-level Spirit Beasts.

Ordinary Spirit Beasts might be considered powerful kings outside, but in this Small World, they were at the bottom of the food chain. One wrong move, and they’d be eaten.

Exhausted from the day, the young women of the Jade Balance Sect had long since grown tired and returned to their tents to rest.

Xu Qing, however, was full of energy and sat chatting casually with Xu Luo by the campfire.

Xu Qing told Xu Luo amusing stories from her childhood, and Xu Luo, in turn, shared many tales of the secular world, including some about himself.

This was the first time Xu Luo had ever spoken about his childhood to someone he wasn’t particularly familiar with.

”When I was little, my body was weak, and I couldn’t cultivate. I spent my days afraid to go outside, especially of running into the scions of the great families in the Imperial Capital. Getting ridiculed was inevitable.”

”You’d be mocked just for not being able to cultivate? Doesn’t the secular world care more about power and status?” Xu Qing asked, a little curious. This was different from the secular world she knew of.

”Of course. In the secular world, strength is just as paramount!”

Xu Luo chuckled. ”Heh, a favored daughter of the heavens like you would probably find it hard to imagine. Even though I was considered to be from a wealthy and noble family in the secular world, my greatest fear back then was all sorts of high-society gatherings. I was still young, but you know how it is with the children of nobility... their training always has to start from a young age.”

Xu Qing noticed that as Xu Luo spoke, a faint trace of self-mockery flashed through the depths of his pure eyes.

”It’s the same for everyone, really. I was born into a sect, so I was placed on a pedestal from a young age and didn’t have many friends.”

Xu Qing picked up a branch and poked the campfire, sending a shower of sparks into the air. The flames cast a reddish glow on their faces. In the flickering firelight, she said with a wry smile, ”Especially my uncle back then... Heh, let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about you. I really enjoy hearing stories about the secular world.”

”But the stories about me aren’t very pleasant,” Xu Luo said, a slight, humorless smile on his lips. ”Many kids my age liked to call me ’little trash.’ They said I was a disgrace to the Xu Family. The Xu Family has been known for its martial prowess for generations, but then they produced a good-for-nothing like me. They said that when I died, I wouldn’t even have the face to meet my ancestors. When the Centennial Star Festival suddenly failed, I inexplicably fainted in the Star Hall. Even the Emperor mocked me, saying I’d have to go steal a Civil Servant’s job in the future...”

”That’s horrible! As an Emperor, how could he say something like that? Even if he was truly displeased, he shouldn’t have said it out loud!” Xu Qing said indignantly.

”He was probably just muddled with anger at the time. After all, the Centennial Star Festival is an event of the utmost importance to the Empire. When the Star Festival failed, they needed scapegoats, and I... was naturally the first in line. But because of my father’s status, he couldn’t really do anything to me, so making a few sarcastic remarks was unavoidable,” Xu Luo said calmly.

Xu Qing glanced at Xu Luo and mumbled, ”I’ve suddenly realized that when you lose your temper, you’re terrifying, like a tyrant. But normally... you’re so calm and low-key. It’s true that a person’s personality has so much to do with their upbringing.”

Xu Luo nodded in agreement and sighed softly. The past was painful to look back on. Even though he had now fulfilled the promise he once made to himself and surpassed many geniuses from the sects, he still felt a profound sense of emotion whenever he recalled those bygone days.

’No matter when, you have to rely on yourself!’

These memories from the past left Xu Luo with little desire to continue chatting. He looked at Xu Qing and said, ”It’s late. You should get some rest too. We still have two days left on this trip to the Small World. Tomorrow, we can look for some ruins or the like. Maybe we can even find a few inheritances. If not, finding some Spirit Medicine would be good too.”

Xu Qing smiled slightly. ”Okay. But aren’t you going to look for your friends?”

Xu Luo was startled for a moment, then gave a carefree smile. ”The Small World is dangerous, but after being swept through by so many sect disciples, the powerful beasts have long since gone into hiding. The ones that are left shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Everyone has their own fortuitous encounters. I have faith in them!”

”It’s truly a lucky thing to be your friend!” Xu Qing said softly.

”Haha, I just hope you don’t end up thinking it’s an unlucky thing later on,” Xu Luo laughed.

Xu Qing waved at Xu Luo and ducked into her tent. She didn’t take his words to heart. ’As a favored daughter of the heavens, backed by a top-tier major sect, who in this world could possibly bring me misfortune?’

Afterward, Xu Luo extinguished the campfire, burying the embers with dirt. Then, he prepared to head into his tent to rest as well.

Just then, an incredibly brilliant light streaked across the distant horizon, like a meteor falling to earth. The burst of light instantly illuminated the sky, turning it as bright as day!

”Could it be? Another Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact has emerged?” Xu Luo raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself. Then, he couldn’t help but smile. ’One shouldn’t be too greedy,’ he thought. ’My gains this time have already been astonishing enough.’

Although he hadn’t broken through to the Fifth Layer of Transformation Realm, he had reached the Peak Realm of Transformation Realm. He was just half a step away from breaking through.

In truth, he could easily break through just by eating a few Chaos Peaches or by going back and asking his parents for a Blood Pill. But Xu Luo didn’t want to do that. It was true that the higher the realm, the more external aid one needed. Upon reaching the Transformation Realm, the demand for all kinds of resources was far greater than it had been before.

As for the realms above Transformation Realm, the need for resources was even more astonishing.

Still, Xu Luo wanted to take it one step at a time, to walk his path with solid footing. Only by building a firm foundation could he go further in the future.

A towering skyscraper is built from the ground up. The better the foundation, the more stable the structure on top!

And the higher it can be!

Not to mention, he had seven bottomless pits in his Dantian in the form of his Star Souls. Even if he really wanted to break through using a Chaos Peach or a Blood Pill, he feared that if the Star Souls didn’t deem him ready, they would just absorb all the power for themselves.

Xu Luo was already very satisfied with his current strength. Although he couldn’t unleash the immensely powerful Dharma Heaven and Earth, he still had the power to fight against experts who could!

Aside from experts like Xushan, who stood at the Peak of the Transformation Realm and whom Xu Luo could not fight head-on, he feared no one else.

Across the entire Central Plains Star Continent, there weren’t many people who had reached Xushan’s level. Only a few Sect Leaders of major sects or their hidden, reclusive old ancestors could reach that realm.

But anyone who had reached that realm was a major figure whose fame shook the region. Why would they casually attack a young man like Xu Luo?

Therefore, although Xu Luo now had some enemies, he felt no fear in his heart. If he really couldn’t win a fight, he could just run. And if he couldn’t even run away, he still had both the courage and the means to fight to the death.

Xu Luo’s interest wasn’t particularly piqued by the light that still hadn’t faded from the horizon. But then, his brow furrowed slightly. He had a feeling that within that brilliant ball of light, there was an aura that was incredibly familiar to him.

It was like an intuition. After all, the distance was too great for him to actually sense the aura from there.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Luo decided to go and see for himself.

It wasn’t that he was coveting the Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact. It was that throb from deep within his heart that made him feel uneasy.

His intuition told him that if he didn’t go, he might regret it.

...

”Little girl, finding you... really wasn’t easy! You almost slipped away. Cunning little thing, to think you actually burrowed into this space!” a young man’s voice sounded from behind Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian bit her lower lip, not making a sound. Her feet were like the wind and her body a bolt of lightning as she completely ignored the man’s words behind her.

”What’s the point? I’ve already told you. Hand over the Heart of the Fire Dragon and obediently stay by my side. Not only can I guarantee your survival, I can even ensure you’ll one day break through to the Sword Saint Realm and have your chance for revenge!”

”The ones who massacred your entire Su Family are my mortal enemies. Though we belong to the same clan, the grudges between us run deep. So, you don’t need to doubt my words. Everything I’m saying is the sincere truth!”

”If you continue to be this obstinate, it will do you no good! Even if I let you go today, someone else will find you in the future! This world may be vast, but when we people of the Ancient Race Continent want to find someone... heh, it’s truly impossible for them to escape.”

”Su Qianqian, my patience has its limits. I don’t have the patience to play this game of cat and mouse for much longer. I’ll give you one last chance. You...”

”If you have the guts, then just kill me! As for getting anything from me, that’s just wishful thinking!” Su Qianqian retorted coldly, without slowing her pace.

”Hehe, I’m actually quite surprised. The information I received about you said you were just a little girl who hadn’t even reached the Transformation Realm. I was puzzled at the time. Even though your branch of the family is a bit pathetic for having left the Ancient Race Continent, surely it couldn’t be so bad that a direct descendant hadn’t even reached the Transformation Realm... As expected, the information was wrong. At such a young age, you’ve already broken through to the Fifth Layer of Transformation Realm. Although you can only barely manage to manifest Dharma Heaven and Earth, you can indeed be called an expert!”

Following behind Su Qianqian was a young man who looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had handsome features, a tall, slender build, and wore blue robes. His pair of sapphire-blue eyes held a somewhat uncanny charm.

Watching the figure ahead, the young man moved with the casual air of someone taking a stroll. Though he looked relaxed, each step he took covered dozens, even hundreds, of meters.

”Although you and I share a common ancestor, after so many generations, we no longer have any real blood relation. So, I’ll say it again: as long as you’re willing, I can take you as my concubine. It’s not that I don’t want to give you a better status. First, there’s your current identity. And second, for scions like us, marriage is rarely a matter of personal choice. I’m sure you understand,” the young man said with a serious expression, completely ignoring whether Su Qianqian wanted to hear any of it.

”So much nonsense!” Su Qianqian muttered. She stopped in her tracks, hovering in the void, and turned to face the young man coldly. ”I’ve said it before. Give up hope! Either you kill me, or you let me go! You want me to go with you? Sorry, I already have someone I love. You want the Heart of the Fire Dragon? Sorry, never heard of it!”