Firmament Sword

Xu Luo looked utterly helpless. ’Oh, Mother,’ he thought, ’can’t you see why I’m doing this? Why must you insist...’

”Silly child, do you think that just because you don’t say anything, they don’t know your current situation? Do you really believe that by acting this way, they’ll go fall in love with other men? I can only say... you’re too young. you simply don’t understand a woman’s heart!”

Luo Xinlan looked at Xu Luo and directly exposed his intentions, partly so that Phoenix and Lianyi would hear and not misunderstand him.

Sure enough, upon hearing Luo Xinlan’s words, both Lianyi and Phoenix flushed a deep crimson with shyness, but inwardly, they were nodding in fervent agreement.

Luo Xinlan’s words had struck a chord deep within them!

Lan Xin, sitting beside Little Fatty, said in a clear voice, ”Third Brother, a man must be responsible. What you’re doing is wrong!”

Little Fatty grimaced beside her, about to say something, but was pinched hard by Lan Xin. Looking aggrieved, he muttered quietly, ”That’s the kind of responsibility I’d like to have, too!”

”You’re still talking!” Lan Xin blushed and pinched Little Fatty hard on his waist.

Little Fatty let out an exaggerated yelp, and everyone couldn’t help but burst out laughing, lightening the somewhat tense atmosphere.

Xu Luo gave a resigned smile. He glanced at Lianyi and Phoenix, deciding he still needed to find time to have a proper talk with them.

”Then it’s settled. The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day, perfect for an engagement!” Luo Xinlan laid down the law. When it came to being formidable, she wasn’t much different from Lianyi’s aunt, Ling Fengxian.

Everyone swarmed over to offer congratulations. Even the usually taciturn Sui Yan came forward, promising to give Brother Luo a grand gift when the time came. Xu Luo felt both touched and helpless.

That evening, in the reception hall of Xu Luo’s courtyard, the three women—Phoenix, Lianyi, and Huangfu Shishi—sat together, happily chatting about how they would dress for the engagement, what clothes they would wear, and what jewelry they would pick out. They left Xu Luo completely to himself, ignoring him.

Huangfu Shishi felt a little helpless, but at a time like this, she knew that if she didn’t present a united front with the other two, she would inevitably displease them.

Lianyi’s heart ached for Xu Luo, but she still harbored some resentment. After all these years of her heart belonging completely to him, he had tried to cast her aside in the end.

Phoenix also harbored a deep-seated resentment. When she had first met Xu Luo, she hadn’t felt much for the ill-reputed Second Young Master of the Xu Family. But in the years that followed, her feelings for him had grown with each passing day.

After everything they had experienced together, there was no longer room in Phoenix’s heart for anyone else.

”Sister Lianyi is the eldest, so you should stand at the very front that day! Sister Phoenix can be second, and I’ll be at the very back,” Huangfu Shishi suggested.

”How could that possibly work? You’re a Princess of the Royal Family, not to mention the one ’someone’ specifically designated for the engagement. If we put you at the back and ’someone’ throws a fit, we won’t be able to handle the fallout. What do you think, Sister Lianyi?” Phoenix said with a sweet smile, shooting a sideways glance at Xu Luo, who was sulkily sipping his tea.

Lianyi smiled and said gently, ”It really doesn’t matter. We are all good sisters; the order is not important.”

”Hey, you three, haven’t you had enough? Isn’t it about time you listened to a few words from me?” Xu Luo cut in from the side.

”Oh, right, Sister Lianyi, what do you think I should wear that day? I like red, but since it’s just the engagement, not the wedding, would wearing red be inappropriate?” Phoenix completely ignored Xu Luo.

Lianyi chuckled. ”Wear whatever you like. Why worry about all that?”

Huangfu Shishi shot Xu Luo an apologetic glance, then smiled and said, ”I think I could wear a blue dress…”

”Mhm, with your stunning beauty, Little Sister Qiqi, you’d look good in anything!” Phoenix said.

At this, Phoenix finally broke. Tears streamed down her fair, jade-like face as she pressed her lips together and stared at Xu Luo. ”You heartless bastard! So what if it’s dangerous? So what if people are trying to kill you? Since the day I, Phoenix, fell for you, have you ever been short on trouble? Hmph! Trying to shake me off… No way!”

A beauty’s grace is the hardest favor to receive. Xu Luo looked at the three stunningly beautiful faces and said, ”The danger I face doesn’t just come from the great sects of the Central Plains Star Continent. Once I leave the Imperial Capital, I myself don’t know when I’ll be able to return.”

”The Ancient Race?” Lianyi had already learned some things from her aunt. She said softly, ”The Ancient Race is certainly terrifying, but I believe that as long as we work hard, we can find a solution. No matter what, we’re willing to face it with you!”

Phoenix and Huangfu Shishi both nodded forcefully.

”If I were to say right now, ’What has Xu Luo possibly done to deserve the favor of three such beautiful women,’ would that sound a bit melodramatic?” Xu Luo said with a sudden smile, as if he had figured something out.

”Pah! Who’s fawning over you? It’s just that I don’t have any better options!” Phoenix retorted stubbornly.

Huangfu Shishi, however, said with a radiant smile, ”Well, I’ve liked Brother Xu Luo since I was little! I swore long ago that in this life, I would marry no one but Brother Xu Luo!”

Lianyi looked at Xu Luo. ”I’m your little maid… so naturally, I belong to you…”

”Hey… you two… you’ve gone too far! Traitors!” Phoenix feigned outrage and pounced on Lianyi and Huangfu Shishi, baring her claws. The three women immediately dissolved into a playful heap.

How many ordinary men were fortunate enough to witness such a ravishing scene?

Xu Luo had indeed had an epiphany. ’To hell with it,’ he thought. ’So what if they’re from the Ancient Race Continent? It’s not like I haven’t killed their kind before. You may be powerful, but I’m not weak. You have your ancient heritage, but I have the Seven-Star Soul!’

’In this life, to find one soulmate is already a blessing, yet I have three! I truly am the luckiest man in the world!’

’That being the case, what is there to be afraid of? If for nothing else, then for my family, my friends, and these three devoted women before me, I must become stronger!’

With his mind at ease, his thoughts became clear and unimpeded. Xu Luo didn’t even bother talking to the three women about the Ancient Race Continent anymore.

As a man, it was better to shoulder some burdens alone. There was no need to speak of them and make others worry.

As the knot in his heart unraveled, Xu Luo felt a great weight lift from him. A sudden tremor pulsed through the meridians in his body, and the Shadow Shaking Heart Method began to operate automatically.

A vast surge of Star Power suddenly rushed toward the bottleneck in his meridians!

”This… this is insane!” Even Xu Luo himself was stunned by this reaction. After all, he had only just broken through to the Fifth Layer of Transformation Realm a short while ago. From the looks of it, he seemed to be on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Layer of Transformation Realm…

But since this opportunity had presented itself, Xu Luo was determined to seize it. A chance like this was normally impossible to find; how could he let it go?

He immediately sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, guiding the vast Star Power in his body to assault the bottleneck in his meridians.

When Phoenix, Lianyi, and Huangfu Shishi saw what was happening with Xu Luo, they knew at once what was going on. They exchanged a glance, carefully left the room, and stood guard outside to make sure no one disturbed him.

Phoenix exclaimed in shock, ”He can break through like this, too? Heavens… I’m… I’m speechless!”

Lianyi’s eyes glittered with a strange light as she smiled. ”He probably gained a lot of new insights after coming to terms with a few things, right?”

Huangfu Shishi nodded. ”My strength also increased significantly after I moved on from the shadow of my parents’ departure.”

”Sigh, when will my strength ever improve as quickly as that guy’s!” Phoenix lamented.

”Oh, come on, don’t be so greedy!” Huangfu Shishi rolled her eyes at Phoenix. ”You’re already incredibly powerful, so much so that we can’t even hope to catch up.”

”With him around, we’ll all become powerful Martial Artists,” Lianyi said with a soft smile.

This breakthrough stemmed from his mental clarity, so it felt utterly smooth, without the slightest hint of stagnation. It was as natural as a river flowing to the sea; the bottleneck in his meridians instantly crumbled to dust!

The entire process was so effortless that Xu Luo himself could hardly believe it!

’This… I’m at the Sixth Layer of Transformation Realm already?’

As he adapted to the immense power in his body and the completely new sensations of the Sixth Layer of Transformation Realm, Xu Luo couldn’t help but mutter, ”How could it have been so easy?”

If anyone else had heard him, they would have wanted to strangle him on the spot.

Countless sect disciples struggled their entire lives without ever breaking through to the Transformation Realm, remaining stuck at the True Martial Realm. Those who could reach the Transformation Realm were already considered exceptionally rare geniuses.

But even for geniuses, every single step forward within the Transformation Realm was as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

Who could compare to Xu Luo, who in just a few short years had grown from a frail, ordinary youth into a true powerhouse capable of manifesting Dharma Heaven and Earth?

Each minor layer within the Transformation Realm was vastly different. At the Fifth Layer of Transformation Realm, although one could manifest Dharma Heaven and Earth, the duration was not very long, and its power, relatively speaking, was not that great.

Someone like Xu Luo with his Three-Star Dharma Aspect was a rarity, an anomaly even!

To have the Seven-Star Soul enter one’s body—such a destiny was one of a kind in all of heaven and earth.

And upon reaching the Sixth Layer of Transformation Realm, both the meridians in one’s body and the energy in one’s Dantian were far more powerful than at the Fifth Layer.

Therefore, even an ordinary Martial Artist who cultivated to the Sixth Layer of Transformation Realm would become much more powerful than they had been at the Fifth Layer of Transformation Realm.

And that was to say nothing of Xu Luo… a young man known as a monster!