Firmament Sword

”The Monarch definitely isn’t her!”

Yuwen Ji sighed. ”That person is elusive and incredibly powerful, treating the entire Vast Mountains as their own private garden. Their temperament is cold and merciless. How could that be her? She was so gentle and kind, and so afraid of being lonely. There’s no way she’d run off to live alone in a place like the Vast Mountains!”

The beautiful young woman sighed softly at his words but said nothing more. In truth, she knew perfectly well that her big brother had spent years searching everywhere for traces of his wife, and had even entered the Vast Mountains himself, but he never managed to meet the Monarch within.

He did, however, encounter that Golden Toad with its profound cultivation. It’s just that at the time, Big Brother never would have imagined that the treasure hoard of that big toad, which had once been her pet, would contain something like a Nether Flower Seed.

Now, things having come to this, Yuwen Ji was afraid... and that’s why he didn’t dare to investigate it himself!

He was afraid the truth would only lead to more disappointment!

That was why he had forcefully pushed this matter onto Xu Luo, making him investigate it!

’If the Monarch of the Vast Mountains really is my sister-in-law, then when she meets my big brother’s disciple... how could she possibly harm him?’

The beautiful young woman glanced up at the trace of sorrow on Yuwen Ji’s face and sighed inwardly. ’For Big Brother... this is probably the best news he’s had in years, right? I hope he won’t be disappointed. But for me... it’s not.’

With this in mind, the beautiful young woman asked, ”About the Soul Scripture... are you really going to help him, Big Brother?”

Yuwen Ji smiled and said, ”After joining Celestial Brilliance all those years ago, have you never once thought about trying to comprehend the Soul Scripture?”

The beautiful young woman raised an eyebrow. ”Of course I have. I heard that years ago, we Elders were allowed to study the Soul Scripture. But later, for some unknown reason... the rules changed. Now, only the Sect Leader and a select few are qualified to study it.”

”But if you do this, Big Brother, and word gets out...” A flicker of worry crossed the beautiful young woman’s eyes.

Yuwen Ji gave a faint smile. ”He wants the Soul Scripture to save someone. If I don’t help him, he has no hope. Besides, I’ve truly taken a liking to this kid and want to take him as my disciple. In this world, isn’t it only natural for a master to help his student?”

”Sigh... you’re just too kind!” The beautiful young woman sighed. ”It’s only because you’re here in the Medicine Garden. If you were anywhere else, you would have been eaten alive by now, not a scrap left. The best-case scenario would be getting pushed out!”

Yuwen Ji shook his head, unconcerned. ”Finding a good disciple... it’s not easy! Someone has to inherit my legacy, and I think he’s a perfect fit!”

”Since you’ve made up your mind, Big Brother, then your little sister can only offer her blessing.” The beautiful young woman smiled. ”In any case, no matter what, even if you were to one day turn against Celestial Brilliance, I would follow you!”

”Why must you be like this?” Yuwen Ji gave a wry smile.

”Because I want to!” The beautiful young woman shot him a look, then stood up and swayed away.

Yuwen Ji was left alone, a wry smile on his face. He sighed, murmuring, ’I understand everything... but what am I supposed to say?’

Then, Yuwen Ji’s gaze turned sharp. ’Soul Scripture... Grand Elder of the Scripture Pavilion... Heh. Back then, you schemed to separate me from her and plotted against me time and again. Now... your reckoning has come!’

...

...

Xu Luo was kicked out, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He landed directly on a mountain with beautiful scenery. A few ancient houses were nestled amidst the trees on the mountainside.

Xu Luo strolled toward the houses.

The mountain was rich with Spiritual Qi, suffused with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. There were birds and insects, and the fragrance of flowers was everywhere, yet strangely, not a single sound could be heard.

It was only when Xu Luo drew near the houses that someone slowly walked out. He was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six. He seemed a little surprised to see Xu Luo, but then, as if realizing something, he bowed and said, ”Are you the Grand Elder’s new disciple?”

”Not yet.” Xu Luo smiled and glanced at the young man, then said, ”And you are?”

”I am Mo Changgeng, the Grand Elder’s attendant.” The young man looked at Xu Luo with a hint of envy. ”Please follow me. You’ll be staying here for the time being.”

As Xu Luo followed Mo Changgeng, his mind was still replaying the details of his earlier conversation with Yuwen Ji.

Just then, Mo Changgeng turned his head and said to Xu Luo with a smile, ”The Elder is very easygoing, but his standards for accepting disciples are extremely high. So, I’m truly envious that you were chosen by him. The entire Medicine Garden is talking about you right now. Everyone is very jealous.”

Xu Luo smiled and shook his head. ”I’m afraid there are more people who are resentful.”

Mo Changgeng’s expression remained unchanged as he said lightly, ”To secure the position of Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, one cannot fear challenges.”

Xu Luo chuckled. Although Mo Changgeng hadn’t shown any unusual emotion, Xu Luo keenly sensed a slight unnaturalness about him.

’Perhaps, before I arrived, this attendant of the Grand Elder was the true, albeit unseen, Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden?’

But Xu Luo wasn’t bothered by such things. Mo Changgeng was right; if he wanted to secure the position of senior brother, he couldn’t be afraid of challenges.

Afterward, Mo Changgeng settled Xu Luo in. After giving him some instructions, he took his leave.

From start to finish, Mo Changgeng’s behavior seemed flawless. But in reality, whether intentionally or not, Mo Changgeng had not assigned any servants to Xu Luo!

This... was actually a very big problem!

Although Xu Luo had not yet formally become a disciple, and whether he could become the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden was uncertain, his becoming Yuwen Ji’s Direct Disciple was already a certainty.

Faced with Xu Luo, who would very likely become the future master of the Medicine Garden, Mo Changgeng showed no intention of currying favor. His every move, though polite, was filled with distance. It was undeniably strange.

However, Xu Luo didn’t dwell on it. Even if Mo Changgeng had assigned people to him, he wouldn’t necessarily have trusted them. In any case, it wouldn’t be long before Sun Xiaohong and the others arrived.

Comparatively, Xu Luo would much rather trust Sun Xiaohong and her group!

’When they arrive, I should find a way to help them become Outer Disciples! Since they’ve chosen to follow me, I can’t let them down,’ Xu Luo thought.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Sun Xiaohong and her group arrived. When they saw Xu Luo, their gratitude was plain to see.

Xu Luo was also very happy to see them. He said to the group, ”Later, I’ll do my best to help you become Outer Disciples first. As for the Inner Sect... I can’t make any guarantees, but as long as you work hard and meet the standards for Inner Sect Disciples, I will definitely help you get there!”

”Thank you, Young Master!” These people had placed their bets on him, and Xu Luo naturally couldn’t let them down.

A young man in his twenties named Han Shuang said to Xu Luo, ”Young Master, you probably don’t know yet, but little sister Xiaohong has already become an Outer Disciple!”

”Is that so? That’s wonderful!” Xu Luo was delighted. He turned to a slightly shy Sun Xiaohong and said, ”Congratulations!”

”You’re not angry, Young Master?” Sun Xiaohong looked at Xu Luo, a little embarrassed. ”If it weren’t for you, Young Master, I never would have been able to become an Outer Disciple...”

”I’m overjoyed, why would I be angry?” Xu Luo laughed.

Sun Xiaohong then recounted everything that had happened after Xu Luo left: how the Outer Sect’s Senior Brother, Li Yin, had personally come to apologize, and all the events that followed.

After finishing her story, Sun Xiaohong presented the Yuan Condensing Pill, housed in a jade bottle, directly to Xu Luo. ”Thanks to you, Young Master, I, Xiaohong, became an Outer Disciple and was able to vent my frustrations. This Yuan Condensing Pill is too precious... and too much of a waste for me. Besides, Li Yin didn’t offer this elixir... for my sake.”

Xu Luo chuckled and waved his hand. ”You keep it. This thing is useless to me.”

”Is it because you’re angry with me, Young Master? Are you upset that I didn’t present it to you right away?” Sun Xiaohong was terrified, her eyes welling with tears. ”The Yuan Condensing Pill is extremely valuable. I... I just wanted to give you a surprise, Young Master!”

Han Shuang chimed in awkwardly from the side, ”It’s my fault for running my mouth. Xiaohong really did want to surprise you, Young Master!”

The other Servants also spoke up to defend Sun Xiaohong.

Xu Luo laughed. ”I’m not the kind of person you think I am. You’ll understand in time. I don’t mean anything else by it. This elixir may be extremely valuable in your eyes, but to me, it’s truly of no use.”

Xu Luo wasn’t lying. His power, even back when the Seven-Star Soul had not yet left him, had already been refined to an unimaginable degree. Otherwise, how could he have so easily defeated opponents of the same rank? He could even fight against those an entire major realm above him.

Now, the power within his body had transformed into Yin Yang Power, refined to the absolute limit. With his strength at the High Tier Saint Realm, it was nearly impossible for him to lose against someone at the Peak of Saint Realm!

Even against an unfathomable expert like Wanghai, whose strength was infinitely close to that of a Great Saint, Xu Luo wouldn’t shrink from a fight. Although he would most likely lose, his opponent could forget about winning in an overwhelmingly dominant fashion!

Seeing Xu Luo state this so firmly, Sun Xiaohong misunderstood. She assumed that since her Young Master was becoming Grand Elder Yuwen’s disciple, he would have access to countless Spirit Pills in the future, which set her heart at ease.

Just then, Mo Changgeng appeared. He completely ignored the sudden appearance of Sun Xiaohong and the others, calling directly for Xu Luo and saying he was taking him to the discipleship ceremony.

Xu Luo waved his hand, telling Sun Xiaohong and the others to wait there. He would return after the ceremony was over.

Mo Changgeng was traveling in a small warship. It was over a hundred feet long, but its interior decorations were worlds apart from Yuwen Ji’s colossal vessel.

Mo Changgeng piloted the warship without a word. They soon arrived at their destination and stopped. Before opening the cabin door, he looked at Xu Luo with a blank expression and said suddenly, ”Someone might try to give you trouble in a moment. Don’t embarrass the Elder!”

Without waiting for Xu Luo’s response, he opened the door.

The moment Xu Luo stepped out, he was startled by the scene before him.

A massive plaza, large enough to hold several hundred thousand people, sat in the center of a valley. And at this moment, it was a dark, dense sea... completely packed with people!

The instant he appeared, everyone’s gaze, like a volley of sharp arrows blanketing the sky, fell upon him!