Firmament Sword

Seeing the young man's expression, Xu Luo almost wanted to laugh. He kept his face calm, looked at the youth, and said coolly, "Even if Elder Yuwen doesn't think much of me and doesn't want me as his disciple, that's Elder Yuwen's business. Heh, don't tell me... you can make decisions on his behalf?"

"You..." A flash of anger crossed the young man's eyes. He stared coldly at Xu Luo for a long moment before sneering, "In that case... I wish you success in being accepted as Elder Yuwen's disciple. When that happens... I will personally come to you and offer an apology!"

Xu Luo chuckled. If this had been two years ago, his temperament would have probably led him to say something like: 'Who the hell do you think you are? You think I give a damn about your apology?'

But now, his sole purpose in coming to Celestial Brilliance was the Soul Scripture! Xu Luo didn't want to stir up any other trouble. However, staying silent at a time like this would likely be seen as a sign of weakness.

With this in mind, Xu Luo smiled at the young man and said, "Then I'll be waiting for your apology!"

The other, slightly younger man standing with the first youth had a rather awkward expression. He seemed afraid to be impudent in front of the senior Outer Sect disciple beside him, but he also didn't want to offend Xu Luo.

Regardless of how this person had obtained his spot, if Grand Elder Yuwen truly took a liking to him, he would become one of the handful of Direct Disciples in the entire Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden!

At the very least… he wouldn't be someone that Outer Disciples like them could afford to offend.

He knew that the senior Outer Sect disciple next to him had a backer in the Inner Sect, which was why he could act so audaciously. But he couldn't!

He had no backer in the Inner Sect. If the person before him really did become a Direct Disciple and held a grudge over this, he might want revenge later. The one with a backer might be given some consideration, but against someone like himself with no support, there would be no hesitation at all!

When that time came, would there still be a place for him in the vast Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden?

Xu Luo saw through this situation clearly. Noticing the conflicted expression on the face of the youth who had remained silent, he spoke up, "You, my friend, are also an Outer Sect Disciple?"

"Ah, I am Zhang Ping, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Medicine Garden..." The young man let out a huge sigh of relief, understanding that the other party wouldn't hold this against him.

Li Yin glanced at Zhang Ping with some disdain, displeased with this unprincipled junior brother, but he didn't say anything more out of line.

Although he had a backer in the Inner Sect, the person before him still had a high chance of staying directly in the Inner Sect and becoming a Direct Disciple. If that happened, it would be very easy for this person to make trouble for him and cause him grief.

'But… that's only if you can actually become an Inner Sect Disciple!' Li Yin sneered inwardly. 'For this matter, all the Inner Sect Disciples of the Medicine Garden signed a joint petition. Led by several Core Disciples, they submitted it to Grand Elder Yuwen, protesting a stranger becoming a Direct Disciple just like that.'

Even if Grand Elder Yuwen used his authority to forcibly suppress the matter, this person's days would be anything but easy!

That was because over ninety percent of the disciples in the Medicine Garden's Inner Sect felt quite hostile toward this sudden, new fellow disciple!

It was for this very reason that Li Yin couldn't resist mocking Xu Luo to his face. He believed it was utterly impossible for the man before him to become a Direct Disciple of Grand Elder Yuwen!

The Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden was different from other places in Celestial Brilliance. Although the hierarchy was very strict, Grand Elder Yuwen himself was an extremely easy-going person. He was engrossed in alchemy day in and day out, utterly obsessed with all kinds of rare and precious medicinal ingredients, which was why he had paid such a high price for a Nether Flower Seed.

But for this very reason, the Core Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples, and even many Outer Disciples, weren't particularly afraid of Grand Elder Yuwen!

A phrase Grand Elder Yuwen often had on his lips was: "Anyone can state their case with reason, regardless of rank!"

With a Grand Elder like that, it was hardly surprising that the people under him would stir up a commotion every now and then.

Afterward, Li Yin and Zhang Ping led Xu Luo to the Ninth Mountain of Jiulong Ridge. They found him a guest house and told him to stay there.

Finally, Li Yin gave Xu Luo a meaningful look and said, "You can stay here for now. When Grand Elder Yuwen has time to see you, he will send someone to inform you. I will have the Servants here... serve you *diligently*!"

With that, he gave a lazy, half-hearted fist-clasp salute and turned to leave.

Zhang Ping shot Xu Luo an apologetic look, also clasped his fist in salute, and hurried away after Li Yin.

After all… he still had to follow the senior disciple of the Outer Sect.

Several Servants on the Ninth Mountain also learned of Xu Luo's identity. Their attitudes, while subtle, generally maintained a sense of reverence toward Xu Luo.

Outer Disciples, if they had a backer, could occasionally act wild and unruly. Inner Sect Disciples could be even more arrogant and overbearing.

But the Servants… as the lowest-ranking people in Celestial Brilliance, they had no right whatsoever to look down on anyone!

Although there was scheming and backstabbing among the Servants themselves, with lives even being lost over a single spot as an Outer Sect Disciple.

But in the face of this great personage who was very likely to become a Direct Disciple, they didn't have the guts to be provocative.

Therefore, Li Yin hadn't given them any special instructions, because he knew they wouldn't dare.

Xu Luo casually dismissed the group of Servants, who were acting very awkward around him, and then began to stroll around the courtyard.

Although it was a guest house, it covered a huge area of several acres!

Pavilions and towers were nestled among the shade of trees. The twittering of birds and the fragrance of flowers filled the air along the small paths. A stream gurgled pleasantly, with many valuable species of fish swimming within it.

From the outside, the level of luxury here didn't seem to match the scene when Xu Luo, disguised as Huo Feng, had entered the Huo Family. But in reality, every blade of grass and every tree here possessed immense value!

A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed that every random flower, plant, and tree here contained a shocking abundance of vital essence.

Even the stones piled up to form the rockery left Xu Luo speechless after he scanned them with his Divine Sense.

Because these seemingly rough and jumbled stones were actually raw ore of Immortal Spirit Stones!

'A Supreme Great Sect indeed. This kind of foundation is enough to leave one in awe!' Xu Luo murmured to himself.

What he didn't know, however, was that because of his arrival, a fierce debate was currently raging on the First Mountain of the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden, the very mountain where Grand Elder Yuwen ji resided!

It was a debate, not an argument.

Chief Grand Elder Yuwen ji sat in the head seat, his expression calm. His snow-white hair was casually tied back with a black cord, hanging down his back. His complexion was ruddy, his gaze pure, and a long beard flowed down his chest.

It looked like a conference hall. In the middle was a long, oval table. Besides Chief Grand Elder Yuwen ji at the head, eight other people sat at this table—seven men and one woman. Including the Grand Elder, there were nine in total.

Around the table were many more chairs, each occupied by a person. Judging by their faces, most of them were not very old. At this moment, many were leaning in to whisper to each other, discussing something in low voices.

At the oval table, sitting opposite Yuwen ji, was a short and extremely ugly old man.

This elder was short and scrawny, with triangular eyes and sallow skin. He had a wisp of a goatee, a Fu Manchu-style mustache on his upper lip, and his eyes darted about, giving off a very cunning impression.

At this moment, he was speaking, his voice somewhat sharp and piercing, sounding extremely harsh. "Grand Elder, everyone's opposition to this matter is not for selfish reasons."

"Perhaps many will think that these young disciples are opposing this out of selfishness, but I can say with certainty that the opposition... does not stem from selfishness. It is precisely because of our responsibility to Celestial Brilliance that everyone opposes this matter!"

"First of all, let's not even talk about the talent of the person who has come. Just consider the fact that at the auction house in Baihua City that day, the one who took this spot was a mysterious person in black robes, completely shrouded in secrecy. Who knows who he is? And who knows if he's deliberately using this method to attract our attention?"

"What if this person was sent by our enemies? If we accept him, wouldn't we be letting an enemy into our midst?"

"Therefore... I am opposed to a person of such unknown origin and identity!"

"That's right, what Elder Qi said is exactly what I wanted to say." An elder with white hair but a youthful complexion added from the side, "This person's identity and background are unknown. We cannot rashly let him in. What if... he does something to harm Celestial Brilliance? Wouldn't our Medicine Garden have to bear a heavy responsibility?"

"Yes, we don't care about his talent, or whether he is a once-in-a-billion genius... we don't care about any of that. What we care about is that this person's identity is too mysterious!"

"Exactly. Even now, we cannot be certain if the person who has arrived is the same person from Baihua City."

"Grand Elder... you see, hundreds of Inner Sect Disciples and several Direct Disciples have jointly submitted a petition opposing this matter. Do you still think... this needs to continue?"

"In my opinion, we should just give him some treasures and send him on his way. And don't let it be said that Celestial Brilliance is a bully; it wasn't easy for him to find his way here, after all."

"I agree!"

"I agree as well!"

As they spoke, all eyes fell upon Chief Grand Elder Yuwen ji of the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden, who had remained silent the entire time.

Only then did Yuwen ji finally speak. "Background and origin... among those of you present, it's true that most are from the great families of Xi Hezhou. Many of our Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples also come from reputable families."

"However..." Yuwen ji looked at the crowd and said, "Among them... there are also people with no power and no background!"

"The reason Celestial Brilliance has stood tall for so many years and remains the strongest Supreme Great Sect in Xi Hezhou is precisely because of this all-embracing conviction."

"I don't know why you all are having such a strong reaction, but my opinion is that we should at least see what kind of person has come." Yuwen ji said faintly, "If this person really is a peerless prodigy, one in a billion, and we miss out... won't you come to regret it?"

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