Firmament Sword

"A washed-up Medicine Garden... What can they do besides refine a few Elixirs for us? Their Senior Brother... is he even worthy of my attention?"

The one who said this was a woman named Wu Sisi, privately known as Princess Sisi!

She was also one of the most outstanding among Celestial Brilliance's younger generation of female disciples.

Wu Sisi had always been at odds with Qi Yue, and as a result, she held no goodwill toward the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden either.

"He got into the Medicine Garden through the back door, yet he became the Chief Grand Elder's Direct Disciple... Heavens, just how desperate is Grand Elder Yuwen? To even accept someone like that?"

"The Medicine King Ring? Heh... Those people still believe in that? How ridiculous! Can anyone tell me what the Medicine King Ring can even do? It's just a broken ring whose symbolic value far outweighs any practical use. To think it's been granted so much power is truly baffling!"

"Equal in status to the Sect Leader? Heh, I'll make sure he learns his place. Even if he calls himself the Heaven-Reaching Great King, I'll knock him right back down to size!"

The prodigies of Celestial Brilliance who had returned from their travels couldn't care less. Their words were harsh, showing they held no regard for Luo Tian, the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden.

"He's probably afraid of embarrassing himself at the Annual Competition, so he just found a place to hide, right?"

"Yeah, why else would he not dare to show his face for so long?"

"I asked someone from the Medicine Garden a while back. They said they don't know where their Senior Brother went... HAHA, their Senior Brother is missing!"

"Maybe he's in seclusion, focusing on his cultivation. We'll see the results at the Annual Competition."

"Right. As long as he dares to show up at the Annual Competition, it'll prove he has some sense of responsibility. If he doesn't... then I can only... scoff."

All sorts of rumors spread throughout Celestial Brilliance. While many expressed disdain for Luo Tian, the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, there were also a few faint voices defending him.

Regardless, for a disciple who had joined Celestial Brilliance less than a year ago to be the subject of so much talk—even among those astonishingly brilliant young prodigies—was a feat in itself!

And so, the name Luo Tian... had thoroughly resounded throughout Celestial Brilliance!

Xie Yurou sat in the reception hall, chatting and laughing happily with Sun Xiaohong.

This was already her third visit to the Medicine Garden in the past six months. She had yet to see Xu Luo, but she had grown quite familiar with Sun Xiaohong and the others.

Sun Xiaohong's eyes shone with happiness. For the past six months, she had been cultivating diligently. It wasn't just her; the others who came with her were all training as if their lives depended on it.

They all knew very well in their hearts that they owed their current success entirely to following the right person.

The resources and treatment they received here were far better than anything they had in the past!

In the past, they couldn't have even imagined living a life like this.

Therefore, they had no reason not to work hard. At the same time, they understood even more clearly that too many eyes were now watching this place, watching them.

If they ever dared to slack off or tried to abuse their power under the name of Luo Tian, the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, the one who would lose face... wouldn't be them.

It would be Luo Tian!

"We can't bring shame to the Young Master!" This was the consensus among Sun Xiaohong and the others.

"Senior Brother left with the Grand Elder that day. Many days later, the Grand Elder returned alone and sent someone specifically to inform us that Senior Brother was in seclusion and would definitely be back for the Annual Competition."

"But it's been so long! How can he be so unreliable!" Xie Yurou grumbled in complaint. "It's been half a year!"

Sun Xiaohong was well aware of the young lady's identity before her. Hearing this, she could only give a wry smile and say, "We are also very anxious in our hearts, but since the Grand Elder said so, it should be true. So... I expect the Young Master will be back in a little while!"

"Fine, then. How about this: when he comes back, use a Sound Transmission Stone to let me know, and I'll rush over immediately!" Xie Yurou sighed with a hint of resignation before taking her leave.

Sun Xiaohong was filled with admiration for her Young Master. He had only been in Celestial Brilliance for half a year, yet a noble lady like Xie Yurou had taken the initiative to befriend him and was patient enough to keep waiting for him even now!

'I hope the Young Master cultivates until he's incredibly, incredibly powerful before he comes out. Then all those people who doubted him will have to eat their own words!'

Sun Xiaohong muttered to herself, then began her own cultivation for the day.

In Xu Luo's seventh month inside the Scripture Pavilion, there were only five days left until the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition.

The doors to the Scripture Pavilion finally opened. Zuo Mingyu and Yuwen Ji arrived together.

It wasn't long before they found Xu Luo completely engrossed in a book, so absorbed that he didn't even notice them enter.

Upon seeing Xu Luo, Yuwen Ji finally let out a sigh of relief. The Soul Scripture Stele had destroyed too many geniuses, and he had been truly worried that Xu Luo would also fall into its trap.

But thankfully, the fact that he was here reading various scriptures and texts meant he hadn't been too deeply affected by the Soul Scripture.

Then, both Yuwen Ji and Zuo Mingyu noticed a girl in a white dress with long, flowing hair, who was also there, browsing through the texts.

The two of them froze on the spot. Zuo Mingyu's mouth twitched as he asked, "Where did this little girl pop out from?"

Yuwen Ji raised an eyebrow. He immediately recognized her as the beautiful girl who had appeared in his mind when he used the Heart Inference Skill.

Xu Luo had actually known someone had entered, but he was at a critical point in his reading, so he didn't greet the two Elders right away.

And Xu Luo was a bit puzzled. 'Weren't these two supposed to have a deep-seated grudge? Why do they look like old friends now?'

With that thought, Xu Luo stood up and bowed to the two. "Disciple greets Master, and greets Elder Zuo!"

Then, Xu Luo pulled over a somewhat nervous Su Qianqian and said to the two, "Master, Elder Zuo, her name is Su Qianqian. She is my... fiancée."

Xu Luo hesitated for a moment before saying it directly.

In the instant Xu Luo hesitated, Su Qianqian's eyes dimmed slightly. But then, her eyes lit up, and a happy smile bloomed on her face.

She bowed to the two Elders. "Qianqian greets the two Elders!"

Yuwen Ji frowned at Xu Luo and said angrily, "Do you know what this place is?"

Xu Luo lowered his gaze obediently. "I do."

"You do, and you still dared to bring an outsider in! Who gave you such audacity!" Yuwen Ji shouted sternly.

Su Qianqian bit her lip, standing beside Xu Luo. She was worried, feeling that she had caused trouble for him. Even the joy that had just risen in her heart was suppressed.

Zuo Mingyu spoke up from the side. "Alright, alright, don't scare the little girl. If you want to lecture your disciple... go back to your own Medicine Garden and do it. This is my territory! I haven't said anything, so what are you getting so angry about?"

Yuwen Ji chuckled. "You're not angry?"

"Pah!" Zuo Mingyu shot Yuwen Ji an irritated glare. "You think I can't tell you're just putting on a show for me? There are no outsiders here. Why bother pretending with me?"

As he spoke, Zuo Mingyu looked at Yuwen Ji in surprise, his face full of astonishment. "You old coot, I just realized... you've gotten more and more cunning in your old age!"

Meanwhile, Xu Luo, who was still holding Su Qianqian's hand, wasn't the least bit scared. He knew his master's act was just for Zuo Mingyu's benefit.

After all, this was a critical area of Celestial Brilliance, not the Medicine Garden where they could do as they pleased.

Yuwen Ji chuckled a few times without responding directly. He turned to Su Qianqian with a smile. "Little girl, don't be afraid. This Elder Zuo is a very kind person!"

Zuo Mingyu rolled his eyes, not bothering to engage with his increasingly shameless old friend. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze landed on Su Qianqian. A light flashed in his eyes, and he said in astonishment, "A pure-blood constitution? Or am I seeing things?"

As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted from his body, instantly enveloping Su Qianqian.

Xu Luo let out a cold snort. His own aura flared as he was about to step forward and block it.

Yuwen Ji barked from the side, "Don't move! Your Junior Martial Uncle Zuo means no harm!"

Xu Luo immediately retracted his aura without a trace, as if the burst of energy just now hadn't come from him at all.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Yuwen Ji's face. He looked at Xu Luo and asked, "You've improved again?"

Xu Luo nodded. "Not yet at the Great Saint Realm. I'm just a little bit off..."

"Excellent! This time, at the Annual Competition, our Medicine Garden finally won't have to be last!" Yuwen Ji was overjoyed, his face filled with a gratified smile. He couldn't be more satisfied with this disciple.

Xu Luo glanced at Zuo Mingyu, who seemed to be in a daze, then back at Yuwen Ji. 'When I entered the Scripture Pavilion, these two were at daggers drawn. What's going on now?' he wondered.

Yuwen Ji gave a slightly embarrassed smile and said, "I'll explain it to you later. It seems the young lady next to you has caught his eye!"

Xu Luo was slightly taken aback, then said happily, "Really?"

Yuwen Ji nodded. "This old fellow who makes himself look like a pretty boy is actually very picky. Ordinary people would never catch his attention. To become his disciple would definitely be a stroke of great luck!"

Xu Luo nodded, overjoyed. He had originally planned to have Su Qianqian become Lu Xue's disciple, believing Lu Xue would grant him that favor.

But now, it seemed he wouldn't need to ask. Zuo Mingyu, a look of delight on his face after using a Secret Technique to investigate Su Qianqian's bloodline, spoke directly. "Little girl, are you willing to take me as your master?"

Su Qianqian immediately turned to look at Xu Luo, her expression asking him to decide for her.

Zuo Mingyu's eyelids twitched. He suddenly had a feeling that if he took this little girl as his disciple, he would forever be a notch below Yuwen Ji whenever they met.

However, Su Qianqian's aptitude was astonishingly good, in no way inferior to the prodigies of Celestial Brilliance!

A genius like this... was someone he absolutely could not miss out on, now that he had found her!

Therefore, Zuo Mingyu shot Xu Luo a threatening glare, warning him not to ruin this for him.

Xu Luo smiled shyly. "Um... Elder Zuo, this junior has a favor to ask. As long as Elder Zuo can agree to it..."

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