Firmament Sword

"You... you... you!" Xie Yurou stared at Xu Luo, utterly speechless. She grumbled, "Are you just dense... or completely heartless? Don't you know how many people out there want to grind you under their heel and humiliate you?"

"That sounds like my problem, doesn't it?" Xu Luo said, scratching his head with a smile.

"Of course it's your problem! I came here out of the goodness of my heart to warn you!" Xie Yurou exclaimed erratically. "What else would it be? You think I've taken a fancy to you? In your dreams!"

"That never even crossed my mind..." Xu Luo shrugged helplessly.

"What?! I'm a gorgeous woman, and the thought never even occurred to you? Are you even a man?" Xie Yurou flared up again.

Xu Luo was completely lost for words and could only stare innocently at the Little Witch.

"That look won't work on me. Give up hope, because I'll never like you!" Xie Yurou, like a proud little swan, tilted her head back, revealing her fair, delicate neck. She announced haughtily, "Anyway, I've come to warn you! As for who's targeting you... I've written them all down on this list for you!"

With that, she pulled out a piece of paper and slapped it onto the table beside Xu Luo. She then stood up and headed for the door, grumbling as she went, "What an annoying personality, just as bad as that friend of yours. But... he's way cuter than you!"

And with that, Xie Yurou was gone.

Xu Luo was taken aback for a moment, then broke into an amused laugh. He picked up the paper from the table.

"Wu Sisi: A Celestial Splendor Noble Lady and a Direct Disciple, apprenticed to Celestial Brilliance Elder Shu Qing. Wu Sisi is arrogant and ruthless in her methods. She excels with all sorts of hidden weapons and is known as 'Wu Rose,' meaning she's not just beautiful, but also very thorny! She holds a preeminent reputation among all the female disciples of Celestial Brilliance and is one of the most exceptional."

"Wu Sisi and the Senior Sister of the Medicine Garden, Qi Yue, have a long-standing feud. They've faced each other in the annual competition for the past three years. Each time... Qi Yue has lost to Wu Sisi by half a move. The duel between them is considered one of the highlights of the competition."

"An Yu: A Celestial Brilliance Inner Sect Direct Disciple, apprenticed to Elder Ge Datong. True to his name, which means 'jade,' he is refined but his strength is unfathomable. He excels at both ranged and close-quarters combat!"

"He is rumored to be the one most likely to challenge the Senior Brother of Celestial Brilliance, Jin Ming! An Yu comes from an extraordinary background with an immensely powerful family. He is arrogant, and there are very few in the entire Celestial Brilliance Sect whom he deems worthy of his attention. Be extremely careful if you run into him. Do not, under any circumstances, offend him, or the repercussions will be endless."

"Miao Jianfei: A Celestial Brilliance Inner Sect Direct Disciple, apprenticed to Elder Bifang. Miao Jianfei excels with the sword; his Swordsmanship is so masterful it has been personally praised by the Sect Leader. He has ranked among the top ten in the annual competition for several years running!"

"This man is extremely righteous and dislikes insincere flattery, which has caused him to offend many people in Celestial Brilliance, so he isn't very popular. He has a somewhat reclusive nature. If you get the chance, you should try to befriend him. He would make a good friend!"

"Lv Di: A Celestial Brilliance Inner Sect Direct Disciple, apprenticed to Feng Venerable. Lv Di has a strange personality and is very low-key, almost never interacting with others. His close-quarters combat ability is exceptionally strong, and his physique is so powerful that he's hailed as having the toughest body among Celestial Brilliance's younger generation!"

"Wanghai: A Celestial Brilliance Inner Sect Disciple. He normally wouldn't make this list, but he is likely the person who hates you, the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, the most. As for the specific reason, if you already know, I won't elaborate. If you don't, find a chance to ask me later."

"Although Wanghai is not a Direct Disciple, his strength is immense; many Direct Disciples are no match for him. His ambition is to be accepted as a Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader himself!"

"Be extremely careful when you face him. During the annual competition, although the rules state that bouts should stop at first touch, blades have no eyes, and casualties are inevitable. Therefore, even if you are killed 'accidentally,' the other party won't bear much responsibility..."

Besides these, the list contained dozens of other names. For each person, their skills, temperament, and master were all recorded with great clarity.

The tiny, neat script was elegant, a clear sign of the great care that had been put into it.

Xu Luo scratched his head, feeling deeply grateful. At the same time, he couldn't help but give a wry smile. 'She's clearly such a meticulous and thoughtful girl, so why does she insist on acting so brash?'

'The ways of the Celestial Brilliance People... are truly impossible to figure out!'

"In the past, every annual competition has been the most painful, embarrassing, and unbearable time for our Medicine Garden. Countless people are just waiting to laugh at our expense. Trampling on the Medicine Garden Disciples is what brings them the most joy..."

Second Elder of the Medicine Garden, Thunderstorm, sat beside Yuwen Ji. He looked down at the crowd of Celestial Brilliance Inner Sect and Direct Disciples and said in a heavy tone, "Don't think this is just some prank on their part. The truth is, over the years, as word has spread that the Medicine Garden finishes last in every competition, more and more exceptionally talented disciples shake their heads like rattle-drums the moment they hear the name 'Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden,' refusing to join us!"

"Gradually, it's become harder and harder for us to recruit disciples with strong combat abilities. This, in turn... has created a vicious cycle."

As he spoke, Thunderstorm glanced at Xu Luo beside him and declared loudly, "Fortunately, this year, our Medicine Garden finally has a true pillar of support! He is... your Senior Brother, the heir of the Medicine King... Luo Tian!"

A burst of applause immediately erupted from the crowd below.

Regardless, many of them still remembered Luo Tian's apprenticeship ceremony from over half a year ago. His words had first filled their hearts with shame, then made their blood boil with passion.

The Inner Sect Disciples and Direct Disciples had already greatly changed their opinion of this Senior Brother who had been dropped into the Medicine Garden out of nowhere.

Qi Yue sat in the center of the front row with her head bowed, not looking at Xu Luo on the stage. No one knew what was going through her mind.

"And now... let's have him say a few words to everyone!" Thunderstorm announced just as the applause began to fade.

Xu Luo nodded to the crowd below and began without preamble, "You all remember what I told you half a year ago, don't you?"

A low chuckle suddenly rippled through the crowd.

Someone called out, "Of course we do! Senior Brother told us to create all kinds of offensive Elixirs!"

"That's right! Over the past six months, through my own dedicated research, I've developed over thirty types of Elixirs that can be used for offense!"

"I've developed over twenty types myself, and a few of them have shocking power!"

"I've developed a dozen or so over here..."

A flurry of voices rose from the crowd in response.

Qi Yue lifted her head, stunned. She stared in astonishment at the handsome young man on the stage as the enthusiastic shouts continued to erupt from the disciples behind her. Qi Yue was in a daze. 'What's going on? Half a year ago... the apprenticeship ceremony? What did I miss? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?'

Staring blankly at the figure on the stage, Qi Yue suddenly felt that the accusations she had hurled at him that day seemed rather childish... All at once, her heart grew restless.

"It looks like none of you have wasted your time. Excellent. The annual competition is about to start. There's not much I can do to help you, but I can promise you one thing: I will lead the charge!"

"All you need to do is show your true abilities. No matter who you face—whether they're in the top ten or top hundred—as soon as you see them, just bombard them with a handful of offensive Elixirs. Blast those condescending bastards into oblivion!"

BOOM!

The Inner Sect Disciples and Direct Disciples below went absolutely wild!

Everyone was fired up!

Their blood was boiling!

"Yeah! Blast those condescending bastards into oblivion!"

"Blast them to kingdom come!"

"Let them know how powerful our Medicine Garden is!"

"The Medicine Garden isn't a pushover! Anyone who underestimates us will pay the price!"

Qi Yue couldn't help but turn around, staring distractedly at the junior brothers and sisters who were always so well-behaved in her presence. Now, their faces were ferocious, their vital energies flaring. They had all become so unfamiliar.

'I said he'd done nothing for the Medicine Garden... It turns out I was wrong.' Qi Yue couldn't resist glancing at the young man on the stage.

As it happened, Xu Luo's gaze also fell on Qi Yue at that very moment. Their eyes met... locking in mid-air.

Qi Yue flusteredly tried to look away, but she saw Xu Luo give her a gentle smile.

For some reason, a warmth suddenly spread through Qi Yue's heart, and she felt an unexpected urge to cry.

For all these years, as the Senior Sister of the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden, she had single-handedly propped up its reputation, with no idea how to lead it back to glory. The truth was... she was exhausted!

On the stage, the Elders exchanged glances. At first, they had thought Xu Luo's methods were a bit too vulgar. The Medicine Garden was supposed to be a place of refinement; no one had ever stirred up the youths' emotions like this before.

Even more so, no one had ever made such a shameless suggestion: to have these alchemical geniuses research offensive Elixirs...

'But looking at it now, he was the one who was right!'

The group of Elders couldn't help but nod in silent agreement.

However, amidst the crowd of fervent disciples sat a handsome but grim-faced young man. He was in a corner, his eyes filled with venomous hatred as he stared at the figure on the stage, unmoved by the reactions of everyone around him.

This person... was none other than Chu Lin.

Back then, Chu Lin had not only slandered Xu Luo but had also tried to use those around him as shields before attempting to assassinate him. When word of this got out, his reputation and standing in the Medicine Garden had plummeted.

Elder Qi, who had by then lost almost all hope in him, had thrown him into the Black Wind Cave. At the time, most people assumed Chu Lin would certainly die there.

But to everyone's surprise, Chu Lin had managed to emerge just before the annual competition began.

Furthermore, his aura was countless times more powerful than it had been six months ago.

But even so, no one was willing to go near him anymore. They all kept their distance.

This wasn't because Xu Luo was now the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden. It was mainly because nobody wanted... a friend who would use them as a human shield at a moment's notice.

So, as Chu Lin sat in his corner, the space around him was empty. No one was willing to sit beside him.

Watching the figure on the stage, who was like a rising star, Chu Lin secretly clenched his fists. His eyes seethed with venom as he swore an oath in his heart: 'Luo Tian, I won't need anyone else's help. As long as you make it to the challenge rounds, I will personally secure a match with you. And then... I'll let you experience what it feels like to fall from a great height!'

'I will... make you wish you were dead!'

P.S. Four chapters today, and four more tomorrow. Please show your support, my dear readers! If the response is strong enough, I might just have another burst of chapters the day after. Also, please search for my official account 'Little Knife Sharp' on WeChat and give it a follow. You can find all my latest updates, Q&As about the novel, and more over there. Thank you all for your support of Little Knife.

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