Firmament Sword

"..." Xie Yurou stared speechlessly at Su Qianqian. She suddenly realized this quiet, gentle lady seemed to be just like her deep down... well, at least in some ways, they were very much alike!

"Well then, we'll be good sisters from now on!" Xie Yurou said with a grin, extending a hand to grasp Su Qianqian's.

The two young women, ladies on the outside but little devils on the inside, exchanged a look of tacit understanding and smiled.

Xie Yurou left happily, while Su Qianqian returned to Xu Luo's side.

"What did you say to her?" Xu Luo couldn't help but ask, seeing Su Qianqian return with a smile on her face.

"Nothing much. I just told her that if she wants to win you over, she has to be shamelessly persistent," Su Qianqian said, flashing her pearly whites in a grin at Xu Luo.

"You're messing with her," Xu Luo said, glaring at her.

"Not really..." Su Qianqian walked over, took Xu Luo's hand, and swayed it gently. She said softly, "I just told her that you're the mysterious person from Baihua City, and that you only went there to save me."

"I see..." Xu Luo pondered for a moment, then said, "It doesn't matter that you told her. She probably figured it out long ago."

"Yep, that's why I told her! Otherwise, I wouldn't have," Su Qianqian said quietly. "You've done so much for me; I have to share some of your burdens. Don't worry, Xie Yurou is a good person. She won't betray you!"

Xu Luo gave a bitter smile. 'What does one thing have to do with the other?' he thought.

Su Qianqian continued, "Although I don't know your plans, it's obvious you're going to participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou. And you're also going to look for Brother Huangfu, Brother Xu Jie, Brother Sui Yan, Brother Song, and Sister-in-law Xiao Ya."

Xu Luo nodded.

Su Qianqian smiled. "In that case, we'll need to establish our own foundation in the Divine Domain. I think the Xie Family is a pretty good choice. You don't even need to be too proactive. With your current abilities, as long as you show a little interest, I believe they'll take the initiative."

"How can you use something like emotions as a bargaining chip?" Xu Luo glanced at Su Qianqian and said, "Xie Yurou is Xie Yurou, and the Xie Family is the Xie Family. Don't confuse the two."

"I know, but you always need someone by your side to take care of you, and that Qi Yue isn't right for you!" Su Qianqian said softly. "Her feelings for you... are more like admiration. Like... the way a little girl worships a great hero. That isn't a crush, and it certainly isn't love!"

Xu Luo gave Su Qianqian a strange look, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. 'You're just a little girl yourself... Since when did you become an expert on love?' he thought.

"Don't you dare look down on me!" Su Qianqian rolled her eyes at Xu Luo. "Xie Yurou really does like you. I'm a girl too, and I can feel how much she cares about you!"

"Let's not talk about this anymore. How have you been lately?" Xu Luo asked, looking at Su Qianqian.

"I'm doing great! I can cultivate peacefully every day, I don't have to worry about resources, all my fellow disciples like me, and my master dotes on me. I'm very happy!" Su Qianqian said with a beaming smile.

"That's good!" Xu Luo was finally relieved. He had been worried that Su Qianqian was unhappy at the Scripture Pavilion.

"Anyway, I'll do everything I can for you, so you don't need to get too distracted." Like an attentive young wife, Su Qianqian whispered a few more things in Xu Luo's ear before taking her leave.

After leaving Jiulong Ridge, the sweet smile that had been on Su Qianqian's face gradually faded. A flash of sorrow appeared in her eyes as she murmured, "Brother Luo, I know what you're going to do next. You're definitely going to search for the second half of the Soul Scripture, but how could it be that easy?"

'I'm in the Scripture Pavilion... I know more about many things than you do. They've been searching for the second half of the Soul Scripture for many years. Even though they've recently found a lead, to actually find it... and obtain it... that will be nigh impossible!'

'I only have a little over two years left. By then, if we can't find the second half of the Soul Scripture, I'll have to merge with that Ancient Fire Dragon. At that point... I won't be me anymore. Even if... I can still stay by your side, I won't be whole.'

'Who knows when Qiqi, Lianyi, and Phoenix will be able to ascend to the Divine Domain. And even if they make it, the Divine Domain is so vast, it's hard to say if you'll ever see them again in this lifetime. How can you be left with no one to take care of you?'

'I've chosen the noble lady of the Xie Family for you. She cares about you a great deal. I believe that after I'm gone, she will take my place and stay by your side.'

Tears streamed from Su Qianqian's pure, bright eyes, but a smile soon appeared on her face again. "To have had you for three years is already the greatest happiness... of my life!"

...

...

The Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition's round of 32 officially began!

"First match: Luo Tian of the Medicine Garden versus Nie Yunfeng of the Artifact Refining Pavilion!"

"This match is going to be amazing! It's a battle between the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden... and the Senior Brother of the Artifact Refining Pavilion!"

"Nie Yunfeng is an extremely low-key genius. I heard his Thirteen Tyrannical Sabers technique has already reached the pinnacle of perfection!"

"Luo Tian is powerful too. He has the strongest physique of the younger generation and is skilled in close combat and Arrays. I wonder who will win and who will lose in a clash between him and Nie Yunfeng?"

"When Nie Yunfeng first joined Celestial Brilliance, he caused quite a stir. In the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Chief Grand Elder Ye Jinghong and the Second Elder Lu Yuan, who is the best at Artifact Refining, almost came to blows fighting over him!"

"Something like that happened?"

"Back when Nie Yunfeng joined Celestial Brilliance, he went straight for the Artifact Refining Pavilion, seeming very interested in Artifact Refining. But the pavilion's Grand Elder discovered his talent for the Martial Dao and wanted to take him as a disciple to develop his martial skills. As a result, Second Elder Lu Yuan thought this would waste a peerless genius of Artifact Refining, so he started fighting with Grand Elder Ye Jinghong over him..."

"I can't believe Nie Yunfeng was in such high demand. In that case... this is a must-see battle!"

"Yeah, we have to watch this fight. It's just that Luo Tian was seriously injured before. He won his last match against a fellow disciple using an Array, and he looked really weak. I wonder if he's fully recovered by now."

"The Medicine Garden has plenty of Top-Grade Elixirs, so recovering shouldn't be difficult. But I'm afraid even if you want to watch... you might not be able to. The stands at their competition stage are probably already full!"

"Sigh, Luo Tian's fights... are always so popular, you can't even get a seat!"

"Don't worry... I happen to have a few seats right here. As long as you all can afford it..."

"Give one to me!"

"I'll take one!"

"I don't care how much it costs, I want one!"

The match hadn't even started, yet all sorts of information about it was already spreading everywhere.

Xie Yurou stood before Xu Luo, a hint of anger in her pretty eyes. "Those people are outrageous! Don't they know your serious injuries haven't healed yet? And they scheduled your match first! This... must be Jin Ming using his influence again!"

"Don't worry about it so much. It makes little difference whether it's a day earlier or later," Xu Luo said with a smile. "Besides, they've already been very accommodating. Otherwise, my qualification would have been revoked. They waited so many days for me, which was already an exception!"

"You're certainly generous about it." Xie Yurou glanced at Xu Luo, then asked, "How's your recovery coming along?"

Xu Luo smiled. "I'm fine now. I've recovered at least eighty or ninety percent!"

"Here..." Xie Yurou casually took out a purple Spirit Medicine. "This is a Spirit Medicine, about seventy-thousand years old. It should be of some use to you." She was about to hand it to Xu Luo.

The room was instantly filled with an intoxicating fragrance, and a surge of powerful Spiritual Power rippled through the air.

Xu Luo's eyes narrowed. He asked with some hesitation, "Is this... an Eastern Purple Qi?"

Xie Yurou nodded and said with a laugh, "So you do have some credibility as the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden... hehe, you can even recognize an Eastern Purple Qi."

"..." Xu Luo couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Even someone who isn't a Medicine Garden Disciple would know of such a valuable Spirit Medicine, don't you think?"

Xie Yurou giggled. "Alright, alright, just take it."

Xu Luo looked at Xie Yurou and said seriously, "Yu Rou... I..."

"Don't say it, okay?" Xie Yurou looked at Xu Luo with a pitiable expression, her bright eyes filled with pleading.

"Your feelings... I understand them. But this Spirit Medicine is far too valuable. I really can't accept it." Xu Luo felt helpless. It was hard for him to steel his heart and refuse a girl who understood him so well.

Xie Yurou let out a long breath. As long as he wasn't going to bring the topic out into the open and reject her, it was fine. She looked at Xu Luo and said softly, "This Eastern Purple Qi is indeed very valuable, and it's not something I could have produced on my own. Luo Tian, this is from my great-grandfather. He is a man of great foresight, and he doesn't necessarily want you to become the Xie Family's... well, you know. He simply wishes to express some goodwill toward you, hoping that you and the Xie Family can become friends."

Xu Luo sighed softly. A Spirit Medicine like this was already approaching the level of a Holy Medicine. Although it hadn't awakened its Spiritual Wisdom, it was just a step below.

To use such a gift merely to express goodwill... it could only be said that the Xie Family's resources were truly immense.

"I'm afraid I'll fail to live up to your great-grandfather's kind intentions. My future... might not be as bright as they imagine," Xu Luo said softly.

"That's for the future to decide. At least for now, you are exceptionally outstanding! It's only normal for the Xie Family to invest some resources in you," Xie Yurou said, blinking as she looked at Xu Luo.

"Alright then, I won't be pretentious about it. Nannan is still in a deep sleep from saving me, and besides... she's in human form now. I can't bring myself... to draw her blood," Xu Luo said.

"Hmph, you scoundrel, so you finally admit it?" Xie Yurou rolled her eyes. "I knew you were that rascal!"

With that, Xie Yurou placed the Eastern Purple Qi into Xu Luo's hand and said, "Top sixteen! I'll be there to watch and cheer you on. You're not allowed to lose! Or else I'll ignore you!"

Saying this, the elf-like young woman gracefully floated away.

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