Firmament Sword

”Third Brother, we’ve been searching here for days without a single sign. We’ve gathered plenty of medicinal herbs, but this mission…” Little Fatty Liu Feng grumbled nonstop as he followed beside Xu Luo.

In the past few days, Huangfu Chongzhi had refined many Elixirs: Antitoxic Pills, Life-extending Pills, True Essence Pills… all sorts of them, which he distributed to the group.

Xu Jie had also forged several rough prototypes of swords and sabers, making the others drool with envy.

All of them came from martial backgrounds, and their love for a good weapon was no less than their love for a beautiful woman. Moreover, they could all tell the quality of the materials.

Faced with Xu Jie’s endless supply of Top-Grade Refining Materials, Li Hong and the others could only marvel, at a loss for any other words.

For the past few days, Xu Luo had led everyone to scout the surroundings. Their range of activity grew larger and larger, and at the same time, he completed one detailed map after another.

Xu Luo had already committed the terrain for hundreds of miles around to heart.

This all seemed like useless work, but everyone present understood how important it was.

Aside from Little Fatty Liu Feng’s occasional complaints, everyone else was very cooperative.

”Hm? Wait, I think… I smell the scent of people!” Liu Feng mumbled, frowning as he walked in a certain direction.

He then squatted down in a spot, drew his Long Sword, and scraped at the ground a few times. Several pieces of partially burned charcoal appeared before everyone.

’Huh? This chubby human’s nose is that sharp? He can even compete with Master Mao, AHHHHH!’ Perhaps to cover up the embarrassment of having missed this detail himself, Uncle Meow Meow promptly jumped out to express his surprise.

Every day, Xu Luo would have Miaomiao scout the area ahead of time. Miaomiao had indeed been to this place, but it only paid attention to the presence of humans, not to such fine details.

Therefore, this omission couldn’t really be called Miaomiao slacking off.

Miaomiao followed Xu Luo every day, absorbing Star Power, and its growth rate was many times faster than before. As a result, it was much more agreeable than before when Xu Luo asked it to do things.

Xu Luo had also discovered that whenever he released Star Power for Miaomiao to absorb, the Star Power within his Shaking Light Star Soul didn’t decrease. On the contrary, because of Miaomiao’s absorption, his own cultivation speed actually became a bit faster!

This discovery made Xu Luo very happy, but he had no intention of telling Miaomiao. Otherwise, this Tier Nine Spirit Beast, more cunning than any human, would surely turn things around and claim that Xu Luo owed Master Mao…

Xu Jie walked over, pushed the charcoal around with his hand, and said, ”This was probably left about a day ago. Fourth Brother, can you tell how many people were here?”

The others all looked at the amazing Little Fatty with anticipation.

Liu Feng stood up, looking quite pleased with himself. He then closed his eyes slightly and wrinkled his nose. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said, ”Five people!”

”Mm, it’s very likely an enemy Reconnoitre team,” Huangfu Chongzhi said softly.

”So, does this mean we’re getting close to their area of activity?” Li Hong asked, pondering.

Everyone was a little excited. The mission Instructor Zhou had given them this time had come with almost no clues. Besides relying on luck, they really didn’t know what else they could depend on.

It seemed that the Martial Soul Squad’s luck… wasn’t half bad!

”Looks like they’re very cautious. They concealed it so well. If it weren’t for Liu Feng’s incredible nose, we never would have known there were traces of an enemy Reconnoitre team’s activity here,” Liang Ziyi said with some emotion, his gaze toward Liu Feng full of admiration.

You have to understand, deep down, Liang Ziyi had looked down on this Young Master, whose nickname was the Flower Fool.

’What future could a person who spent all day chasing after women possibly have?’

’But now it seems I was wrong. In this world… there are no useless talents, only useless people!’

Liu Feng chuckled and then said, ”I also know which direction they went!”

With that, he pointed in a certain direction.

Everyone followed Little Fatty’s gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. So, they all turned their eyes to Xu Luo, waiting for him to make a decision.

At this moment, however, Xu Luo was communicating with Master Mao.

”If we run into real danger, you have to help us.”

”Why should I? No way! Master Mao already told you, I’m not your pet. I have no obligation to meddle in your affairs. Master Mao helps you enough as it is!” Uncle Meow Meow refused without hesitation.

”If I die, you’ll never get any more Star Power,” Xu Luo said lightly.

”Relax, Master Mao won’t let you die. But as for the lives of the others, Master Mao couldn’t care less. They’re just a few weak humans, AHHHHH. If they die, they die. What’s the big deal?” Uncle Meow Meow found it hard to understand Xu Luo’s perspective. In the world of Spirit Beasts, survival of the fittest was the most basic law.

’Aren’t the weak supposed to be eliminated?’

”They are my companions. If they die, I’ll be sad,” Xu Luo said.

”But Master Mao won’t be sad!”

”If I’m sad, I probably won’t be able to produce any more Star Power… sigh…”

”Bastard! Damn you! AHHHHHHHHH! You shameless human! Do you have any other tricks besides this one?”

”Nope.”

”…”

”Let’s follow them and see. Everyone, be careful,” Xu Luo said, signaling for Little Fatty to lead the way.

The group proceeded cautiously for over twenty li. Suddenly, the Shaking Light Star Soul inside Xu Luo’s body pulsed with a faint throb.

”Wait.” Xu Luo held up a hand to stop the group, feeling a little puzzled. ’Could there be some kind of treasure nearby? Or were those tracks not left by an enemy Reconnoitre team, but by a group of Adventurers?’

He quickly dismissed this idea himself. If they were really Adventurers, there would be no need to be so cautious and meticulous.

Even if they were afraid of starting a fire, they wouldn’t have needed to bury the partially burned charcoal deep in the earth and then camouflage it with dead branches and rotten leaves.

”Fourth Brother, is it this way?” Xu Luo asked, pointing in the direction his Shaking Light Star Soul indicated and looking at Liu Feng.

”Huh? Has Third Brother’s nose gotten this sharp too?” Liu Feng asked, looking at Xu Luo with a surprised expression.

Xu Luo raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn’t answer Little Fatty’s question, instead saying, ”Be careful. Let’s go take a look.”

After the group had traveled for another ten-odd li, they suddenly heard the faint sounds of fighting coming from far ahead.

”There are people over there!”

Everyone was instantly on alert, and the more belligerent members of the group were rubbing their hands together, eager for a fight.

”You all wait here. I’ll go take a look.” Without leaving any room for argument, Xu Luo immediately used Shaking Light Step and vanished from their sight in an instant.

”Heavens, the captain’s footwork is already that incredible!” Liang Ziyi exclaimed in amazement.

”We walk together every day, I never expected the captain was hiding such skill!” Ling Luoxi’s mouth twitched. He had thought his own footwork was impressive enough, but he never imagined Xu Luo’s was this powerful.

”Only the captain could manage to not be discovered by the enemy,” Li Hong said with emotion.

Xu Luo executed Shaking Light Step, his figure moving like a phantom through the dense forest. He stepped on stellar positions, not a single leaf touching his body.

In a matter of moments, he was already near the source of the fighting.

Xu Luo leaped up, landing on a large, leafy tree. With extreme agility, he climbed to the top and looked in the direction of the sounds.

At this moment, the Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian was continuously sending out intense pulses.

”Qiushuiduan, don’t bring disaster upon yourself! Opposing the Grand General will not lead to a good end! Let it go!” a man with a deep voice said. He held a long saber and faced a man with white clothes and white hair.

White robes like snow, white hair like snow.

He stood there as still as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain, his hands clasped behind his back. His face was as calm as water, showing neither arrogance nor fear.

The men surrounding him all exuded powerful auras, but as these auras reached the white-clothed man, they seemed to crash against an invisible wall, completely unable to affect him in the slightest!

”Qiushuiduan, we were the ones who first discovered this Nine Profound Celestial Heart! Hundreds of our brothers died just to injure that Tier Seven Spirit Beast and drive it away. But you just rush over and say you’re taking it. I’d like to ask, on what grounds? Can a great sect be this tyrannical?”

The man with the deep voice was dressed in black robes and held a wide-backed long saber, its tip pointed at the ground. His resolute face was filled with anger and unwillingness.

The white-clothed man stood there in silence, not saying a word, like a stone statue. His presence felt eternal.

Sweat began to drip from the forehead of the black-clothed man with the long saber, trickling down his cheeks and falling to the ground. But his pair of hawk-like eyes remained fixed on the face of the white-haired, white-clothed man.

”Scram.”

The white-haired, white-clothed man finally opened his mouth and spoke a single word.

Several li away, hidden in the tree, Xu Luo felt a chill and was horrified. ’Just what level of cultivation does this white-haired, white-clothed man possess? With just a single word, he can make my very soul tremble!’

Those surrounding the white-haired, white-clothed man fared even worse. Several of them coughed up blood and fainted on the spot, while the rest, their faces pale, stumbled backward.

The black-clothed man let out a muffled grunt and retreated two steps. A savage glint flashed in his eyes as he ground out through his teeth, ”Qiushuiduan, are you really determined to oppose the Grand General to the very end?”

”Scram!” The white-haired, white-clothed man slowly raised his head, looked at the black-clothed man, and once again opened his mouth. It was still a single word.

HACK!

The black-clothed man could no longer hold it in and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood, staggering back seven or eight steps in a row.

”General!”

”General, are you alright?!”

The General’s subordinates, their faces pale, gathered around to protect him. The General wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand. His eyes fixed sharply on the white-haired, white-clothed man as he ground out, ”Fine, Qiushuiduan. I’ll admit defeat. Let’s go!”

With that, he waved his hand, turned, and left, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, the entire group was gone, quickly disappearing into the forest.

The white-haired, white-clothed man was left alone. He stood there quietly for a long moment, then suddenly raised his head and glanced in Xu Luo’s direction.