Firmament Sword

Xu Luo asked, ”Don’t people in sects care about fame and fortune?” He thought to himself, ’If people in sects truly don’t care about fame and fortune, then what were the Supreme Elder and Grand Elder of Merak’s faction doing back when I was there? If they really didn’t care, why would they arrange a marriage with Tianquan? If they didn’t care, why would the Stubborn Rock Sect have been exterminated? And why would Dubhe have gotten involved in that whole affair?’

”It’s not that people in sects completely disregard fame and fortune, but the pursuits of a true sect expert are definitely different from those of secular people,” Su Qianqian said. ”Ordinary people in the secular world want to become officials, want to become nobles, want to bring glory to their ancestors... But the truly powerful experts in sects, they pursue the Dao!”

”The Dao?” Xu Luo frowned slightly.

”Yes. In fact, even those sects with close ties to the secular world are also pursuing this. They are pursuing the Great Dao, the pinnacle of the Martial Dao. They want to shatter the void and depart, to achieve immortality!” Su Qianqian sighed softly. ”It’s just that this path is far more difficult than the pursuits of secular people. The goals of secular people are tangible, real things you can see and touch. But as for the goal of the sects... no one knows if eternal life truly exists.”

”Immortality... now that’s a true temptation,” Xu Su lamented from the side. ”But after so many years, we’ve never heard of anyone achieving it. Immortals are only mentioned in ancient legends; in reality, no one has ever seen one.”

”Immortals...” A look of yearning flashed in Su Qianqian’s eyes before she said, ”I don’t know if there are Immortals in the heavens, but I do know that there are beings in this world who are far superior to the sects! They are the ones who can truly rule this world!”

”What? There are beings superior to the sects?” Xu Luo had vaguely heard rumors about this before, but hearing it from Su Qianqian now, it was obviously more convincing.

”Yes, those beings are from ancient families or factions with legacies stretching back tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years. They and the secular world are truly people of two different worlds.” A look of longing filled Su Qianqian’s eyes. ”Those people can soar through the heavens and tunnel through the earth, pluck the stars from the sky and grasp the moon...”

”Eldest Miss Su, are you talking in your sleep?” Xu Luo laughed in disbelief, completely unconvinced. ’If what she says is true, wouldn’t those people be the same as Immortals?’

”Hmph, fine, don’t believe me then!” Su Qianqian pouted, clearly not wanting to discuss the topic further. Instead, she said with a light laugh, ”If you really want to learn more about the sects, I can take you to the Sect Assembly when it’s time.”

”The Sect Assembly?” Xu Luo looked at Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian explained, ”It’s a grand event held every few years by the major sects on the Central Plains Star Continent. All sorts of precious materials will be for sale, and there will be competitions between the disciples from the various sects. There will be rankings at the end, and those who rank high will receive quite a few rewards. The Sect Assembly is basically a networking event for the sects. While I find it a bit boring, I imagine it would be quite appealing to you.”

”The Central Plains Star Continent...” This wasn’t the first time Xu Luo had heard the name. The world he lived in supposedly wasn’t the only one. Beyond the southern edge of the Central Plains Star Continent, across a vast ocean, lay another landmass called the Southern Celestial Divine Continent. And the Southern Celestial Divine Continent was said to be even larger than the Central Plains Star Continent...

Xu Luo shook his head slightly. ’This world is too big. I probably couldn’t even travel across the entire Central Plains Star Continent in one lifetime, let alone anywhere further.’ This Sect Assembly, however, had greatly piqued his interest.

’I wonder if I’ll be able to see Qiqi and Phoenix at the Sect Assembly...’ Xu Luo thought. Then his mind turned to his mother. ’If I can make a name for myself at the Sect Assembly, perhaps... it might help with bringing my mother back, too.’

In Xu Luo’s eyes, the world of the sects was completely different from the secular world... a strange... mysterious... world!

More than ten days later, Xu Luo’s group of three returned to the Imperial Capital.

They did not alert anyone, choosing instead to return home quietly.

The Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji, still had not returned. Although the fighting at the front had temporarily subsided, it was impossible for Xu Ji to return directly to the Imperial Capital anytime soon.

A commander-in-chief like Xu Ji, who led the entire army, would not normally return to the Imperial Capital unless summoned by the Emperor.

The return of the two young masters brought a sudden liveliness to the long-quiet Xu Family, and all the servants began bustling about.

Little Fatty, true to his reputation as the one with the sharpest nose, showed up at their door not long after Xu Luo’s group arrived home.

Unlike others, who had to be announced upon arriving at the Xu Mansion, all five of Xu Luo’s sworn brothers could enter directly.

This time, however, Little Fatty hadn’t come alone. He was accompanied by a beautiful young woman—none other than the young princess of the Lan Meng Clan, Lan Xin, who was now engaged to him.

One look at the triumphant, love-struck expression on Little Fatty’s face was enough to tell that he was very pleased with Lan Xin.

Xu Luo couldn’t help but grumble to himself. ’Neither of them is the type to follow the rules. One is always hitting on girls on the street under the pretext of giving perfume advice; the other dares to say whatever she wants in public, ignoring a noble lady’s Fengyi... They’re a perfect match, actually.’

When Little Fatty saw Su Qianqian, he was so stunned by her beauty that he was too embarrassed to banter nonsense with Xu Luo like he usually did. He appeared awkward and restrained, causing Lan Xin to secretly pinch him several times.

Su Qianqian was also taken aback by Lan Xin’s beauty. She had always thought that even if there were beautiful women in the secular world, they would be tinged with a certain worldly air. But upon seeing Lan Xin, she realized that outstanding women could be found in the secular world just as they were in the sects.

”Third Brother, that’s not cool!” Little Fatty, having recovered, began to complain to Xu Luo. ”You were gone for so long, and then you come back without a peep! If I didn’t have a few eyes and ears in the Imperial Capital, I wouldn’t have even known you were back!”

”A few eyes and ears?” Xu Luo looked at Little Fatty with a faint smile. ”We just got home and haven’t even had time to settle in, yet here you are. Your network... is pretty impressive!”

”Heh heh, of course, of course!” Little Fatty chuckled. ”Speaking of which, I have Brother Xu Su to thank for this particular source!”

”Me?” Xu Su, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. ”What does it have to do with me? I haven’t cultivated my connections in the Imperial Capital for years...”

”Hahaha!” Little Fatty boomed with laughter. ”Have you forgotten about Guo Ying?”

”Uh...” The corner of Xu Su’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten. He really hadn’t. He just had absolutely no idea how to face those two women, Guo Ying and Xia Muyao.

Little Fatty said with great animation, ”I never would’ve thought Guo Ying was so capable! Not long after she arrived in the Imperial Capital, we just helped her get settled, and she quickly carved out a place for herself. In just a matter of days, she somehow managed to bring a previously powerful local gang under her control!”

”Oh? That’s very impressive!” Xu Luo said in surprise. Having grown up in the Imperial Capital, he was no stranger to its underground gangs. In the eyes of major figures, those gangs were insignificant—a single command could wipe them out completely. But when it came to gathering intelligence or doing dirty work, the city’s gangs were indispensable.

Most of these gangs relied on the patronage of truly powerful figures. A gang without a backer would find it very difficult to survive for long in the Imperial Capital.

For Guo Ying to subdue a gang in such a short time under these circumstances, one could only imagine how capable she was.

”And that’s not all! Not only did she take over a gang, but Guo Ying also got in touch with Brother Xu Su’s fiancée. They get along swimmingly and even call each other sisters!” Little Fatty grinned mischievously at Xu Su.

Xu Su put a hand to his forehead. However, he also caught the implication in Little Fatty’s words and couldn’t help but ask, ”Mu Yao... she’s in the Imperial Capital?”

”Yeah, she’s been here for a while. She’s quite a celebrity in the Imperial Capital’s high society now!” Little Fatty chuckled. ”And it’s not just her. Many heirs from powerful families all over the country are gathering in the Imperial Capital.”

Xu Luo looked at Little Fatty and asked, ”By the way, have those powerful families from out of town made any unusual moves recently?”

”Heh, ganging up to apply pressure,” Little Fatty muttered with a pout, then added, ”No particularly unusual moves, though. They’re just starting to move their businesses to the Imperial Capital. United, these people are a formidable force. The imperial court has been pretty quiet lately, nothing major has happened. Second Brother and the others have been keeping an eye on things since we got back. If anything important had happened, I would have told you already.”

Xu Luo nodded, his gaze deepening. He said softly, ”A storm is brewing.”

Su Qianqian had been sitting quietly to the side, listening to their conversation. At this, she finally couldn’t help but interject, ”Xu Luo, with your skills, which of these secular families would dare to come looking for trouble with you?”

Xu Luo gave a bitter smile. ”And why wouldn’t they?”

Su Qianqian said dismissively, ”Aren’t they afraid to die?”

”There are so many of them. Can I kill them all?” Xu Luo said.

Su Qianqian fell silent. ”That’s true,” she said. ”Many things can’t be solved by killing.”

Little Fatty and Lan Xin listened from the side, their hearts pounding. They didn’t know Su Qianqian’s background, but she spoke so casually of killing and kept referring to the ”secular” world, making it obvious she came from one of the legendary sects. In her heart, Lan Xin was deeply impressed by this Third Brother of theirs, Xu Luo, because even someone from a sect stayed by his side and treated him with such respect.

Just then, the sound of voices drifted in from outside. Even from a distance, they could tell it was Xu Jie speaking.

Little Fatty looked at Xu Luo and whispered, ”By the way, Second Brother’s getting married!”