Firmament Sword

Xu Luo was a bit puzzled by his brother’s reaction and nodded matter-of-factly. ”Yeah, what’s wrong?”

”I... I took three and only broke through to the Sword King Realm with great difficulty...” Xu Su said, looking utterly dejected.

”What? You only took three... and you advanced to the Sword King Realm?” Xu Ji and Luo Xinlan asked in unison, the expressions on their faces priceless.

If they hadn’t heard it from their own sons, they would have never believed such a miraculous Elixir existed in this world.

Then, Xu Ji looked at Xu Luo with a serious expression. ”Xiaoluo, three Elixirs each for your mother and me will be more than enough. You keep the rest.”

”That’s right, three is enough for us. You should keep the rest. You still have a long road ahead of you; how could we take so many from you!” Luo Xinlan said.

This was family. No matter the circumstances, they always thought of others before themselves.

A warmth spread through Xu Luo’s heart. He smiled and said, ”Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’m already improving quickly enough. These Elixirs are great, but I don’t want to become too reliant on them. In fact... my cultivation speed is already plenty fast, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Xu Ji, Luo Xinlan, and Xu Su all nodded emphatically.

Indeed. How could the word ”fast” even begin to describe Xu Luo’s rate of improvement? He was practically soaring!

Luo Xinlan had grown up in a sect and was incredibly worldly, but she had never seen anyone like Xu Luo, who had reached the Half-Step Sword King realm in just two years.

In the words of her sect’s elders, a youth like him was a monstrous genius. Once he grew up, he would be able to conquer all before him!

”So, please, just take them. I only need to keep a few for myself.” As he spoke, Xu Luo portioned the Blood Pills into two jade vials. He kept three for himself, returning them to his Storage Ring, then handed the two vials to his parents.

He said seriously, ”Please don’t refuse again. Right now, it might seem like the Xu Family is enjoying immense glory and power, but in reality, there are many unseen dangers looming over our heads. Putting aside distant threats, what about your sect, Mom? If they come looking for you one day, how could we possibly face them without a strong foundation of our own?”

His words silenced them all.

To the secular world, a sect was a great mountain. Even a small one possessed enough power to crush a person, leaving them unable to breathe.

”Then there’s Su Qianqian, who I just mentioned. Her background is even more frightening. Her family was wiped out by their enemies. Qianqian and I are friends, so there’s no guarantee those people won’t investigate and find their way to our family. That’s another reason we need to grow stronger!” Xu Luo looked at his parents and brother before continuing, ”Su Qianqian’s grandfather was a High-Tier Sword King... but even he couldn’t escape his enemies’ fatal grasp.”

*Hiss!*

The three of them—Xu Ji, Luo Xinlan, and Xu Su—all sucked in a sharp breath.

They could hardly imagine what kind of powerhouse could annihilate a High-Tier Sword King. It was completely beyond their worldly comprehension.

If it weren’t their own son telling them this—someone with no reason to lie about such a matter—they would have thought he was joking.

”Not to mention, Dad was just made a Prince. Prime Minister Wei and his cronies will never willingly allow the Xu Family to truly rise. It’s inevitable they’ll pull some strings in the shadows. The only way to avoid these problems is if every single one of us possesses a power so great it makes the entire Empire tremble!”

Xu Luo’s eyebrow shot up. ”When that day comes, I don’t care if it’s some secular power, a sect, or even the Royal Family—none of them will dare to mess with the Xu Family! *That*... is what I call success!”

”Alright. Your mother and I accept this sentiment.” Xu Ji pondered for a moment, as if he’d come to a realization. His eyes glinted as he smiled and said, ”Perhaps, one day, our Xu Family will even make that main branch see us in a new light!”

Luo Xinlan glanced at Xu Ji, seeming to understand what he meant. She nodded silently and accepted the Elixirs from Xu Luo.

Xu Luo was curious about the ”main branch” his father had mentioned, but seeing as neither of his parents seemed inclined to explain, he pushed his questions aside for the time being.

Afterward, Xu Ji and his wife both went into seclusion.

Even without the Blood Pills, the two of them had already been planning to get away for some peace and quiet. Ever since Xu Ji became the Cangqiong Empire’s first Prince of Different Surname in centuries, the Xu Family had been so swarmed with guests that their doorstep was nearly worn through.

The entire household had found it incredibly tiresome. After all, most of them were just sycophants looking to ride their coattails. The families who were genuinely close to them had no need to show up at a time like this to offer congratulations.

Back in the Imperial Capital, things temporarily quieted down. Xu Su began to consolidate his new realm while also starting his training in the Shaking Light Step and Breaking Army Seven Kills.

Xu Luo had previously taught the Shaking Light Step to Qiqi and Lianyi. He hadn’t had the time or opportunity before, but now he was naturally going to share this Top-grade Technique with his own family.

Xu Luo asked his brother to pass the two Cultivation Techniques on to their parents later. Then, he prepared to leave home and head to the Merak Sect to meet up with Phoenix and attend the great sect assembly.

Sui Yan and Little Fatty Liu Feng were still in seclusion, so Xu Luo didn’t seek them out. He did, however, feel a flicker of anticipation. ’I wonder what realm my sworn brothers will reach after taking the Blood Pills?’

Over the past few days, the beastly duo of Miaomiao and Sister Ying had been up to no good in the Imperial Capital, a fact Xu Luo only discovered as he was leading them away from the city.

Before, it was just Miaomiao, who enjoyed plundering the storehouses of the Imperial Capital’s great families. Now, with Sister Ying joining him, he was like a tiger that had grown wings. In just a few days, they had thrown many of the city’s most powerful families into chaos, making off with countless priceless treasures. A shadow had fallen over the Imperial Capital, which had just been celebrating the conquest of the Wu Kingdom.

Every one of the great families feared they would be next.

Now that the beastly duo had finally left the Imperial Capital, those prominent families could presumably breathe a sigh of relief.

The reason Xu Luo hadn’t intervened was that he knew Miaomiao knew where to draw the line. The families they targeted were all ones on bad terms with the Xu Family anyway. Causing his rivals to suffer massive financial losses, making them feel the sting of it deep in their bones before descending into fear and panic, was an outcome Xu Luo was more than happy to see.

”Alright, hand over half of all the good stuff you two have looted over the past few days!” Far from the Imperial Capital, Xu Luo sat leisurely on the giant eagle’s back as he spoke.

”And why should we? Brother Miao and I risked life and limb to get this stuff!” the giant eagle protested immediately. Her girlish voice was crisp and melodious, like pearls scattering across a jade plate.

She had come from the deep forests to the most prosperous metropolis in the secular world; it was her first time reaping such an astonishing haul. How could she willingly let Xu Luo just take it for nothing?

”That’s right! Don’t push your luck, kid!” Miaomiao said with a stern expression.

”Tsk. You two beasts, how can you be so greedy? What do you even need so much treasure for?” Xu Luo grumbled.

”Don’t you curse at us!” Miaomiao’s face hardened in anger. ”Why does that sound so off?”

”Hahaha! You’re a bird, and you’re a beast. If I don’t call you ’beasts,’ then what should I call you?” Xu Luo said, beside himself with laughter.

”It just sounds wrong!” The giant eagle was also annoyed. She was no longer the naive giant eagle from the forest. Having come to the human world, she had learned that humans liked to use the word ”beast” as an insult.

Sister Ying was very indignant about it. ’What did beasts ever do to you people? Why do you use us to curse each other?’

”Enough nonsense. Hurry up and split the loot!” Xu Luo scoffed, thoroughly displeased by the beastly duo’s stinginess.

Miaomiao and Sister Ying were even more displeased with this damned human’s greed, but there was nothing they could do. They were no match for him. In the end, with long, mournful faces, they reluctantly took out the fruits of their hard labor and gave Xu Luo half.

Even though Xu Luo was used to seeing all kinds of treasures, the sheer scale of the duo’s haul still made his eyes go wide.

”Purple Crystal Jade Marrow... Whose family did you get this from? This stuff is a huge help for stabilizing one’s cultivation!”

”Ten-Thousand-Year Meteorite Iron... you even found this? My second brother would be rooted to the spot if he saw this. What a pity...”

”Is this... a three-thousand-year-old ginseng? What a treasure! You can find thousand-year-old ginseng now and then, but a three-thousand-year-old one is incredibly rare. Who was rich enough to own this?”

”A Thousand-year-old Snow Lotus from the Northern Mountain Range? Heh, this must have been smuggled in from up north. Damn, these rich dogs deserved to be robbed!”

”And this... and this one too... These are all incredible treasures!”

Xu Luo practically drooled as he spoke, stuffing one item after another into his Storage Ring. The two beasts could only watch from the side, their hearts bleeding with a pain so deep they wanted to cry but had no tears.

’How is this splitting the loot? This is us working our tails off to rob others, only to get robbed by Xu Luo! Who’s the real beast here? Who’s the real robber?’

”This is too much!”

”So despicable!”

”I’ve never seen a master like this!”

”Master Mao is seriously reconsidering this whole Guardian Beast deal! Aaaargh!”

”Please don’t be such a crook, boo hoo...!”

”We formally protest!”

Ignoring the vehement protests from Miaomiao and Sister Ying, Xu Luo continued to drool. With a wickedly sharp eye, he proceeded to snatch up nearly all of the best treasures the duo had looted.

Finally, seeing the pure resentment in Miaomiao and Sister Ying’s eyes, Xu Luo himself felt a little embarrassed. He chuckled sheepishly, ”So, uh, did I maybe take a little too much?”

”You did!” Miaomiao and Sister Ying snapped in unison.

”Well, I’ll just take a little less next time!” Xu Luo said with a magnanimous wave of his hand.

’Damn it, there’s a next time?’ Miaomiao wanted to flip out right then and there.

”Please, let there be no next time,” Sister Ying pleaded, on the verge of tears.

From the haul this beastly duo had gathered in just a few short days, Xu Luo gained a true appreciation for the deep reserves of the Cangqiong Empire’s top families.

Many of these great families, with histories spanning hundreds or even thousands of years, had truly amassed wealth that could rival a kingdom’s.

Even though they had lost so many valuables, many of which were significant treasures, it wasn’t a truly crippling blow to those families.

At most, it just stung a little.

Xu Luo stroked his chin, his eyes twinkling as he thought happily, ’Looks like I should really keep a closer eye on those families in the future...’