Firmament Sword

But he simply couldn’t get near them...

A part of him was still worried about Su Qianqian, so Xu Luo wanted to see if he could find her. He planned to slip away quietly while these major figures weren’t paying him any mind.

But just as he turned to leave, Shangguan Qing looked up and called out to him, ”Wait.”

As if on cue, the other sect leaders all fell silent at the same time, their gazes unanimously turning to Xu Luo.

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched sharply. He looked up at Shangguan Qing with an innocent expression. ”Um, Sect Master Shangguan, is there something else?”

”Ahem...” ’If my status didn’t prevent me from acting, I would’ve kicked you to death long ago!’ Shangguan Qing thought. ’You damned little brat, you’re quite good at playing dumb!’

”What happened today was a conflict between you juniors. I won’t hold it against you, nor will I pursue the matter. But...”

Shangguan Qing’s expression grew serious. ”Your actions have also damaged the reputation of the Kaiyang Sect. As its Sect Leader, while I will not personally strike you, I can’t just let you go, either. That would be unjustifiable. Forcing you into something is not my style. Instead, I’d like to propose an agreement.”

Xu Luo looked at Shangguan Qing. ”Please, Sect Master Shangguan, go ahead.”

”Six months. Let’s make a pact. In six months, my disciple, Jiang Tianhai, will face you in a fair duel! If you win, the matter between you and the Kaiyang Sect will be wiped clean! From that day forward, if anyone from the Kaiyang Sect, top to bottom, dares to trouble you again, you can deal with them as you see fit. I, as Sect Leader, will not say a single word in protest!”

As Shangguan Qing spoke, a faint smile played on his lips. ”But if you lose... then you must join the Kaiyang Sect!”

”That cunning old fox,” Xiang Wentian grumbled from the side, curling his lip.

”He beat me to the punch...” Xushan said, looking frustrated.

”I can’t believe he reacted so fast. I hadn’t even had a chance to say anything!” Ling Fengwu said with a sense of helplessness.

The onlookers were dumbfounded, especially the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect. They hadn’t expected a figure of the Sect Leader’s stature to act against Xu Luo directly, but they had all reached a consensus: in the days to come, Xu Luo absolutely could not be let off easy.

But... what was going on? In Shangguan Qing’s eyes, this damned disciple from the secular world... had somehow become a hot commodity!

Doesn’t this mean that Xu Luo was in an invincible position, win or lose?!

To be hand-picked by the Sect Leader to join the sect was a tremendous honor! And yet... this was the *punishment* for losing? Damn it, could this be any more absurd?

In an instant, countless jealous gazes shot toward Xu Luo. If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times over in that moment.

”Er... about this... can I... refuse?” Xu Luo asked cautiously.

Li Wenxi, Qiushuiduan, Phoenix, and the others looked anxious. They couldn’t bear the thought of losing Xu Luo. Even if he was a magnet for trouble, they were willing to face it alongside him.

Shangguan Qing looked at Xu Luo and gave a chilling smile. ”What do you think?”

”Then... it seems I’ll just have to beat him again?” Xu Luo said.

”You’re welcome to try.” With that, Shangguan Qing left, taking a reluctant, constantly-glancing-back Huangfu Shishi with him.

He tossed one last sentence over his shoulder at Xu Luo. ”I’m taking Shishi with me. She just had a breakthrough and needs to enter seclusion to stabilize her cultivation. Kid, if you want to see her again, you’d better get stronger!”

Xu Luo’s face darkened in exasperation. ’You’re the Sect Leader of a major sect, for crying out loud! Have some dignity! It’s not right to threaten me with a young woman!’

Lin Luoxue stuck her tongue out playfully at Xu Luo and gave him a wink before obediently following Xiang Wentian away.

Lianyi and Ji Bingyu kept looking back, reluctant to part. They still had so much they wanted to say to Xu Luo, but were mercilessly taken away by Ling Fengwu.

Xu Qing gave Xu Luo a few pitiful glances, mouthing the words, ’Wait for me, let’s go to the secular world together,’ before following Xushan away.

Finally, the onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving only the people from the Merak Sect.

Li Wenxi looked at Xu Luo and Phoenix with a complex expression, unsure of what to say.

The two youths had grown so much in the blink of an eye.

The little Merak Sect, once disregarded by all, had now become one of the most talked-about sects at the assembly, all thanks to Xu Luo.

To date, hundreds of talented disciples from various small families had already expressed their desire to join the Merak Sect.

This gave Li Wenxi, Qiushuiduan, and the others mixed feelings.

The joyful part was that their old nemesis, the Tianquan Sect, had been thoroughly bested in this confrontation. It seemed unlikely they would ever make a comeback.

With their greatest threat gone and their reputation soaring, becoming a mid-sized sect was now within reach if they could maintain this momentum.

The worry, however, was that Xu Luo was simply too exceptional.

Even Li Wenxi herself had initially brought Xu Luo into the Merak Sect for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate, hoping to offer him shelter.

But she never expected that ever since he joined, it had been Xu Luo protecting the Merak Sect instead!

To outsiders, Xu Luo was a member of the Merak Sect. But Li Wenxi knew all too well that her sect was a small pond... too small to hold a young man like Xu Luo, who was destined for greatness.

Xu Luo glanced at Li Wenxi’s uncertain expression, and his heart warmed. He walked forward and said softly, ”Sect Leader.”

Li Wenxi’s heart leaped with joy. Though Xu Luo hadn’t explicitly stated his intentions, she understood completely.

Xu Luo would not leave!

At the very least, he wasn’t an ungrateful person!

For some reason, Li Wenxi felt her eyes begin to moisten. She smiled without a sound, then nodded firmly.

Qiushuiduan watched from the side, his gaze filled with relief and pride. ”Well done, kid!”

”Big Brother is the best!” Yaya shouted, clinging to Qiushuiduan’s side.

And so, this sect assembly finally came to a close.

Some rejoiced while others despaired. Many sects even smaller than Merak, as well as some minor families, had disciples who found their own fortuitous opportunities within the Small World and subsequently soared to prominence.

There were also many originally powerful sects whose gains were minimal this time. From the sect leader down to the disciples, all of them felt they had lost face.

They departed quietly as soon as the sect assembly was over.

In the end, Xu Qing couldn’t go with Xu Luo to the secular world after all. They had all just had major fortuitous encounters and needed to enter seclusion to consolidate their breakthroughs.

At a time like this, there was no way Xushan would let Xu Qing leave.

Most importantly, while Xushan had a good impression of Xu Luo, he felt the young man attracted far too much female attention. He had too many beautiful girls around him. And while it might be normal for a young man to be amorous, he couldn’t accept the idea of his beloved niece getting involved in all of that.

During the farewells, Xu Luo said goodbye to Lin Luoxue, Nangong Yu Yan, Qiqi, Lianyi, Ji Bingyu, Xu Qing, and the others one by one.

Qiqi said that after her seclusion ended, she would apply to her sect leader to go home and visit her family, and they could meet up then.

Lianyi also mentioned that with this opportunity, she should be able to control her own future. Otherwise, her mother... Heavenly Cauldron Sect Master Ling Fengwu... had always wanted to interfere in her marriage.

It was normal for a mother to be concerned about her daughter’s marriage. The key was that Lianyi’s heart was completely set on Xu Luo; she had no feelings whatsoever for those so-called outstanding disciples from other sects.

Ling Fengwu had originally been vehemently opposed to the idea. In her eyes, her daughter was ten thousand times more noble than some Royal Princess. How could she possibly marry a commoner from the secular world?

Perhaps after seeing Xu Luo this time, Ling Fengwu would have a change of heart, but no one could guarantee it.

Ji Bingyu had quietly told Xu Luo, ”No one expected this sect assembly to yield such great opportunities, so many of the most powerful young experts from the major sects didn’t even show up!”

”For example, in the Shaking Light Sect, the strongest of the younger generation isn’t Ancient Star—it’s his older brother!”

The situation was much the same in the other major sects. Ji Bingyu’s reminder served as a friendly warning to Xu Luo.

After all, Xu Luo had made quite a few enemies this time. He had been in the spotlight for too long, and it was almost certain someone would come looking for trouble.

In the end, Xu Luo was unable to see Su Qianqian, nor did he see any trace of Su Qingyi. Perhaps the two of them had already left this place at the earliest opportunity.

Xu Luo felt a tinge of regret. He had hoped that if he ran into them again, he could try to resolve the conflict between Su Qianqian and Su Qingyi.

He could tell that Su Qingyi hadn’t been very dedicated to his mission. If he had been serious, Su Qianqian wouldn’t have escaped so easily.

After saying his goodbyes, Xu Luo left the Celestial Break Mountain Range with the members of the Merak Sect and began the journey home.

This time, they encountered no further trouble and returned to the sect without incident.

The young Merak Sect disciples who had followed Phoenix had all obtained fortuitous encounters of varying degrees, and their harvests were immense.

As for Sun Wu’s group, although they managed to escape the Small World in the end, they gained nothing. Moreover, their numbers had dwindled from several dozen to just seven or eight people, and they had suffered heavy casualties.

Whether it was Xu Luo, Phoenix, or even Li Wenxi and Qiushuiduan, none of them felt much sympathy for their plight.

They chose their own path. No one forced them.

Watching the jubilant group that had followed Phoenix, Sun Wu and his followers were filled with a complex mix of envy and jealousy.

They all knew that their own futures were now bleak, and the factions supporting them had almost no hope left of turning their fortunes around.

Phoenix alone was enough to completely crush all of them, to say nothing of the even more powerful Xu Luo.

”Xu Luo, are you really going back to the secular world?” Li Wenxi’s voice was tinged with disappointment. She didn’t want Xu Luo to leave so soon.

Xu Luo nodded, looking at Li Wenxi. ”I still have many matters to attend to in the secular world. Besides, I have that six-month agreement with the Kaiyang Sect. I need to prepare for it.”

”That’s true. For someone of Shangguan Qing’s stature to make that agreement on Jiang Tianhai’s behalf, he must have a trump card up his sleeve. You definitely need to prepare well. If you need anything from us, don’t hesitate to ask,” Li Wenxi said, looking at Xu Luo earnestly.

”Big Brother, remember to come back and see Yaya soon!”

Xu Luo nodded, waved goodbye to everyone, and under Yaya’s tearful gaze, his figure gradually receded into the distance.