Firmament Sword

Master Mao’s words were arrogant, but they also reflected Xu Luo’s own thoughts.

’Whether it’s Dubhe or Kaiyang, in my eyes, there’s no real difference. Sects... should stay where sects belong and do what they’re supposed to do!’

Trying to extend their reach into the secular world and interfere in its affairs, no matter how grandiose their reasons, was repulsive.

The secular world and the world of sects were never meant to be one and the same. To ordinary people in the secular world, those from the sects were like gods.

For the secular world, the sects did more than just disrupt its balance.

Xu Luo’s understanding of sects surpassed that of most people, and he knew with perfect clarity that their so-called detachment from fame and fortune was complete nonsense!

The people in sects were still people. They weren’t gods. They were living, breathing beings of flesh and blood who also needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, and they could also die.

Moreover, the cultivation of sect disciples was often accompanied by massive resource consumption. Under such circumstances, contention... became almost inevitable.

Fellow disciples competed, different sects competed, and different factions competed!

So, the sects’ lofty attitudes and supposed detachment from the secular world were all bullshit. It was clearly just that the secular world had little that the sects found worthy of their attention!

That was the fundamental reason for their transcendent attitude toward the secular world!

With nothing to seek and nothing to desire, they naturally couldn’t care less.

But now, the situation had changed. Something had appeared in the mortal world that was enough to pique the sects’ interest, and these once lofty and arrogant major sects immediately swarmed in like sharks that had smelled blood.

If Xu Luo were still the young nobleman from the past who couldn’t cultivate, then he wouldn’t care about these things. Whether it was fighting over something or trying to win someone over, it would have had nothing to do with him.

Nor would he have had the thought, ’Cangqiong is ours.’

But things were different now!

The awakening of the three Star Souls—Shaking Light, Kaiyang, and Jade Balance—had brought Xu Luo endless benefits, but it also heralded immense energy consumption!

Awakening almost any Star Soul required an astronomical amount of energy, and there were also various trigger conditions!

Initially, when Xu Luo awakened the Shaking Light Star Soul, the resources used weren’t significant—equivalent to about one hundred Upper-grade Spirit Stones.

The awakening of the Shaking Light Star Soul began Xu Luo’s path as a Martial Artist. The Shadow Shaking Heart Method, Breaking Army Seven Kills, Shaking Light Step, and Shaking Light Burst... they all laid the foundation for his martial arts.

Later, when the Kaiyang Star Soul awakened, the energy consumed already exceeded one thousand Upper-grade Spirit Stones!

Similarly, the Kaiyang Star Soul transformed Xu Luo’s physical body and continues to change and refine it even now. Xu Luo didn’t have many opportunities for close combat; otherwise, his body, like that of a Humanoid Barbarian Dragon, would have long since become famous.

Furthermore, with the Kaiyang Star Soul, Xu Luo had also confirmed something: even after a Star Soul awakened, it still needed to devour large amounts of energy.

When the Shaking Light Star Soul devoured energy, it could advance his Shadow Shaking Heart Method and increase the power of both Breaking Army Seven Kills and Shaking Light Burst.

The more energy the Kaiyang Star Soul devoured, the more refined Xu Luo’s body became.

No one had told Xu Luo these things; he had figured them all out on his own.

As for the Jade Balance Star Soul... Xu Luo hadn’t even dared to hope for it back then. His awakened Shaking Light Star Soul had once told him that the energy needed to awaken the Jade Balance Star Soul would be a hundred times that of the Kaiyang Star Soul!

For the Xu Luo of that time, it wasn’t just an astronomical number; it was a number that inspired utter despair!

For a long time, Xu Luo didn’t even think about awakening the Jade Balance Star Soul. It was only much later, after he had accumulated a massive amount of energy and met the trigger conditions, that the Jade Balance Star Soul finally awakened.

Although the cost was great, the rewards were equally gratifying. The awakening of the Jade Balance Star Soul not only allowed Xu Luo to master a powerful Sonic Attack technique like the Jade Balance Demon Sound, but it also made his Spiritual Power incredibly strong!

Compared to other Martial Artists his age, Xu Luo was simply a monstrous talent!

While his peers were still struggling to break through to higher levels, Xu Luo was constantly perfecting himself, pushing everything related to his cultivation to a peak that others couldn’t hope to reach—even to the absolute limit!

As such, one could only imagine how much Xu Luo anticipated the awakening of the fourth Star Soul in his body!

The awakening of the fourth Star Soul, the Tianquan Star Soul, meant consuming even more energy. The Kaiyang Star Soul’s awakening had consumed the energy of over one thousand Upper-grade Spirit Stones, while the Jade Balance Star Soul’s consumption was a hundred times that of Kaiyang, reaching the terrifying amount of over one hundred thousand Upper-grade Spirit Stones.

’So the energy needed to awaken the Tianquan Star Soul... just thinking about it is enough to make one despair. Even if it’s just ten times that of the Jade Balance Star Soul... that would be a million Upper-grade Spirit Stones! If it’s a hundred times, that’s the energy of ten million Upper-grade Spirit Stones!’

’A million... ten million... with that kind of consumption, unless I owned a Spirit Stone Vein with rich reserves and excellent quality, I wouldn’t be able to save up that much in ten lifetimes, let alone one!’

Xu Luo was just worrying about where to get so many Spirit Stones when news spread of a massive Spirit Stone Vein appearing in Cangqiong. If the people from Dubhe hadn’t occupied it immediately, Xu Luo would have sighed in relief: just what he needed, right when he needed it.

Even so, Xu Luo hadn’t given up on the idea of taking that vein for himself.

That was why Master Mao had said to send those people packing, right back the way they came.

Across the entire secular world, it was likely that only the duo of Xu Luo and Master Mao would dare to shout such a slogan. Anyone else would have probably been drowned in criticism from the very start.

...

RUMBLE! The sound of hooves was like thunder, a heavy sound that seemed to pound in one’s chest. The group of Spirit Beasts used as mounts on the other side were majestic and arrogant, creating an astonishing commotion as if on purpose.

For some unknown reason, the Kaiyang Sect’s Sect Leader, Shangguan Qing, did not speak up to stop them.

Amidst the billowing dust and smoke, the faces of those around Xu Luo turned grim.

”Are they trying to intimidate us?”

”A great sect needs to resort to such petty tricks?”

”Where were you when Cangqiong was in peril? Now that the chaos has subsided, you show up just to flex your power?”

”So much for the ’dignity of a sect’... it’s nothing special!”

If the people of the Kaiyang Sect knew that these secular people they looked down on were having such treasonous thoughts, they would be furious beyond measure.

In their minds, the secular world... was a place of low standing! Secular people were like ants!

In fact, for thousands of years, the secular world had indeed been like this, disregarded by the sects.

But this time was different. Because this time, there was Xu Luo.

Through the thick cloud of dust kicked up by the Kaiyang Sect’s Spirit Beast mounts, Xu Luo saw many faces filled with hostility toward him. At the same time, he also saw Huangfu Shishi’s haggard face and her sorrowful, teary eyes.

Xu Luo’s heart instantly softened.

”Qiqi...” Xu Luo called out, his voice filled with heartache.

”Xu Luo!”

With a delicate, mournful cry, Huangfu Shishi’s figure bolted from the Kaiyang Sect’s ranks and threw herself into Xu Luo’s arms.

Having held it in for who knows how many days, Huangfu Shishi burst into tears, sobbing as she asked, ”Why... Why did this happen? Xu Luo, tell me... tell me none of this is real!”

Xu Luo remained silent, gently patting Huangfu Shishi’s back. He then gave a slight nod to Shangguan Qing, who was seated on a deer-like Spirit Beast, as a form of greeting.

Shangguan Qing’s expression was calm. He didn’t say much, only let out a soft sigh.

By the time the Kaiyang Sect received the news, it was already too late to take any remedial action.

They had been caught completely off guard by Dubhe, and it was entirely beyond the Kaiyang Sect’s expectations.

After all, while Shangguan Qing and Xiang Wentian’s relationship couldn’t be called close, it was still decent. They had just joined forces in the Small World; who would have thought that the people from Dubhe would pull something like this?

Therefore, deep down, Shangguan Qing was also quite furious with Dubhe.

The Kaiyang Sect disciples who had seen Xu Luo before weren’t too surprised by his attitude. After all, the guy’s performance in the Small World had been monstrously talented, to the point that even Shangguan Qing had considered recruiting him.

But those from the Kaiyang Sect who hadn’t met Xu Luo were not so calm. They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Huangfu Shishi, the most talented female disciple the Kaiyang Sect had seen in centuries, was not only throwing herself into an outsider’s arms, but this guy also dared to be disrespectful to the Sect Leader... This punk was simply courting death!

”How arrogant!”

”A mere secular commoner dares to be so rude to the Sect Leader!”

”That’s just too much!”

”So that’s Xu Luo? Just because he has a bit of strength, he doesn’t know his place. Someone like him must be suppressed!”

Some of the Kaiyang Sect’s Advanced Disciples couldn’t help but mutter with cold expressions. They hadn’t participated in the sect assembly this time, so they didn’t believe the rumors about how monstrously talented Xu Luo was.

Although Jiang Tianhai was the peerless genius of this generation in the Kaiyang Sect, he had been cultivating for a much shorter time than the older disciples. No matter how much of a genius a young man was, he still needed time to grow!

Thus, these Advanced Disciples from the Kaiyang Sect, who hadn’t attended the assembly, now felt a new layer of disgust on top of their original disbelief toward this rumored monstrous youth, Xu Luo.

”You are Xu Luo?” A cold voice suddenly rang out, carrying with it a spiritual storm that swept violently toward Xu Luo!

Xu Luo was stunned for a moment, then fury erupted in his heart. The opponent had not only targeted him directly from the start but had also enveloped Huangfu Shishi in the attack. ’If I can’t break this spiritual storm, won’t Qiqi be caught in the crossfire?’

”Hmph!” Xu Luo snorted coldly. The Jade Balance Star Soul in his Dantian quivered slightly, and the opponent’s spiritual storm was instantly dissipated into nothingness!

”A little interesting.” The cold voice held a hint of amusement. Then, a tall, slender young man, mounted on a giant, scaly, monstrous bird, slowly emerged and looked down on Xu Luo.

”Jiang Tianhai is my younger brother.” The young man’s gaze was ice-cold as he stared at Xu Luo. ”I’m his big brother!”