Firmament Sword

And he had won so easily.

Although the process of breaking the array had looked thrilling, in reality, the true top-tier experts could vaguely see that Xu Luo had barely moved at all!

”It was an array!”

”A powerful array!”

”Luo Tian has too many secrets!”

”What a monstrously talented young man!”

Several Elders couldn’t suppress the excitement churning within them and began to mutter amongst themselves.

Jiang Botao stared at his Senior Brother—his Sect Leader—in utter shock. He thought to himself that not betting against the Sect Leader this time was a damn brilliant decision!

”This kid is simply a monster! A prodigy!” Jiang Botao grumbled through clenched teeth. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, especially when he saw Xu Luo walk out looking completely drained.

For this high-ranking and powerful Celestial Brilliance Elder to show such an expression, and for the core figures of the Celestial Brilliance Sect to be so shaken, was proof enough. Xu Luo’s excellence had earned him the genuine recognition of the sect’s inner circle.

Xu Luo’s face was pale and etched with exhaustion. He still managed a weak wave to the crowd before cupping his fists in a gesture of thanks for everyone’s support.

Seeing this, the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master, Xiahou Kaiyuan, smiled, but cursed inwardly, ’What a cunning little brat!’

Luo Tian had won again!

The news spread in an instant, shocking countless people!

Those who hadn’t been able to squeeze into the stands were all stunned in disbelief when they heard the news.

”Isn’t he still recovering from a serious injury? How could he defeat a fellow sect member? Was it a fixed match? Or... was Luo Tian not injured at all, and everything before... was just an act to fool everyone?”

Almost everyone had this same question pop into their heads the moment they heard the news.

But after hearing vivid, blow-by-blow accounts of the battle, they were all left dumbfounded.

”He used an array... to fight an array?”

”He’s still badly injured, and he was still weak even after winning the match?”

”That’s... that’s just too monstrous, isn’t it?”

”Is the Ten Extremes Pill Array really that powerful?”

”Can Shao Zheng really refine an Invisibility Pill? It looks like we need to get on good terms with the Medicine Garden!”

All sorts of discussions erupted throughout the Celestial Brilliance Sect. This battle not only showed the Celestial Brilliance People a formidable Senior Brother from the Medicine Garden, but it also introduced them to another of the Medicine Garden’s peerless geniuses!

An eighteen-year-old alchemist prodigy... Shao Zheng!

Xie Yurou, Su Qianqian, Qi Yue, and the others soon came to his door to congratulate him. This time, the three girls ran into each other.

Qi Yue felt that since Luo Tian was one of her own—the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden—and since they were currently in the Medicine Garden, it was only natural for her to act as the hostess and entertain the other two women.

Xie Yurou, on the other hand, figured she had known Luo Tian before he even joined the Celestial Brilliance Sect! She was dismissive of Qi Yue’s posturing.

’So what if he’s in the Medicine Garden now? So what if he’s your Senior Brother? When I met him... you two hadn’t even heard his name yet!’

Compared to the subtle rivalry between Xie Yurou and Qi Yue, Su Qianqian was the calmest of the three.

To outsiders, she seemed to have the weakest claim to Luo Tian, since no one knew how their paths had crossed.

Therefore, neither Qi Yue nor Xie Yurou saw Su Qianqian as a rival.

On the contrary, they were both very polite to Su Qianqian, hoping to win her over and form an alliance against the other.

Xu Luo was rather speechless at this. Seeing Su Qianqian’s charming smile as she called him ”Senior Brother Luo Tian” over and over, his lips twitched. ’You don’t have to go this far, do you, little lady?’ he thought.

”Shao Zheng is truly incredible. To think he could refine an Invisibility Pill, and his Ten Extremes Pill Array... its power is astonishing. I never expected him to hide his strength so well, only revealing it on the stage,” Qi Yue said with some regret. ”If his opponent had been anyone else, he... probably would have won that fight!”

Recalling the recent battle, Qi Yue still felt a lingering fear. The moment she saw Shao Zheng turn invisible and unleash the Ten Extremes Pill Array, her heart sank. She had even felt a little hopeless, believing her Senior Brother was sure to lose.

Recalling the complex emotions she felt at that moment still left her with mixed feelings.

’Do I hate Shao Zheng for being ruthless? That doesn’t seem right... After all, we’re all the same, all Medicine Garden Disciples,’

’Logically, I should be happy no matter who wins or loses.’

’But I can’t fight the feeling, deep down, that I’m closer to our Senior Brother...’

That was why she had rushed over right after the battle. She wanted to make her Senior Brother understand how important he was to her!

She just hadn’t expected to run into two other people who had the exact same idea.

Xie Yurou, especially, was not as reserved as Qi Yue. While Qi Yue kept many things to herself, unwilling to say them outright, Xie Yurou was far more direct.

”I never would have guessed you were so amazing! Hey, that technique you used to break the Ten Extremes Pill Array, that was an array too, right?”

”It was hidden by the mist, so we couldn’t see anything, but a lot of people are guessing you used an array!”

”And when you came out afterward, you pretty much confirmed it. But... what kind of array was it? How could it be so miraculous?”

Xie Yurou chattered away, looking at Xu Luo like a cheerful lark.

When Xu Luo won, she was happy with him. When Xu Luo was hurt, she worried for him. If Xu Luo were to lose, she would be miserable, and might even cry.

Simple and straightforward—that was Xie Yurou!

Peel away the ”Little Witch” exterior, and in reality, she was just a simple, innocent girl.

”There’s a lot you don’t know,” Xu Luo said, teasing Xie Yurou with a smile instead of answering her directly.

Xie Yurou rolled her eyes, though she wasn’t angry. ’I know you’re that mysterious guy from Baihua City... but you don’t know that I know!’ she thought smugly.

”You’ve made it into the top thirty-two. What are your plans now? Will your injuries be fully recovered by then?” Su Qianqian understood Xu Luo well. She knew that half of his injuries were faked, but the other half were real!

After all, Feng had been famous for years. He was incredibly powerful, daring to assassinate even a Supreme. And Xu Luo, no matter how you looked at it, was only at the Peak of the Saint Realm.

Xu Luo was deliberately suppressing his cultivation. In truth, he could break through to the Great Saint Realm at any time, but he was holding himself back because he wanted to cultivate the Saint Realm to its most complete and perfect state.

But a gap was a gap. Between the Peak of the Saint Realm and the Peak of the Great Saint Realm lay an insurmountable chasm. For Xu Luo to have killed Feng, an assassin at the Peak of the Great Saint Realm, while still in the Saint Realm himself was something absolutely no one could have predicted.

Under those circumstances, how could he possibly have escaped completely unscathed?

Qi Yue and Xie Yurou also looked at Xu Luo with concern. Clearly, they were also very worried about this issue.

Xu Luo smiled. ”Don’t worry. There are still ten days until the match to enter the top sixteen. That’s enough time for me to recover. Even if I can’t recover completely, I’ll be eighty or ninety percent there, no problem.”

Su Qianqian glanced at Xu Luo and said, ”If it’s too much, just stop suppressing your cultivation. In the round of thirty-two, almost everyone is a Great Saint Realm expert. You’ll be at a huge disadvantage at the Peak of the Saint Realm!”

As soon as she said this, both Qi Yue and Xie Yurou shot Su Qianqian a strange look. From their perspective, there was no reason for Su Qianqian to be so familiar with Luo Tian.

’Could it be... they got to know each other without me knowing?’ both girls wondered, though neither let it show on their faces.

Qi Yue added from the side, ”Speaking of which, I’m also at the Peak of the Saint Realm, but I’m definitely not suppressing my cultivation. I wish I could break through to the Great Saint Realm. Otherwise, the top sixteen... I probably shouldn’t even think about it.”

Xie Yurou looked at Qi Yue and smiled. ”Sister Yue, making it into the top thirty-two is already incredibly lucky. As for the top sixteen... I’d advise you not to get your hopes up. At this stage, no one is going to go easy on you just because you’re a pretty girl.”

Xie Yurou’s words were blunt and sounded a little hurtful, but Qi Yue knew it was the truth. With her level of strength, if she hadn’t drawn a bye, she probably wouldn’t have even made it into the roster of sixty-two.

But having come this far, who wouldn’t want to advance even further?

Even though Qi Yue had always been indifferent to fame and fortune, at a time like this, she also hoped to achieve a better ranking!

After all, the results of the annual competition were not just a matter of personal achievement, but also the honor of one’s sect division!

”You can make some preparations in advance based on your opponent. If you want to win, it’s not entirely hopeless,” Xu Luo said with a smile, glancing at the somewhat dejected Qi Yue. ”Shao Zheng’s Invisibility Pill and Ten Extremes Pill Array might be known to everyone now, but as of right now... among all the competitors in the annual competition, is there anyone who would dare claim they can definitely counter them?”

Qi Yue’s eyes immediately lit up. ”Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” she said, pleasantly surprised. But her expression quickly turned worried. ”Even though we’re all fellow disciples, those elixirs are Shao Zheng’s trump cards. How can I bring myself to ask for them?”

”This time, I believe he’ll give them to you for the honor of the Medicine Garden,” Xu Luo said with a faint smile.

”Really? If that’s the case... I might actually have a chance to advance!” A hopeful light shone in Qi Yue’s eyes. She was so eager that she immediately said her goodbyes to Xu Luo, wanting to go find Shao Zheng to talk.

After Qi Yue left, Xie Yurou looked at Xu Luo and asked, ”Are you that confident that fellow Shao Zheng will lend those things to Qi Yue?”

Xu Luo smiled and nodded. ”The disciples of the Medicine Garden are very generous!”

”Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway. I’m free as a bird with no more matches to worry about. After the annual competition is over, let’s go to Baihua City together, okay?” This was the second time Xie Yurou had extended this invitation to him, and this time, it was right in front of Su Qianqian.

Xu Luo was about to refuse, but Su Qianqian, who knew his original reason for going to Baihua City, spoke up from the side. ”Baihua City? I hear it’s a beautiful place. Why don’t... we all go together!”

Xie Yurou blinked her pretty eyes, looking suspiciously at Su Qianqian and Xu Luo. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the relationship between these two seemed a little... off.

But she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong. ’There’s no reason for those two to be so close!’ she thought.

One is the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, the other is a Junior Sister from the Scripture Pavilion... Huh? They actually seem like a good match...