"Xiaoluo, you—this, this, this! This is sheer nonsense! This is my family's Di Sword Technique, and it has never been passed down to outsiders! Our family rules strictly forbid it!" He wore a look of utter exasperation at her failure to live up to expectations.
Seeing that his grandfather was genuinely angry, Xie Qianluo quickly appeased her great-grandfather. "Grandpa, I know I was wrong. I won't dare do it again!"
"You child, you're really roasting me over a fire! If the main family ever finds out about this, I'll be a sinner!"
"Grandpa, Qianluo truly knows she was wrong!"
Xie Sheng struggled to suppress the anger flaring in his heart.
"Can't a granddaughter-in-law be considered a member of the family, then?" Xie Qianluo asked nervously, a smile playing on her lips.
Xie Sheng's expression froze in astonishment!
"Well, that is true—wait, no! Great-grandfather hasn't even approved of this granddaughter-in-law yet!" Xie Sheng's expression immediately shifted into a smile. On second thought, this arrangement was indeed acceptable.
"The next time you see him, tell him he must never pass it on to anyone else! That brat actually has a pretty good grasp of it; he mastered the first stance so quickly, his talent is quite remarkable. Xiao Luo, you should learn a thing or two from him and try to feel the sword intent within it!" Xie Sheng lectured.
"Grandpa, look at you, already turning your elbows out! Humph!" Xie Qianluo turned her head away, deliberately refusing to look at Xie Guannan, though the corner of her eye betrayed her.
Xie Sheng chuckled faintly. "If you don't want to look, then don't; nobody is stopping you. I will!"
...
"Zhao Yang, can you take this stance of mine, Falling Di?" Xie Guannan asked in a deep voice.
"Oh no, this sword actually carries sword intent! How old is he? Eighteen?" the head of the Zhao family worried to himself.
"How much damage can such a soft, feeble sword do? To me, it probably feels like nothing more than a scratch," Zhao Yang said dismissively.
The blade radiance in his hand was already extremely solid, swelling as if about to burst apart. Zhao Yang swung it with full force!
"Lightning Surge!"
Lightning Surge—the lightning rolled forth like a surging flood!
Just as Zhao Yang unleashed this strike, the green leaves all around the martial arts arena instantly turned withered and yellow, just like autumn, and drifted slowly downward.
Drawn by some unseen force, as these fallen leaves floated into the air, they all surged toward Xie Guannan!
"What's happening? Is it autumn already?"
"No, it looks like the Young Master Xie's technique and skill!"
"What kind of skill can make all the surrounding leaves wither and fall like this? Isn't he only at the Mid-stage Qi Condensation?"
"It's as if all creation is withering. I've never seen or heard of anything like it!"
"I bet Young Master Xie's strike is going to be powerful!"
"Impossible. Lightning is tied to the power of destruction, while Young Master Xie's power is at best just withering. There's no comparison; it's completely outmatched!"
Through the cascading leaves, Xie Guannan was seen raising his sword high above his head, the blade pointing straight toward the firmament!
"Playing the ghost!" Zhao Yang scoffed disdainfully.
Zhao Yang's Lightning Surge had already closed in on Xie Guannan, but within half a step of Xie Guannan, that beam of lightning instantly turned erratic and uncontrollable!
"What's going on? Why is my Lightning Surge out of control?" Zhao Yang furrowed his brow, disbelief written all over his face.
"The Second Young Master Zhao's Lightning Surge seems to have been blocked by those fallen leaves!"
"What fallen leaves? How could fallen leaves possibly block lightning?"
"This is simply unbelievable!"
Before he knew it, that bolt of lightning had dissipated into nothingness!
Immediately afterward, Xie Guannan slowly brought his sword down.
Countless fallen leaves condensed into a single sword beam, surging fiercely toward Zhao Yang!
"First stance, Falling Di!"
"Falling leaves shed a thousand colors!"
"Falling leaves bid farewell!"
All the fallen leaves lost their color and turned withered and yellow, carrying a strange, desolate beauty!
...
Up in the air, Xie Sheng slowly spoke, "Every single fallen leaf carries sword intent! To reach this level in just a single day—his talent is truly immeasurable."
"What?"
"Every fallen leaf carries sword intent? And it's only been a day?" Xie Qianluo's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Even I haven't cultivated sword intent. Humph, they never include me when they cultivate!" Xie Qianluo pouted and let out a cold huff.
Who would have guessed that beneath her cold and detached exterior, she was still quite the little drama queen.
Ignoring whatever his granddaughter was muttering, Xie Sheng focused his attention entirely on Xie Guannan. The kindness on his face gave way to a trace of stern gravity before his brow finally relaxed.
He thought to himself inwardly, "This brat is quite interesting!"
...
"Look, what a terrifying aura!"
"I felt it too, a really peculiar sensation!"
"Yeah, yeah! Hey, wait—why don't you say it? You've left me with no words to describe it." Another person rolled their eyes, utterly speechless.
"This is truly incredible. Young Master Xie really still has a trump card!"
The crowd beneath the stage broke into animated discussion.
Little did they know that Xie Guannan had only practiced this trump card last night.
His only real trump card was the Black Abyss Divine Scripture.
It was a technique without any direct offensive power, but practicing the Black Abyss Divine Scripture brought benefits that went far beyond mere cultivation speed; whenever Xie Guannan practiced cultivation techniques, he progressed far faster than ordinary people.
Coupled with the Marrow Cleansing Pill that had previously enhanced his talent, this combination could simply be described as monstrous.
On the arena stage, that touch of bleak desolation rapidly coalesced.
"Yang'er, be careful! This sword strike is definitely not simple," the Zhao family head shouted anxiously.
Gazing at Xie Guannan's massive sword shadow formed of fallen leaves, Zhao Yang sneered contemptuously and said indifferently, "All flash and no substance, just a fancy show! So what if it blocked my lightning?"
Careless, Zhao Yang raised his sword and gathered the Lightning Surge once more.
This time, the lightning swirling around him was even more intense, to the point where Zhao Yang's figure was nearly obscured.
"Lightning Surge!" Zhao Yang shouted fiercely.
That world-destroying lightning looked capable of shattering heaven and earth, yet the moment it touched those fallen leaves, it simply withered away.
By contrast, Xie Guannan's fallen leaf sword shadow showed no signs of diminishing.
Xie Guannan spoke calmly, "Your lightning is mediocre."
Closing his eyes to fully experience the desolation, Xie Guannan stopped looking at Zhao Yang altogether.
Zhao Yang stared at the colossal sword shadow of falling leaves and raised his blade to parry!
Yet the fallen leaves bypassed the blood-red saber and struck straight at Zhao Yang's neck.
Terror flooded Zhao Yang's eyes.
"No!!!" the Zhao family head roared at the top of his lungs.
The next instant, Zhao Yang's head parted from his body.
A throat-sealing strike!
"The Second Young Master of the Zhao family is dead!" the crowd exclaimed in shock.
"I never expected Eldest Young Master Xie to be this strong!"
"Indeed, the power of this sword strike is probably comparable to the strength of the Late-stage Qi Condensation. Even I, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, find it terrifying."
"If even a Foundation Establishment cultivator finds it terrifying, wouldn't we mortals be scared to death?"
"Don't listen to him, he's just a bumpkin at the Early-stage Qi Condensation."
"Hahaha!"
Following that sword strike, the area beneath the stage erupted into an uproar, as if a bomb had been dropped into the crowd.
***
On the stage, Xie Guannan quietly looked down at Zhao Yang's headless corpse lying motionless on the ground.
He felt a helpless sigh in his heart: Those who used to bully me deserved to die!
Zhao Yang's life had fallen into eternal silence.
Su Rongyue's expression flickered with shock as she thought darkly: When did this little bastard learn such a powerful sword technique?
"You—you actually dare to kill my son! Lightning Surge!" The Zhao family head was burning with fury. He leaped into the air with his saber, lightning raging around his entire body.
This strike was the full-power blow of a Third Realm, Void Transformation Realm cultivator. Xie Guannan gazed indifferently at the scene unfolding before him.
Your son is dead, so you jump onto the stage to kill me? Is there no law left in this place?
A faint smile touched Xie Guannan's lips.
"Head Zhao, don't you dare ruin the rules of Jianghai City!" An aged voice rang out.
An elderly man who had been watching the battle flashed rapidly to Xie Guannan's side, instantly erecting a barrier to block the Zhao family head's Lightning Surge.
"Old man, do you think you can stop me? Rules? Heh, rules are written by the strong! Besides, we are both in the Third Realm—can you really stop me?" The Zhao family head spoke with wild arrogance, acting as if no one under heaven could stand in his way.
Jianghai City was a thoroughly mediocre and insignificant city, lacking even a city lord.
Xie Guannan smacked his lips and thought internally: Old man, wait—don't tell me you thought you could block him! You better block him successfully, otherwise I'm done for today!
"Look at that, Head Zhao's son died so now he's throwing a tantrum and refusing to play fair. I'm never going to the Zhao family's shops again; at a glance, they're obviously people who break their promises," someone muttered in a low voice.
"What do you know? Head Zhao is just a father acting out of deep love for his son. How can you call their family's character bad? If this were you, could you endure it?" another retorted.
"You must be a paid internet troll for the Zhao family, coming here to steer public opinion!"
"Clearly you're the one who can't tell right from wrong. When people are angry, losing control of their emotions is completely normal."
"It's you! There's definitely something wrong with you!"
...
The crowd below the stage was not only a mixed bag of all sorts of people, but they couldn't even reach a consensus.
On the stage, the old man was heavily forced backward, his arms trembling continuously as a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Young friend, I'm sorry! This old man's strength is lacking."
Xie Guannan nodded helplessly. This old man was neither kin nor kith, and they had barely any prior acquaintance; that he had stepped forward to protect him was already something Xie Guannan deeply appreciated.
Could he really expect the old man to risk his life?
That didn't seem realistic.
He had already done all he could.
"Senior, regardless of the outcome, this junior thanks you first!" Xie Guannan bowed in gratitude.
The old man helplessly retreated from the martial arts arena.
At this moment, only Xie Guannan and the Zhao family head remained on the stage.
Their eyes locked.
Xie Guannan stared at the Zhao family head without a shred of emotion in his gaze, while the Zhao family head looked as though he wanted to tear Xie Guannan apart alive and devour his flesh.
Xie Guannan was like a helpless prey, reduced to a state where he could be slaughtered at will.
Did Xie Guannan have a trump card? No. Fighting across realms was something he could perhaps manage for a couple of moves against a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, but this was a Void Transformation Realm expert—completely incomparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
"Brat, leave your life here today!" The Zhao family head gathered lightning once again.
The lightning whipped about the arena like a lash, its trajectory impossible to track.
"This Young Master Xie is done for. It's truly a case of heaven being jealous of brilliant talents."
"What do you mean, heaven being jealous? He brought this on himself, didn't he? If he hadn't proposed a life-or-death duel, how could things have reached this state?"
"I was just expressing a sentiment, why are you picking a fight?" the latter snapped angrily.
"Ah, right, right, right. Some people always think the world revolves around them—ridiculous!"
"You!"
The two immediately started brawling, while the people around them hurriedly cleared a space for them.
Xie Guannan raised the Xuan Sword in his hand, preparing to parry.
Yet how could anyone possibly block a strike of that caliber!
The next moment, a figure materialized directly in front of Xie Guannan!
"Father!" Xie Guannan was caught completely off guard.
"Nan'er, get out of here quickly. As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. Go back and find my trusted subordinate; he knows the location of that place. You escape first, and I'll risk this old life of mine to protect you," Xie Xuantian transmitted his voice secretly to Xie Guannan.
"Nan'er, it's your father's incompetence, but your father still has a spine. If I die, you will be the final spark of the Xie family."
After finishing his voice transmission, Xie Xuantian glared at the Zhao family head and shouted harshly, "Bah, what a shameless old bastard! Getting involved in matters between juniors—truly laughable."
"Xie Xuantian, you don't need to provoke me. I'll take care of both of you together, and once the Zhao family swallows up the Xie family, we'll become the number one major family in Jianghai City."
"Taste my Lightning Surge!"
That massive bolt of lightning raged wildly around the edge of the blade, sending dirt and shattered stone flying wherever it passed.
Xie Xuantian gripped his sword a little tighter, revealing just how uncertain he felt inside. He turned around and urged Xie Guannan hastily, "Nan'er, go!"
Eyes glistening with tears, Xie Guannan stood frozen for a long moment.
Was he still unable to protect his family in this lifetime? Was he ultimately just too rash after all?
The next instant, a beam of light shooting straight into the heavens descended. The Zhao family head's Lightning Surge instantly vanished without a trace, thoroughly crushed to pieces by that pillar of light!
Lightning: Do I have no dignity at all? I'm supposed to be one of the terrifying Four Symbols forces, you know.
Of course, nobody cared about the feelings of the lightning.
Two figures suddenly manifested in midair: an old man clad in lavish robes with a benevolent expression, and standing beside him, a graceful young lady with a cold and elegant countenance, clear eyes, and bright teeth, looking as picturesque as an immortal painting.
Before everyone present, however, Xie Qianluo maintained a detached and aloof posture.
Xie Sheng said nothing; he merely withdrew his hand and clasped it behind his back.
Xie Guannan looked up at the sky. Xie Sheng didn't notice, but Xie Qianluo was different—her little gaze looked as though it wanted to glue itself straight onto Xie Guannan. Of course, with so many people around, she didn't dare show too much, merely offering a sweet smile and a flutter of her clear eyes.
Xie Guannan smiled back gratefully.
Meanwhile, the spectators below the stage completely exploded into chaos!
Staring up into the sky, they gasped:
"Who on earth is this person?"
"Do you recognize him?"
"No, I've never seen him before."
"But he feels strong—terrifyingly strong!"
"I don't know what big shot dropped in from where!"
"Just like that—a full-power strike from a Void Transformation Realm expert was just wiped out instantly!"
"Quick, look at the woman next to him! This..."
"I was too busy focusing on the old man's terrifying strike, I didn't expect such a fairy-like beauty to be standing right beside him! What a sin."
"Hmph, what are you staring at? Just think about the big shot standing next to her."
"Could it be..."
"Are you blind? Can't you tell? She's definitely his granddaughter!"
"Or maybe something else!"
"Shut your mouth! Whatever she is, it's not something ordinary people like you have any business discussing!"
Xie Sheng didn't bother to coddle these people; he directly released his Fifth Realm cultivation base. In an instant, the aura of the Fifth Realm Spirit Void Realm swept across the entire arena.
Some of the physically weaker spectators couldn't withstand the crushing pressure and instantly collapsed flat onto the ground, making intimate contact with the earth.
Xie Sheng had already reined in a portion of his aura; otherwise, these mortals would have simply been blasted apart.
The arena fell into a profound silence.
"With this person here, things are probably going to be difficult for me," the Zhao family head thought, feeling deeply unsettled.
"Senior, may I ask what brings you to this insignificant Jianghai City? Is there anything I can assist you with?" The Zhao family head took the initiative to speak to Xie Sheng.
"No," Xie Sheng replied flatly.
Since there was nothing to do, he would go back to killing that eyesore! The Zhao family head looked back toward Xie Xuantian, a fierce look of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
Lightning continuously gathered around his body as he prepared to execute Lightning Surge once more!
The Lightning Surge formed rapidly and was viciously hurled toward Xie Guannan and his father!
Yet before the Lightning Surge even left his hand, an extremely formidable pressure descended upon the Zhao family head. He dropped instantly to his knees on the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood!
"Still not giving up? Dare to touch him, and you die!" Xie Sheng said in a chilling voice.
"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare! I beg Senior to spare my humble life." The Zhao family head cast all pride to the winds. Pride? His son was already dead, what pride was left to care about!
Xie Sheng then turned to the members of the Zhao family and stated, "Why haven't you people left yet?"
The Zhao family head fled without even looking back.
***
Just as he was turning to leave, Xie Sheng spoke up, "Right, little fellow, drop by my Hundred Treasures Pavilion when you have time! There are some things I'd like to discuss with you!"
"Guannan thanks Senior!" Xie Guannan bowed and expressed his gratitude.
Beside him, Xie Qianluo offered Xie Guannan a sweet smile, her tone laced with light mockery: "Once you come, don't rush off!"
A chill ran down Xie Guannan's back and he offered an awkward smile.
The two figures in the sky then departed, and the crowd collectively let out a long breath of relief.
"What? It's just over like that?"
"What kind of cultivation does that person even have?"
"Unclear, but I've heard that treading the void and standing in midair is something only the Spirit Void Realm can achieve!"
"What?!"
"What is going on here?"
"How could such a terrifyingly powerful existence possibly appear in a tiny backwater place like ours?"
"What was his meaning when he treated Young Master Xie like that?"
"Are you an idiot? That's obviously an olive branch—he's trying to recruit him!"
"From now on, I suppose nobody will ever dare touch Young Master Xie again."
"The Xie family is about to soar!"
...
"Let's go," Xie Guannan said immediately to his father beside him.
Up to this moment, Xie Xuantian still wore a dazed expression.
What on earth had happened? He had already prepared himself to die, yet somehow they were suddenly rescued! Moreover, the person who saved them was so immensely powerful that he couldn't even see his back; that kind of strength was something he had only ever witnessed in his own father.
Xie Yuan!
...
Back on the arena, the Zhao family head struggled to his feet like a dead dog, wiping the blood from his mouth.
That blow hadn't taken his life, but it had left him with severe internal injuries. Forget launching another counterattack; he was probably in no better shape than that old man from the martial arts arena just now.
Before long, a swarm of Zhao family servants rushed forward.
"Family Head!"
"Let us help you back!"
The Zhao family head offered no resistance and let the attendants support him as he limped back.
...
"Nan'er, who on earth was that person, and why did he help us?" Xie Xuantian asked, deeply puzzled.
It was all too baffling. Could it be a connection from his father Xie Yuan's past? But if so, why did he ignore him entirely and only speak to Xie Guannan?
There was only one possible conclusion!
He had caught someone's eye and was going to be taken in as a disciple.
Putting it that way made perfect sense.
"Why isn't this little bastard dead yet, and why did all these people show up to save him? If they really manage to establish a connection with that background, my plan is going to go down the drain! I have to go calm the situation down," Su Rongyue thought to herself anxiously.
"Oh my, oh my! As long as you're safe, as long as you're safe! Let's go home!"
"I'm perfectly fine! Su Rongyue, let me tell you—even if something happens to you, nothing is ever happening to me!"
Xie Guannan gave a faint smile and said to his father, "It's alright, Father. Let's go home first! There are still many things that need to be done!"
"Mn!" Xie Xuantian gave a soft response.
...
On the street, the evening sunset had turned an intensely blushing red, looking much like countless imperial concubines surrounding their sovereign, creating quite the spectacle of stars clustered around the moon.
Along the way, the three of them exchanged few words. Xie Guannan was lost in thought, wandering as if his mind had drifted off somewhere else.
The street was bustling with people coming and going in a lively stream.
"Stop right there!"
"Don't run!" a little boy shouted at a little girl ahead of him.
"You can't catch me!" The little girl turned back, stuck out her tongue, and made a playful face at him.
...
"Ouch!"
Not paying attention, Xie Guannan was bumped into by the little girl. She was about five or six years old and looked very cute.
He squatted down, rubbed the little girl's head, and said softly, "Run slower next time!"
"Thank you, big brother!" The little girl smiled sweetly.
The two children vanished into the sunset glow at the end of the street, their shadows stretching longer and longer until they finally disappeared from view.
After experiencing that life-or-death duel, Xie Xuantian refused to let Xie Guannan run around casually ever again.