Chapter 1238: Chapter 1236: Mental Totem
"Why isn’t there a reception for guests? What’s the reason for this?"
Shi Xiaole asked with a smile.
If it were anyone else, although the guarding disciples wouldn’t speak out to scold, they would feel impatient in their hearts. However, for some reason, there seemed to be a strange magic about this young man in green clothes, making one unable and even fearful to ignore his question.
One male disciple puffed up his chest, proudly saying, "Isn’t it all because of the great estate master? Haven’t you seen the Martial World gather? In this tripartite great war, the contribution made by the great estate master to the victory was second only to the three venerable figures of the wind and dust. Many important figures want to meet the great estate master, but the estate master is indifferent to fame and gain, and it isn’t as if they can see him whenever they wish!"
Now, Shi Xiaole wasn’t just the simple leader of Nine Heavens Mountain, but rather a totem, a spirit, and a belief.
Whether it was Qu Wuyan and other high-ranking members, or the myriad of disciples, and even the servants and maids, no one on the surface or in secret dared to call Shi Xiaole by his name, instead addressing him as the great estate master.
This appellation spread throughout the Martial World, so much so that many unbridled people of the Martial World, when referring to Shi Xiaole, would subconsciously use it.
Especially recently, after the Martial World reveal detailed the inner workings of the tripartite great war, Shi Xiaole’s prestige reached an unprecedented peak, and the title of great estate master was almost universally known.
"Is it not offensive to reject others so rashly?"
Shi Xiaole said.
Upon hearing these words, the few guarding disciples were displeased. Nevertheless, remembering that this youth must be new to the Martial World and knew nothing, and also, Qu Wuyan had already instructed them not to bully others by flaunting their power, they could only forcefully suppress their anger.
Another female disciple, staring into Shi Xiaole’s eyes and brows, said in a relatively friendly manner, "Young Master, don’t talk nonsense! When it comes to external affairs, Elder Qu has her considerations. It’s not that she refuses people a thousand miles away; she just needs to consult the great estate master."
Shi Xiaole chuckled in his heart.
His absence from Nine Heavens Mountain was public knowledge, but with this young woman’s words, it seemed ambiguous, which was quite clever.
At that moment, the other guarding disciples began to suspect Shi Xiaole, wondering if he was there to probe for information, and were about to take action when they saw the young man in green clothes in front of them, suddenly vanish before their eyes.
"Where is he?"
"He’s disappeared!"
The complexions of the guarding disciples changed, and the most composed male disciple thought for a moment, made a hand seal, and a flurry of Array System fireworks shot up into the sky.
From Sword Dissolving Pool to the outermost Wuling Villa, also known as ’Ten Honorable Estates’, it was precisely two hundred miles. Although it was impossible for that young man in green to break into the grand Nine Heavens Array, the composed male disciple still felt it was necessary to inform Wuling Villa.
As elite disciples of Nine Heavens Mountain, they would take turns guarding Sword Dissolving Pool every once in a while. This was both a test and an honor, and he did not want any trouble to arise on his watch.
Before the male disciple could cast the Array signal, Shi Xiaole had already passed through the grand Nine Heavens Array and was standing in front of Wuling Villa’s archway.
As a top-notch Sky Origin Realm Array, the profoundness of the Nine Heavens Array was even greater than many of the Arrays in the South Sea. However, Shi Xiaole was the actual controller of the Nine Heavens Array, so naturally, it couldn’t stump him.
The characters ’Wuling Villa’ shimmered sharply in the sunlight, written by Shi Xiaole himself. That day’s scene was still vivid in his memory, yet things had long changed around him.
"Who are you to dare intrude upon Wuling Villa?"
"How audacious!"
In front of the arch, there were also guards, consisting of eight senior Divine Border Realm Earth Immortals, whose strength was far superior to the six disciples of Sword Dissolving Pool.
The silent arrival of this person proved his astonishing strength, causing the hairs of the eight experts to stand on end. Just as they saw the Array fireworks from Sword Dissolving Pool soar into the sky, some thought to fight to the death while others considered warning everyone inside the villa.
Just then, a loud shout to stop echoed.
"Estate master Xin!"
The man wore a moon-white brocade robe and a scholarly hat, his cold face tinged with a trace of wickedness; it was none other than the master of Wuling Villa, Xin Zhuliu.
The eight experts calmed slightly.
Xin Zhuliu, now a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor, had combat prowess reaching the first-rate level of the Heavenly Realm. He was an unparalleled expert well-known throughout Xuanwu State and was exceedingly formidable across the entire East Victory continent.
Shi Xiaole wasn’t surprised at this achievement.
Xin Zhuliu’s talent had always been high, and later he had ingested the child tendrils of the Heavenly Hidden Fruit, plus there was the soaring spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the top-notch martial arts that Shi Xiaole had placed on Nine Heavens Mountain. It would be a joke if he hadn’t progressed quickly.
If he remembered correctly, Xin Zhuliu was just over a hundred years old. Continuing at this pace, it was possible he could become an invincible master below the Forbidden Martial Emperor in the future.
"You have returned!"
The eight experts were surprised to find that their usually irreverent master Xin was now grave and serious, stepping toward the young man in green: "It’s your foundational enterprise, yet you, the great estate master, are often away, leaving the burden on us."
"Thank you for your hard work."
The young man in green smiled apologetically.
"The years I promised to serve you are almost up."
"Then let’s extend it for another hundred years, Brother Xin."
Seeing the other’s refined smile, Xin Zhuliu’s face twitched slightly.
If it had been the past, he would surely have left. But people are not plants; living in Wuling Villa for so many years, he had grown accustomed to everything here. He had brothers, friends, and had even taken a few personal disciples.
The sense of belonging to Nine Heavens Mountain had long since seeped into his bones. Now asking Xin Zhuliu to leave, he himself would be reluctant to go.
Moreover, Xin Zhuliu was very clear that his current strength, status, and situation were all given to him by Shi Xiaole. The latter had invested far more than what was originally promised.
Once someone has ties, they can’t be carefree anymore.
Xin Zhuliu was highly suspicious that all of this was Shi Xiaole’s "plot," which the other party had calculated decades ago.
The grandmaster?
Listening to the conversation between the two, the eight masters on standby were struck as if by lightning, their minds buzzing incessantly, their gaze falling on the young man in green, still full of disbelief.
This person is the grandmaster, the legendary figure of the Martial World they had only heard of but never seen?
Yes, who else but him could wear green with such nobility and elegance? Who else could easily breach the Nine Heavens Mountain Array without any sound? And who else could make Xin Zhuliu, the nonchalant man, lower his attitude?
Only the grandmaster!
"The grandmaster has returned, haha, the grandmaster has come back to the mountain!"
From extreme shock to extreme joy, the eight masters were so excited that they were shaking all over; no longer caring about their composure, they bellowed heavenwards with Vigorous Air, their voices carrying for miles.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
A wave of strong breaths rushed from different directions, followed by more breaths both strong and weak, mixed with exclamations, screams, and laughter. For the first time, the well-ordered Nine Heavens Mountain became so chaotic, yet no one cared.
"Xiaole!"
"Brother Shi!"
"Old Shi, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Brother Shi!"
The first to arrive were Zhang Xiangfeng and Zhong Lingsui, followed by the three great prodigies, and then Hua Yiyun, Yuan Yuying, Uncle Wang, the master of Illusion Orchid Tower, and Bai Ruiting along with seven other women.
After a while, Qu Wuyan, the Swan Sword Couple, Gui Nanyan, Gui Fuling, Qiao Yu, Niu Dali, Qiu Mingyue, the siblings Ai Wenqian and Ai Wenhong, including the two major disciples Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng, and the three eccentrics of the higher echelons, also arrived one after another.
Neigh!
Screech!
Almost simultaneously, the sound of a horse neighing and an eagle crying arose.
Within the clouds and mist, a divine steed resembling a sculpture carved from purple jade swept in, as if riding the clouds. Higher above, a giant golden eagle, more dazzling than gold itself, swooped down in front of Shi Xiaole.
These were Qingfeng and Gold Thunder.
Whether it was due to the aura of heaven and earth or some strange adventure Qingfeng had encountered outside, since it returned to Nine Heavens Mountain three years ago, it had slept for a full year. Its hide had changed from its original bronze color to the current purple, becoming even more mystical and profound.
With a full leap, its speed was comparable to an Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, and its endurance was astonishing, able to run at full strength for five days and nights.
As for Gold Thunder, it had initially accompanied Uncle Wang and Yan Zhenning to the East Sea, and after becoming separated, it returned alone to Wuling Villa.
Its transformation was not as obvious as Qingfeng’s, but it was also much more majestic than before, standing five zhang tall like a small mountain. Even ordinary Void Origin Realm masters would be intimidated by it.
The speed of Gold Thunder was even faster than Qingfeng, comparable to a second-rate Heaven Realm Martial Emperor.
Bowing its body low, Qingfeng licked Shi Xiaole’s neck affectionately as before, while Gold Thunder also squatted down, calling out several times, yearning for the master’s affection.
Xia Yunxi and Su Yanru, whose strength was weaker, arrived moments later. Seeing the young man in green petting Qingfeng and Gold Thunder, both of their eyes became warm, and their vision blurred.
Zhu Ling had brought Beigong Shiling with her; as soon as the young girl saw Shi Xiaole, she immediately rushed up to hug him, sweetly calling him Brother Shi.
"Everyone, it’s been a long time."
Shi Xiaole, holding Beigong Shiling with one hand, swept his gaze over the crowd.
Among these people were his relatives, close friends who had been through life and death with him, lovers, friends, and disciples—these were the people Shi Xiaole cared about the most in this world.
A warm emotion welled up in his heart; this was his home, his true place of belonging in this world.
As he looked over the crowd, Shi Xiaole noticed the different changes and progress in everyone and revealed a genuine smile on his face.
What Shi Xiaole did not know was that at this moment, in the eyes of the people across from him, he also appeared vastly different from the past.
His temperament had become even more ethereal, and just by standing there, he exuded an air of casual elegance, like a god descended from the heavens, each movement carrying the supreme grace of an unrivaled grandmaster.
Yet when he was bathed in sunlight, smiling lightly, it also made people feel that he was still the same Shi Xiaole they first met, unchanged.
More elders and disciples stood far behind the higher-ups, not daring to come forward.
This group of people, hailed as elites by the Martial World of East Victory, now looked like inexperienced common folk, craning their necks on tiptoes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary grandmaster.
Shi Xiaole did not disappoint them.
Escorted by the crowd, he led Beigong Shiling with one hand and voluntarily took the hand of Xia Yunxi, who seemed shy and blushed, walking at the forefront.
"The grandmaster!"
The elders and disciples called out one by one, yet they still couldn’t express the reverence and excitement in their hearts.
A sizable portion of them would never forget that when they were seven or eight years old, they had received guidance from the man in green in the crowd and were directly entrusted by him to take on the responsibility of Nine Heavens Mountain, to spread its fame to every corner of the world. (Chapter 1027)
They dared not forget for a moment: the grandmaster’s strength continuously fueled their boundless motivation. Because they knew that at the forefront, there was always that figure, leading them and making them fearless.
