Chapter 573: Chapter 572: A Letter
After a long period of seclusion, Shi Xiaole emerged from his secret chamber, intending to relax properly.
In the following days, he either gave pointers to Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng on their cultivation, observed the scenery quietly while sipping tea, or went to the South-Western Peak to inspect the construction progress of another villa. His days were very gratifying.
Three days after Xia Yunxi arrived at Wuling Villa, she went into seclusion and had not appeared since. It seemed that she was determined to improve herself.
On one particular day.
Zhu Ling suddenly handed a letter to Shi Xiaole.
Seeing Zhu Ling’s solemn demeanor, noticing the markings on the letter, Shi Xiaole understood, and, after a long silence, said after opening and reading it, "I have to step out for a bit. Please manage the villa in my absence."
"Please rest assured, master."
Zhu Ling nodded, seemingly aware of the gravity of the situation, and did not ask any further questions.
"Ling’er, where did Lele go?"
At noon, Zhu Ling went to Su Yanru’s boudoir, who asked the question casually.
"He left after receiving a letter in the morning."
"Whose letter was so important that he had to leave?"
"From Pudu Peak."
Su Yanru abruptly turned her head, her face full of shock.
Pudu Peak was one of the top forces in the Flying Horse Dynasty, one of the Four Sides of the Holy Gate, standing alongside Shaolin and Wudang Mountain. Their strength was undoubtedly immense.
Unlike Shaolin, Pudu Peak’s elites were half men and half women. Starting from the first generation, all the Peak Leaders had been women who had stood up and fought in many Martial World crises, eliminating demonic disasters.
In terms of fame, Pudu Peak was undoubtedly one of the top forces.
The letter that Shi Xiaole received contained Pudu Peak’s exclusive insignia.
...
A row of houses stood quietly by the side of a tranquil lake.
In the courtyard in front of the houses, a group of people was standing.
From their aura, they were all individuals of the Lord Level, each more terrifying than the last, like resting lions. Any ordinary person there would have fainted from the overwhelming aura.
As time passed, more people continued to arrive.
"Brother Fire Sword, I didn’t expect to see you here."
"Haha, Brother Xuanyang, who dares not to show face to an invitation from Pudu Peak?"
The circle of Lord Level warriors in Xuanwu State was small, so most of those present were acquainted, and even if they were not, they had heard of each other. They all gave each other symbolic greetings.
Soon, a farmer carrying a hoe and wearing straw shoes walked in, causing an immediate shift in the atmosphere.
"Elder, even you have come?"
The numerous Lords hastily saluted, and a hint of fear could be seen in their eyes.
"Hehe, after spending all day hoeing weeds at home, I also need to get out a bit."
The farmer casually found a spot and sat down, paying no attention to etiquette.
But no one dared to ridicule him, or even show any expression.
The old man went by the name Old Weed Chopper and refused to accept any Lord title given by others. Once, a top-tier Lord called him by the wrong title and had his head crushed by Old Weed Chopper’s hoe.
Since then, nobody dared to call him by the wrong name. Afraid of upsetting him by directly calling him Old Weed Chopper, everyone would address him as "elder" as a mark of respect.
The arrival of Old Weed Chopper made everyone more restrained.
About a quarter of an hour later, a hurried sword cry came from the edge of the sky, and many people saw a dragon charging towards them, its rolling Yang Qi was as sharp as countless swords. Even before it approached, many Lords felt discomfort from their pores.
"It’s the Sun Sword Lord!"
Someone whispered.
In a flash, a tall, thin middle-aged man in a deep yellow robe, embroidered with a sun, appeared in the field. The man had slender phoenix eyes and a gaze that resembled a shooting sharp sword, which no one dared to meet.
Following the middle-aged man were ten young sword-carrying individuals, all of whom had fierce auras.
"It has been many years, but the Sun Sword Lord appears more majestic than ever."
Many people stepped forward to flatter him.
In the eyes of most martial artists, Lords were regarded as superior figures. However, when facing the strong ones they cherished, there was no difference between Lords and ordinary people.
Without a doubt, the Sun Sword Lord was such a strong figure.
He had broken a series of Swordsman records in Shuntian, making him the most dazzling Swordsman in Shuntian in the last six hundred years. He had not met a worthy opponent for many years, and before he reached a hundred years old, he had already been ranked among the top ten in Shuntian. His fame was stunning and well-known.
He was just over a hundred and eighty years old this year, and for many years, he had not used his sword. No one knew the extent of his strength.
Later, the records he set were broken one by one by the more amazing Shi Xiaole, but at least one thing was not going to change for the time being - in terms of strength, the Sun Sword Lord was still the number one Swordsman in Shuntian.
"Young Dragon Yang, swaggering around the Martial World all day with your ten disciple swordsmen, you must feel very superior."
Suddenly, someone spoken sarcastically. It was none other than the Old Weed Chopper sitting in the corner.
"How dare you insult Sun Sword Lord!"
One of the ten young men behind the Sun Sword Lord shouted angrily.
Old Weed Chopper laughed in a hee hee way and a hazy phantom arose behind him; it had unknowingly engulfed the young man, and from within it, wails of horror emanated.
"There’s no need to take it out on a child, Old Weed Chopper, you’re reverting to your old habits the longer you live."
A wave of Sword Qi erupted from the Sun Sword Lord, instantly piercing through the phantom.
The pupils of the young man contracted, apparently still recoiling from the earlier horror; he dared not spare another glance at Old Weed Chopper.
"Heavenly Martial Realm!"
Everyone was trembling with fright. In the previous confrontation, Old Weed Chopper had clearly utilized the Heavenly Martial Realm, while the Sun Sword Lord had used the Heavenly Sword Realm.
There were about sixty top-level Lords in the Shuntian Capital, but there were only a scant six who had realized the Heavenly Martial Realm!
The impact of realizing the Heavenly Martial Realm on one’s strength was too great, and the most notable example was undoubtedly Shi Xiaole, who had become a sensation throughout the Shuntian Capital.
One of the major reasons why he was able to slay several top-level Lords was the Heavenly Sword Realm! Without mastering the Heavenly Sword, he would be, at most, a high-level Lord.
Of course, because his roots were shallow, once Shi Xiaole encountered a strong person who already had the strength of a top-level Lord and had realized the Heavenly Martial Realm, he would certainly lose without a doubt.
Such as the present Old Weed Chopper and Sun Sword Lord.
"Ill-mannered brats must be chastised in a timely manner. I am doing this for your own good, so he doesn’t cause you trouble in the future," said Old Weed Chopper, still with a smile. He also did not make another move.
The Sun Sword Lord merely looked at him, remaining silent.
"Did I miss a good show?"
A slightly regretful voice echoed about. However, both Old Weed Chopper and Sun Sword Lord were shaken.
Everyone’s gaze turned collectively to the entrance, where a man in his thirties of average build was strolling in. His snow-white robe was crammed with the words ’Great Lethal Star’ written in brush strokes, rows of them, as though he was afraid others wouldn’t see them clearly.
Despite his comical appearance, the crowd couldn’t muster a laugh, only feeling a biting chill that ran deep into their bones.
’Great Lethal Star’ Xin Zhuliu!
If you asked the wandering martial artists in the Shuntian Capital who the most famous person in the Martial World was, they might say Shi Xiaole, but before Shi Xiaole, the answer would definitely be Xin Zhuliu.
His talent was so high that it ranked within the top five in the six-hundred-year history of the Shuntian Capital, outperforming even the Sun Sword Lord, and was the only one among the top ten who was not yet fifty years old.
Being less than fifty years old and having sat firmly atop the throne of Shuntian Capital’s No. 1 Master for many years, nobody could predict just how terrifying his future would be. Many even predicted that he would become Shuntian Capital’s first Divine Barrier Realm among the Terrestrial Immortals!
It was rumoured that he had been courted multiple times by many of the top-tier factions but had declined them all politely.
Remembering the rumours about Xin Zhuliu’s bad temper, numerous people hurriedly stepped forward to greet him loudly with their fists clasped in salute. Sure, coming here at the invitation of Pudu Peak, Xin Zhuliu would not dare lose his temper, but what about settling scores afterwards?
"I don’t like being the center of attention. Everyone, step back."
With an obstinate expression, Xin Zhuliu swung his hand. His white robe, filled with the characters of ’Great Lethal Star,’ fluttered as he positioned himself by the door and looked up at the sky.
After him, several more individuals entered, all well-known figures among the top ten.
Everyone inside the house was astounded in secret.
The people that showed up this time nearly accounted for half of the top Lords of Shuntian Capital, six out of the top ten. It was indeed unprecedented in scale.
A young man in blue robes walked in.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Dozens of pairs of eyes in the room, as if spotlights, instantly focused on him.
Even the meditating Old Weed Chopper, the silent and upright Sun Sword Lord, and even the sky-gazing Xin Zhuliu couldn’t help but turn to look at him.
Being invited by Pudu Peak, being young, and wearing blue robes – there could be no other in Shuntian Capital.
Shi Xiaole.
It had to be Shi Xiaole!
Despite having heard all the rumors earlier, the crowd was still in awe when they saw him in person. He was simply too young!
At his age, they were still leading the pack in their respective circles of young and promising talents, while he had already stirred up the entire Martial World.
This was a talent never seen before in Shuntian Capital, overshadowing all the so-called ’chosen ones’ of previous generations. If not the greatest ever, he would certainly be unprecedented.
"Young Hero Shi, my grandson acted rashly in the past and even wanted to make you one of my top ten apprentices. I hope you don’t take it to heart," said the Sun Sword Lord before anyone else.
Shi Xiaole was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that after his victory against Qu Buping in Mirror State, a young man in white had once tried to recruit him but was rejected. It turned out that he was the Sun Sword Lord’s grandson.
But the Sun Sword Lord’s remark was rather suggestive.
He didn’t directly say that Shi Xiaole had rejected his grandson, but spoke ambiguously, implying at first hearing as if he had save face for Shi Xiaole, leaving room for speculation.
Such words, once spread out, would soon spawn several versions in the Martial World.
Shi Xiaole didn’t care about his reputation, but he also didn’t want to be stepped on by others for no reason. To prevent this, he simply replied: "The name of the Sun Sword Lord has long been revered. I’ve always looked up to you. It’s just that it wasn’t suitable, which is why I turned down your grandson at the time."
His response was also very tactful. The word ’unsuitable’ implied many factors. It did not feign humility or appear arrogant.
The Sun Sword Lord smiled faintly, a deep glint in his eyes.
"What a nimble-tongued genius of the sword. I am suddenly very curious, does your strength match your eloquence? Are you game for a duel?"
Old Weed Chopper, who had been sitting in a corner, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
