On the banks of One Sword Gorge, a sea of people gathered, and at the head of the Longevity Bridge, many powerhouses stood tall.
The youth arrived accompanied by the auspicious beast, and the gazes of Ye Xianyu and the others shifted with them.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan for the first time, everyone's eyes lit up.
Even Lei Yunche and Ye Xianyu, who had already met Lu Yuan once before, could not help but show changes in their expressions.
How should one put it?
The young boy looked human enough, but his style was... unique.
He had a buzz cut.
He was blindfolded.
And he wasn't wearing shoes...
Jiang Wanyin remarked, "That style is certainly distinctive."
Yao Xiqiao commented fairly, "I've heard many disciples in the mountains say that our Little Junior Brother is unrestrained and bohemian. Perhaps this youth transformed from the auspicious beast has been led astray by him."
The expressions on the others' faces were quite colorful.
Li Qingshan, however, couldn't help but steal a glance at this Eighth Senior Martial Uncle.
He thought to himself.
As expected of the Eighth Senior Martial Uncle, he has a keen eye for people.
This auspicious beast has indeed been led astray by Xu Xian.
And it wasn't just this beast.
Four years ago, Xu Xian stayed at Zhujian Peak for two years, and the entire peak's disciples had been led astray.
Han Yi hadn't noticed it simply because the disciples of Zhujian Peak weren't exactly conventional to begin with.
While they were whispering, Xu Xian had already led Lu Yuan to the head of the Longevity Bridge. The youth stopped and cupped his hands in a respectful bow.
"Xu Xian greets Senior Sister and Senior Brothers."
The crowd's gazes fell upon him—less with scrutiny and more with admiration. Their praise was hard to hide as they nodded with smiles, as if to say:
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
As the eldest among them, Jiang Wanyin stood slightly forward and said softly, "You may rise."
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
The moment he stood up, Xu Xian saw out of the corner of his eye that Lu Yuan was standing there with a slouching, careless posture.
With a hunched back and an air of indifference, Xu Xian raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap to the back of the boy's head.
Smack!
The disciples of the entire sect gasped.
Even the patriarchs were stunned for a moment.
Lu Yuan winced in pain, his head ringing. He looked up, staring at the youth through the silk ribbon with a dazed expression...
Xu Xian said with a touch of anger, "What are you looking at me for? Where's your attitude? Greet them already!"
Lu Yuan gritted his teeth in secret, feeling aggrieved.
Yet, he still very reluctantly followed Xu Xian's example, cupping his hands in a bow and saying in a low voice, "Greetings to the patriarchs."
The surrounding crowd sighed incessantly. It had to be said that the Little Grand-Uncle had trained him well; at the very least, he was obedient.
Lei Yunche and the others also couldn't hide the look of relief in their eyes, nodding frequently.
An unparalleled auspicious beast.
Extraordinary talent.
These were naturally true, but in the end, its beastly nature was hard to change, driven by instinct.
Whether it would be a blessing or a curse in the future, no one could say for sure.
The disciples of the sect had at least passed the Three Inquiries of the Heart, ensuring their basic nature was sound.
They couldn't be too bad. However, this auspicious beast was already at the beast king stage, so those tests didn't apply.
Furthermore.
They had heard some things about this beast—that it was a blood-colored elk.
And from what they could see now, the sinister malice qi on its body was almost palpable.
They naturally had some concerns, so seeing it so submissive to their Little Junior Brother was a good thing.
At the very least, it proved that their Little Junior Brother had the means to suppress it.
And even if their Little Junior Brother's character had its flaws, his heart was pure.
There was nothing to worry about.
Jiang Wanyin narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, "Does he have a name?"
Xu Xian replied, "Lu Yuan."
Lei Yunche asked in a deep voice, "Which 'Lu' and which 'Yuan'?"
Xu Xian answered again, "The 'Lu' from 'in the deep forest one sees the deer,' and the 'Yuan' from 'at the end of the path one encounters the abyss.'"
Lin Fengmian praised cheerfully, "Yuan means deep and profound. Lu Yuan... it's a good name. Deep and steady, yet not lacking in daoist aura."
Xu Xian smiled and said nothing.
Yao Xiqiao asked, "Did you choose this name for him?"
Xu Xian denied it, "No, he chose it for himself."
"Hmm... in that case, he is not an illiterate creature. It shouldn't be difficult to civilize him."
"Senior Brother is wise."
This was essentially the first time the fellow disciples had gathered, so they naturally had much to say.
Their scrutiny of the blood deer was also more intense.
Lu Yuan thought to himself, 'A bunch of posers.'
He seemed to understand an old human saying: birds of a feather flock together. They were all cut from the same cloth.
The disciples in the surrounding area were waiting anxiously, occasionally poking their heads out to look.
"Why hasn't it started yet?"
"What are the patriarchs and the Little Grand-Uncle chatting about? Why can't we hear them?"
"Stop your yapping. Keep your voice down. Will it kill you to wait a bit?"
"Exactly. Don't startle the patriarchs, or you'll be in for it."
"Scaring me? As if the patriarchs would lower themselves to my level. Ridiculous."
At the head of the Longevity Bridge, after some pleasantries, Ye Xianyu spoke up:
"It's getting late. Let's begin."
Jiang Wanyin looked around both sides of the long bridge and said with a smile, "Then let us cross the bridge. I heard the disciples of the sect arrived very early; they must be impatient to witness this."
"Good!" Xu Xian nodded. "Let's cross."
Jiang Wanyin and the others exchanged glances and transformed into streaks of light, landing at the peak of the Longevity Bridge. At every point along the cold chains, they stood ready.
They only waited for the Demon-Slaying Sword to appear, at which point they would exert all their strength to block its sharp edge for a moment, leaving a path of retreat for him.
Ye Xianyu was the last to leave.
Before departing, she didn't forget to ask in a whisper, "Little Eleven, are you actually sure about this?"
Xu Xian said meaningfully, "Senior Sister, just make sure you have the money ready."
Ye Xianyu was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
"Are you in cahoots with Li Qingshan?"
Xu Xian gave her a look. "What do you think?"
Ye Xianyu's brows furrowed, but she didn't bother responding. With a flicker of her body, she reappeared at the peak of the clouds, standing right next to Jiang Wanyin.
Jiang Wanyin teased, "What did you say to our Little Junior Brother?"
"Nothing much. I just asked if he was confident, and he seemed quite sure of himself," Ye Xianyu said.
Jiang Wanyin looked thoughtful. "You've had more contact with him. Do you think he can really lead Lu Yuan across this bridge?"
Ye Xianyu thought for a moment and said honestly, "My logic tells me no."
"Oh?"
"But my intuition tells me yes."
"Reason?"
Ye Xianyu said, "Because I believe in him."
Jiang Wanyin's long brows pressed down slightly. "If that's truly the case, it would be for the best. Senior Brother Yun Zheng has just passed; our Wendao Sect truly needs a joyous occasion."
Ye Xianyu remained silent.
Jiang Wanyin asked again, "Do we know the situation in the Great Desolation?"
Ye Xianyu frowned. "It's unclear. Senior Brother Lei went there once. There's a restriction beneath the Divine Moon Pool that cannot be peered through. All we know is that in the East Desolation, the beast gods and beast sovereigns are nearly all dead, and very few beast emperors remain."
Jiang Wanyin murmured to herself, "The Divine Moon Pool... that is the sacred land of the East Desolation's beast race and their place of origin. I once heard Senior Brother say that something extraordinary is hidden beneath that pool. It seems that this time, Senior Brother still wasn't able to cut it open..."
While the two were talking.
Xu Xian led Lu Yuan to the front of the Longevity Bridge.
The originally indifferent Lu Yuan suddenly became solemn the moment he approached the bridge's surface. He seemed fearful, yet also wary.
Xu Xian keenly caught this and asked, "What, are you scared?"
Lu Yuan remained silent.
Xu Xian teased, "Don't worry, I will protect you. This sword formation won't be able to hurt you."
Lu Yuan looked up and stared at the youth, saying meaningfully, "I am scared."
"Hmm?"
"But what I'm scared of isn't this sword formation..."
Xu Xian was taken aback.
Lu Yuan looked toward the far end of the Longevity Bridge and said heavily, "The Wendao Sect is far less simple than it appears. There is something hidden underneath here."
He paused, emphasizing each word:
"Something extraordinary!"
Rate on N.U.
