After accompanying Song Qingshu to finish his registration, they agreed to meet at Wendao Square tomorrow during the hour of the Snake before waving goodbye.
Song Qingshu returned to Falling Cloud Peak.
Xu Xian, however, pulled a quick turnaround and accepted that Grade B mission to dig the irrigation canal.
If one isn't proactive about making money, there's something wrong with their head.
The next morning.
Having prepared everything, Xu Xian said his goodbyes to Wen Qingxue. He explained that he was going on a long journey to complete a difficult and glorious mission, and if anyone came looking for him, she should just say he wasn't in.
Wen Qingxue seemed to have known this would happen. She simply reminded him to be careful and act with caution while he was away—nothing more.
He arrived at Wendao Square early.
To his surprise, Song Qingshu and the others had arrived even earlier. They had been waiting for some time and waved to him from a distance.
"Little Grand-Uncle, over here!"
Xu Xian controlled his heavy sword to land steadily. With a flick of his sleeve, the sword returned to his cuff. He chuckled and said, "I thought I was early, but I didn't expect you all to beat me to it."
Song Qingshu smiled. "We just arrived ourselves. We couldn't very well let you be the one waiting for us, Little Grand-Uncle."
Xu Xian waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, don't be so formal. Between us, there's no need for such ceremonies."
Xu Xian was naturally sociable; no one understood networking better than him.
When dealing with juniors, one had to be tolerant, kind, and mingle with them.
His gaze fell upon the two people behind Song Qingshu, a man and a woman.
The man was burly with defined muscles and short hair, looking like a mighty vajra. His features were sharp, possessing a natural authority without even trying to look angry. Above his head floated a label:
[nascent soul · early stage]
The woman was tall with skin like cream and lips as red as cinnabar. Her phoenix eyes were captivating even without a hint of coquetry. She was a classic beauty who fit the public's aesthetic perfectly.
[nascent soul · middle stage]
Notably, all three wore the same white sword robes of the Wendao Sword Sect. They looked high-spirited and heroic, making Xu Xian, in his simple green robes, stand out a bit as the odd one out.
Xu Xian let his gaze linger on the two for a moment before asking, "And these two are?"
Hearing this, the two cupped their fists and introduced themselves in turn.
"Ruan Zhong of Zhujian Peak greets the Little Grand-Uncle."
"Nangong Ning of Falling Cloud Peak greets the Little Grand-Uncle."
Xu Xian returned the salute and, out of politeness, introduced himself in a deep voice, "Xu Xian of Zhijian Peak."
After the brief introductions, Song Qingshu took the initiative to ask, "Little Grand-Uncle, shall we set off now?"
Xu Xian replied sensibly, "I'm fine with whatever. I'll follow your lead."
The four of them set out together.
They controlled their swords to leave Wendao Square and crossed over One Sword Gorge.
Seeing Longevity Bridge again after five years filled Xu Xian with deep emotion. Looking down from this angle, the long bridge spanned the chasm amidst the misty haze. One Sword Gorge was unfathomably deep, truly a natural moat.
While riding the wind, the three others deliberately slowed down to fly alongside Xu Xian, engaging in casual conversation.
"Little Grand-Uncle, it’s been five years since you joined the sect, hasn't it?"
Xu Xian said wistfully, "Yes, five years. Though I slept for four of them, so I didn't really feel the time passing."
Ruan Zhong said in a low voice, "Little Grand-Uncle spent four years comprehending the sword stele and achieved foundation establishment in ten months. In terms of speed, no one in the entire Wendao Sword Sect can surpass you."
Xu Xian said modestly, "Haha, it’s not worth mentioning."
Nangong Ning's gaze fell upon the heavy sword beneath Xu Xian's feet. She asked curiously, "Little Grand-Uncle, if I’m not mistaken, this must be the life-bound sword you took from the Sword Mound?"
"That’s right."
"I wonder what its grade is?"
Xu Xian said nonchalantly, "I just picked it up casually from the Immortal Sword Pool."
The three were startled and looked at each other in surprise. When they looked at the Wufeng heavy sword again, their eyes were inevitably filled with envy.
An immortal sword.
In the entire Wendao Sword Sect, such swords were few and far between. Ordinary people might not even catch a glimpse of one in their entire lives.
Now, the person before them was stepping on one. It was truly an extraordinary sight.
However, there was only envy, no jealousy, and certainly no thoughts of killing him to steal the treasure.
After all, every disciple of the Wendao Sword Sect knew that the swords in the Sword Mound chose only one master for life. In Xu Xian's hands, it was an immortal sword; in their hands, it would be nothing more than a piece of iron.
They wouldn't be able to control it, and it might even turn its power against them.
"Little Grand-Uncle is truly impressive, managing to retrieve an immortal sword without making a sound. No wonder I couldn't see through it."
"Little Grand-Uncle is truly low-profile. Such a major event as drawing an immortal sword, yet there wasn't even a whisper of it in the sect."
"As expected of the Little Grand-Uncle, a role model for our generation."
The three were not stingy with their praise.
Xu Xian enjoyed it quite a bit. Communication was the most important thing between people; pleasant words, even if they were just flattery, were very comfortable to hear.
He maintained his modest facade and waved his hand. "It’s just a mere immortal sword, not worth mentioning."
The admiration in their eyes grew even stronger. They thought to themselves that there was a reason someone so young could become the Little Grand-Uncle. This level of poise and indifference was something even they, who had reached the nascent soul stage, could only hope to achieve.
"Little Grand-Uncle, how did you do it? It must have been very difficult, right? When I climbed toward the Tianjian Pool, I couldn't hold on even halfway through..." Ruan Zhong said.
Xu Xian took a deep breath and, meeting their expectant gazes, said with a straight face, "To be honest, I didn't find it difficult at all. The climb was quite easy. As for pulling an immortal sword... as long as you have hands, you can do it."
The three froze, their expressions becoming complicated. Their mouths twitched and their eyes lowered...
Suddenly, the earth swords beneath their own feet didn't seem quite as impressive anymore.
What did that imply?
That they didn't have hands?
After all, they had only pulled out earth swords.
A strange sense of gloom settled over them.
The casual chat ended on a sour note. The three remained silent; if they kept talking, they feared they might die of frustration at their own perceived incompetence...
Xu Xian, completely unaware, held his head high against the wind, looking heroic.
After passing through the narrow gorge, they flew several miles to the east. Under Nangong Ning's lead, the four of them descended toward a specific location.
Though Xu Xian was puzzled, he didn't ask and simply followed.
Soon, they arrived at a port at the foot of a mountain. It was filled with ships, but these weren't ships that sailed on water. Naturally, the port wasn't an ordinary one either.
It was a skyport.
The ships of various sizes before them were flying vessels that soared through the heavens.
The professional term for them was Cloud Boats.
They were large, functional magical treasures powered by spirit stones that could fly freely through the sky.
Seeing the confusion in Xu Xian's eyes, Song Qingshu took the initiative to explain:
"Little Grand-Uncle, Yecheng, where we're headed for our mission, is located in the south, bordering the Central Plains of Fanzhou. It’s quite far. Flying there ourselves would consume too much qi, so we’re going to hitch a ride. See these Cloud Boats? They are all assets under our sect's Merchant Hall. The people from the Merchant Hall travel between the Northern Borders and the Central Plains all year round to do business with the outside world. they purchase necessary materials for the sect and sell our sect's products, earning a large amount of spirit stones to maintain the sect's normal operations."
Xu Xian nodded thoughtfully. He had heard Fatty Zhou talk about the Merchant Hall while chatting over meals at the Spirit Food Workshop.
Certain rare ingredients were purchased from the outside by the Merchant Hall.
Fatty Zhou had also mentioned that if he ever needed something that the sect didn't have, he could commission the Merchant Hall to buy it for him, though he would have to pay.
"That’s quite good."
As the Little Grand-Uncle and a first-generation disciple, Xu Xian looked at the disciples in the mountains as if they were his own children, and seeing these Cloud Boats felt like looking at his own family's property.
He thought this must be what his Senior Sister meant when she said that with great power comes great responsibility.
He asked curiously, "So, do we have to pay contribution points to the Merchant Hall to ride these Cloud Boats?"
Rate on N.U.
