Chapter 146: The Monstrous Lu Yining

The next morning, the ancient martial factions that had stayed overnight at the Xuanyan family estate departed one after another in wave after wave. Xiao Yu, still deep in slumber, was jolted awake by a crisp series of knocks on his door.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Xiao Yu opened the door to find Gu Jian and the handsome young man standing outside, which left him somewhat surprised.

"Are you two getting ready to leave?" Xiao Yu asked softly.

"Brother Xiao is mistaken. When I left my sect this time, it was specifically for the purpose of tempering myself through travel, so I won't be returning quite so soon," Gu Jian said with a smile.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu shifted his gaze to the handsome young man, who merely shrugged and said indifferently, "I'm the same as this sword maniac."

"Then what brings you here?"

Although Xiao Yu had already guessed something, he could not be entirely certain whether his intuition was correct.

"Well, the truth is this. Both of us felt an instant affinity upon meeting Brother Xiao, and since Brother Xiao has always lived in the secular world, we thought it would be good to accompany you so we can look out for one another," Gu Jian said with a smile.

Indeed, Gu Jian's intention coincided precisely with what Xiao Yu had in mind. Towards these two geniuses of the ancient martial world, Xiao Yu felt a mutual appreciation of kindred spirits. Among the three of them, he and Gu Jian were of a similar age, while the handsome young man was slightly younger. As a practitioner of the sword, Gu Jian's character was refreshingly open and straightforward. Making a couple of new friends was by no means a bad thing for Xiao Yu.

"Very well. Since that's the case, once we return to the secular world, I will show you both a completely different realm and way of life," Xiao Yu said with a gentle smile.

Just at that moment, Azure Dragon and the others emerged from their respective rooms, stepping out into the courtyard outside the pavilion.

"Brother Xiao, are these all your men?"

Looking at the dozen or so people in the courtyard, Gu Jian wore a peculiar expression on his face. As a master of the Inherent Martial King realm, he naturally perceived the strength of Azure Dragon and the others at a single glance. This took both Gu Jian and his companion somewhat by surprise; neither of them had expected that not only was Xiao Yu exceptionally powerful, but even his companions possessed formidable strength, especially considering that the secular world was vastly different from the ancient martial realm.

"My brothers," Xiao Yu said with a slight smile, then turned to Azure Dragon and the others, instructing them, "Pack up your things. We are about to leave."

Hearing Xiao Yu's command, Azure Dragon and the others returned to their rooms to gather their belongings.

"By the way, while I know Brother Gu's esteemed name, may I ask how to address this brother here?" Xiao Yu led Gu Jian and his companion inside the room, poured them each a cup of tea, and posed the question.

Hearing Xiao Yu's inquiry, both men were momentarily stunned before a sudden realization dawned upon them. Powerful though Xiao Yu was, he had after all grown up in the secular world and was virtually entirely ignorant of the various sects within the ancient martial realm and the geniuses belonging to them. Otherwise, he would never have asked such a question.

"Brother Xiao, if you'll pardon my bluntness, have you really never paid attention to any matters concerning the ancient martial realm?" Gu Jian asked with a puzzled look.

At this, Xiao Yu shook his head and replied, "I was born into an ordinary family in the secular world. I only acquired this strength after enlisting in the military when I was twenty. As for affairs of the ancient martial realm, I truly know nothing at all. Earlier, I heard someone mention something called the Dragon Ranking—what on earth is that?"

Hearing this, the two men exchanged a smile, and then the handsome young man slowly spoke up: "My name is Lu Yining, from the Heavenly Dao Sect of the ancient martial world. And Gu Jian is a genius of the Myriad Swords Sect."

"Don't listen to this fellow's nonsense, Brother Xiao. If someone like me can be considered a genius, then this fellow Lu Yining can only be described as terrifying. Brother Xiao, take a guess: how old is Lu Yining?" Gu Jian blinked and asked with a smile.

Thus prompted, Xiao Yu finally began to examine Lu Yining more closely. Lu Yining had changed into a set of white robes today, possessing chiseled, knife-like facial features and a pair of pitch-black pupils that gave off an approachable yet striking aura.

"Judging by Brother Lu's appearance, he should be just in his early twenties," Xiao Yu ventured uncertainly.

"Brother Xiao is right. This guy just turned twenty this year. An Inherent Martial King at the age of twenty—compared to him, how could I possibly still be considered a genius?" Gu Jian shook his head with a wry smile.

Though Xiao Yu appeared calm on the surface, he was inwardly shocked. An Inherent Martial King at twenty! At that age, he himself had only just begun to touch upon the ancient martial arts.

To be able to reach the Inherent Martial King realm at the age of twenty in an era lacking in the vital essence of heaven and earth—one could well imagine such innate talent. As Gu Jian had put it, describing it as terrifying was no exaggeration at all.

"Sword freak, that's quite enough out of you. If you hadn't been so obsessed with comprehending your own sword dao and trying to cultivate your sword domain to the Great Perfection realm, your strength would have broken through to the Martial Emperor realm long ago. Stop being so falsely modest," Lu Yining retorted, curling his lip.

Listening to their banter, a few black lines involuntarily formed on Xiao Yu's forehead. From the nicknames they used for each other, it was evident that not only did they know one another well, but their relationship was extremely close. Xiao Yu couldn't help thinking that these two were more monstrous than each other. Yet, strictly speaking, the most monstrous of all three of them was arguably himself.

After all, Xiao Yu had only started learning ancient martial arts after joining the military. Over the course of five years of relentless combat, his strength had surged rapidly, until he later underwent the baptism of the sun, moon, and stars, which finally propelled his cultivation breakthrough to the Martial King realm.

As for Gu Jian and Lu Yining, coming from ancient martial sects, they must have been immersed in martial arts since childhood; in other words, their current strength was the result of over a dozen years of cultivation. The gap between them was immediately apparent.

Just as Xiao Yu was about to ask about the Dragon Ranking, Azure Dragon and the others had finished packing and entered the room. Realizing that Gu Jian and Lu Yining intended to travel with him and that there would be plenty of opportunities to ask about these matters later, he temporarily set the question aside.

Shortly after, the group left the pavilion and went to bid farewell to Xuanyan Huangdao. Xuanyan Huangdao did not attempt to persuade them to stay any longer and personally led Xiao Yu and the others to the barrier marking the boundary of the Xuanyan family estate.

Just as Xiao Yu and his group were about to depart, the figure of Xuanyan Qingshan slowly materialized before their eyes.

"Are our young friends preparing to leave now?" Xuanyan Qingshan greeted them with a smile.

"We all came to witness the Divine Sacrifice, and now that the ceremony has concluded, we shouldn't overstay our welcome," Xiao Yu said, cupping his fists in salute to Xuanyan Qingshan.

"Indeed. Judging by the looks of it, you two lads are planning to head down to the secular world to temper yourselves through travel?" Xuanyan Qingshan asked, looking at Gu Jian and Lu Yining.

"Precisely," the two men hurriedly replied, cupping their fists in return. Toward Xuanyan Qingshan, the guardian of the mountain for the Xuanyan family, even their own masters would show a few points of deference, filling both youths with a deep sense of awe.

"Very well. Little Friend Xiao, might I have a word with you aside for a moment?"