Chapter Thirty-Five: Relationships

A few days ago, Xuyan had mentioned that Xulan would not return to the Spirit War Pavilion for another three months. Because of this, Chu Feng had suffered a heavy loss as a result. However, since he was already in the instructors’ residential area today, and it wasn’t far, Chu Feng decided to go and pay a visit.

Sword in hand, Chu Feng arrived at Xulan’s residence. The middle-aged servant recognized him at once and welcomed him inside.

“Is Grandpa Xu in?” Chu Feng asked.

“Yes, he is,” replied the servant.

“Oh? When did he come back?” Chu Feng asked, rather surprised.

“Not too long ago,” the servant replied with a smile. “Miss Xuyan also just arrived.”

“What a coincidence,” Chu Feng said with a laugh, though he thought little of it.

In truth, Xulan had never gone far at all; Chu Feng had merely been deceived by Xuyan into believing he had traveled away.

Chu Feng was actually asking when Xulan had returned from afar, but the servant, misunderstanding, answered with the time Xulan returned from his teaching duties at the Xuan Camp.

The servant led Chu Feng into the parlor, had someone bring tea, and then went off to inform Xulan.

In the study, Xulan was all smiles as he wrote with a brush on white paper. He was in high spirits, for Xuyan had just told him she’d passed the test and been assigned to the Xuan Camp.

That Xuyan could enter the Xuan Camp already delighted Xulan. One had to know that, among the four great camps—Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang—the Huang Camp already accounted for half the members, the Xuan Camp for over thirty percent, and the remainder were in the Heaven and Earth Camps.

To enter the Xuan Camp was to show that a student’s aptitude was above average. As for the Earth Camp, its numbers were very few, and the Heaven Camp even fewer.

In the Xuan Camp, as long as one worked hard, one's future achievements were bound to be significant. Xulan himself had come from the Xuan Camp and had become the lord of a city.

“But after you completed the task, how many points did you earn?” Xulan set down his brush and asked.

These points were important. Once admitted to the four great camps, all cultivation resources had to be exchanged for with points, so students naturally strove to earn more.

This was the Spirit War Pavilion’s method of fostering initiative, and indirectly, a way to filter and match talent—the more outstanding the student, the more points they could earn, and thus the better cultivation techniques and resources they could obtain.

If one lacked the talent, even the best techniques would be wasted on them, and they’d achieve more with ordinary arts. Undoubtedly, this was a highly effective approach.

“Four hundred and twenty points,” Xuyan replied.

Upon hearing this, Xulan's eyes lit up. He knew that scoring over one hundred points qualified for the Xuan Camp, while over five hundred points meant entry into the Earth Camp.

Xuyan's score was already quite impressive, surpassing Xulan’s expectations. With four hundred and twenty points, she could already redeem powerful cultivation methods in the Xuan Camp.

“Back in my day, I only scored three hundred and seventy. It seems your achievements are destined to surpass your grandfather’s,” Xulan said with a smile.

Hearing her grandfather’s praise, Xuyan was secretly delighted.

“You’ve always come here alone lately. Why not bring Chu Feng with you? That boy eats a lot. I wonder if he’s getting enough each day,” Xulan remarked.

“He’s been training hard lately, so I didn’t want to disturb him,” Xuyan replied with a smile. In truth, she hadn’t brought Chu Feng not because she didn’t want to, but because she was afraid he’d see through her. After all, last time she’d extorted him quite a bit, and she’d planned to bring him over only three months later.

Xulan nodded and sighed, “Yes, that child is extraordinary. Even though he can’t awaken his spirit, he’s managed to come this far through sheer effort.”

The last time Xulan heard from Xuyan about Chu Feng’s astonishing physical strength, he was truly shocked.

“Master.” Suddenly, a gentle voice came from outside, and the middle-aged servant entered.

“What is it?” Xulan asked.

“Young Master Chu is here,” the servant replied.

At once, Xulan burst out laughing, “He finally found the time to come.”

“Oh no, that wretched barbarian! Why did he come on his own? Has he already found out I lied to him? I mustn’t let anything slip!” Xuyan fretted inwardly.

Noticing Xuyan’s odd expression, Xulan asked, “Yan’er, what’s wrong?”

Xuyan forced a laugh, shaking her head vigorously. “Nothing, I just think his timing is really something.”

Xuyan hurried to the parlor ahead of her grandfather, taking the initiative so Chu Feng wouldn’t have a chance to slip up. She asked, “How’s your sword training lately?”

“Not bad,” Chu Feng replied.

“Hahaha! Chu Feng, I haven’t seen you in some time, and you’ve truly impressed me,” Xulan said, laughing as he entered.

“Grandpa Xu.” Chu Feng greeted him warmly. “It must be that Xuyan has been exaggerating in front of you.”

Xuyan glared at him immediately. “You ungrateful brute!”

“Heh, just joking,” Chu Feng said with a grin.

Xuyan rolled her eyes, glanced at the sword in his hand, and asked, “Why are you carrying a sword?”

“It was a gift from my instructor,” Chu Feng replied.

Xulan smiled knowingly. “It seems you’re highly valued, Chu Feng.”

“Hmph.” Xuyan was unimpressed. She took the sword, looked it over, then curled her lip. “What kind of sword is this? It’s so dull. The scabbard is nicer than the blade.”

She drew the sword and, seeing it, became even more dismissive. “Such a boastful name—how can a mere sword dare be called ‘Domain Suppressor’?”

Chu Feng was speechless. What could he say? Anyone who didn’t know its origins would certainly look down on it.

“Domain Suppressor? Domain Suppressor?” Xulan glanced at the characters on the blade, suddenly startled, and fixed his gaze on Chu Feng. “Could this be the legendary Domain Suppressor Sword, the one whose spirit was erased?”

“This is the one,” Chu Feng nodded.

Xulan drew in a sharp breath and examined the sword closely. Though he’d never seen the sword in person, he’d long heard of its fame.

The Domain Suppressor Sword was one of the human race’s legendary weapons, second only to the clan’s sacred artifact, the Dragonflame Sword. Even as a mundane weapon, it was a rare treasure. However, to cultivators, it had little practical use and was more suited for collection.

Seeing Xulan’s astonished expression, Xuyan asked, “Is the Domain Suppressor Sword famous?”

Xulan briefly recounted the sword’s history, and Xuyan’s eyes grew round with excitement as she stared at the sword, her gaze alight.

“It’s truly a treasure,” Xuyan sighed.

Xulan said gravely, “Chu Feng, your instructor must be no ordinary person.”

Chu Feng fell silent; he shared the same suspicion but dared not ask further.

Xulan held the sword in his right hand and ran his left along the blade. “If I’m not mistaken, this sword is likely a family heirloom of your instructor.”

Chu Feng was taken aback. “You mean my instructor is a descendant of that predecessor?”

“Though I can’t be certain, it’s quite possible,” Xulan nodded. “What is your instructor’s name?”

“Xiao Yue,” Chu Feng answered.

A gleam flashed in Xulan’s eyes. “Also surnamed Xiao? What a coincidence.”

Chu Feng’s heart skipped a beat. “That predecessor was also named Xiao?”

Xulan nodded. “His name was Xiao Butian.”

Chu Feng was silent, his expression calm, but inwardly he was deeply shaken. If this were true, his instructor’s background was far greater than he’d imagined.

Xuyan blinked in astonishment, her mouth agape. How could anyone have guessed that an ordinary instructor in the newcomers’ camp might be related to one of humanity’s greatest figures?

“Although this sword isn’t much use to cultivators, it’s of immense importance to Xiao Yue. That he’d give it to you shows he has high hopes for you. No matter what, you must remember this favor,” Xulan reminded him.

Chu Feng nodded earnestly, moved to his core.

Afterward, the three sat and chatted idly for a while. During their talk, Chu Feng suddenly recalled that both Xiao Yue and Xulan, when mentioning the Domain Suppressor Sword, had brought up the clan’s sacred artifact, the Dragonflame Sword. He asked, “Grandpa Xu, just how powerful is the human race’s sacred artifact?”

“Yes, since it’s called the clan’s sacred artifact, it must be extraordinary, right?” Xuyan chimed in, clearly intrigued.

Xulan took a sip of tea, then said, “To be worthy of the name ‘clan’s sacred artifact’ is no small matter. The Domain Suppressor Sword is already one of humanity’s strongest spiritual weapons, but compared to the Dragonflame Sword, it is worlds apart.”

“That can’t be. Isn’t the Domain Suppressor Sword said to be second only to the sacred artifact? How could there be such a gap?” Xuyan asked, her curiosity growing.

Xulan sighed. “That’s true—after the Dragonflame Sword, the Domain Suppressor is indeed a top-tier spiritual weapon. But the Dragonflame Sword is on another level entirely. Legend says it can rival the weapons of the gods.”

“Weapons that rival the gods!” Chu Feng and Xuyan exclaimed in near unison, their faces filled with awe.

“It’s said the Dragonflame Sword is sentient. Only those it recognizes can become its master, but earning its recognition is exceedingly difficult. Centuries may pass without a single person gaining its acceptance, not even a Saint Spirit Warrior,” explained Xulan.

Chu Feng and Xuyan were completely stunned. Such a weapon was indeed worthy of being compared to the arms of the gods.

Xulan continued, “The master of the Dragonflame Sword is fated to be a peerless genius whose name will echo through the ages. Each time it appears, it shakes the world. In all the land, only the demon race’s sacred artifact, the Universe Cauldron, can rival it. Throughout history, these two godly weapons have clashed many times, each battle ending in a deadlock.”

Chu Feng and Xuyan were both secretly awestruck; they had never imagined such artifacts existed in the world, though such things were far removed from their own lives.

“Who wields the Dragonflame Sword now? Is it in the hands of some elder?” Chu Feng asked.

“The Dragonflame Sword is missing,” Xulan replied, shaking his head and looking at Chu Feng. “Do you remember Yu Yang, whom I mentioned before? He was the sword’s master. Fifteen years ago, in that earth-shattering battle, Yu Yang slew several demon race powerhouses on par with Saint Spirit Warriors, thanks in large part to the Dragonflame Sword. However, after Yu Yang’s disappearance, the sword vanished as well.”