Xu Zirong glanced toward the place where Le Hu had disappeared, his expression growing grim.
That man… was frighteningly sensitive to the scent of blood…
He could not be allowed to remain!
Xu Ziyan had no idea that his supposedly obedient little brother was considering how to kill the man they had just met. He was still pondering Le Hu’s strange warning.
He took anything involving Zirong seriously. Le Hu’s cryptic remark was genuinely troubling.
He wanted to find Le Hu and ask what he meant, but time was short and Zirong clearly disliked the fellow.
After hesitating, Xu Ziyan decided to let it go.
The brothers hurried along the path toward the gathering point. They were still being watched, but Zirong’s warnings allowed Xu Ziyan to glance directly at each hiding place, which was warning enough: We know you’re there.
Without the advantage of surprise, few could hope to defeat Xu Ziyan at Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Combined with Zirong, publicly at the eighth level, the brothers seemed an even more formidable pair than Wei Qing and Xiahou Lian.
Xu Ziyan was indeed among the favorites for first place. Unfortunately, compared with the prominent families backing Wei Qing and Xiahou Lian, the Xu clan of a remote region was insignificant.
For that reason, many people doubted Xu Ziyan’s chances despite his cultivation being no weaker than theirs.
As the saying went, pick the soft persimmon. Among the outstanding geniuses, Xu Ziyan appeared to be the only easy target. Thus Wei Qing, Xiahou Lian and several other promising candidates reached the gathering point without trouble, while Xu Ziyan alone encountered ambushes.
Of course, the example he had made of the first attacker would soon teach everyone that he was no soft target. Anyone who tried to take a bite had better be prepared to lose a tooth.
The gathering place was a clearing in the forest. On a low earthen mound sat a woman in Daoist robes holding a horsetail whisk. Her aura was calm and peaceful, as though she had merged with the forest itself.
When Xu Ziyan arrived, he noticed the atmosphere was rather strange.
Dozens of applicants stood scattered about, but several distinct groups were already visible. The largest centered on Wei Qing. The boy in gold-threaded robes wore his usual cold expression, while two companions fawned over him, much to his evident annoyance.
Other small groups stood nearby, including one with Xiahou Lian, whom the brothers had met the previous day. Seeing Xu Ziyan, she enthusiastically waved. Startled, he instinctively returned her smile.
Xu Zirong’s expression darkened terribly. That damned woman dared flirt with Big Brother! Unforgivable!
Xiahou Lian’s response prompted curious looks from those beside her. She was one of the favorites to excel in the examination, so anyone she greeted like that could hardly be ordinary.
Although Xu Ziyan was only fifteen, he stood nearly 180 centimeters tall. His height and handsome appearance attracted many admiring glances.
Zirong, beside him, was only eleven, yet unusually handsome. His delicate face was full of impatience. On an adult it might have looked unpleasant, but on a child it merely made people exclaim how cute he was.
“Who’s that?” A gloomy-looking boy stood watching from a distance and quietly questioned the person beside him.
The man seemed flattered to be addressed. He followed the boy’s gaze, then said in surprise, “That’s Xu Ziyan. He’s the one who wounded Wu Xun of the Wu family with a single arrow. Wu Xun was hurt badly enough that even after treatment, his performance will probably suffer.”
The gloomy boy, Hu Yutian, frowned. He knew Wu Xun’s strength; injuring him was proof of substantial ability. His mood grew even darker. This year was full of hidden talents: Wei Qing of the Wei family, Xiahou Lian of the Xiahou family, and several other powerful clans all had their sights on the prizes. Now even a remote little clan had produced someone like Xu Ziyan.
His companion glanced at Xu Ziyan again and added cautiously, “The one beside him is his younger brother. I hear they’re very close, and the younger one is formidable too. He has three spiritual roots, water, wood and earth, but has already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining.”
Hu Yutian looked even more serious. This examination was going to be harder than he had imagined.
For great families like the Hu, Wei and Xiahou clans, inner-sect admission was practically certain. They were focused on the top three places, or more precisely, the rewards that granted entry to Qilin Tower.
They might earn a place in Qilin Tower after entering the inner sect, but achieving that was far more difficult…
Hu Yutian touched a ring on his wrist and relaxed a little. His talent and effort were no worse than anyone else’s. He refused to believe he could not secure one of those three places!
Xu Ziyan found an empty spot and sat down, thoughtfully laying a handkerchief over the ground beside him first.
Zirong’s mood improved. No matter what happens, Big Brother always cares about me most.
Xu Ziyan’s identity was no secret here. The intelligence networks of the great families were not merely for show.
In fact, reports about him had reached many people the previous day, shortly after he registered. Xu Ziyan knew this but did not care. The Xu family’s influence was too limited for its information network to reach Fa’an City, so he knew little of the present situation. Fortunately, he could draw on the original owner’s memories.
Tsk, Wei Qing looks unbearably full of himself. He’s only a few years older than Zirong. Why can’t he be cuter? That Xiahou girl seems quite formidable, but the original owner had little contact with her. Hmm, the person next to Hu Yutian looks familiar… Ah, isn’t that Mouse, who specializes in selling information? He probably hasn’t made a name for himself yet. I’ll try to recruit him when I get the chance.
Xu Ziyan casually withdrew his gaze. The original owner remembered many people here, but had never been especially close to them.
Then again, he had been praised too highly in the Xu family. Upon entering the Flowing Light Sect, he discovered that his ability was nothing remarkable. A genius among the Xu family amounted to little in the sect. He barely ranked at the bottom of the first tier and could not compare with the greatest talents.
The enormous change had been hard for the original Xu Ziyan to accept. He still wanted to act arrogantly but no longer had the strength to justify it. No wonder he disliked everyone and spent all his time following his master.
The present Xu Ziyan was no child. He understood the importance of personal connections. He could not befriend everyone here, but forming relationships with selected people should be easy enough.
“Big Brother, what are you thinking about?” Zirong asked curiously.
The Blood Demon Lord was intrigued. This was the first time he had seen such a calculating look on Xu Ziyan’s face. Who was he scheming against?
“Nothing.” Xu Ziyan smiled and patted the Blood Demon Lord’s head. “I’ll tell you when you’re a little older.”
Zirong was unhappy but did not show it. He had cultivated the image of an obedient little brother, perhaps a little cold toward others but absolutely devoted to Xu Ziyan.
He had carefully crafted that persona because it most effectively brought out Xu Ziyan’s protective instincts. He would not risk exposing himself simply to satisfy his curiosity.
As time passed, more applicants arrived at the clearing.
Interestingly, many were injured and cast resentful looks at their ambushers. None complained to the Daoist woman, however, apparently accepting that they had been outmaneuvered.
“Damn it! Who ambushed me?”
Not everyone could accept the outcome, though. Here came one such protest.
A richly dressed fat boy stormed out of the forest, glaring around the clearing as though determined to find the scoundrel who had attacked him.
Everyone looked his way. The attention made him uncomfortable, for several spectators seemed to be laughing at him.
Remembering what he had suffered, however, he regained his righteous indignation and shouted, “Which bastard dared ambush me? Come out if you have the guts!”
“And what if he doesn’t?” a bell-like voice asked curiously.
“Then I’ll kill him!” the fat boy roared.
The voice persisted. “But if he doesn’t come out, you won’t know who he is. How can you kill someone you can’t identify?”
The fat boy was speechless. He turned toward the source.
He froze. The speaker was a girl of eleven or twelve in a pink dress decorated with little pom-poms. She had a round face, large eyes and rosy cheeks, with a sweet smile that made her instantly likable.
“Hey, you still haven’t answered! How are you going to kill him if you don’t know who he is?” she demanded, wrinkling her nose at his silence.
“I… I…” The fat boy stammered helplessly, his face turning red.
“Tch. How boring.” The girl pouted and produced a small dark-green snake, holding it in her palm. “Biyun, look at this idiot! He’s so stupid, and I’m supposed to end up in the same sect as him? How embarrassing!”
“Hiss, hiss…” The little dark-green snake named Biyun flicked its tongue and gave a threatening hiss.