Fourth Brother, Xiao Chen!

Inside the grand hall, Li Guanqi could not help but stumble. With an awkward look, he cleared his throat twice. Fortunately, no one else noticed anything amiss. Cao Yan stood up with a smile, and Li Guanqi said softly, "This is the sworn brother Ye Feng and I made while traveling the continent—Cao Yan. "He holds no special background; he is simply my brother! "His cultivation is currently half-step Void Refinement, and he should break through before long. "On top of that, he is a genius alchemist." Embarrassed by the praise, Cao Yan smiled and bowed slightly toward Lu Kangnian and the others. He was reluctant to mention his background again. Deep down, he was deeply touched that Li Guanqi had considered his concerns and feelings. Even without Li Guanqi saying anything, Lu Kangnian had already guessed a few things. After all, the incident in the Xuanmen Domain had caused such a massive stir that it could not be kept hidden. Lu Kangnian smiled and pressed his hands down in a placating gesture. "Now that you're here, treat it as your own home. There's no need to be so formal. "The sect's three thousand peaks have plenty of vacant spots. Feel free to stay in the Great Xia Sword Sect for a while, wander around, and take in the sights. "If you like it, stay longer. Come and go as you please." Lu Kangnian did not make desperate efforts to keep Cao Yan just because of his cultivation realm; he remained just as he had always been. The Great Xia Sword Sect did not need to rely on anyone—it relied solely on itself! Ever since Li Guanqi's rise to prominence, the endless stream of opportunists seeking ties had become utterly tiresome. Even a few Void Refining Realm powerhouses had come seeking to join. Yet Lu Kangnian had turned them all away, unwilling to rely on outsiders to elevate the Great Xia Sword Sect's standing too high. Cao Yan nodded with a smile, bowing respectfully. "Then this junior will trouble you for some time." Xiao Chen had long since trotted eagerly over to Li Guanqi's side. Pointing at himself without a word, his eyes looked at Li Guanqi with eager anticipation, making it clear that it was his turn. Li Guanqi threw an arm over Xiao Chen's shoulders and introduced him with a solemn face. "Xiao Chen, son of the prominent Xiao clan of the Shenbao Domain. His mastery of the Blood God Spear has reached perfection, and his cultivation is at the middle Void Refining Realm! "He is upright and treats others with sincerity. "He is willing to take up a nominal eldership in the sect to teach classes—it all depends on whether the Sect Master agrees." Hearing this, Lu Kangnian nearly burst out laughing, but he pondered for a good while before nodding in agreement. "Young Master Xiao's identity is sensitive. Taking a nominal eldership is certainly fine, but let me lay down the ground rules first! "Even as a nominal elder, as long as you hold the post for a single day, you must obey the rules of our Great Xia Sword Sect! "If you do anything to disgrace our name, do not blame me for being merciless when the time comes." At this moment, Xiao Chen had not registered a single word Lu Kangnian said. His gaze lingered on Li Guanqi with mixed emotions; he had never expected Li Guanqi to introduce him like this. He had thought that, in Li Guanqi's eyes, he was just a fool... Li Guanqi patted his shoulder and smiled. "What's the matter? Unhappy about being told to follow the rules?" Xiao Chen snapped back to reality and gave a silly chuckle. "Ah, how could I be? Since Senior Lu put it that way, if I broke the rules, wouldn't you break my legs...?" Hearing this, Li Guanqi burst into hearty laughter, then looked at Lu Kangnian and said, "By the way, Sect Master, keep an eye on this kid. "If he ever sneaks into the chambers of the female cultivators on Tianshui Peak, tell me, and I certainly won't let him off easily." Hearing this, Xiao Chen grew agitated and thumped his chest. "I, Xiao Chen, am not that kind of person! That's slander!" Lu Kangnian waved his hand magnanimously. "If any female disciple of our sect catches your eye and reciprocates, I certainly won't stand in your way." Li Nanting watched Li Guanqi from the side with proud eyes, smiling without saying a word. After stepping out of the grand hall, they retrieved a set of elder robes for each of the two. Across the snow-white robes flowed embroidered drifting clouds, while flame patterns flickered over the shoulders. Looking down at his robe, Xiao Chen could not help marveling, "These robes feel so comfortable to wear... Hehe, they look great, too~" Nervously swallowing his saliva, he feigned casualness and asked, "Boss, where are we heading?" Ye Feng and Cao Yan, along with Li Guanqi, all turned their heads to look at him. Xiao Chen lowered his head. Feeling their gazes, he gritted his teeth as if making up his mind, then lifted his chin stubbornly and said, "What! I... I want to be brothers with you guys, and it's not like my talent is weak or anything... "Is it... is it okay or not...? If not, I won't call you that anymore..." Li Guanqi smiled faintly and did not turn him down. Instead, he cast a knowing look at the two behind him. Ye Feng grinned, hooking an arm around his neck with a mischievous chuckle. "Call me Second Brother." Xiao Chen grinned, smiling like an overjoyed fool. "Hehe, Second Brother." "Attaboy, Fourth Brother's a good boy." Cao Yan slipped quietly to his side, smiling like a refined scholar. "Call me Third Brother." "Third Brother." "Mm, good, hahaha! Boss, Boss, this feels amazing! "So this is what it felt like when I used to address you two back then!" Cao Yan scampered over to Li Guanqi's side, laughing heartily. As they bantered and fooled around, many nearby disciples stopped in their tracks, bowing excitedly and greeting them as "Elder Li" and "Senior Brother Ye." Soon, the group arrived at a cluster of towering peaks. Looking at these cultivation peaks, Ye Feng could not help sighing emotionally. "It truly feels like another lifetime... "We've only been gone for a few years, yet it feels like an eternity." Looking at the spotless wooden cabin before him, Li Guanqi was deeply moved. Though he had been gone for so long, someone had still kept it clean—plainly the doing of the Sect Master or his master. He understood that the reputation he had forged out in the world, once carried back to the Qingyun Continent, was bound to bring prosperity to the sect. Yet what surprised him was that the Great Xia Sword Sect still hadn't aggressively expanded its territory. The hundred-li barrier from earlier was a warning! No one was permitted to establish a sect within a hundred li of the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory! The number of disciples remained the same as before—three thousand. Moreover, the aptitudes of these three thousand disciples were just as varied as in the past. Although there were far more gifted disciples, there were still plenty with dual or even triple spiritual roots. Standing atop Yuhu Peak, Li Guanqi slowly opened his arms and whispered, "The Great Xia Sword Sect's values are as upright as ever!" The four of them sat on the mountain summit, drinking wine and chatting casually. "Boss, what if we brothers set up a sturdier spatial realm later on? "I'm afraid this hundred-li area won't be enough before long." Ye Feng took a sip of wine. He had just sent a message home, and right now his father, Ye Tianying, and mother, Su Xi, were en route to the Great Xia Sword Sect. Li Guanqi smiled faintly and said softly, "Since we're back, we must naturally provide the sect with everything we can. "I'll contact Du Yuan on the Cangwu Continent to establish a teleportation channel. "We can also get in touch with Xuanfeng Palace on the Lingxu Continent. "The spirit-gathering arrays in the sect can be upgraded, too, and we can haul over some spiritual veins. "We can also ask the Tianji Pavilion to send over a couple of fragments of grotto-heaven blessed lands. "As for crafting a spatial realm, let's get on it as soon as possible." Back then, the sect had done everything in its power to protect him; today, he would restore the Great Xia Sword Sect to its former glory! "Dad~ What's the rush! It's not like Brother's going to run away." A sweet-looking young woman clad in a purple dress flew through the air, her voice crisp and melodious. Ye Tianying snapped impatiently, "Nonsense! Are you expecting your brother to wait for you? "That little rascal has reached Void Refinement now... He's really made something of himself!! Really made something of himself!!" Ye Qing'er puffed out her cheeks, muttering indignantly under her breath, "Hmph! He didn't even think to come back and see me for so many years. The moment I lay eyes on him, I'm definitely going to strangle him!"