Despite the assassination attempt performed against his person, the rest of the way back was uneventful. Whilst the journey was without further bumps, he was nonetheless faced with a curious situation when he found his fellow disciples. First of all, they weren’t at the hollow hill anymore.

That much was to be expected. They had gone on the move once most of the other disciples were gone. The path was mostly clear now, there were little odds of encountering anyone, or being followed and giving away the existence of the hollow hill. It was highly implausible to encounter any lone wanderers at this point.

Anoteros considered the one he had met an exception, since he was clearly being controlled by a beast.

The young noble was able to track them down fairly easily. Upon finding them, however, they were all in a clearing, accompanied by someone who was definitely not from the Myriad-Arm Sect.

It was someone who did not need an introduction, as he was quite famous…

“Ah, you must be the one they call Edrick Lucien Anoteros–Zixuan Elt, right?” the young man was dressed in bright robes, had white hair and bright golden eyes that gave him a very odd look.

Standing at one meter and eighty centimeters in height, he was relatively tall, compared to average, at least.

He also carried a double-edged longsword.

In general, his presence was quite heavy. Clearly, he was strong.

“Chang Sheng, I presume?” replied Edrick, and the golden-eyed youth nodded affirmatively.

“Indeed, I have been meaning to meet you for a while!”

‘This guy is oddly cheerful…’ Edrick wasn’t exactly pumped about a man being all excited about talking to him. Especially when said man was about as masculine as one could get.

Chang Sheng possessed nothing appealing to Edrick. Even by putting a bag over his head, it just wouldn’t work out.

“And for what purpose? I don’t think that we are in any way familiar with one another”

“You see, it isn’t every day that I am told of a new peer my age. I have heard that your talent and strength were already clear, despite you only embarking on the path of cultivation fairly recently… Sorry if I seem a bit odd, but since childhood, I haven’t really had any true rival. I get a little bit excited at the prospect” Chang Sheng laughed.

Edrick smiled.

“I see, I understand completely”

“You do?”

“Of course. What is the point of incredible talent and strength, if you can never even use them to their fullest extent?”

“You do get it! Always having to hold back is quite a problem. My sparring partners are always much weaker than me, and my fellow scions from other clans largely seem uninterested in sparring sessions… I even fear that my female peers believe that my offers to spar are merely excuses to take them out on a date! The horror!”

The Sheng scion shook his head.

“I embarked on the path of cultivation in my early years, so I had a major head start over you. However, I feel quite confident that the gap might not stay as such for long! I have a good feeling that you are the sort to grow explosively!”

“Is that so?” Edrick rubbed his chin with a smile. So far, Chang Sheng truly appeared to be exactly what he seemed like… Merely a young noble cultivator seeking a proper rival. If anything, he seemed like the sort to be a goody two-shoes.

He was rather famous, so Edrick actually knew a fair bit about him already.

The reason the other nobles his age refused to spar with him was simple: It served no purpose because he was absurdly powerful. This young man was rumoured to have been born with the blessing of the world itself.

Without contest, he was the most powerful of his generation and set to reshape the way the great clans placed themselves compared to one another.

There was one problem, however.

He was too nice, righteous to the point that it was uncanny.

The Sheng clan would probably not rise to higher prominence thanks to him, because he would never envision using his strength and status to do such a thing.

Edrick had an idea, however.

“You should swing by Oie after the secret realm closes. I just so happen to know a cultivator who might pique your interest”

“Oh? What would be their name? Do not tell me that it is one of your sisters, I have been tricked many times like this…”

“No worries, it is a junior of mine called Xiao, I strongly suspect that he is one blessed with fortune, incredibly skilled with the sword. He might not be powerful enough to be your sparring partner now, but I can guarantee that even then, you’ll be able to learn by doing some swordsmanship with him”

“Is that so? I must admit, I have never heard of this Xiao- But to catch your attention, he must indeed have something special!”

Anoteros nodded as he casually put his palm against Chang Sheng’s shoulder.

“I will organise a little meeting between us three men. A bonding opportunity, as I enjoy them… And, if you think that Xiao is as good as I think, perhaps you could let me meet your sister? I have heard a little about her”

The golden-eyed youth raised an eyebrow.

“Jianrou? She is a bit… Peculiar. A little too happy about wielding a sword, if you know what I mean… Our parents don’t let her out much because she always causes problems, even though she is a prime candidate for the title of Sword Saintess”

“I know”

“…Mmh, well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt her to speak with people instead of her sword…”

“May I ask what you mean by bonding opportunity, however?” Chang Sheng asked, Edrick merely chuckling in response.

“That’s a surprise. But don’t worry, I am certain that you’ll find this opportunity to be most interesting. In any case, why are you alone with disciples of the Myriad-Arm Sect?”

“Ah, it’s because all my fellows had already returned to Bright Sword Peak. I only stayed behind so that I could meet you in person. You see, I heard about you from one of my good friends, Yi. You probably know him, he is a famous prosecutor, and hearing him praise you, I got quite curious… Considering that he isn’t one to hand over compliments easily”

“Yi, huh? I do know him. Haven’t seen him around in a while, though” Edrick maintained a perfectly normal and natural expression as he spoke.

His mind immediately went to how Yifei would moan and compliment him very easily.

‘How would he react if he knew that his friend had turned into my dutiful maid? Considering his personality, if Yifei told him that she had been alright with it, he might just drop it…’

“In any case, I’ll prepare that little meeting ahead of time. Make sure to come to the Myriad-Arm Sect and go to my residence to let me know that you’re there. I am looking forward to us getting to know one another better!”

“Likewise”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep