Returning to Tianxuan Mansion from the Yuwai Kingdom, Huang Xiaolong did not anticipate that the first thing he would hear about was how the Li Residence had been annihilated. These past years, Huang Xiaolong had requested Marshal Haotian to keep his ears to the ground and protect the Li Residence from the shadows. Yet the Li Residence could not escape from this calamity.
At this time, Marshal Haotian rushed over to Tianxuan Mansion after he was informed of Huang Xiaolong's return.
After greeting Huang Xiaolong, Marshal Haotian reported everything in detail related to the Li Residence's obliteration.
"Sovereign, I have tracked them down and found the main culprit." After he finished reporting, Marshal Haotian added this information.
"Haotian, according to your judgement, what is the other side's strength?" Huang Xiaolong's solemn voice sounded.
"Judging from the Poison Blood Palm on Liu Mu's and Li Cheng's chest, the other side is very likely a Xiantian realm expert." Marshal Haotian spoke with a serious expression on his face.
"A Xiantian realm expert." Huang Xiaolong frowned.
That year, the culprit who killed Green Hawk Gang Leader Jiang Wei was only a peak Late-Tenth Order warrior. Did that person have a breakthrough and step into the Xiantian realm? If this was the case, the matter was more troublesome than he expected.
It didn't matter if the other side had just advanced into the Xiantian realm.
At the moment, there were Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou who could deal with that person.
Moments later, both Fei Hou and Marshal Haotian were excused.
Huang Xiaolong told them to increase the number of Tianxuan Mansion guards on duty, especially to ensure Li Lu's safety.
Li Lu was the sole survivor of the Li Residence, and in Huang Xiaolong's opinion the killer would definitely uproot the bloodlines of the Li family by killing Li Lu.
Deep into the night, the pure and clean moonlight was shining brightly.
Huang Xiaolong stood in his yard looking up at the bright moon in the night sky.
At this time, footsteps sounded behind him and he turned around to see Li Lu. Li Lu was wearing a lavender muslin dress that nipped flatteringly at her waist. Walking towards him in the moonlit sky, she was the very picture of a fairy descended into the mortal realm.
Li Lu approached until she was in front of Huang Xiaolong, and then she stood still.
"Xiaolong," Li Lu opened her mouth after a brief moment of hesitation: "I have something to tell you."
"Tell me." Huang Xiaolong looked at her.
"I have broken through the Seventh Order." Li Lu said.
"Seventh Order?!" Huang Xiaolong was slightly surprised. Going by Li Lu's talent, she couldn't have advanced to the Seventh Order at her pace, even when taking into consideration the cycad fruits and Fire Dragon Pearls that he supplied her with.
Did Li Lu come across some fortuitous adventure as well?
Noticing Huang Xiaolong's confused expression, Li Lu elaborated: "A while back, the Academy had an outside task and I fell into a pool of water. Because I was famished, I ate some small grass that looked like mushrooms and directly broke through from late-Sixth Order to the Seventh Order.
Both of Huang Xiaolong's eyes widened in disbelief. That Li Lu had this kind of good fortune allowing her to make a straight breakthrough from a late-Sixth Order to the Seventh Order... what exactly were those mushrooms?
But, while Huang Xiaolong was still pondering about the magical mushrooms, a bright light burst out from Li Lu and a shiny long black sword hovered behind her. Black runes flowed like liquid on the surface of the black sword.
This was the appearance of Li Lu's martial spirit, Dark Divine Sword.
However, in the very next moment another dazzling light burst out. Behind Li Lu, a long white sword appeared. This white sword was almost transparent, exuding a holy atmosphere with twinkling golden lights floating over it that looked like small golden elves.
"This is?!" This time, Huang Xiaolong was flabbergasted.
Li Lu actually possessed another martial spirit other than the Divine Dark Sword. She was just like him, a person with twin martial spirits! Additionally, she was also similar in that both of her martial spirits were of the same kind, a black and a white twin sword!
Huang Xiaolong could tell that the translucent white longsword was much stronger than her Divine Dark Sword. A superb martial spirit?!
Why was it that he did not know that Li Lu had twin martial spirits before this?
"This second martial spirit was awakened when I broke through the Seventh Order. It is called Divine Holy Sword, a top twelve grade martial spirit." Li Lu explained.
Just awakened!
Huang Xiaolong finally understood.
It was no wonder he didn't know that Li Lu had twin martial spirits from the beginning.
In the past, when Huang Xiaolong read books about martial spirits in the Cosmic Star Academy's library, there were situations similar to Li Lu's. In the Martial Spirit World, children awaken their martial spirits at the age of seven, but there were also cases where the time of awakening martial spirits was slower. Some awakened when the owner broke through the Fourth Order or the Seventh Order.
The later a martial spirit awakens, the stronger it is!
Some of the second martial spirits awakened when the owner broke through the Fourth Order. In these cases, the second martial spirit would be one or two grades higher than the first awakened martial spirit. But since Li Lu awakened the second martial spirit after breaking through to the Seventh Order, her second martial spirit was a top grade-twelve martial spirit! Three grades higher than the Divine Dark Sword!
Of course, situations like Li Lu's were extremely rare. In the history of Martial Spirit World, such instances could be counted using the fingers on one's hand.
Observing the twin sword martial spirits behind Li Lu, Huang Xiaolong was happy for her since she had awakened a second martial spirit that was a superb talent top grade-twelve martial spirit. Although her cultivation speed won't be as horrifying as his, it was still amazing. Stepping into the Xiantian realm was guaranteed.
"Xiaolong, tell me, am I going to die?" Without any indication, Li Lu asked this question.
Huang Xiaolong was startled, but he reassured her as if it was a promise: "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you."
Li Lu nodded and then hugged Huang Xiaolong suddenly, saying "I'm very scared that I won't be able to see you anymore. That in the future, I would never see you again." Her sobs sounded.
Huang Xiaolong patiently patted her small back and softly consoled her, "It's alright, everything will pass. Marshal Haotian already found the killer and we will deal with it... Tianxuan Mansion will be your home in the future."
Li Lu trembled slightly. She looked up at Huang Xiaolong, nodding shyly under the moonlight.
Li Lu left Huang Xiaolong's yard a while later.
With Li Lu's silhouette disappearing from view, Huang Xiaolong entered the ancient battlefield, swallowed a Fire Dragon Pearl and began to practice.
Like this, three months passed.
In these three months, Huang Xiaolong stayed behind and practiced in Tianxuan Mansion instead of going into the Silvermoon Forest and had reached peak late-Ninth Order, half a step into the Tenth Order.
These three months passed by in calm tranquility.
Huang Xiaolong advised Li Lu not to stay outside Tianxuan Mansion. Other than going to class in the Cosmic Star Academy, Li Lu would be practicing in the Tianxuan Mansion and only go to the Academy and back, with experts from the Marshal Mansion protecting her. After her second martial spirit awakened, Li Lu's cultivation speed soared. Within a short three months' time Li Lu had reached mid-Seventh Order.
The only downside was that Marshal Haotian was unable to pinpoint the killer from his information network. It was as if the person vanished into thin air after killing the entire Li Residence.
There was also the possibility the killer had left the Luo Tong Kingdom.
Although there were no signs of that person in the vicinity, Huang Xiaolong remained vigilant.
Another two months went by.
Huang Xiaolong sat cross-legged in the ancient battlefield. The black and blue twin dragons were hovering behind him as they devoured the netherworld spiritual energy that came gushing down from the void above him. The netherworld battle qi inside his meridians and Qi Sea roared and surged.
As Huang Xiaolong persisted in running the Asura Tactics, the netherworld battle qi impacted the barrier again and again, continuously and endlessly bashing against his only obstacle on his way to the Tenth Order. It was significantly much harder than breaking through the Ninth Order barrier. With battle qi continuing to crash against the barrier, the sharp pain that resulted was like having thousands of sharp needles pierce his internal organs all at once, it was nearly unbearable.