Volume Three: Rising Fame Chapter Thirty-Five: Choosing a Weapon

“Shall we go take a look around?” Qing Yangde suggested.

Li Yu had mentioned the Imperial Capital many times before, and Qing Yangde had taken those words to heart. Right now, he felt this was an excellent opportunity, one that would also allow them to choose an ally while they were at it—killing several birds with one stone.

“No. There’s nothing worth seeing.” Li Yu looked at Qing Yangde and refused outright.

“Why not—”

“Brother Yangde, if we choose any one side, we’ll be making enemies of the others for no reason. But if we choose no one, then although we’ll become a thorn in everyone’s side, neutrality means we won’t be focused down at the start!” Li Yu sat upright and said in a low voice, “It’s easy to infer one conclusion from the rules of this secret realm.”

“Everyone who enters this time will be sent to different locations. Otherwise, if all of us fought at the entrance, wouldn’t that be a joke?”

“And if I don’t join any faction, then when we first meet, there’s a high chance nothing will happen. That’ll also give me time to look for the Snow Fox Demon Vine!”

Watching Li Yu speak with such assurance, Qing Yangde felt a surge of emotion.

The other man was actually willing to go this far for his younger sister!

“You’re not harboring any improper thoughts about Anqi, are you?” Qing Yangde’s expression turned grave as he said solemnly.

“…What are you even saying?” Li Yu looked at him speechlessly.

After quite some time, Li Yu finally laid out his guess. Most of it was deduced from the rules he had obtained.

“Then let’s do as you say,” Qing Yangde nodded. “When the secret realm opens, it’ll be up to you!”

It was rather amusing, really: only the Qing Clan would be dealt with separately.

If this had been any other clan, it would have been enough for the younger generation and the older generation to each win over their own targets, because every generation had its own leader.

But in the Qing Clan, even the younger generation’s Li Yu and Qing Yuan were being handled separately.

Of course, it was not impossible that someone had done this deliberately, hoping to sow division and create distance between the two of them from the shadows. As for Qing Xiumin, he belonged to the Qing Clan’s neutral faction, so no one had gone to him at all.

The next day, Li Yu indeed did not attend any of the appointments.

Those from the various powers who received the news could at most darken their expressions a little. But when their intelligence showed that Li Yu had not even stepped out of the gate, they felt somewhat relieved.

Unexpectedly, Qing Yuan also did not go out.

That, in turn, left people somewhat puzzled.

Li Yu was the same. Listening to Xiaocui’s report, he pondered for a while but still could not see any meaning in Qing Yuan’s behavior. Then, as he thought it over, a possibility suddenly occurred to him.

Could it be that they had really acknowledged the previous martial contest, with me as the leader?

During the earlier martial competition, because Qing Yuan had made a move against Qing Anqi, Li Yu had directly thrown out the saying that there could be no second place in martial arts, provoking Qing Yuan into challenging him after the selection round.

After Li Yu’s victory, the two of them had no further contact, and Li Yu was somewhat uncertain as to what Qing Yuan was really thinking.

“Forget it. It won’t affect me much either way. Let him do as he likes.”

Li Yu did not dwell on it further. He took the thunder crystal Xiaocui handed him and once again entered cultivation.

It had to be said that ever since Li Yu reached the fifth tier, or rather, ever since he had saved Xiaocui three times, her mentality had undergone a tremendous change.

At first, Xiaocui had merely been following the Qing Clan’s arrangements, staying by his side to protect his safety and attend to him in passing. She had never expected Li Yu to cultivate all the way to the fifth tier in such a short time.

His cultivation was even higher than that of his own bodyguard.

After one thing after another happened, Xiaocui’s reason for urging Li Yu to cultivate shifted from clan duty to genuine personal concern.

As someone from the shadow division, Xiaocui had heard plenty about the dangers of the outside world. She sincerely wanted Li Yu to have greater strength, so that he could better protect himself. As a result, she had been pressing him to cultivate more and more frequently lately.

It was much like a child about to sit for a crucial exam, with the parent frantically urging them to study harder and sprint toward the finish line…

After cultivating the technique through the entire night, Li Yu finally managed to relax for a moment. After dozing for a bit, he was gently awakened by Xiaocui once more.

“Young Master, please choose your weapons first!”

“…”

Li Yu pursed his lips and struggled out of bed, only then noticing that, at some point, Xiaocui had somehow gathered a full array of weapons in the room.

“That seems unnecessary. I think the longsword formed from spiritual power is pretty good!”

A flicker of surprise flashed through Li Yu’s eyes. Even though he was not especially knowledgeable in this area, one glance was enough to tell that the weapons before him were all exceptional pieces.

“Where did you get these?”

Xiaocui tucked the loose hair at her forehead behind her ear and said, “I just went to collect them. You can’t bring your own weapons into the secret realm, so I selected these from the Great Ming imperial armory.”

“Also, there are quite a few formidable people this time, and many of them are banding together. I’m afraid they’ll be strong rivals for you, Young Master. You must not be careless. A good weapon can add a measure of assurance.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Li Yu’s voice softened.

The redness in Xiaocui’s eyes was impossible to fake. During these past few days, he had been eating well and sleeping well, so it was obvious Xiaocui had been busy organizing and sorting information for him and had not rested properly for several days.

“It’s no trouble!” Xiaocui blinked and shook her head.

Only then did Li Yu lower his gaze and inspect the weapons. Each one suited his preferences. Clearly, Xiaocui had not merely picked the best weapons; she had chosen ones that matched Li Yu’s habits in use.

One person might prefer a weapon five feet long, while another favored a much shorter grip. Everyone had different habits, and their requirements for weapons differed accordingly.

A weapon that suited one’s habits could bring out a wielder’s full strength far more effectively.

“The longsword it is. My Lady Buddha Sword is pretty decent!” Li Yu took out one of the longswords, then let his gaze fall to the lower part of the rack.

There was a pair of gauntlets made of something like cloth. Li Yu picked them up and put them on.

They covered the palm and the first knuckle joint perfectly. Up at the knuckles, there were raised spikes, and the material spiraled upward so that it could wrap around the entire arm.

With a thought, Li Yu actually drew his longsword across the fabric. The expected tear did not appear. Instead, there came the sound of metal being cut.

“Young Master, this isn’t ordinary thread. It’s forged from a special soft metal,” Xiaocui explained from the side.

“These two will do.”

Li Yu put away the gauntlets and the longsword.

Xiaocui then quietly withdrew.

“Where I lack, I make up; where others have it, I make it better.”

Li Yu lightly flicked the sword tip, and a clear, ringing note of steel sounded out. He nodded in satisfaction.

He felt rather confident about this trip into the secret realm.

If the Snow Fox Demon Vine really was there, then there would be even less chance of failure.

Even though he still had not found the person who poisoned him, and had not discovered who had spread the news about the White Fox clan entering the secret realm ahead of time, it did not matter.

Li Yu had confidence in himself. And if the one behind it truly made a move inside the secret realm, then they would have to emerge from the shadows. At that point, they would pose even less of a threat to him.