After entering the city, Yue Qin and the others behaved completely ordinarily, just like any other martial artists, and headed towards a large commercial house that occupied a considerable area.
Xianglong Trading Company.
On the surface, this firm was simply a business, but only a very small number of people knew that it was actually a contact point for the Sacred Dynasty Restoration Society.
As for the society’s headquarters, it had no fixed location. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately relocate.
So in normal times, this contact point served as the gathering place for core members of the Restoration Society.
The other Restoration Society warriors had been dismissed by Yue Qin along the way and returned to their respective residences to await further orders.
Only Yue Qin led Ling Xiao inside Xianglong Trading Company.
The trading company was genuinely huge and did extremely brisk business. If you were not an insider, it would be impossible to imagine that this place was a Restoration Society contact point.
Every clerk and manager here was a member of the society. They might appear ordinary on the surface, but they were all deeply hidden martial artists.
When the critical moment came, every one of them could pick up a blade and fight the enemy.
“Lord Chosen Son, you may not be aware, but the power structure in Lanton City is very special right now. The strongest force is naturally the city lord’s mansion. With the True Demon Empire backing it, the city lord of Lanton is a Cave Heaven Realm martial artist. We don’t know his exact cultivation level, but we can be certain that neither our Restoration Society nor the other organisation, the Heavenly Justice League, would dare provoke them lightly.”
Yue Qin explained, “The Heavenly Justice League also operates in the shadows and has cooperated with our Restoration Society on occasion, but we do not fully trust each other. Still, their strength is roughly equal to ours.”
Ling Xiao nodded.
The city lord’s mansion represented the True Demon Empire, the Restoration Society represented the Chosen Academy, and the Heavenly Justice League naturally represented itself.
These three powers all existed within Lanton City, so there was bound to be a lot of interaction between them.
Wu Xiang was truly impressive. The Restoration Society had been founded latest, yet it could stand on equal footing with the Heavenly Justice League. He was indeed a rare talent for leadership.
Ling Xiao only wondered whether his senior brother’s cultivation had improved.
“Ling Xiao!”
Before Yue Qin could announce him, Wu Xiang had already rushed out impatiently.
As president of the Restoration Society and nominally the owner of Xianglong Trading Company, he usually kept himself hidden for safety reasons.
But after hearing Liu Chuang’s report about Ling Xiao, he could no longer hold back his excitement.
Ling Xiao was not only the person who had saved his life, he was also a close brother and a junior brother whom he deeply admired.
Although they shared no blood ties, their bond surpassed that of many biological brothers.
The moment his voice rang out, Wu Xiang threw his arms around Ling Xiao in a fierce hug.
Ling Xiao did not resist.
He was just as moved.
In all his time as a martial artist, he had very few true friends, and Wu Xiang was definitely one of the most important.
“Senior brother, it’s only been a few months, yet your cultivation seems to have advanced again.”
They finally separated after the enthusiastic embrace, and Ling Xiao looked at Wu Xiang with a smile.
“Me? In a few months I’ve only gone from the First Cave Heaven to the peak of the Second Cave Heaven. Compared to a monster like you, there’s simply no comparison.”
Wu Xiang laughed bitterly.
He did not know Ling Xiao’s exact cultivation level now, but he was certain it had reached the absolute limit a sixteen-year-old could attain.
“It’s alright, I suppose.”
Ling Xiao replied modestly.
“Stop being modest. Come with me, I’ll introduce you to two friends you already know.”
Wu Xiang slung an arm around Ling Xiao’s shoulders and led him deeper inside.
The entire trading company had a very unusual layout.
From the outside it looked ordinary, but once inside you realised it was practically a small fortress. Anyone who wanted to attack this place with troops would find it far from easy.
The three of them passed through layer after layer of defences and finally reached the courtyard at the very back.
Ling Xiao indeed saw two familiar faces.
Friends who had once been enemies.
One was Feng Yaorao.
The other was Po Qianjun.
“We really are fated to meet again.”
Ling Xiao said with a laugh.
“We pay respects to the Chosen Son!”
Feng Yaorao and Po Qianjun bowed.
“Enough of that. No need to be so formal with me. The three of us met through fighting. Just call me Ling Xiao so we don’t feel like strangers.”
Although he had once crossed blades with both Feng Yaorao and Po Qianjun, there was no deep hatred between them.
On the day the Sacred City faced its apocalypse and the Sacred Dynasty fell, these two had not chosen to follow Sikong Zun. Instead they had gone to the Heavenly Justice League.
But their time in the Heavenly Justice League had not been happy.
The league was little more than a puppet state of the True Demon Empire, and many things there disgusted them.
In the end they left and joined the Chosen Academy, becoming Wu Xiang’s right and left arms.
Feng Yaorao’s cultivation had now reached the Five Elements Heaven stage.
Po Qianjun was about the same.
Although that level of cultivation was nothing special on the Divine Phoenix Continent, on the Tianlong Continent it was absolutely a core fighting force that could contribute greatly.
“Very well, then I’ll call you Brother Ling.” Feng Yaorao smiled.
Her smile was still as enchanting as ever, but it now carried a touch of world-weariness and maturity. She had clearly been through a lot.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Brother Ling as well?”
Po Qianjun asked a little awkwardly.
At the Martial Arts Festival he had been completely convinced by Ling Xiao, thoroughly won over by both his strength and his character.
“Of course not.”
Ling Xiao laughed.
In fact, turning enemies into friends was a good thing for him as well.
“Brother Ling, may I exchange a few moves with you?”
Fighting spirit blazed from Po Qianjun as he asked.
“Qianjun, you’re just asking to be humiliated. He was stronger than you before, and now he’s far stronger still. Sparring with him won’t end well for you.”
Feng Yaorao laughed.
“I know, but I still want to try.”
Po Qianjun replied.
“Alright, come at me whenever you’re ready.”
Ling Xiao said with a smile.
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Po Qianjun summoned his weapon with a wave of his hand. A long spear appeared, and ferocious killing intent exploded from him as he lunged at Ling Xiao like a fierce tiger.
At the same time, he thrust the spear forward. The roar of a tiger actually sounded from the weapon, and powerful primal vitality surged forth. Compared to his performance at the Martial Arts Festival, he had truly improved tremendously.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Ling Xiao.
Facing Po Qianjun’s ferocious strike, Ling Xiao suddenly activated his Tai Chi Eye.
Eye of Darkness!
The sixth-step ultimate technique of the Shadow Profundity.
In that instant, Po Qianjun felt as though he had been swallowed by a pitch-black monster. Not only did his spear lose all feeling, even his primal vitality seemed to pour into a bottomless abyss.
Feng Yaorao and Wu Xiang exchanged a glance and saw shock in each other’s eyes.
They had already estimated Ling Xiao to be extremely strong, yet this scene still stunned them.
Po Qianjun, who was at the late Five Elements Heaven stage, had been completely defeated by Ling Xiao without Ling Xiao even lifting a hand.
A moment later, Ling Xiao deactivated his Tai Chi Eye. Only then did Po Qianjun regain mobility, his eyes filled with astonishment.
