Chapter 163: The Secret of Xinling, Wei Zihao's Terrifying Intuition
“This time you’ve returned just in time. Tomorrow, Zian will be formally initiated as a disciple. As his elder brother, you’ll help receive the guests.” Wei Xinghe said.
“By the way, Father, I was meaning to ask—do you really intend for Zian to take Master Ma Gu as his teacher?” Wei Zihao asked.
“Why, is there something wrong with that?”
“From what I’ve heard, Master Ma Gu only possesses the Jin Gu Jing Xiao Cheng cultivation level. Is he truly suitable to be Zian’s Master? After all, Zian himself is still only at the early Qi Xue Jing stage.”
Wei Xinghe shook his head. “Zian’s progress is still early. Master Ma Gu is more than capable of guiding him. The most important thing is that Zian is willing to listen. You know how he used to be—always looking for ways to slack off, never serious about training.”
Wei Zihao paused, then nodded. That was true enough. His younger brother had always avoided effort whenever possible.
“If Master Ma Gu can actually keep him disciplined, then he’s the perfect teacher.”
“I’d have thought, if Zian truly wanted to train, I could take him to Qingyun Jian Ge myself. I recently became an inner sect disciple there, and I’m allowed to take on three sword-serving apprentices.”
Though called “sword-serving apprentices,” most inner disciples used the role to groom personal allies or elevate family and friends—a long-standing, unspoken tradition.
“You’ve become an inner disciple of Qingyun Jian Ge?” Wei Xinghe’s expression brightened with genuine surprise.
Becoming an inner disciple of Qingyun Jian Ge required reaching the Jin Gu Jing Great Achievement level and successfully passing the sect’s grueling trials. Rumors said the trials were exceptionally harsh.
To think his eldest son had actually passed.
“Honestly, I’m a bit embarrassed,” Wei Zihao admitted. “I reached the Great Achievement of Bone and Sinew six months ago. It took me three months of preparation just to barely pass the inner sect trial.”
“Bone and Sinew Great Achievement six months ago… I remember when I sent you to Qingyun Jian Ge five years ago, you were only at Qi Xue Jing Xia Cheng. In less than four years, you’ve reached this level. Hao Er, I never doubted your talent. You were truly born for sword cultivation.”
Wei Xinghe looked deeply satisfied. Qingyun Jian Ge was one of the most powerful sects in Ji Prefecture, and having Wei Zihao become an inner disciple brought countless advantages.
“I was a little proud at first,” Wei Zihao continued, “but when I compare myself to that Lu Xiao Langjun your words described, my accomplishments seem insignificant.”
“Don’t compare yourself to Lu Xiao Langjun,” Wei Xinghe said firmly. “His master and disciple are extraordinary beings—beyond ordinary men. But in the path of martial cultivation, steady progress and solid foundations are paramount. If you walk steadily, without haste, you’ll have every chance to climb the peak of martial arts, become a Zong Shi, and eventually reach the Xian Tian realm.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll remember your words,” Wei Zihao replied solemnly.
By evening, Wei Zihao brought Wei Zian to visit Lu Qing at Youzhu Xiao Yuan.
“Lu Xiao Da Fu!”
As soon as they arrived, Wei Zian dashed inside.
“Young Master An, what brings you here?” Lu Qing looked up from his book, surprised. The boy was supposed to be busy preparing for his formal initiation tomorrow—why was he wandering around?
As for Xiao Yan and Xiao Li—Wei Fu Ren had taken a particular liking to Xiao Yan. When she learned the girl was learning to read, she offered to personally tutor her. So lately, the two little ones spent most of their time studying there, only returning home in the evenings.
“My elder brother returned,” Wei Zian said with a grin. “He wanted to pay his respects, so I brought him here.”
“Your elder brother?” Lu Qing glanced behind him.
A tall, composed young man with a gentle face stood there, frozen in place, staring at him.
Wei Zihao’s mind was reeling with shock.
Before meeting Lu Qing, he had always pictured him as someone close in age to himself—after all, his father had mentioned the young master many times, but never revealed his actual age.
Yet now, seeing Lu Qing in person, he realized the truth: the young man was astonishingly young—barely older than Zian, perhaps a few years younger than him.
And yet, this boy—just a youth—had, in public, defeated a Wu Dao Zong Shi from the Nei Fu Man Yuan.
The thought sent a shiver through Wei Zihao’s soul.
He finally understood why his father had repeatedly warned him not to compare himself to Lu Xiao Langjun.
How could anyone possibly match such a monster-level genius?
“Great Master?” Lu Qing, noticing Wei Zihao remained silent, called out.
Wei Zihao snapped back to reality, bowing deeply. “I humbly greet Lu Xiao Langjun. I am Wei Zihao, elder brother of Zian. I am deeply grateful for your heroic intervention that day—saving my mother and younger brother, and pulling our Wei Family from the brink of ruin.”
With that, he bowed low, performing a full ceremonial bow.
“Great Master, you needn’t be so formal. I acted only according to my conscience,” Lu Qing said with a warm smile.
“Master, you’re too kind. The debt we owe your family is beyond repayment. We’ll remember it for a lifetime,” Wei Zihao said, his heart finally settling.
He felt reassured—Lu Qing truly was as kind and humble as his father had described. No arrogance, no imposing presence.
After spending a short while in the courtyard, Wei Zihao politely excused himself, taking his younger brother with him.
Once outside the small courtyard, he exhaled deeply, as if a great weight had been lifted.
“Brother, what’s wrong?” Wei Zian, puzzled, asked.
“That Lu Xiao Langjun… he’s truly beyond ordinary. The pressure he exudes is overwhelming,” Wei Zihao said, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
“Huh? I thought he was nice and easy to talk to,” Wei Zian said, utterly baffled.
“You just haven’t reached a high enough level. You can’t sense the danger he carries,” Wei Zihao murmured, still shaken.
Though Lu Qing had perfectly suppressed his aura—giving no hint of his true cultivation level—his presence felt utterly normal, like that of any ordinary youth.
Wei Zihao couldn’t even guess how high Lu Qing had reached.
But one secret technique from his own sect had never stopped whispering in his mind: This man is extremely dangerous.
A sensation of sheer, suffocating dread—the kind where death could come in an instant, no matter how hard one struggled, with no chance of escape.
He’d never felt such a terrifying presence, not even when facing the Nei Fu Man Yuan’s elders.
At that moment, Wei Zihao finally believed his father’s warnings—no exaggeration, not even close. If anything, his words had been too mild.
This Lu Xiao Langjun wasn’t just capable of defeating a Wu Dao Zong Shi.
His true strength must be far beyond what anyone could imagine.
He trusted his instincts completely. It was precisely that intuition that had helped him survive in the fierce competition of Qingyun Jian Ge, and rise to become an inner disciple.
“Lu Xiao Langjun… must never be provoked,” Wei Zihao decided instantly.
Back in the small courtyard, Lu Qing resumed reading, a faint smile playing on his lips as he sensed the departing aura of the Wei brothers.
“Qingyun Jian Ge… Xinling Mi Shu?”
He murmured quietly, eyes glinting with amusement.
“Seems this Wei Family elder son isn’t so simple after all.”
(End of Chapter)
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