Chapter 1 The Shadow Grotto Trip

The Shadow Grotto trip was a complete success, and Han Jiangxue and Xia Yan went back to training again.

On August 14th, Jiang Xiao flashed to Xudu City, Zhongyuan Province, where he had opened the map before. He bought a train ticket with his phone and then hailed a ride in the wilderness.

"I've added so much money, are you coming or not?"

"Are you there?"

"Why would anyone refuse money?"

Jiang Xiao could have flashed all the way to Luoyi City, but the country was strict, and Jiang Xiao's identity was what it was. Unless there were special circumstances, Jiang Xiao was willing to keep a low profile.

The high-speed train from Xudu City to Luoyi City only took a little over an hour, and he arrived quickly.

This time, someone was picking him up!

When Jiang Xiao walked out of the exit wearing a peaked cap with an ink bamboo pattern, a mask, short sleeves and shorts, and flip-flops, a slender young man with short hair and a delicate appearance hurried forward.

His body trembled with excitement, and even his voice trembled a little: "Y-you, hello... Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Xiao had already contacted Yi Qingchen and knew that someone would be picking him up. He raised his head slightly, looked at the young man who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and blinked.

The young man introduced himself: "My name is Chen Lingtao. I'm here to take you to the Yi family."

"Oh." Jiang Xiao nodded. "Lead the way."

The two got into a car. To Jiang Xiao's surprise, this kid who looked like a high school student was actually the driver?

Jiang Xiao silently sat in the back seat. As the car drove out of the high-speed rail station, Jiang Xiao asked, "Do you have a driver's license?"

Chen Lingtao glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Yes, I just look young. I'm already an adult. I'm going into my third year of high school this year."

Jiang Xiao: "......"

Wasn't the Yi family supposed to be a big family? Why send a high school student to pick him up?

Chen Lingtao continued, "That... Yi Qingchen is my cousin. She's my aunt's granddaughter. My grandma and Yi Qingchen's grandma are sisters."

Jiang Xiao: "Oh."

Chen Lingtao scratched his head frantically, unable to continue the awkward conversation.

Wasn't something wrong?

Was he opening this the wrong way?

Wasn't Pi God (Jiang Xiao) supposed to be very mischievous?

Why wasn't this like what he saw on TV?

Chen Lingtao continued, "I... I'm a shield warrior!"

Jiang Xiao: "Oh."

Chen Lingtao: "My Star Chart is a spiked armor, and I have 27 Star Slots!"

Jiang Xiao: "Oh."

Chen Lingtao: "......"

The car drove for more than an hour, and the two didn't speak again.

Jiang Xiao always felt that this kid was unreliable. This was heading north; were they going to Shanxi Province?

It wasn't until the car exited the highway and entered a toll station that Jiang Xiao was a little confused.

The name of this toll station... Yi County!?

Was this for real?

Jiang Xiao finally took the initiative to speak and asked, "Yi County?"

Chen Lingtao immediately perked up and hurriedly replied, "It's said that it used to be Yi Family Village. After the founding of China in the mid-20th century, it slowly developed and evolved into the current Yi County."

Jiang Xiao was amazed. The street scene along the way was very modern, but the car drove all the way to the suburbs and finally stopped in front of a huge courtyard.

Jiang Xiao almost thought he had traveled back to ancient times.

He didn't expect to see a Siheyuan (courtyard house) here. Well... it wasn't exactly a Siheyuan. It should be a huge Yan Wu Chang (martial arts training ground)!

In the car, Jiang Xiao could already hear the shouts of battle.

In front of the courtyard gate stood 5 or 6 people, led by a middle-aged man in his fifties. Behind him were several people, including the familiar Yi Qingchen.

Jiang Xiao suddenly regretted it. He was dressed too casually!

Jiang Xiao secretly groaned, took off his hat and mask, and opened the door to get out of the car.

"Pipi!" Yi Qingchen tiptoed, with a hint of excitement on her face, and hurriedly waved to Jiang Xiao.

"Cough cough." A light cough came from the middle-aged man with half-white hair.

Yi Qingchen hurriedly lowered her hand, pouting, looking meek and obedient.

Jiang Xiao didn't know how to salute. After all, the buildings here were a bit simple and ancient, and the middle-aged man was wearing a white shirt, looking like an old man practicing Tai Chi in the square.

Jiang Xiao stepped forward. Not knowing how to salute, he had to offer a New Year's greeting: "Hello, hello."

"This is my second uncle, Yi Zhixiao," Yi Qingchen stepped forward and introduced.

Jiang Xiao looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, his hair half-white and with a few strands of beard, his eyes bright and energetic. Underneath the white Tai Chi uniform, he really had a bit of a Daoist air.

Jiang Xiao said, "Hello, Mr. Yi."

Yi Zhixiao also cupped his fist in both hands at Jiang Xiao, very politely, "Mr. Jiang, welcome. Forgive us for not greeting you properly. Please."

Saying that, Yi Zhixiao took a step back and made a "please" gesture.

Jiang Xiao nodded repeatedly, feeling a little embarrassed. Soon, a gaze eased Jiang Xiao's emotions.

He turned his head and saw a man with a braid.

The man was probably in his mid-thirties, also wearing a white martial arts uniform. His eyes seemed to have no emotion, and he had a face of vicissitudes, with sparse stubble.

At this time, he was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, holding a Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber) in his arms, silently looking at them.

When he noticed Jiang Xiao's gaze, a hint of light flashed in his emotionless eyes.

Jiang Xiao only felt a faint hostility.

Yi Qingchen leaned over and whispered, "This is my dagger technique teacher, Yi Tenghui."

The group stepped into the gate. Amidst the shouts of battle, Jiang Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. In the huge Yan Wu Chang (martial arts training ground), a group of Star Warriors were practicing martial arts with staffs in their hands.

The number was no less than a thousand!

The scale was too large.

From the huge star power fluctuations coming from the field, Jiang Xiao knew that they were definitely all Star Warriors, and...

Moreover, Jiang Xiao didn't see any young people. Most of the people here were young and middle-aged, and the average age was estimated to be twenty-four or five years old.

Judging from the star power fluctuations, most of them were in the Star River stage and hadn't crossed the threshold of the Star Sea stage.

So... was this an adult class?

"Mr. Jiang." Second Uncle Yi Zhixiao suddenly spoke.

Jiang Xiao turned his head and looked over: "Hmm?"

Yi Zhixiao led Jiang Xiao through the Yan Wu Chang (martial arts training ground) and towards the hall in front, while saying, "Yi Qingchen's father is tied up with official duties and can't come back. You are both soldiers. I think you should understand."

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay, I understand." Jiang Xiao knew that Yi Qingchen's father was a big shot in the Broken Mountain Army, but Yi Qingchen hadn't revealed the specific position.

With the frequent opening of other-dimensional spaces today, the Broken Mountain Army had a lot of work to do. If "specialization in a field" were to be said, then the Broken Mountain Army specialized in destroying other-dimensional spaces and Sacred Ruins.

The group sat down in the house and chatted for a while. Listening to the uniform shouts of battle outside, Jiang Xiao became more and more excited, feeling like he had returned to Yegu Tower, back to the ancient years in that ancient city filled with shouts of battle.

After the few people finalized the apprenticeship matters for tomorrow, Second Uncle Yi Zhixiao suddenly changed the topic and asked with a smile, "Mr. Jiang, what do you think of this kid?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Xiao looked in the direction Yi Zhixiao was pointing and saw Chen Lingtao, who had picked him up earlier.

Jiang Xiao suddenly understood. Was this an interview? He was here to accept Yi Qingchen, and they wanted to sneak in another disciple?

Jiang Xiao sized him up and said politely, "He's tall, strong, and has a good physical talent. His eyes are very quick-witted. He looks very good."

Chen Lingtao was obviously still a high school student, a little kid. After hearing Jiang Xiao's polite praise, he clenched his fists excitedly.

Yi Qingchen, who was sitting next to him, glared at Chen Lingtao.

"Haha." Yi Zhixiao stroked his beard, laughed heartily, nodded, and said, "Mr. Jiang can see how good this kid is in actual combat. Among the new generation of the Yi family, only Yi Qingchen and this kid are worth mentioning."

The people present were about the same age as Yi Qingchen, but no one refuted Yi Zhixiao's words, and no one showed any dissent.

It could be seen that Yi Qingchen was definitely the leader of the Yi family's younger generation.

Well... Yi Qingchen, as the runner-up of the World Cup individual competition, was of course the leader of the Yi family's younger generation. Even in the world, she was a leader.

Jiang Xiao changed the subject and turned to look at the vicissitudes of the man leaning against the window in the distance of the room.

Jiang Xiao stood up and said, "This gentleman seems to have something to say."

From the moment he got out of the car, Jiang Xiao felt like he was being locked on by a gloomy gaze. This middle-aged man who had been leaning against the door frame, holding a Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber), was still hiding in the shadows, quietly looking at Jiang Xiao.

Yi Tenghui, Yi Qingchen's dagger technique teacher. It could be seen that his main weapon should be the Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber).

Perhaps his Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber) techniques were more superb than his dagger techniques?

But obviously, Yi Qingchen didn't follow him to learn Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber) techniques. Instead, with the help of family members, she painstakingly extracted Jiang Xiao's competition recordings, analyzed the combat movements frame by frame, and then, with the help of the ghost-faced monks, practiced a whole body of giant blade skills.

Jiang Xiao's mind raced, secretly speculating, was it because of this that Yi Tenghui was a little hostile?

Yi Tenghui crossed his arms, holding the Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber), leaning against the window sill, and said lightly, "I only speak with the blade."

In just this moment, the atmosphere in the house was even more dignified than the atmosphere on the Yan Wu Chang (martial arts training ground) outside!

There were no shouts of battle here, but it seemed to have a stronger fighting spirit than outside.

Yi Zhixiao frowned slightly and scolded, "Tenghui!"

Jiang Xiao turned to look at Yi Qingchen, who was sitting on the side. In front of many older senior brothers, she still had face and could sit down.

A hint of apology also appeared on Yi Qingchen's face, and she looked at Jiang Xiao embarrassedly.

Jiang Xiao curled his lips, turned his head again, and looked at the vicissitudes of the man holding the Tang Dao (Tang dynasty saber).

Speak with the blade?

Sounded so domineering~

Jiang Xiao scratched his head and muttered softly, "Isn't it supposed to be with the mouth?"

Yi Tenghui: "......"

Jiang Xiao's eyes lit up and suddenly said, "Are you the legendary knife-mouthed person?"

Yi Tenghui: ???

...