Chapter 493 - 332: Changes and Development (Part 2)

Chapter 493: Chapter 332: Changes and Development (Part 2)

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Indeed, even Ling Yun’Er and Ye Zi sent a letter home at regular intervals to share what they’d been up to. But Ling Xiao had been gone for three whole years!

When he left, Ling Xiao was still a boy. When he returned, he was a young man. The last traces of youthfulness had vanished from his face, replaced by a more composed demeanor and mature features.

Nearly every important figure from the Ling family had come to the Shushan Sword Sect’s banquet hall!

Many of the younger Shushan Sword Sect disciples, who had just finished a full day of training, watched with curious faces as the great figures—people who rarely showed themselves in public—arrived. More importantly, these great figures were usually stern-faced; some of the disciples had never even seen them smile!

But today, not only had all these great figures appeared, but the genuine, happy smiles on their faces were something the Shushan Sword Sect disciples had never witnessed, not even during festivals!

The slightly older disciples of the Sword Sect began asking around.

"Senior Brother, why have all the bigwigs suddenly shown up? Is something special happening today?" a teenage boy asked, watching the crowd of beaming people stream toward the Sword Sect’s banquet hall from all directions.

Ling Wu, Zhang Danian, Tang Ming, Mo Qing, Meng Li, Li Fu, old Marshal Qiu Chen, the ever-smiling expert Uncle Fu, and a group of Sword Sect Realm masters from the Ice Sea Secret Race—more than thirty of them in total! At this moment, they were all striding forward quickly with reverent expressions.

"What the hell? Aren’t those unnervingly pale guys always holed up in their caves?" a boy of about fourteen or fifteen asked suspiciously as he watched the masters from the Ice Sea Secret Race. Clearly, after three years, neither the Beast Race nor the Ice Sea Secret Race were a secret in Shushan City anymore. After a period of adjustment, almost nobody feared them as they once had.

Another round-faced boy, also fourteen or fifteen, who looked quite cute, seemed to be going through puberty. His voice cracked like a duck’s as he whispered, "When did all those old bastards from the army get back? Is it because of them?"

The duck-voiced boy’s words earned him a series of eye-rolls from those around him. The boy who had spoken earlier said, "Keep your voice down! If those old bastards hear you, they’ll drill us into the ground again! Did you forget what happened last time Eldest Senior Brother shot his mouth off? Damn it, if you have a death wish, go for it, but don’t drag us down with you!"

The duck-voiced boy shrank back and shut his mouth.

In the younger generation of the Shushan Sword Sect, there was a disciple named Fang Yuan. It was said that once the Sect Leader returned, he would become the Sect Leader’s personal disciple. His talent was extraordinary; though only fourteen this year, he had already reached the strength of a First Rank Demon Sword Master!

What was even more astonishing was that three years ago, when he was brought to the Shushan Sword Sect from a poor family, he was just an ordinary child with no foundation in cultivation whatsoever!

And during these three years, he hadn’t consumed a single elixir or used any other aids!

He had reached his current realm entirely through his own hard work!

That was why even this fearless group of Shushan disciples couldn’t help but speak with respect when mentioning their widely acknowledged Eldest Senior Brother!

This prodigious boy, buoyed by his rapid rise in strength and the praise of many, had grown somewhat conceited. A few months ago, he had mocked Tang Ming, the captain of the Lightning Legion’s First Battalion, calling him a weak piece of trash. After all, as captain of the First Battalion, Tang Ming’s strength was merely that of a Tier Six Demon Swordsmen—and he had only reached that level after consuming an Ice Crystal Celestial Silkworm and other elixirs.

Even many Shushan Sword Sect disciples had surpassed Tang Ming’s strength after taking the Ice Crystal Celestial Silkworm and elixirs, so it was actually quite normal to feel some disdain for the composed, low-key young man.

After all, this was a world where strength commanded respect!

But when Ling Wu and the others found out, they immediately sent people to seize Fang Yuan without a word of explanation. To the astonishment of the Shushan disciples, not one of the Sword Sect’s Elders objected—not even the Thirteenth Elder and Fourteenth Elder, who were usually the most protective of their disciples.

Someone dared to ask why, and it was said that Elder Su gave a reply—a single sentence: "Captain Tang Ming was once the Sect Leader’s brother!"

As a result, when Fang Yuan returned a week later, the pride was gone from his face. He refused to say a word about what had happened that week; you couldn’t get it out of him even if you beat him to death.

News later trickled out from the Lightning Legion. Apparently, after Fang Yuan was taken, he had been defiant, demanding that Tang Ming fight him one-on-one if they had the guts. Otherwise, he wouldn’t submit! He claimed the Lightning Legion was just a bunch of bullies throwing their weight around!

This struck all the high-ranking members of the Lightning Legion, including Ling Tianxiao, as hilarious. The Lightning Legion trained far from home year-round. This time, a few of its leaders had only returned occasionally to procure some supplies and check on their families.

They hadn’t expected to run into such an interesting little fellow. So, they called Tang Ming over in front of everyone. In truth, although Tang Ming’s rank was relatively low, as a veteran Adventurer, his combat experience was something a greenhorn like Fang Yuan could never hope to match!

A simple example: All’s fair in war. Tang Ming could trick Fang Yuan with a casual bluff, and Fang Yuan would fall for it every time. So, after his first defeat, Fang Yuan was unconvinced, claiming Tang Ming had cheated.𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚