This Brother Looked Familiar

There was another person in the room. Xu Sheng first glanced at the door.

The door had not opened, and the voices next door had not stopped.

The young man held an iron sword in his arms and wore very ordinary clothes. Once he had found his footing, he looked at the window, then the door, and finally Xu Sheng.

"Are you Xu Sheng?"

"That's me."

Xu Sheng looked at the recruitment information before him.

Ji Juechen, level twenty-three, with two Hundred-Year Soul Rings.

He stared at the name, his heart suddenly skipping a beat, then looked at the sword in the other man's hands.

This brother was more than just a little familiar.

This was Ji Juechen!

Xu Sheng read the information twice more, making sure he had not mistaken him for someone else.

"Ji Juechen?"

The young man nodded.

Xu Sheng's lips had already curled into a smile. Seeing that Ji Juechen was still waiting for him to speak, he hurried to make him welcome.

"Sit down first. Want some water?"

"No."

There was only one chair in the room, so Xu Sheng sat on the edge of the bed and gave him a quick account of the situation that night.

He had just arrived in Soto, just joined Spirit Hall, and did not have a Soul Ring yet.

He spoke quite frankly. After listening, Ji Juechen glanced at the cloth wrapped around his wrist.

"What did you bring me here to do?"

"I want to put a team together, and I need someone who can fight."

Xu Sheng shifted closer to him.

"You came at just the right time!"

Ji Juechen did not understand why he was so happy. He glanced down at his sword.

"I want to find someone to test my sword against."

"What a coincidence. I just met a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor today."

Ji Juechen raised his head.

Seeing that he had finally gotten a reaction, Xu Sheng immediately continued, "His Martial Soul is the Stone Armor Bear. He caught a three-ring Soul Master just now and smacked him back into a carriage with one palm, cracking the floorboards. Want me to take you to meet him tomorrow?"

"Can we go now?"

"..."

Xu Sheng glanced at the sky outside.

There was no need to be quite so hasty.

"He's been busy all night and hasn't even eaten yet. Let's get some sleep first. I'll take you to him tomorrow morning."

Ji Juechen thought about it, then nodded.

Xu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and read the recruitment information from beginning to end again.

Level twenty-three! The players out there right now could spend ages boasting in the channel if they managed to get even one Soul Ring, and he already had a two-ring Soul Grandmaster here.

And this was Ji Juechen, of all people.

From now on, when he went out, he could step forward and fight anyone he could beat. If he ran into someone tough, there would be someone behind him to draw a sword...

As Xu Sheng thought about it, he smiled again.

Ji Juechen looked at him. "Do you want to test swords too?"

"Yes! But I only started learning today, so I'll owe you one for now."

"All right."

He had agreed readily enough.

Xu Sheng happily put away the information. The Golden Recruitment Token had certainly not gone to waste!

Xu Sheng moved the field-duty clothes off the bed to make room for him, then went to find the hall guard on night duty and borrowed a thin quilt.

"We'll squeeze in tonight. Tomorrow I'll ask how to arrange a place for you to stay."

Ji Juechen did not fuss. He took off his shoes, sat down, and closed his eyes with his sword in his arms.

Seeing this, Xu Sheng also sat up straight and tried to gather his Soul Power the way Du Wenhe had taught him.

It really had been an eventful day.

Xu Sheng kept his eyes closed for a long while, but he could not settle down. A future sword fanatic was sitting right beside him. How was he supposed to meditate in peace?

He secretly opened his eyes and looked once, then again. The third time, Ji Juechen spoke first.

"Don't forget to wake me tomorrow morning."

"I won't!"

Early the next morning, Xu Sheng led Ji Juechen into the side courtyard.

The hall guard in charge of training was named Han Jin. He was correcting the stances of two young men. Shen Zhaolin was there too, standing at the other end and watching people move weapons.

"Brother Shen, this is my friend Ji Juechen. He wants to work at the hall too. Can he train with us?"

Shen Zhaolin turned and glanced at Ji Juechen.

"What's your Martial Soul? What level are you now?"

"A sword. Level twenty-three."

Shen Zhaolin was quite surprised. He had him reveal his Soul Rings, then pointed at a wooden target in the courtyard.

"Then try it on this. Let me see."

Ji Juechen drew the iron sword he carried from its cloth wrapping. The power of his Sword Martial Soul flowed with his Soul Power and gathered in the blade.

He stepped forward and brought the sword tip down, cutting a thin line from the wooden target's left shoulder to its right side.

He drew the iron sword back, and his first Yellow Soul Ring lit up.

His second strike landed in the very same cut!

Half the wooden target slid to the ground.

Han Jin had still been teaching someone else how to hold a sword. Hearing the commotion, he came over and felt the cut, his expression gradually turning serious.

"That hardwood was only replaced yesterday."

Xu Sheng had already laughed aloud. Only when he noticed several people looking at him did he raise a hand and cough.

"My friend."

Shen Zhaolin glanced at him. "I heard you. You already said that."

"Right, right."

Even so, Xu Sheng remained standing beside Ji Juechen and did not budge an inch.

Ji Juechen, however, had already put away his sword and was staring at Shen Zhaolin.

"Can I fight you?"

Shen Zhaolin paused, then looked at Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng quickly toned down his smile. "That's how he is with sword practice. When he sees someone powerful, he has to test himself against them. Last night, when he heard about that palm strike of yours, he nearly headed out with his sword."

Han Jin laughed beside them. Shen Zhaolin flexed his wrist, but he was not angry.

"Let's get you admitted to the hall first. Come find me here after breakfast."

This time, Ji Juechen answered even faster than Xu Sheng.

"Okay."

After asking Ji Juechen about his plans to stay, Shen Zhaolin had Du Wenhe take him to register. His training and shifts as reserve field personnel would be arranged the same way as those of the other two-ring Soul Masters.

"When you don't have an assignment, you can stay here and practice your sword. When it's your turn for field duty, you'll have to go with the team. Don't hold them up."

"I know," Ji Juechen replied.

Xu Sheng hurriedly asked, "Can we share a room?"

"There's still room in yours, so he can stay there for now," Shen Zhaolin said. "Have Du Wenhe get you whatever bedding you need."

Xu Sheng quickly thanked him and told Ji Juechen to go register with Du Wenhe first.

After breakfast, the courtyard gradually grew more crowded.

When word spread that the new two-ring Soul Master wanted to test his sword against Leader Shen, even the servant holding a broom stopped by the wall to watch. Xu Sheng squeezed his way to the front of the crowd, more impatient than if he were going out there himself.

Shen Zhaolin did not release his Martial Soul. He began by using a wooden staff to block the sword's path, leaving Ji Juechen room to strike.

The moment the two weapons met, Ji Juechen's sword slid in along the staff.

The staff turned and knocked the sword aside. But Ji Juechen had already stepped forward again, his second strike following the first without a moment's pause.

Shen Zhaolin took a step back.

Xu Sheng immediately craned his neck.

The people in the courtyard fell silent too. The sword tip struck the same spot on the staff again and again. After the third strike, the staff in Shen Zhaolin's hand cracked, a thin split appearing in the wood.

The fourth strike never landed.

Stone armor covered the back of Shen Zhaolin's hand. He raised his fingers to catch the spine of the blade and, using the gap between their Soul Power, stopped the strike halfway.

Ji Juechen stopped, but his eyes shone with an alarming intensity.

"That move just now. Do it again."

Shen Zhaolin looked down at the crack in the staff.

"Are you here to test my skills or dismantle my weapons rack?"

The onlookers laughed. Ji Juechen did not; he was still waiting.

Seeing how things stood, Xu Sheng hurriedly took another staff from the rack and offered it with both hands.

"This one's sturdy. Try this one."

Shen Zhaolin glanced at him and took it.

Xu Sheng did not go anywhere that morning. He stood to one side, watching more eagerly than anyone.

Ji Juechen was naturally no match for a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, but those few strikes had forced Shen Zhaolin to get serious, which was enough to make the people in the courtyard see him in a new light. Han Jin, who had been correcting someone else's movements earlier, picked up a sword and walked over himself once Shen Zhaolin stopped.

Xu Sheng hurriedly moved out of the way.

He could not have asked for more than someone willing to spar with Ji Juechen!

By noon, Ji Juechen finally stopped.

Xu Sheng set a meal in front of him and could not resist asking, "Well? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"You didn't."

Ji Juechen took the bowl, his other hand still tracing the sword strike from earlier under the table.

Xu Sheng found it funny. He picked up his bowl and shifted aside, lest Ji Juechen actually thrust his chopsticks at him.

"I'm going to hunt for my First Soul Ring in a few days. Coming along?"

"Yes."

"That readily? Aren't you afraid it'll interfere with your sword practice?"

"I can practice on the way."

Xu Sheng nodded and moved a few pieces of untouched meat from his own bowl into Ji Juechen's.

This man was so easy to keep. Give him food, a sword, and a couple of capable fighters to spar with, and would Xu Sheng have to worry about keeping him around in the future?

Ji Juechen ate quickly and headed back to the courtyard as soon as he finished. Xu Sheng turned his bowl over and followed him.

"Spar with me too."

This time, he did not rush to swing his sword. Instead, he first spread his White Wings and leaped halfway around the wooden target. Once his feet left the ground, a single beat of his wings carried him where he would otherwise have needed two more steps.

So he did not have to walk around the wooden target!

Energized, Xu Sheng aimed his wooden sword at Ji Juechen's left shoulder. Ji Juechen blocked with his sword held crosswise, but Xu Sheng was already sliding to the side with the force of his wings, his second strike aimed straight at Ji Juechen's ribs.

The wooden sword was blocked again.

He had not landed a hit, but Xu Sheng was not disappointed in the least.

"See that? I can come at you from this side too!"

Ji Juechen looked at his wings and reset his stance.

"Again."

This time, Ji Juechen moved first. Xu Sheng retreated several steps in succession, then beat his wings to circle the wooden target, finally dodging the sword coming straight at him.

Ji Juechen did not pursue him. Instead, he walked around the wooden target, as if considering how to cut him off.

Xu Sheng was delighted.

What chance did he have of beating a sword fanatic if he fought him on the ground? He had wings, so of course he had to use them!

One of them tried to use his wings to gain position, while the other sought a new way to intercept the sword. They kept at it in the courtyard for quite a while. Only when Du Wenhe arrived with an illustrated guide to Soul Beasts did Xu Sheng realize that sweat had soaked through the back of his clothes.

"Look at these pages first." Du Wenhe set the guide on the steps. "These are all ones we might look for this time. Pick one out yourself too."

Xu Sheng took it and immediately set his sights on the one with golden-tinged feathers.

Golden Feather Falcon: light attribute, tough wings, and sharp talons and beak.

He turned the pages and looked through them one by one, then flipped back.

"That's the one you want?" Du Wenhe asked.

"Yes." Xu Sheng answered without a moment's hesitation. "If we can find one, that's the one!"

For the next two days, Xu Sheng practiced his sword and studied the guide during the day, then meditated at night. Before bed, he would look at the Golden Feather Falcon's page a couple more times, and the more he looked, the more suitable he found it.

Ji Juechen was still the same as ever. Once he got into his practice, he would not even look up when called to eat.

The third time his meal went cold, Xu Sheng simply rolled up his sword cloth and put it beneath his rice bowl. Ji Juechen came back to put away his sword, picked up the cloth, saw the bowl, and looked at him.

"Go ask the kitchen for some hot soup. They haven't put that pot away yet." Xu Sheng jerked his chin toward the kitchen. "Mine's gone cold too. Bring them both back."

Ji Juechen actually took the two bowls and went.

Xu Sheng leaned against a corridor pillar and felt his wrist, where the swelling was gradually going down. Before long, a bowl of hot soup was brought to him, with a chicken leg in it.

"Where did this come from?"

"There was one left in the kitchen." Ji Juechen sat down beside him. "You said you wanted one the other day."

Xu Sheng looked down, bit into the meatiest part, and mumbled that it was delicious.

He pulled over another empty bowl and tore half the meat off the chicken leg.

"Here, try some. You've been so busy practicing swordsmanship that you still haven't gotten to know all the food here."

On his fourth day in the Soul Domain, he got up even earlier than Ji Juechen.

Shen Zhaolin was already waiting at the door. Du Wenhe had the written orders in hand and told the two of them to follow. Their destination was the Soul Hunting Forest in Barak; there was no need to venture deep into the Star Dou Great Forest for a First Soul Ring.

Xu Sheng tucked the illustrated guide close to his body, then felt the steel sword at his waist.

Ji Juechen glanced at him. "Still looking for that golden bird?"

"Yeah, I've almost worn that page out from turning to it. If we run into it today, block it for me. Don't let it fly away."

"Okay."

Xu Sheng caught up with him and turned to look back at Suotuo City.

Several players stood by the city gate, holding up signs as they looked for someone to lead them on a soul-ring hunt. When they saw Shen Zhaolin and his group, they hurried over to ask, their gazes falling on the fieldwork badge at Xu Sheng's waist.

Xu Sheng pressed his sword against his side and hurried after the others.

His First Soul Ring was on its way!