Xu Xiao smiled at Chen Xin.
He knew that for a noble young master like Chen Xin to follow him sincerely, Chen Xin had to acknowledge him from the bottom of his heart.
Now, they had all displayed their strength, Soul Rings, and Martial Soul Fusion Skills.
Xu Xiao believed that Chen Xin was already wavering.
Xu Xiao walked over to Chen Xin and extended his hand. Chen Xin gritted his teeth, then finally reached out as well.
Xu Xiao said, "One letter from me let your father advance to Rank 98. One sentence from me helped your father find his own Sword Dao."
"A person can have backbone, but not arrogance. Your arrogance harmed you."
"If your father hadn't made an agreement with me, you would already be a corpse."
Xu Xiao spoke calmly, without the slightest ripple in his voice.
Before Chen Xin could speak, Xu Xiao pointed outside. "The door is over there. If you don't want to follow us, you can leave whenever you like."
"You can explain things to your old man yourself!"
Chen Xin opened his mouth, but he could not say a word. His pride had been shattered by Xu Xiao's few sentences.
He had never expected that the person he looked down on had been the one to help his father reach Rank 98, and had even helped his father find his own path.
No wonder his father had said before he left, "On this journey, find your own Sword Dao. Remember, yours—not mine."
Chen Jianjun had placed great expectations on Chen Xin as well. What father did not hope for his child to succeed?
"This is what my father asked me to give you."
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xin took three swords from his storage Soul Tool.
Xu Xiao smiled. He knew Chen Xin had already decided to follow them, but he did not expose Chen Xin's tsundere facade.
Just as Yue Guan was about to speak, Dugu Bo stopped him. Dugu Bo shook his head, signaling for him to stay quiet. The three simply watched.
Xu Xiao accepted the three swords, fastened one soft sword at his waist, and handed another soft sword to Chen Xin. "If you want to find your own Sword Dao..."
"Start with this soft sword!"
Chen Xin froze and instinctively accepted the soft sword Xu Xiao handed him. Could such a limp sword even be used?
He did not understand, but he now knew that Xu Xiao would not deceive him.
"Alright!"
He agreed earnestly.
Xu Xiao nodded toward Dugu Bo. Understanding his meaning, Dugu Bo stepped forward and removed the poison from Chen Xin's body. Even though it was only his first Soul Skill, after his Martial Soul Evolution, his poison had become much stronger.
Chen Xin had been poisoned without any guard up, so he must have suffered badly.
Besides, Chen Xin had also taken one of Xu Xiao's punches without any defense.
"Th-thank you." Chen Xin thanked him, though he was somewhat embarrassed...
Dugu Bo waved his hand. "No need to be polite. I went through the same thing back then."
Hearing that, Yue Guan and Gui Mei scratched their heads awkwardly. If Dugu Bo had not mentioned it, they would have nearly forgotten.
"Is this your tradition?" Chen Xin asked in confusion. Dugu Bo had been beaten, and so had he. He could not help but suspect it.
Xu Xiao burst out laughing. "Chen Xin, if you want, you can consider it a tradition. As they say, you don't become acquainted without a fight."
Yue Guan and the others laughed as well. "Exactly, exactly. Look at old Poison Dragon—aren't we getting along great now?"
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes. Fine, fine. Who told him he was the Fourth Brother? No, that was no longer right. Now that Chen Xin had joined them, he was the youngest.
"Chen Xin, since you've joined us, you'll be our Fifth Brother from now on."
Gui Mei patted Chen Xin's shoulder. With Chen Xin joining them, it meant Chen Jianjun had joined them as well.
Within three years, Xu Xiao was confident he could make Chen Xin fully devote himself to them. Perhaps it would not even take three years.
There was still a long time before Chen Jianjun's death. With Chen Xin joining them, Xu Xiao would also step in to stop Chen Jianjun from challenging Qian Daoliu.
Listening to Gui Mei, Chen Xin wondered how he had suddenly become the Fifth Brother. "How do you rank yourselves? By age or by strength?"
Whether by age or strength, he was the strongest. He should definitely be the eldest brother.
"By order of joining!"
With that one sentence from Xu Xiao, Chen Xin was left speechless. Wasn't their system far too casual?
Still, perhaps it was precisely that casualness that made the bond between these brothers so good.
Yue Guan: Experience death a few times, and you'll understand.
Chen Xin did not want to dwell on this matter. He only wanted to become stronger!
"Forget it, forget it. I won't compete with you over this. Fifth Brother it is, then." Chen Xin waved his hand. Becoming stronger was what truly mattered.
They all laughed, as if the fight from moments ago had already passed. That was how boys were—once things were said openly, it was fine. None of them were petty.
Everyone had their own backbone and their own pride.
"Big..." Chen Xin had spent a long time mentally preparing himself, yet he still could not bring himself to say the words "Big Brother."
He understood that this Big Brother before him had to be incredibly powerful, but he still could not say it.
Xu Xiao did not mind. "Fifth Brother, since your father entrusted you to me, I will definitely give him an answer that satisfies him."
Chen Xin nodded. He trusted his father, and he also trusted Xu Xiao. That purple first Soul Ring alone was something no ordinary person could achieve.
Even his father's first Soul Ring had only been yellow.
It was not only Xu Xiao—Yue Guan and Gui Mei had purple ones too. That made him extremely curious, and extremely envious.
"B-Big Brother, how are you going to help me find my own Sword Dao?" Chen Xin finally said it. He did not think it was shameful. Wanting to become stronger was not shameful.
Xu Xiao laughed. "That's simple."
"You are already extremely familiar with the Seven Kill Sword. From now on, aside from when you obtain Soul Rings, you are not allowed to use the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul."
"Start with the soft sword. You are already more familiar than anyone with the Seven Kill Sword's sharpness and ferocity."
"Use the soft sword and begin with sword techniques. This is the first step of entering the Dao through technique. Once you can wield a sword skillfully without relying on Soul Power, it will be time for the next stage."
Chen Xin nodded seriously. There seemed to be nothing wrong with what Xu Xiao said. It even sounded quite reasonable.
"Big Brother, then what is this heavy sword for? I can't even lift it."
He had been curious when his father forged this sword, but even his father did not know what it was meant for.
"Heavy Sword Without Edge, great skill appears artless. This is what you will use in the second stage of entering the Dao through technique."
"Don't rush it for now. I'll arrange it for you when the time comes."
Practicing swordsmanship beneath a waterfall was perfectly suitable for Chen Xin, wasn't it? With the support of Soul Power, Chen Xin would only become even stronger then.
Chen Xin nodded. He knew it could not be rushed. He had only just joined them and had not yet completely earned their trust. Taking things slowly was enough.
Xu Xiao did not mind him thinking that way. Now that Chen Xin had joined him, could Xu Xiao really let him run away?
"Fifth Brother, next, do you want to come with us to hunt Soul Rings, or go out to gain experience?"
Xu Xiao looked at Chen Xin. Once Chen Xin had recovered, arrangements could be made.
"I'll go hunt Soul Rings with you."
"Perfect. I'm Rank 40 too. With Second Brother and Third Brother's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, I'm confident I can obtain a Soul Ring around four thousand years old."
Chen Xin was full of confidence. One reason Chen Jianjun had not helped him obtain his fourth Soul Ring was that he wanted the younger ones to figure it out themselves.
Chen Xin's words made Yue Guan and the others laugh. This was exactly what they liked.
Chen Xin was confused. "Brothers, what are you laughing about?"
Was there something wrong with him wanting to hunt a Soul Ring?
Please keep reading, dear readers! Thank you, thank you!!!!