The True Reclusive Sect; It's Normal That You've Never Heard of It

Lu Yuan blinked as he looked at the high-spirited Xiao Hongchen.

He turned to Meng Hongchen and asked, "Is your brother always like this?"

Meng Hongchen nodded awkwardly.

From what Xiao Hongchen had just said, anyone would have thought the two of them had won.

"Looks like he's seriously ill..."

Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Xiao Hongchen was immediately displeased when he heard that. He glared at Lu Yuan and said, "Hey! What do you mean by that? I'm not sick!"

Chuunibyou was an illness too!

Lu Yuan thought to himself, but he did not say it aloud.

Xiao Hongchen snorted, sizing Lu Yuan up and down. "You're Gustot? What kind of codename is that?"

"That's the Abyss Cult's business. What does it have to do with you? Do you live by the sea? Why are you so meddlesome?"

Lu Yuan said irritably.

Xiao Hongchen: "..."

Why did that sound so familiar?

And what the hell was the Abyss Cult?

Lu Yuan waved a hand. "Alright, alright. I can't be bothered arguing with you."

"Why were you two waiting here for us?"

Xiao Hongchen put his hands on his hips. "Heh heh, after that Soul Duel, I acknowledge your strength! You can be considered geniuses!"

Gu Qiu'er rolled her eyes. "So?"

Although Meng Hongchen was also somewhat speechless at her brother's shamelessness, she still smiled and said, "So... could we be friends?"

"Huh?"

Gu Qiu'er and the other two were all stunned. They had not expected the siblings to say that.

"Would you be interested in having a late-night meal together? That Soul Duel took quite a bit out of us."

Gu Qiu'er turned to Lu Yuan. "I'm hungry too. After such a satisfying Soul Duel, I really did use up a lot of energy."

Really, she was just craving food...

Xiao Xiao hugged Lu Yuan's arm. "Brother Lu Yuan~"

Meng Hongchen said generously, "I'm treating tonight. What do you want to eat?"

Lu Yuan glanced at Xiao Hongchen.

Xiao Hongchen shrugged. "Don't look at me. I came along with my sister. She's paying."

"Didn't you win an appearance fee from the Soul Duel Arena just now too?"

"I earned that myself. That has nothing to do with her treating us."

"Cheapskate."

"That's called financial management."

Meng Hongchen took out a little notebook, its pages filled with crooked notes evaluating Mingdu's specialty restaurants. She flipped through several pages before finding one.

"This barbecue stall has great reviews, and it's not far from here. How about we go there?"

Xiao Xiao leaned over for a look. "Wow, Sister Meng, you've got so many restaurants written down in this notebook."

"They're all from my usual food-hunting trips."

Meng Hongchen closed the notebook.

"You're from the Douluo Continent, right? Since you've come somewhere new, wouldn't it be a wasted trip if you didn't eat and drink well?"

Gu Qiu'er smiled and nodded. "I agree with that."

The three girls walked ahead, drawing closer and closer as they chatted. Before long, they were already discussing which shop had the best desserts.

Lu Yuan and Xiao Hongchen trailed several steps behind them.

"Hey, Gustot! What's your real name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Xiao Hongchen smiled. "No fight, no friendship. You may be from the Douluo Continent, but we're all prodigies. It wouldn't be bad to make friends."

Lu Yuan gave Xiao Hongchen a somewhat surprised look.

Based on what he knew of Xiao Hongchen, shouldn't this guy have been arrogant, conceited, sensitive, and vengeful?

"My name is Lu Yuan."

Xiao Hongchen asked curiously, "Then what exactly does your Abyss Cult do? Why have I never heard of it?"

"Compared to those factions that call themselves hidden sects, our Abyss Cult is the true hidden sect. It's perfectly normal that you've never heard of us."

Was that true?

Suspicion appeared on Xiao Hongchen's face.

Lu Yuan continued spinning his tale. "Don't you dare doubt it. Our Abyss Cult has more than a dozen Titled Douluo and several Limit Douluo. Our ancestors even produced gods!"

"It's because we're too powerful and found the mundane world too boring that we chose to live in seclusion. You understand, right?"

"The fact that you've never heard the Abyss Cult's name only proves how powerful we are, doesn't it? We can erase every trace of our existence completely!"

Xiao Hongchen: ╭(⊙o⊙)╮

More than a dozen Titled Douluo? And Limit Douluo too?

Could they really be that formidable? It did seem to make a little sense...

No! He had to go back and ask Grandfather!

Xiao Hongchen suppressed his shock and asked again, "Then what's going on with the three of you? Why did you leave seclusion?"

Lu Yuan's gaze paused on Xiao Hongchen's face. Then he sighed, his tone carrying the melancholy of someone forced from seclusion when he should have remained hidden.

"We didn't want to come out either. But there are some things you can't avoid just because you want to hide."

When Xiao Hongchen heard that, his steps slowed by half a beat. He turned his head to look at him. "What do you mean? Has someone set their sights on you? Didn't you just say the Abyss Cult was very powerful?"

Lu Yuan glanced at Xiao Hongchen's expression and quickly weighed things in his mind.

This guy might be arrogant, but he was not stupid. If Lu Yuan exaggerated too much, he could easily see through it. He needed to mix truth with falsehood.

Lu Yuan cleared his throat and lowered his voice slightly, putting on an expression that said, What I'm about to tell you is classified.

"Why did we leave seclusion? That has to do with an ancient prophecy of our Abyss Cult."

"A prophecy?"

Xiao Hongchen's interest was indeed piqued.

"What prophecy?"

"According to ancient records within the cult, whenever ten thousand years pass, the continent will inevitably face a great calamity, and those destined to answer it will emerge."

"The elders of our generation have observed undercurrents stirring throughout the continent in recent years. The conflict between Soul Beasts and humans has deepened, while Evil Soul Master organizations have been growing increasingly active..."

"Therefore, the elders judged that this great calamity may descend within the next twenty or thirty years. To prevent the Abyss Cult from becoming so isolated that its inheritance is severed, and to retain the ability to adapt during the great changes to come, they allowed the three of us to enter the world early and gain experience."

Xiao Hongchen blinked. "So... you were sent out by the cult to scout the way?"

"You can understand it that way."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"The three of us are the first group. Others may come out later as well. As for when, and who will come, that depends on the elders' judgment."

"Then those Titled Douluo and Limit Douluo you mentioned... are they all real?"

"Why would I lie to you? You'll be unhappy when they actually come out!"

Xiao Hongchen fell silent.

With that level of strength, they would be a faction capable of running rampant across the entire continent.

But the problem was that he had truly never heard the name "Abyss Cult." An organization with combat power on that level should not have left absolutely no trace behind.

"Then..."

Xiao Hongchen thought of another question. "If your cult is so powerful, why would it take in a child like her?"

He gestured toward Xiao Xiao with his chin.