"Not bad, you old wanderer!" Xi Li Dao Gao patted Shen Lang on the shoulder, smiling with narrowed eyes. "When it comes to killing, you're better than me. Back in the day, you were famous for being a moderate."
Shen Lang waved a hand with a rueful smile. "How many years has it been? Yet you're still dredging up those old stories. You just have to pick the sore spot."
He paused. "You, though, little Gao-your cultivation level really is a bit higher than mine. I have to admit that."
Xi Li Dao Gao grinned smugly. "Glad you know it. It's been ages since I've had such a satisfying fight. That felt good!"
"I heard your grandson's martial soul reverted to its ancestral form and awakened the Seven Kill Sword. Congratulations!" Shen Lang changed the subject, bringing up the Xili Family's happy news. "And in another twenty or thirty years, your Xi Li Sword will advance to an eighth-rank martial soul. Truly enviable."
Xi Li Dao Gao waved a dismissive hand. "So what if it's close to advancing? We might not even get there before the Tianya Sword Lu Family. Your Shen family, on the other hand, might not even hold on to third place."
Shen Lang burst out laughing. "Then we won't! The Lu Family's yin flourishes while its yang withers. We can't afford to provoke that bunch of old women who turn heaven's order upside down."
"Haha, true." Xi Li Dao Gao laughed too, then frowned slightly. "The main clan actually mobilized both our families this time. We may be nearby, but those old fellows from the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu and several of the venerable elders didn't come. Something's unusual here."
Shen Lang nodded leisurely, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. "Unusual indeed. All the signs