Volcanic Age

The Martial Alliance almost lost the battle in Kai'An, but they achieved victory thanks to reinforcements. The help from Qiu Feng, the Fourteenth Sword Hero, was really significant. Qiu Feng's reputation soon spread throughout the martial world.

The reinforcements returned to Weng'An after their victory and were unable to hide their shock when they arrived.

"Wh-what is going on…"

They thought that the news of their victory would have arrived and that people would have come out to welcome them. But forget any welcome; the front door was smashed and there was blood everywhere.

"No!"

Qiu Feng looked for Zhou Xuchuan as soon as he arrived. His complexion turned pale for the first time since he descended from the mountains. However, that only lasted a while. He sighed in relief when he saw Zhou Xuchuan walk out and greet him.

"Just what in the world happened here?" Qiu Feng asked Zhou Xuchuan.

"Allow me to explain." The sole Second-Class cultivator remaining in the Weng'An branch stepped forward. Qiu Feng, Zhuge Xiao and the rest listened intently to the words of the Second-Class cultivator.

When they heard what happened, the people were in disbelief rather than surprised. This was especially the case for Zhuge Xiao.

"Even if the enemies were Third-Class cultivators from the Evil Valley, you managed to defeat a hundred cultivators by yourselves?"

It wasn't surprising that he didn't believe them. With the exception of one, every remaining cultivator at the Weng'An branch was Third-Class. Even with the advantage of using the front door, they stood little chance against enemies numbering more than twice their own.

"It was thanks to the young hero, no, the great hero Zhou," the Second-Class cultivator added.

Hearing that, Zhuge Xiao glanced at Qiu Feng before snapping out in anger.

"You imbecile, tell me the truth! Everyone here knows that he's only twelve years old. Who are you trying to fool here?"

The Second-Class cultivator flinched at Zhuge Xiao's outburst.

"T-twelve years old?" Mo Yuanjia, still bound in rope, abruptly raised his head, unaware of this fact until now.

"I-it's true!"

"That's right, Great Hero Zhuge. I saw it with my own eyes as well."

The other cultivators summoned the courage to speak as well.

We must repay the grace we received from Great Hero Zhou.

His title had changed to "great hero" among these people.

None of them expected to leave alive. They all resolved to sacrifice their lives. The situation seemed hopeless, but that was reversed thanks to Zhou Xuchuan's appearance.

There were no deaths or heavy injuries. They managed to finish the fight with just shallow injuries.

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The cultivators who received help from Zhou Xuchuan all spoke up for him with deep gratitude.

When all the cultivators in Weng'An stepped forward to testify, Zhuge Xiao lowered his voice and mumbled, "Hm, that's not too much of a surprise. The men from the Evil Valley were all Third-Class, and half of them ran away in fear. That's not too unbelievable. It's nothing extraordinary either."

Soon, Zhuge Xiao grew indifferent.

"Yes. And unlike my peers, I have a lot of qi, don't I? That helped out a lot," Zhou Xuchuan added in order to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

"Great Hero Zhou…"

When their savior was underestimated, the cultivators of Weng'An looked dissatisfied.

It's not yet time to reveal myself.

Although he shouted out his name in that battle, he did so because he had confidence that he could handle the aftermath. It was a battle between Third-Class cultivators anyway.

Due to the low level of fighting, he knew that he wouldn't receive a good assessment even if he achieved a flawless victory. That was why Zhou Xuchuan was able to run amok to his heart's content.

"Still, that was incredible of you. Well done," Qiu Feng praised proudly.

I've known this for a while, but leaving aside his cultivation, his insight and rationale are not ordinary. Usually, those experiencing battle for the first time at his age are bound to hesitate. Not only did he not panic, but he also calmly commanded other cultivators, Qiu Feng thought.

Due to Zhou Xuchuan's meticulous hiding of his abilities, and the specialty of the situation at hand, nothing about his prowess was revealed. Qiu Feng placed Zhou Xuchuan's commanding abilities and reasoning above his martial arts as well.

He'll become a great man in the future.

A smile spread across his lips.

*

Four days after the battles in Weng'An town and Kai'An village, the company returned to Kaiyang Town. News of the battles spread quickly. However, only the battle that took place in Kai'An garnered more attention, since the scale of the battle in Weng'An was small. Although there were some mentions, it was soon overshadowed by bigger news.

In Kaiyang town, Shen Tujun's laughter echoed as a grand feast celebrated their total victory.

They were at the risk of receiving huge damages in the ranks of men assigned in Kaiyang, and almost lost some land.

However, thanks to the reinforcement of the Fourteenth Sword Hero, they won the battle without much difficulty, and the Three-Headed Mad Dog died as well. Naturally, Shen Tujun was grinning from ear to ear.

"Once again, I commend you for your efforts. You can't imagine the happiness I felt a few days ago when I received the news. I couldn't even keep my face in check and came out to the streets to dance. Well then, there is plenty of wine and food, so enjoy yourselves!"

Due to the presence of Zhang Xuen and Zhuge Xiuluan, prostitutes weren't called. Instead, maids attended to the guests, pouring wine and serving food.

"Wow, apprentice-brother. I see you in a new light!" Zhang Hong patted Zhou Xuchuan on the back with a hearty laughter.

"It was nothing compared to what you all went through," Zhou Xuchuan replied modestly, praising Zhang Hong.

Both Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen had displayed decent abilities considering that it was their first battle. Thanks to the protection of the cultivators from Kaiyang, they were able to gain experience without major injuries.

"No, no. I really see you in a new light. It looks like we underestimated you," Zhang Xuen also complimented Zhou Xuchuan.

Things might have been different if Zhou Xuchuan's achievements were more pronounced and their achievements were downplayed.

"Thank you," Zhou Xuchuan replied repeatedly with the right words.

Zhuge Xiang and Zhuge Xiuluan also came over to congratulate him.

"You were incredible, Young Hero Zhou."

"Congratulations."

Zhuge Xiang's eyes were filled with curiosity, while Zhuge Xiuluan remained indifferent.

"Brother, you don't need to be so uncomfortable around him. Isn't that right, apprentice-brother?" Zhang Hong asked Zhou Xuchuan.

"Yes, of course. Please, feel free to treat me comfortably," Zhou Xuchuan brightened with joy.

It won't hurt to establish ties with the genius siblings. They will be very helpful in the future.

Zhang Hong was annoying because he was so talkative, but right now, Zhou Xuchuan was grateful for his sociability. His primary focus remained on getting closer to Zhuge Shengji. However, that didn't mean that he would stay away from these two. He only gave up because of priorities.

"I'd be glad to do that. Please take care of me." Zhuge Xiang smiled.

Zhou Xuchuan spent some time with the apprentice-siblings of the Lotus Pavilion and the Zhuge siblings. As the evening progressed and he grew intoxicated, he snuck out and approached Zhuge Shengji, who was sitting by himself in the corner.

"What is it?" Zhuge Shengji asked, his expression gruff

Zhuge Shengji's feats during the battle were not known at all. This was by request because he knew that using hidden weapons was shameful and nothing to boast about.

Using this opportunity, Zhou Xuchuan attempted to boost Zhuge Shengji's confidence, but he knew that things would become complicated if it was exposed that Zhuge Shengji crafted hidden weapons to fight in battle, so he had no choice but to remain silent.

"Honestly speaking, don't you think it was all thanks to you, my genius younger brother, that we won the battle? Without you, I might not have survived."

Zhou Xuchuan sat next to Zhuge Shengji.

"It's truly a pity that I must keep it a secret. But don't be too disappointed. While the world might not recognize your achievements, I will," Zhou Xuchuan flattered him. The way he spoke was completely different from his previous interaction with the members of the Lotus Pavilion.

"Ehem, ehem."

Zhuge Shengji blushed, seemingly not minding the compliment. Sure, he was a genius, but he was also a ten-year-old boy. He was quite simple.

"I appreciate your flattery, but from my point of view, it's you who's more amazing."

Until recently, Zhuge Shengji thought that Zhou Xuchuan was an eccentric guy who had some skills. He knew that the members of the Lotus Pavilion were skilled, but it was in human nature that people didn't believe until they saw. It didn't really feel real to him.

However, thanks to the event that happened in Weng'An, his perception had changed. Zhuge Shengji realized just how incredible Zhou Xuchuan was.

'He's so amazing, but he's being underestimated as All Bite No Bark. Just how amazing are the cultivators in the Mount Hua sect?'

Zhuge Shengji had a misunderstanding. Even the eldest member of the Lotus Pavilion wouldn't be able to pull off what Zhou Xuchuan did. It was just that Zhuge Shengji had no baseline of comparison, so he just misunderstood.

"Haha. You finally understand the greatness of this big brother. But you don't need to be so embarrassed. I was just fortunate enough to consume spiritual medicine. You'll be like me if you take some spiritual medicines too, you know?"

Zhou Xuchuan grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Spiritual medicine?"

"Yes. All cultivators wish to have fortunate encounters, and even among them, spiritual medicines are at the top of the wishlist. A number of difficult martial arts can be resolved as long as you have spiritual medicine. You can become an expert in an instant too as long as you have spiritual medicine!" Zhou Xuchuan lied without batting an eyelid.

"I don't think that's true…" Zhuge Shengji muttered skeptically.

"Shengji. Are you more powerful than me?"

"N-no…"

"Have you taken spiritual medicine?"

"N-no…"

"Then don't say anything if you don't know!"

Zhuge Shengji felt like he was being fooled.

"Do you think having such a fortunate encounter is easy? If that were the case, the martial world would be full of experts!" Zhuge Shengji shouted, finding Zhou Xuchuan's words ridiculous.

Due to the noise from the banquet, the only one who heard him was Zhou Xuchuan.

"Really? Then how about I get some spiritual medicine for you? I have some reliable information in my hands." Zhou Xuchuan proposed, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Psh-

Zhuge Shengji chuckled, unconvinced.

"If that's true, don't mention brother, I'll be your underling. Not that it will ever happen."

"You'd better remember what you just said."

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes curved into a smile.