Chapter 292: Chapter 143: Shadow Walk, Qualitative Change

But after Shen Bai said this, Elder Mu simply nodded and spoke.

"I knew you’d want to know about this letter. Since that’s the case, I’ll tell you."

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched slightly. "Elder Mu, I really don’t want to know. How about I just finish my tea and be on my way?"

Elder Mu cleared his throat. "This letter is from that unworthy junior brother of mine."

At this point, Shen Bai had no choice but to set his teacup aside.

He truly hadn’t wanted to know at first, but with Elder Mu’s persistent remarks, Shen Bai began to realize this matter might actually involve him after all.

Of course, Shen Bai didn’t actually leave. He spun his teacup and asked.

"Elder Mu, you are the Sword King of Fenglin State, but I’ve never heard of you having a junior brother here."

The Sword King’s fame was widespread throughout Fenglin State; one could say Elder Mu was among the state’s top-tier fighters.

Logically, if he really had a junior brother, Shen Bai should have heard about him during one of his casual chats with Elder Mu.

Even if he hadn’t heard about it from Elder Mu directly, he should have picked up a rumor or two while carrying out missions for the Observatory.

But the fact remained that Shen Bai had never heard anything about Elder Mu having a junior brother.

Despite saying he didn’t want to know about Elder Mu’s affairs, his curiosity was undeniably piqued by the old man’s few words.

In this day and age, who doesn’t love to hear a few secrets and a bit of gossip?

Shen Bai was certainly no exception.

Elder Mu tapped the letter on the table. "Go on, have a look. It’s not like any of this is a secret, anyway."

Seeing the letter, Shen Bai, now with a hint of curiosity, picked it up from the table.

After Shen Bai opened the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end, a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Elder Mu, your junior brother is in Huaxing State? Huaxing State and Fenglin State are a world apart. How could you be separated by such a great distance?"

Shen Bai knew of Huaxing State; it was indeed quite far from Fenglin State.

If the two of them were fellow disciples, they shouldn’t be living so far apart.

Hearing this, Elder Mu sneered. "You don’t know much about my master’s lineage, do you?"

Shen Bai nodded. "That’s right, I don’t."

The letter’s contents were simple. A disciple of Elder Mu’s junior brother would be passing through Fenglin State and wished to travel with Shen Bai to the Inner Examination Land.

This disciple was a prodigious talent from the Huaxing State Observatory, and he, too, was heading to the inner examination.

Recalling Elder Mu’s earlier expression, Shen Bai guessed it was all because of this junior brother’s disciple.

But now that the conversation had inexplicably turned to Elder Mu’s lineage, Shen Bai was even more curious.

Elder Mu organized his thoughts, paused for a moment, and then said, "My junior brother and I shared a master. He was actually a Landlord in the Observatory of Xiling City."

Xiling City?

Shen Bai’s eyes widened. "A Landlord in a Capital City... That’s incredible."

Capital Cities were the most prestigious cities in the Great Zhou Country. To hold the position of Landlord in an Observatory there, one would have to be an unparalleled expert.

Shen Bai had never imagined that Elder Mu had such a master.

Elder Mu nodded. "My master was renowned for his Qi and Sword Mastery. He was skilled in both Qi and the sword."

"Qi Sword Control and Magic Sword Control were my master’s most profound skills. I studied Magic Sword Control, which emphasizes the sophistication of one’s Swordsmanship—to put it bluntly, the moves."

"My junior brother, on the other hand, learned Qi Sword Control, which focuses on using the Qi within one’s body to power one’s Swordsmanship."

"The two are different, but they are different paths to the same destination. It’s just that neither of us had our master’s talent, so we could only pursue one path."

Shen Bai stroked his chin.

"It sounds like they’re different paths to the same destination, but they also seem to be in opposition. Is your conflict with him because you practice different Cultivation Techniques?"

He wasn’t a fool; he could already read between the lines and sense the root of the issue.

Elder Mu didn’t shy away from the question. He nodded and said, "That’s right. For all these years, I’ve always had the upper hand. His Qi Sword Control might be brilliant, but it’s ultimately not as strong as mine."

As he said this, Elder Mu once again exuded that familiar, cocksure air Shen Bai knew so well.

Shen Bai coughed. "Elder Mu, we’re all friends here. No need for that. Let’s just continue with the story."

Hearing Shen Bai say this, Elder Mu reigned in his aura slightly, then rapped his knuckles firmly on the letter.

"That guy gets so riled up by me he can’t sleep at night. All he ever thinks about is how to beat me in Swordsmanship to prove that Qi Sword Control was our master’s truly superior skill."

"How could I let him have that satisfaction? I gave him a sound thrashing every single time. And because of that, the guy has never accepted his defeat."

Shen Bai nodded. "But what does that have to do with his disciple coming to Fenglin State?"

"His disciple is attending the inner examination, sure, but that’s a separate issue."

Elder Mu chuckled and retorted, "If you couldn’t beat someone and kept losing with the same approach, wouldn’t you try a different one?"

Shen Bai considered this. "If I couldn’t win... I don’t think I’d change my method. Because, as of now, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone I couldn’t beat."

The corner of Elder Mu’s mouth twitched. "You brat. You just told me we were friends and that I shouldn’t be like that, and now you pull this? Isn’t that a bit much?"

Shen Bai coughed. "Force of habit, Elder Mu. Please, continue."

Elder Mu continued slowly, "He can’t beat me in a direct contest, so he wants to try another way. As you know, ever since I made a grand name for myself in Fenglin State, I’ve never found a suitable disciple."

"But that old fool took on a prodigious talent. So this time, his intention is simple. He wants to use his disciple to show off in front of me."

Shen Bai said with a sigh, "Elder Mu, you two are unbelievably childish."

Elder Mu shrugged. "Be that as it may, that’s definitely what he’s thinking. So, after giving it some thought, I need you to do me a small favor..."