Chapter 252: Chapter 217: News from the Wilderness, Xu Wei’s Request

「Three days later.」

Lu Zhao steered the Golden Feather Bird through the light barrier of the Rocky Mountain Array above Broken River Castle, landing steadily inside with Xu Wei.

The moment he landed, the aura of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator emanated from him. Though he deliberately held it back, it still sent a jolt through the nearby Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Disciples on duty, who instinctively lowered their heads in a bow.

Zhao Xiaoshu’s figure emerged almost instantly, striding quickly from a nearby stone house to greet them.

His gaze swept over Lu Zhao, catching a trace of lingering ease in the man’s expression. His heart stirred, and he immediately bowed. "Congratulations on your return from the hunt, Senior! Judging by your expression, this trip must have been a great success!"

Lu Zhao gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment of the compliment. He casually recalled the Golden Feather Bird into his Beast Taming Bag and asked, "Mm. Have the other teams that entered the Wilderness sent any word back?"

At these words, a fittingly grave expression appeared on Zhao Xiaoshu’s face. He quickly said, "I was just about to report to you, Senior. Two teams have returned."

"However..." He paused, his tone tinged with regret. "One team encountered a large pack of Iron-Clawed Rock Wolves on the outskirts of Seven Wind Gorge. The Late-stage Qi Cultivator leading them fought desperately to cover the retreat. He managed to escape, but was severely injured. Unfortunately, two Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivators from the team also perished."

Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. Iron-Clawed Rock Wolves were just ordinary Tier One Demon Beasts, but they were incredibly tenacious and fearless in packs, making them a perilous encounter for any Qi Cultivator.

After a moment’s thought, he instructed, "Issue fifty Minor Merits to the family or faction of each fallen cultivator as condolence."

"As for the severely injured leader, take some Healing Elixirs and visit him personally. Withdraw the necessary Pills from the castle’s Warehouse and put it on my account."

"In the future, if anyone else perishes or is injured, follow this same procedure."

"Yes, Senior. I understand," Zhao Xiaoshu replied. He then took out a Cyan Jade Scroll and presented it with both hands. "The other team returned completely intact. It’s just that the information they brought back is... rather vague."

"I get the feeling they were just going through the motions and found a flimsy excuse to retreat. The details are recorded in this Jade Scroll."

Lu Zhao took the Jade Scroll and immersed his Divine Sense within it.

The information in the Jade Scroll was brief and hastily recorded. The gist was that on the edge of an unnamed swamp about three hundred miles southeast of Broken River Castle, the team had faintly heard an incredibly deep, powerful roar from the swamp’s depths. They suspected it was a Tier Two Demon Beast.

But the exact direction was unclear. Due to the swamp’s Poisonous Miasma and complex terrain, the team didn’t dare venture deeper to investigate. They found no clear tracks, droppings, or signs of a struggle, and had retreated hastily based on nothing more than a single roar whose origin and authenticity they couldn’t verify.

A moment later, Lu Zhao retracted his Divine Sense. His face remained impassive, but a flicker of coldness passed through his eyes.

He looked at Zhao Xiaoshu, his voice flat yet carrying an undeniable weight. "This is it? A single roar from an unknown direction, which may or may not have been a Tier Two Demon Beast? They dare turn in this kind of baseless conjecture?"

Feeling the formless pressure, Zhao Xiaoshu bowed even lower. "Please, calm your anger, Senior. I also felt this report was far too careless..."

"Tell them," Lu Zhao cut him off, his voice turning cold, "I’ll let it slide this time, since it’s their first offense. But this is the only warning they’ll get."

"If they dare try to fob me off with such worthless garbage again—if they can’t find hard evidence of a Tier Two Demon Beast’s trail—then they can stay in the Barbaric Land forever. They won’t have to bother coming back."

"Yes! I’ll relay the message at once!" Zhao Xiaoshu’s heart clenched. He knew Lu Zhao was genuinely furious. He responded quickly and hurried off to make the arrangements.

Once Zhao Xiaoshu’s figure had vanished, Lu Zhao’s gaze shifted to Xu Wei, who had been standing silently behind and to his side the entire time.

Xu Wei had been instrumental in this trip deep into the Wilderness to hunt the Tier Two Middle-Grade Jade Water Spirit Snake. He had earned a reward.

"Xu Wei," Lu Zhao began, his voice considerably softer than before, "you performed meritoriously by leading the way. Your tracking and navigation were methodical, and you saved me a great deal of trouble."

"I’m in a relatively good mood today. Tell me, what reward would you like? As long as it’s not excessive, be it a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, a High-Tier Pill, Spirit Stones, or a Cultivation Technique, I can grant it."

Xu Wei froze. He looked Lu Zhao straight in the eye, and in their depths was a mix of struggle, desire, and the resolute desperation of an all-or-nothing gamble.

After only a few moments of hesitation, he gritted his teeth, his knees buckled, and he knelt with a THUD on the cold bluestone ground.

"Senior!"

Xu Wei’s voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, yet it was exceptionally clear and firm. "Magical Artifacts, Pills, Spirit Stones... I don’t want any of those rewards!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Zhao’s eyes as he looked down at him. "Oh? Then what is it you want?"

Xu Wei took a deep breath, as if mustering all his strength, and said, word by word, "Forgive my audacity! I only wish to beg you, Senior, to take me in! Let me follow you, and I will go through fire and water and never shrink back!"

The request was clearly not what Lu Zhao had expected.

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if trying to pierce straight through Xu Wei’s intentions.

He spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Follow me? Why? Xu Wei, you must understand something. Even if you were to follow me, I would not permit you to use my name to throw your weight around in the Broken River Plains."

"Your Xu Family might gain some small measure of prestige from our association, but I would not let you handle any key affairs that involve their interests. Have you thought this through carefully?"

Xu Wei shot his head up, not a hint of hesitation in his eyes. If anything, Lu Zhao’s bluntness made him appear even more frank. "Senior, please understand! What I seek is absolutely not the chance to throw my weight around the Broken River Plains, nor is it to seek personal gain for my family!"

His voice grew impassioned. "Though I am a disciple of the Xu Family, and they have treated me well, I know that here in the Broken River Plains, on the very fringes of Northern Wilderness County... even if I give it my all, even if I spend my entire life trying, the absolute best I can ever hope to be is a Late-stage Qi Cultivator!"

"Foundation Establishment... that’s a luxury I don’t even dare to dream of! I refuse to accept that! I refuse to be trapped here my whole life, only to turn to dust in the end!"

He kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the cold stone slab with a dull THUD. "I have witnessed your methods, Senior! I know your Divine Abilities are immense!"

"All I ask for is a single chance! A chance to follow you, to see the wider world, and to fight for the possibility of one day reaching the threshold of Foundation Establishment! Please grant me this, Senior!"

A brief silence fell over the stone courtyard, broken only by the distant, occasional footsteps of patrolling disciples on the fortress walls and the subtle hum of wind whistling through the Array.

Xu Wei remained in his kowtowing posture, his heart hammering in his chest as he awaited his fate.

Lu Zhao looked down at the clan cultivator at his feet, noting his steady aura and stubborn gaze.

For his age, Xu Wei’s Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer was quite good for a clan cultivator. His disposition also seemed tenacious.

’His speech just now, while certainly containing an element of pledging loyalty, didn’t seem feigned. That unwillingness to accept mediocrity, that desperate craving for a breakthrough... it felt genuine.’

’In the cruel Cultivation Realm, ambition and the desire to climb higher aren’t bad things. The key is whether they are controllable... and useful.’

After a moment, the sharpness in Lu Zhao’s eyes faded, replaced by a calm that bordered on indifference.

With a flick of his wrist, a smooth white Jade Scroll appeared in his palm.

"Following me is no simple matter," Lu Zhao’s voice remained flat. "I don’t keep useless people, and I certainly don’t keep those with weak wills or insufficient ability. In light of your meritorious service this time, I can give you one chance."

He gently tossed the Jade Scroll onto the ground before Xu Wei.

"This Jade Scroll records the names, properties, and general locations of nearly one hundred Tier One Spiritual Materials. Many of them are quite rare or grow in very specific environments."

Lu Zhao looked at him, his tone brooking no argument. "I don’t care how you do it—venture into dangerous lands to collect them, scavenge for them in the Marketplace, trade for them, or even buy them with your own savings. Within three months, you will bring me any five different Spiritual Materials from this list."

Xu Wei’s head snapped up, his eyes shining with incredulous joy. His hands trembled as he picked up the Jade Scroll, clutching it tightly in his palm as if it were a lifeline.

"Remember," Lu Zhao’s voice was laced with a cold edge, "I want the actual Spiritual Materials. Not reports, and certainly not excuses. Their quality must meet the standards described in the Jade Scroll. If you can do this, I will permit you to follow me. If you cannot..."

He paused, his flat tone carrying the weight of a mountain. "I will give you a generous reward, more than enough to compensate you for leading the way on this trip. After that, we will be quits. This opportunity... I only offer it once."

"Yes! Senior!"

Xu Wei was so overcome with emotion that his voice trembled. He kowtowed heavily again, leaving a faint red mark on the stone slab with his forehead. "I, Xu Wei, thank you for your grace, Senior! Within three months, I will do everything in my power to not disappoint you!"

Lu Zhao said nothing more, merely giving a soft "Mm" before turning and walking toward his personal residence in Broken River Castle.

The sleeves of his dark robes fluttered in the wind, his retreating figure tall and solitary.

Only after Lu Zhao’s figure disappeared around a bend in the corridor leading deeper into the castle did Xu Wei slowly climb to his feet.

He gripped the warm Jade Scroll, his knuckles white from the force, but his eyes were shining with a startling brightness, filled with a fighting spirit and hope he had never felt before.

He glanced down at the Jade Scroll one last time, then turned without hesitation and strode purposefully toward the castle exit.

Broken River Castle stood stalwart on the edge of the vast Northern Wilderness, the light barrier of the Rocky Mountain Array shimmering with a steady, earthen glow in the setting sun.

Inside the castle, Zhao Xiaoshu carried out Lu Zhao’s orders, handling the condolences and reprimands. Outside, in the vast and dangerous Barbaric Land, a new quest—and a new trial—had already begun.

Inside his private residence, Lu Zhao sat in quiet meditation, his mind already made up. He planned to first clear out the two known Tier Two Middle-Grade Demon Beasts near Broken River Castle. After that, he would enter seclusion to focus on his Cultivation.

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