Chapter 484 - 466: True Dragon Pride, Befriending
At the Zhenwu Mansion Government Office.
Pavilion Master Qian picked up a teacup with hands as large as palm-leaf fans. He gulped down a mouthful of Spiritual Tea, GLUG, GLUG, GLUG, even swallowing the tea leaves straight from the cup. His demeanor could hardly be called elegant.
"Has the list of Great Commanders who signed up been drawn up?" he asked.
"There are more than thirty in total, but many are just making up the numbers. Only the usual few have a hope of breaking into the top ten." Liu Longyu held a piece of parchment in her fair hands and tossed it lightly onto the table. "Take a look. I’ve marked everyone who has a chance of obtaining a Nomination Order with vermilion ink next to their names."
A smile appeared on Jin Fugui’s fat face. He leaned forward, picked up the list, and read it aloud.
"Gu Changfeng, a True Dragon Pride, expected to break into the top three, assigned to the Hanging Mirror Gate jurisdiction of the waterway!
"Zhao Daoran, Great Dragon Tendon, expected to break into the top ten, assigned to District Two downstream of the Hanging Mirror Gate!
"Tiemu Xiaoyun, Great Dragon Tendon, expected to break into the top ten, assigned to District Three downstream of the Hanging Mirror Gate!
"Li Jingfeng, Great Dragon Tendon, expected to break into the top ten, assigned to District Four downstream of the Hanging Mirror Gate!
"..."
"Liu Wu, Middle Dragon Tendon, expected to break into the top fifteen, assigned to District Ten downstream of the Hanging Mirror Gate!
"Su Yu, Jiao Tendon Realm, expected to break into the top ten, assigned to District Eleven downstream of the Hanging Mirror Gate!
"Eh, this Su Yu’s Realm is only at the Jiao Tendon Realm?" Jin Fugui asked, looking surprised as he turned to Liu Longyu for confirmation.
"That’s right, it’s the Jiao Tendon Realm. He’s the number one genius of the Outer City, after all. Moreover, he comes from a poor background and fought his way up entirely by relying on his talent. His talent in Sword Dao is particularly outstanding." Liu Longyu gave him a rather complimentary evaluation.
A glint flashed in Mo Guhong’s eyes beneath his bamboo hat. He reached out, took another piece of parchment, and carefully looked over Su Yu’s file.
"Not a bad kid. He’s comprehended two types of Saber Stances. His Evil Qi is astonishing. It’s just a pity that he started practicing martial arts a bit late, so his Realm hasn’t caught up."
"What’s wrong, Master Mo? Have you taken a liking to his Sword Dao talent and want to take him in as a disciple?" Jiang Wen asked. He was still wearing his familiar white robes. He looked very refined and elegant, but the faint Evil Qi he exuded was startling.
"This kid’s Evil Qi is astonishing. He actually matches that Cultivation Technique of the Jiang family quite well. Are you thinking of recruiting him into the Jiang family?" Mo Guhong asked directly.
Jiang Wen smiled and said, "I do have such thoughts. For a kid from the Outer City to reach this step on his own, I don’t think his talent is any worse than Gu Changfeng and the others."
"Talent is just talent. Unrealized talent is no different from flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—completely worthless. Moreover, his talent lies in his comprehension. His foundation isn’t deep enough, and he missed the best period to learn martial arts. Whether he can truly break through to the Dragon Tendon Mirror and become a True Dragon Pride is anyone’s guess." Mo Guhong shook his head and finally said, "Give me a piece of the Jiang family’s Blood Evil Divine Gold, and I won’t take this Su Yu. I’ll yield him to the Jiang family."
Jiang Wen smiled again and said, "Master Mo, you certainly have a good plan. You want to take a piece of Blood Evil Divine Gold from the Jiang family without doing anything at all? The Jiang family won’t agree to that. I’m in no rush right now. We’ll talk about it if Su Yu can truly break through to the Dragon Tendon Realm and become a True Dragon Pride."
...
At the Celestial Mirror River, Hanging Mirror Gate.
Ever since the last attack by the Black Lotus Sect, the Government Office of the Riverway Department had relocated overnight to the Hanging Mirror Gate. A luxurious restaurant was requisitioned and converted into the Riverway Department, adorned with a vermilion plaque.
Great Commanders arrived one after another to check in and confirm their waterway jurisdictions.
"Cousin, if you can break into the top ten this time, the family will double your resources. It’ll be enough for you to attempt a breakthrough to the True Dragon Tendon, or perhaps even step into the Profound Bone," Li Jingxuan said with a hint of envy in his tone as he patted Li Jingfeng’s shoulder.
Although he was also a Great Commander, he lacked the talent to break into the Dragon Tendon Realm. Now, he was stuck at Muscle Forging Perfection, not knowing if he would ever have the chance to break through to the Profound Bone in his lifetime.
"Cousin, there is a gap even among geniuses. You don’t need to blame yourself too much. You could never compare to me since we were young, so you should have realized this long ago." Li Jingfeng, dressed in black with a sword on his back, looked elegant and dashing, speaking with a look of breezy indifference.
Li Jingxuan’s face instantly stiffened. If he hadn’t known his cousin had this kind of personality since childhood, he would really want to smack him across the face.
"Don’t be too arrogant. There are many experts this year. Let alone within the family, just here at the Zhenwu Mansion, you have more than enough opponents!" Li Jingxuan reminded him.
"They’re just a bunch of rabble, nothing to fear. There are barely a few people who can withstand the first Six Swords of my Dragon-slaying Nine Swords."
"Commander Li, I heard you are going to dredge the waterway and bring blessings to the common people. The Xu Family has come specifically to help. Please give us a chance to serve the people!" Xu He, the leader of the younger generation of the Inner City’s Xu Family, blocked their path and cupped his fists, offering his services.
"Good. You have a good eye, Xu He. I’ll give you this opportunity," Li Jingfeng nodded proudly.
"Thank you, Commander Li!"
This waterway dredging involved a performance assessment. It was no longer a matter of whether it could be completed, but rather that it had to be completed quickly and excellently. This naturally required the Great Commanders to have factions supporting them behind the scenes. And for the various factions looking to establish connections with the Great Commanders, this was exactly the best opportunity.
Just as the two were about to enter the Riverway Department, a commotion erupted in the distance.
"It’s Commander Zhao! Zhao Daoran is here!"
"Hurry, go up and see if Commander Zhao needs any factions to help."
"Commander Zhao is a Great Dragon Tendon genius! He might become a True Dragon Pride in the future, and he’s a direct descendant of the Zhao Family. Hurry up and check it out!"
A gentle and refined man in brocade robes slowly approached, waving a Feather Fan in his hand.
"What a hypocrite!" Li Jingfeng took one look from afar, snorted coldly, and walked inside disdainfully.
Su Yu happened to arrive at the Riverway Department at the same time. Seeing the crowd gathered in front of Zhao Daoran, he kept a calm expression, bypassed them, and walked inside.
Upon entering the River Management Bureau, Su Yu soon ran into Li Jingxuan and his cousin.
"Younger Brother Su, come, come! Let me introduce you." Li Jingxuan’s face lit up with joy. Seeing Su Yu, he hurriedly beckoned him over.
Su Yu smiled and walked up to the two.
"Let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Li Jingfeng. You should have seen him before; he previously competed in a martial arts match with Ye Xiaohong." After introducing his cousin, Li Jingxuan pointed at Su Yu and continued, "Cousin, this is Su Yu. His Martial Arts Talent is astonishing, and his character is impeccable. The two of us have a deep friendship, so we’re all on the same side from now on."
Li Jingfeng flicked his sleeve, striking a rather dashing profile pose, and then turned his head to say, "Su Yu, I heard you slew a Middle Dragon Tendon expert while only in the Jiao Tendon Realm. Very good! I, Li Jingfeng, only make friends with geniuses. You qualify!"
With that, he cupped his fists toward Su Yu, though his body still hadn’t turned fully forward. "Brother Su, since my cousin recommended you, we are now good friends!"
Su Yu smiled faintly. This Li Jingfeng was quite an interesting person.
"Why does he keep turning his profile toward me? Does he think his side profile is more handsome?" he wondered.
"Since Jingfeng is so forthright, I won’t stand on ceremony either. We are friends now, so let’s support each other often."
This Li Jingfeng was a noble direct descendant of the Li Family, one of the three great families. He also possessed the strength of the Great Dragon Tendon, and his Dragon-slaying Nine Swords were highly renowned. Su Yu had initially thought Li Jingfeng would look down on an Outer City person like himself, but to his surprise, that wasn’t the case at all.
Although the man was a bit eccentric, Su Yu was willing to associate with him. After all, as he navigated the Inner City in the future, having more friends wouldn’t hurt.