There were some other elder estates neighboring Long Hui's estate. The large battle between Qin Yu and Xiang Shaoyun had naturally attracted the attention of some elders. But of course, they did not actually approach the estate to see what was going on. Approaching was a taboo among the elders, but it did not prevent them from clearly seeing everything that had happened.
"Who's the one fighting Qin Yu? He was actually able to defeat Qin Yu?"
"That kid is still so young, and he's not even at the Skysoar Realm yet! He's already able to defeat Qin Yu? Is he a War King?"
"Looks like we need to ask Long Hui about this. Perhaps yet another freak is going to appear in the pavilion."
...
Xiang Shaoyun had naturally noticed the prying eyes as well, but he did not care. Why? Because he was soon going to be a famous person in the Cloud Margin Pavilion anyway. Him defeating Qin Yu wouldn't even be the reason for that.
Rather, it would be due to the favor the Zither Empress was suddenly showing him. People would most likely be trying to figure out what was going on when they noticed that. At that time, he wouldn't be able to stay low profile even if he wanted.
Xiang Shaoyun returned to his own room and started replaying his battle with Qin Yu with his Nether Soul Domain. He entered a meditative trance, and it was as if he was experiencing the battle all over again.
He was able to see his weaknesses clearly, and he was also able to see the holes in Qin Yu's defenses. One could say that he had gained even more from that one battle through meditation.
Long Hui had also returned. He arrived before Xiang Shaoyun and knelt down on one knee as he apologized, "Sorry, young master for disturbing your peace again."
This time, he had zero hesitation when kneeling. It was obvious he was starting to gain actual respect for Xiang Shaoyun as well. It was not a respect he had obtained purely because of the Nether Dragon Soul Headband. Rather, it was due to Xiang Shaoyun's feat of defeating his eldest disciple, Qin Yu.
That feat was a proof of how mighty Xiang Shaoyun's combat prowess was. Although Xiang Shaoyun still wasn't comparable to a late-stage King Realm expert, he was still so young. He simply had boundless prospects.
On top of that, Xiang Shaoyun was also receiving the care of Granny Mei. Everyone knew Granny Mei was a follower of the Zither Empress. Did that not mean that Xiang Shaoyun had managed to establish some sort of connection with the Zither Empress? All these factors combined caused Long Hui to start sincerely wanting to submit to Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun waved his hand and said, "That is not your fault." He continued, "So are my weapons ready?"
Long Hui handed over the weapons respectfully and said, "Please take a look, young master."
Xiang Shaoyun took a step forward and accepted the saber and the pair of gloves from Long Hui.
He gently stroked the remarkable-looking purple saber. He could sense that the saber definitely had an excellent quality.
He looked at the "Purple Lightning Saber" carved on the blade and praised, "Although the shape of the saber looks rather bland, it is at least a tier-5 king-grade weapon. You have been thoughtful when selecting this weapon."
"It is only natural that I be thoughtful when serving the young master," said Long Hui.
Xiang Shaoyun then looked at the pair of gloves. The gloves had a lower quality in comparison, but they held the advantage of flexibility, as they could be used with all elements. They were one of those weapons that would not be restricted by any particular element.
Xiang Shaoyun was very satisfied with the two weapons. He hung the saber on his back and put the gloves on. After dealing with the injuries he had sustained during the battle, he walked out of Long Hui's estate.
"Long Hui, in the future, stay by my side. I doubt anyone will dare say anything now," said Xiang Shaoyun when he reached the gate of the estate. As he said that, he showed Long Hui the jade plate he got from the Zither Empress.
Long Hui was naturally able to recognize that it was an exclusive jade plate of the Zither Empress. He immediately knelt down and said, "Yes, young master! Long Hui hereby pledges his life to the young master!"
If Xiang Shaoyun wanted to live in the Cloud Margin Pavilion, it would be inconvenient to not have anyone he could use. Long Hui would be the perfect person for the task. In the past, he did not want to expose the fact that he had Long Hui under his control. Now that he had a jade plate given by the Zither Empress, he could openly order Long Hui around.
"Alright, just go to my estate and get everything in order. Just let the people there know that you're there on my order," said Xiang Shaoyun before heading off.
Not long after Xiang Shaoyun left, a burly young man carrying a massive axe appeared before him. The young man looked to be around 25 years old and was a peak seventh-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. It wasn't a particularly outstanding feat, but it was enough to qualify this man as an inner disciple.
"So you are Xiang Shaoyun?" asked the young man with an axe.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Yes, I am Xiang Shaoyun."
"Good. Surrender immediately and spare yourself the pain," said the young man with a toying look on his face.
"Hehe, is that so?" Xiang Shaoyun smiled faintly, not even bothering to stop walking.
"What a stupidly stubborn person," said the young man with a fierce gleam in his eyes. He then swung his axe at Xiang Shaoyun.
It was a rather impressive swing. Too bad it was nothing for Xiang Shaoyun. He met the axe with his fist, sending a golden spiraling fist energy toward the axe.
Bang!
The axe was directly sent flying from the young man's hand. As for the young man, the intense impact also caused blood to spray out of his torn hand. Just one exchange was enough to cause the young man to lose his weapon and suffer an injury. He was greatly shaken by the result, and he resentfully decided to leave. But how could Xiang Shaoyun allow that?
Xiang Shaoyun approached him, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him.
"Wuu...wuuu..." The young man's face instantly flushed red. A terrifying presence was suppressing him so much he was completely powerless. Fear covered his eyes as he was afraid that Xiang Shaoyun would kill him off just like that.
Naturally, Xiang Shaoyun wasn't brash enough to kill so easily. He controlled his strength carefully and said, "At times, spirit crystals won't be something you can easily earn. Are you not aware of that?"
He then tossed the young man away before sauntering off without even sparing him another glance. Xiang Shaoyun was not heading toward the estate the Zither Empress had given him. Rather, he was heading toward Qiu Chonglei's estate. Qiu Chonglei was the one who had issued the bounty on him, and he was also one of the four great guardians of the Lightning Alliance.
Xiang Shaoyun was planning to strike back against the Lightning Alliance in the most direct manner. And the way to do that was to show Qiu Chonglei his strength. At this point, he no longer intended to keep a low profile. Otherwise, trouble would only keep coming for him. It was best to solve everything at once.
Before long, Xiang Shaoyun could sense a large number of people around him. Some of them were there for him, and others were spies sent by the numerous factions within the pavilion.
"Xiang Shaoyun, man with a bounty, die!" a shout suddenly rang out in the air. Next, two young men mounted on demonic lions rushed toward Xiang Shaoyun.