The clever sixteen-year-old was right—this was exactly what the Emperor was thinking.
Even though the Star Festival's failure had nothing to do with Xu Luo, as far as Emperor Huangfu Haoran was concerned, he would sooner marry his daughter to a pig than to Xu Luo.
That useless boy? A strong gust of wind could knock him over, and he'd fainted from exhaustion after just a few drum beats. Marry his daughter to *him*?
Not a chance!
Especially since this time, when the eunuch came to announce the imperial decree, Xu Luo was the only one home in the Xu Family. Though it was a coincidence, for Xu Luo, it was yet another repudiation from the Emperor.
It was like rubbing salt in the wound.
Xu Luo let out a long breath and slowly closed his eyes. 'I'm no longer the weak, pathetic Xu Luo of the past,' he thought. 'Within me, I have the Soul of the Big Dipper, the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, and the Breaking Army Seven Kills! To all of you who look down on me: one day, I'll make you understand. The National Guardian General's Mansion produces no failures!'
For the next half-month, Xu Luo remained in seclusion, rarely even stepping out of his personal courtyard.
As far as the Xu Family was concerned, their Second Young Master must have been devastated by the Star Festival's failure and the Royal Family's attitude. He used to go out with his friends to clear his head, but now he wouldn't even leave his own courtyard.
He even had Lianyi deliver his meals, instructing everyone else not to disturb him…
The servants of the Xu Family were deeply worried, but with the master, mistress, and Eldest Young Master away, all they could do was hope their young master would soon emerge from his melancholy.
What the Xu Family didn't know was that while their Second Young Master might still be under a cloud, it was by no means the one they imagined.
「Starry night.」
In the sky, the Big Dipper's light was faint and dim.
Ever since the day the Star Festival failed, the Big Dipper had ceased to shine with its usual dazzling brilliance.
This was the root cause of the turmoil among the Cangqiong Kingdom's neighbors and the unease unsettling its people.
The Big Dipper... it seemed, no longer blessed the Cangqiong Kingdom.
Xu Luo sat cross-legged on his bed, continuously cultivating the Shadow Shaking Heart Method. After completing a full circulatory cycle, he slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed within them, leaving them exceptionally bright.
'This Shadow Shaking Heart Method is truly powerful,' Xu Luo thought after exhaling slowly. 'I've only been cultivating for half a month, and it's already transformed my weak constitution. I might even... have reached the level of a Sword Disciple. If I keep this up, it won't be long before I can break through to the realm of a Swordsman. Then, I'll finally be a true Martial Artist!'
Over the past half-month, Xu Luo had cultivated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method by night and practiced the Breaking Army Seven Kills by day. He had now gained a preliminary grasp of the First Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—Broken Tendons and Bones.
Fist imprints now marked the training post in his courtyard, a post that had previously been nothing more than a decoration.
No one knew of this besides Xu Luo himself.
Not even his personal Maid, Lianyi.
Xu Luo had given strict orders: aside from mealtimes, no one was to enter and disturb him.
The feeling of wielding power was truly different. In the past, if Xu Luo had punched the training post, he would have gained nothing but scraped, bloody knuckles and unbearable pain.
But now, when Xu Luo circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and executed Broken Tendons and Bones, the First Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills, his strike would land on the post with a dull thud, leaving a faint imprint of his fist.
And yet his fist felt as if it were forged from iron; he felt almost no pain at all.
The Xu Family's training posts were made of ironwood that was over a century old. This wood was resistant to fire and water, and difficult to damage with blades or axes. Even sawing through it would take a great deal of time.
Yet now, Xu Luo could leave a faint mark with a single punch. This… this was the power bestowed by a formidable Cultivation Technique!
It was a testament to the might of the two Cultivation Techniques that the Shaking Light Star Soul had bestowed upon him.
"One more cycle of the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, and then I'll rest," Xu Luo muttered to himself in the darkness. He then closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation once more.
Ever since the Seven-Star Soul entered his body, Xu Luo had begun to cultivate tirelessly. Every night's sleep was deep and restorative, the weakness of his past long gone.
This sixteen-year-old boy's destiny had been completely transformed.
Early the next morning, Xu Luo was shirtless, striking the training post with one punch after another.
THUD! THUD!
A series of dull thuds echoed around Xu Luo's small courtyard.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Xu Luo's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze passed through the courtyard gate, and he saw Lianyi standing outside, her delicate brow furrowed in thought.
"Come in," Xu Luo said, casually grabbing a shirt draped nearby and pulling it on.
"Young Master... Huh?" Lianyi pushed the gate open and entered. She paused, surprised to see Xu Luo getting dressed. Her gaze then fell upon the training post, and she spoke with a pained expression, "Young Master, why must you torment yourself like this? Who cares what those outsiders say? Why not just live as a wealthy young master, free from worry for the rest of your life?"
"Heh, don't worry. I'm not that foolish," Xu Luo said with a smile. He didn't feel the need to hide anything from the Maid who had grown up with him.
He held up his hands and said with a grin, "See? My knuckles aren't even scraped."
"Mm, that's good." Lianyi didn't give it much thought, her pretty eyes curving into crescents. "Young Master Sui Yan and Young Master Huangfu Chongzhi are here. They want to take you out and are waiting in the front hall. If you don't wish to see them, I can go and send them away..."
"How could I refuse to see my friends?" Xu Luo chuckled. "Lead the way."
"To think the first people to come visit me would be those two," Xu Luo remarked casually, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.
Though many had mocked and ridiculed him for his poor constitution, it wasn't as if he had no friends.
He had four or five very close companions he'd grown up with. As a young master of the National Guardian General's Mansion, Xu Luo's friends naturally came from extraordinary backgrounds as well.
Interestingly enough, in the eyes of outsiders, not a single one of Xu Luo's friends was considered normal.
First, there was Sui Yan, the third son of the Mighty Grand General, the Duke Jingyang. His family was a Military Merit Clan that had produced Military Generals for generations.
The current Duke Jingyang, Mighty Grand General Sui Wanli, was the foremost War General serving under the Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji. His moniker was 'Spirit of a Tiger that Devours a Thousand Miles.' He was peerlessly valiant on the battlefield, a warrior said to be a match for ten thousand men.
Sui Yan, the Sui Family's third son, had shown extraordinary talent from a young age. At twelve, he broke through the Sword Disciple level to become a Tier One Swordsman, a true Martial Artist.
A year younger than Xu Luo, Sui Yan had just turned fifteen, yet he had already reached the realm of a Tier Eight Swordsman, placing him among the elite of his generation in the Imperial Capital.
None of this might seem particularly remarkable. To many, it was perfectly normal for the scion of a Military Merit Clan to possess such outstanding talent.
After all, 'exceptions' like Xu Luo were a rarity.
The problem was, Sui Yan had despised cultivating martial arts since childhood.
The realm he had achieved today was, one might say, entirely a result of being forced by his family's elders.
Sui Yan, known for his steady temperament and the nickname 'Sui Xiaoshi,' had a singular passion since childhood: studying all kinds of strange and peculiar mechanisms.
Granted, Mechanical Skill was a recognized discipline in this world. But in the eyes of a powerful War General, Mechanical Skill... was utter trash!
"Mechanisms are a load of crap! I'll just blast it with my Sword Qi, and no matter how powerful it is, it'll be reduced to scraps!" Those were the furious words of Sui Yan's father, Sui Wanli, after he kicked to pieces some small contraptions his son had designed.
"Only the Martial Dao is the true path!" Sui Wanli would plead with his son. After all, among the younger generation of the Sui Family, Sui Yan's talent was considered the best.
But Sui Yan remained set in his ways. No matter how many times he was caned, he would take it without a sound and never gave up on his study of Mechanical Skill.
Thus, the rumor that the Sui Family's third son wasn't normal... had long since spread throughout the Imperial Capital.
As for Huangfu Chongzhi... his story was even more incredible.
He was a young man utterly obsessed with refining elixirs.
His status was incredibly noble: he was a Prince.
But his fate had been a difficult one—far more tragic than Xu Luo's.
His mother had been a Palace Maid with no status. Simply because she was beautiful, she caught Emperor Huangfu Haoran's eye one night when he was drunk. After receiving his favor, she gave birth to the Prince, Huangfu Chongzhi.
The Palace Maid's greatest misfortune wasn't being favored by the Emperor, but giving birth to a Prince before any of the other women in the Imperial Palace.
And so, the beautiful Palace Maid died a mysterious death, and Huangfu Chongzhi was adopted by the Empress.
Once the Empress had a son of her own, Huangfu Chongzhi was mercilessly cast aside.
His father had no love for this son who had come into the world as an 'accident,' and the various consorts in the palace disliked this nominal Eldest Prince as well.
Therefore, despite his title as a Prince, Huangfu Chongzhi never enjoyed any of the corresponding privileges—save for his education at the Royal Academy.
But this was hardly a sign that he was valued, as the scions of other decorated clans, like Xu Luo and Sui Yan, also received their foundational education at the Royal Academy.
Huangfu Chongzhi had a gentle disposition from a young age; almost no one had ever seen him lose his temper. He never took part in the endless struggles among the Royal Family's children.
Ever since he became fascinated with refining elixirs at the age of six, he had practically ceased all contact with the other Princes.
His brothers never gave this elder brother of theirs a second thought, letting him do as he pleased so long as he didn't vie with them for the title of Crown Prince.
Xu Luo had befriended them back at the Royal Academy. A handful of strange, lonely boys whom few others bothered with, they had naturally drifted together.
Over the many years they'd known each other, they had become the closest of friends. It would be no exaggeration to even call them brothers.
As he approached the front hall, he could hear the two of them talking from a distance.
"I just got my hands on an ancient text on Mechanical Skill a few days ago! The designs inside are so ingenious they defy belief; it was a real eye-opener. The day I design a self-propelling carriage, you guys will be the first to take it for a spin!"
Sui Yan, nicknamed 'Sui Xiaoshi,' might be a cold Stone in front of others, but he was a completely different person with his friends.
"Mechanical Skill, you say? I seem to recall your father once said, 'Mechanisms are a load of crap. One blast of Sword Qi, and even the strongest will be reduced to scraps.'"
The speaker's voice was gentle, which made his recital of the other's father's coarse words all the more amusing. He delivered the line in such a deadpan manner that it was hard not to chuckle.
"Don't you dare use my father's words to needle me! I hate it when people call Mechanical Engineering trash. Just because you're the eldest doesn't mean you can insult my passion. Hmph! A truly powerful mechanism can slay any expert!"
"Hahaha, and with a single elixir from my hand, you, my dear Mechanical Master, will drop dead," the voice replied, still gentle but full of playful mockery.
"Don't be so cocky! You forget, I can shoot out Sword Qi too... I'm a Swordsman!"
As the two nobles bickered, Lianyi stood to the side, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Xu Luo, on the other hand, grinned openly and laughed. "Do you two have to go at it every single time you meet?"
"Hey, look who it is! Our third brother has finally decided to grace us with his presence!" Upon hearing Xu Luo's voice, Sui Yan and Huangfu Chongzhi spoke in unison, turning their attention on him.