Chapter 695 691: The True Star Realm Battlefield

"Didn't he graduate? I heard he went on a military mission, how did he suddenly become a Grandmaster?"

"Who cares how he did it! He just did! A twenty-three-year-old Grandmaster! The youngest Grandmaster in the history of our Federation!"

"Damn, I even took a class with Senior Brother Xu back then! He was ridiculously strong then, and I didn't expect him to be even more ridiculous now!"

"You took a class with him? You're full of it!"

"It's true! Really! He sat in the row in front of me, and I even talked to him!"

"What did you guys talk about?"

"He told me to excuse him for a moment. I moved aside, and he walked past."

"..."

The crowd grew larger and larger, and the discussions grew louder. Soon, the same name was being talked about everywhere on the Star Martial University campus.

Xu Wuyi.

The young man who had once studied here had now become the brightest star in the entire Federation.

The Supreme Council's Logistics Department.

Zheng Mingchuan sat in his office, a pot of tea on the table in front of him and a newspaper in his hands. The front page of the newspaper featured the news about Xu Wuyi.

He read it very carefully, not missing a single word. After he finished, he put down the newspaper, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip. The tea had gone cold, but he didn't mind.

He had been keeping an eye on Captain Meng's movements and knew that the latter had secretly left his post in April. And now, seeing this news, Zheng Mingchuan immediately guessed Captain Meng's true identity.

Someone who could easily suppress three Quasi-Grandmasters must be only a step away from becoming a Grandmaster. There couldn't be many people like that. And Xu Wuyi just happened to break through at this exact time. Such a coincidence between the two meant it was no coincidence at all.

He was just thinking about how, when he had previously tried to inquire about this person, that old geezer Luo Jing hadn't even bothered to see him and simply had someone send him away. At the time, he thought Luo Jing was being far too disrespectful, but now he understood.

Luo Jing hadn't been disrespecting him; he was protecting him.

If Luo Jing had actually told him something back then, or allowed him to come into contact with Xu Wuyi, what kind of situation would he, Zheng Mingchuan, be in right now?

A twenty-three-year-old Grandmaster. A genius held in the palms of the entire Federation. A figure backed by the Inspection Department, the military, and even the Supreme Council.

Was someone like that a person he could afford to provoke?

Zheng Mingchuan set down his teacup, stood up, and walked over to the window. He took a deep breath, turned back into the room, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello, help me look into that Xu Wuyi... Forget it, no need to investigate." He paused and changed his tune, "Help me prepare a congratulatory gift and send it to Xingjing. Get the absolute best; don't worry about the cost."

East City, the Zhao family's home.

Zhao Cizhou sat in the pavilion in the backyard, holding a newspaper with a smile on his face. He put down the newspaper, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip. The tea was top-tier pre-Qingming Longjing; its faint fragrance filled the air, leaving a sweet aftertaste in the mouth.

He set down the teacup and looked at the young man sitting beside him. The young man was his nephew, and also the most outstanding member of the Zhao family's younger generation after Zhao Qingwei.

Now that Zhao Qingwei had gone to the frontlines to develop her career, this nephew had become the primary focus of Zhao Cizhou's nurturing.

"Did you see this?" Zhao Cizhou pointed at the newspaper. "You should know this person."

The young man nodded. "I know him. Last time Sister Qingwei came back, she brought him along. A few of us saw him from afar."

Zhao Cizhou smiled. "Back then, he was only an Innate Martial Artist, and now he has become a true Grandmaster. Twenty-three years old—only a few years older than you."

The young man lowered his head and said nothing.

Zhao Cizhou looked at him, his gaze tinged with a bit of emotion. "I don't expect you to catch up to him; that's impossible. But remember, this person has ties with our Zhao family. If you meet him in the future, you must be thoroughly respectful."

The young man raised his head, his eyes lighting up slightly. "Uncle Cizhou, when did our family establish a relationship with him?"

Even if Uncle Cizhou hadn't said anything, it would be impossible for him not to be respectful if he truly met a Grandmaster. He just hadn't expected that someone like Xu Wuyi, a newly advanced Grandmaster who rarely interacted with the outside world, had already been in contact with his family so early on.

Zhao Cizhou wore a mysterious smile on his face, shaking his head without saying a word.

A few days later.

The old locust tree in the small courtyard cast a dense shadow under the afternoon sun. Xu Wuyi sat on the smooth, worn stone stool beneath the tree, his eyes closed, his breathing long and steady.

He hadn't gone anywhere for the past few days, simply staying in this small courtyard. Every day, he practiced his martial arts routines and sat in meditation, sensing the increasingly close connection between the Heart of Order and this space.

The burned Order Fragments had already converged by seventy percent, forming a faintly discernible halo around the Heart of Order. The halo was still very faint—so faint it was almost invisible—but Xu Wuyi could clearly perceive its existence.

It was like a net being woven, little by little covering the entire courtyard, bit by bit turning this space into his own Domain. This process didn't need to be deliberately pushed; it only required patient waiting.

Right at that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes.

The sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate—very light, but very steady. The footsteps stopped at the entrance, followed by a gentle KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the wooden door.

Xu Wuyi stood up, walked to the entrance, and opened it. A person stood outside.

Shen Jin.

The Sword Emperor wasn't wearing his usual martial arts uniform today; instead, he wore a dark blue casual outfit. His hair was combed meticulously, and he looked much more spirited than when he had been at the hospital earlier.