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"I understand, but let's not discuss important matters here. Call our companions, and we'll move to another place," the red-haired youth, Molova, nodded and stood up as he spoke.

Unfortunately, their talk of secrecy came a bit too late.

Chen Xuanfeng was still upstairs, but his seat happened to be right above these individuals. The floors of the adventurer's guild were heavily soundproofed to prevent the noise from the bar downstairs from disturbing the work upstairs. However, Chen Xuanfeng's internal energy cultivation had far surpassed the Five Greats of his previous life, and his senses were as keen as the legendary "Heavenly Eyes" and "Heavenly Ears" of Buddhism. Despite the clamor downstairs, every sound fell clearly into his ears without missing a beat. Although Chen Xuanfeng's mental cultivation was also quite advanced, and the noise did not disturb his concentration, the moment the two brothers mentioned the keyword "Twelve Sages," he couldn't help but divert a portion of his attention to the conversation below. Listening in, he not only gained information about the Twelve Sages' ruins he had been searching for but also stumbled upon an unexpected discovery.

Though he couldn't see them, Chen Xuanfeng could tell from their voices that the youth who hadn't killed anyone was none other than his disciple, Xi Luo, whom he hadn't seen in three years.

This was what truly piqued Chen Xuanfeng's interest. The teleportation array was merely a pastime he indulged in with Jin Luosha, and he had never truly valued it. However, his human disciple was something that genuinely excited him. Especially since, three years ago, during the final battle of the Holy Os Kingdom, Xi Luo had joined forces with Xue Lingpei, the successor of the Moonlight Tower from the Yellow Dragon Empire, and Xian Lan, the young royal from the Tiele Empire who had now become a "Saint Crest Knight," to confront Chen Xuanfeng. Even back then, Xi Luo's strength had impressed Chen Xuanfeng, so naturally, he was even more curious about the youth's current achievements.

Long ago, Chen Xuanfeng had sensed the youth's potential.

Thus, when Xi Luo, the red-haired youth, and their companions emerged from the underground bar, Chen Xuanfeng deliberately adjusted his seat to get a clear view of them in the lobby. The other companions, who were clearly mages, priests, or thieves, didn't catch his attention. His focus was solely on the two leading youths.

Xi Luo, now a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, had grown nearly thirty centimeters taller. Though his build wasn't yet robust, he already carried the aura of a young man. Since he was facing away, Chen Xuanfeng couldn't see his face, but he still carried a strange crystalline sword on his back, which had turned snow-white after absorbing the ice-based "forbidden spell mark."

Beside Xi Luo was the red-haired youth, dressed in desert mercenary attire. The fiery aura around him wasn't completely suppressed, allowing Chen Xuanfeng to recognize him as the one who had just killed to silence the witnesses—Molova. When the youth turned to speak to Xi Luo, Chen Xuanfeng suddenly found him familiar. After a moment of thought, he realized that this youth was the same young mercenary who, during the battle of the Holy Os Kingdom, had led tens of thousands of reinforcements from the Mercenary Empire to flank the orc army from behind, wielding fire-based battle energy and phantom beast armor. He had been a Sword Master-level mercenary even back then.

From the fluctuations of their energy, Chen Xuanfeng could roughly gauge that both youths had made significant progress in their cultivation over the past three years. Though they hadn't yet broken through to the Sword Empress rank, their "Moonfire Battle Energy" had reached at least the eighth or ninth tier, possibly even the tenth. In other words, both were nearing the peak of the Sword Master level, whereas three years ago, they had only been first or second-tier Sword Masters. Such progress was unimaginable for ordinary humans. Even someone as fortunate as Jin Luosha, who possessed innate true energy, couldn't guarantee such achievements. While Xi Luo's progress could be explained by the self-sacrificial inheritance of the two Sword Empress-rank "Holy Grail Knights," what explained Molova's rapid advancement?

"Hah, fascinating. It seems there are more intriguing talents hidden among humans than I ever imagined," Chen Xuanfeng muttered to himself. "But... what is the goal they are so determined to achieve that they would abandon the excavation of the Twelve Sages' ruins?"

"Hmm? Brother, what's wrong? What are you saying?" Jin Luosha, who had been examining the map, suddenly heard Chen Xuanfeng's muttering and looked up, puzzled.

"Nothing, just thinking that our journey ahead will be even more interesting," Chen Xuanfeng shook his head, deciding to set aside the matter of Xi Luo for now. Similarly, the issue of the teleportation array would have to wait. Before seizing the "Holy Lance Quenelion," they didn't have enough time to explore a Twelve Sages' ruin, especially since the artificial being Li Jia, who was most knowledgeable about such matters, needed to remain at Fontainebleau.

"Oh..." Jin Luosha didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning behind Chen Xuanfeng's words, but for her, some things were simple: "As long as I'm with you, brother, I'll always be happy."

A smile as radiant as the afternoon sun momentarily lifted all their worries.

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Chapter 14: A Single Punch Shakes Ten Thousand Armies

There is a saying on the Mainland: "Orcs shun armor, and elves disdain cities." It speaks of the orcs' bravery, fighting without armor and continuing to battle even when drenched in blood and covered in wounds. Their resilience and survival instincts make ordinary armor redundant. On the other hand, elves are natural mages. Even without training, they instinctively master several basic spells upon reaching adulthood. Thus, whether in large towns or small villages, elves can afford to create safe spaces with layers of magical barriers, making city walls superfluous. Of course, as time passes, the world changes. With the rise of humans and the evolution of combat tactics, the orcs who can still maintain the honor of "no armor" are now limited to the eagle tribe and the leopard clan, which emphasize speed. As for the elves' pride in building no cities, it has become a joke in the face of humanity's overwhelming numbers. Even the most obstinate high elves have been compelled to erect grand elven cities for their survival.