Chapter 513: Fierce Tiger Hidden Away in a Golden House!

Today was the day of the Arbiter examination.

"Shall I go too?" Lian Xi tilted her head and asked.

"There'll be a crowd there, and I bet everyone will want to lift your mask and see the face under it," Yun Xiao pondered before replying, "Let's wait until I find a better way to hide you before we attend such events."

"Does this mean you are hiding your treasure in a golden house?" Lian Xi pouted.

"Not a treasure, but a fierce tiger," Yun Xiao chuckled. He knew it pained Lian Xi to live like a criminal in hiding. But there was no helping it.

As newcomers and stowaways, especially with the critical affairs of that seventh princess, they had to play it safe.

"I'll be off then," Yun Xiao stood at the doorway, gazing back at the charming and naive girl inside.

"Go on, then." Lian Xi grinned, her little tiger teeth showing, "Your little wife will be waiting for the good news at home."

"Alright." Yun Xiao thought about his plans for the evening, clutching the transcending calamity crystal of Chen Xi in his hand, feeling a tug in his heart.

He gave Lian Xi one last tender look before turning and stepping out the door.

In the courtyard, Miss Yu was feeding a tiny celestial pig. Hearing Yun Xiao's footsteps, she called out, "Lil Yao, where are you off to?"

"Off to the Arbiter examination!" Yun Xiao grinned.

Miss Yu paused, then chuckled, shaking her head. "Such a joker."

"It's true. Wait till the results are posted this afternoon, and I'll take you to bask in the glory," Yun Xiao insisted.

"Yes, yes," Miss Yu smiled wryly, waving her hand, "Go on then, just remember to come back."

Clearly, she didn't believe a word.

"Off I go then." Yun Xiao smiled and walked through the garden gate, and as he was about to leave, he heard Miss Yu complain, "That big brother of yours, always running off, can never be found when needed, doesn't even come back for a brothers' reunion."

Yun Xiao didn't reply but quickened his pace and stepped out of Arbiter Lu's home.

Many acquaintances inside greeted him warmly as he passed.

Despite his keen ears catching the whispers behind closed doors, Yun Xiao was, oddly enough, satisfied.

"They say that boy is too delicate, fleeing from a single setback for a decade. Truly worthless."

"Wasting such good looks."

"I gotta say, the Madame should set him up with those high-ranking Immortals in Sky Soaring City, make him a kept man; he’d live a life of ease."

"What nonsense! His family are martyrs, generation after generation as Arbiters. Would Miss Yu ever agree to that?"

"An Arbiter? The boy’s not cut out for it. He's taking on a task without the means, only finding trouble for himself."

The more they gossiped, the more solidified his identity as Lu Yao became.

"Lu Changfeng really is something. My appearance could clear his reputation, yet he still insists on killing me." Yun Xiao stepped out of manor, looking back at the somber estate, his expression icy. "But, he's right to worry. Now that I've assumed the role of Lu Yao, whether you try to kill me or not, sooner or later, I'll have to kill you."

?ι══????????══ι?

Before long, Yun Xiao arrived at the Skyruler Immortal Manor in Sky Soaring City.

Before him stood a row of solemn, majestic court buildings, all in shades of white gold, exuding a formidable, righteous air, a grandeur ten times greater than that of Arbiter Lu's manor.

Sky Soaring City, part of the Celestial Court's Thunder Department, housed the law enforcement and investigative agency responsible for local and surrounding mortal realms. It also took on distant assignments.

It was said that Lu Yao’s father, Lu Bufan, had been dispatched to the frontier, where he fell heroically in a clash with demon Immortals.

"I am Lu Yao, seeking my master, Commander Liu Mumu," Yun Xiao announced to a drum-like array at the gate.

This was the place for the public to seek justice, where striking the Skyruler Drum would summon an Arbiter to assist.

BOOM!

As Yun Xiao's voice faded, the bronze gates engraved with white gold mythical beasts thunderously swung open.

The white gold beast was the emblem of the Skyruler Immortal Manor.

Inside, after politely asking for directions several times, Yun Xiao finally reached the dwelling of Liu Mumu.

As a commanding Arbiter and a Rank 8 Heavenly Officer, she resided in a palace named the Willow Leaf Residence.

"Master," Yun Xiao called softly at the doorway.

"Enter," Liu Mumu’s voice rang out from inside.

Pushing the door open, Yun Xiao saw a tall woman in platinum celestial armor, hovering at the center of the courtyard in meditation. A vast Celestial Sourcecore flowed into her, turning her into a small blazing sun, making the entire Willow Leaf Residence seem like a furnace.

"A Rank 8 Heavenly Officer, quite formidable." By comparison, Yun Xiao knew those 1,000 Heavenly Officers who invaded the Nine Hells and that diminutive, large-headed old Immortal at the Ascension Pool were undoubtedly stronger.

Liu Mumu exhaled a murky, greenish-yellow flame and landed gracefully. Her hair was tied back, her nose sharp, her presence commanding. Though a woman, she radiated a stern, fiery aura, commanding respect without anger. She was the very image of a female Arbiter that Yun Xiao had envisioned.

"How was last night?" Liu Mumu asked.

"My mother made a feast, and we talked for a long time," Yun Xiao paused, adding, "She fell asleep smiling."

"Good, I heard about it," Liu Mumu nodded, glancing at Yun Xiao before continuing, "You did well."

"As I should," Yun Xiao responded.

"I'll be overseeing the examination shortly. Wait here for me. When I return, I'll guide you on your cultivation path. In the Skyruler Immortal Manor, you'll have access to all resources needed for an Arbiter-in-training on my word," Liu Mumu said, beginning to gather her things to leave.

"Understood." Yun Xiao nodded.

"Oh," Liu Mumu stopped as she walked past him, her eyes briefly flickering as she extended her hand, "The diary, give it to me."

Yun Xiao realized then why she had so quickly discerned he wasn't truly Lu Yao. She knew about the diary's existence. As Lu Yao's master, she had clearly read it.

"Yes," Yun Xiao produced the drawing from his chest, saying, "The Celestial Court in the picture looks magnificent."

"From afar, it does look magnificent," Liu Mumu's hands trembled slightly as she carefully took the diary, her eyes dimming. She didn't say more and walked past Yun Xiao, about to leave.

Suddenly, Yun Xiao called out, looking at her retreating figure, "Aren't you going to ask me about what happened to him?"

Liu Mumu stopped, took a sharp breath, her eyes reddening, and said, "That's no longer your concern. Don't bring it up again."

"Alright!" From her response, Yun Xiao understood that whatever had happened during those few days Arbiter Lu returned to the Celestial Court, she probably knew and had anticipated it.

But it was a painful subject, one she did not wish to discuss, and Yun Xiao could not press further. Still, Yun Xiao called out, "Master!"

"What is it?" Liu Mumu turned, not denying the title in private.

"I've come today to take the Arbiter's examination directly, to honor Arbiter Lu's family," Yun Xiao said earnestly.

"Directly?" Liu Mumu was taken aback.

"I was chosen by Lu An, I'm not ordinary," Yun Xiao declared.

"Show me," Liu Mumu commanded.

Yun Xiao raised his hand, and suddenly an azure Flying Sword, pulsing with nearly 10,000,000 layers of Sword Aura, thrust toward Liu Mumu's face.

KLANG!

Liu Mumu caught the azure Flying Sword between her fingers. The sword trembled violently in her grasp, like a dying beast.

She staggered back three steps after seizing it. First shocked by the power of the Flying Sword, her eyes then flickered. "Eleven Sword Rings?"

This forced her to reevaluate Yun Xiao with a new level of respect.

"Yes," Yun Xiao nodded, "Am I eligible to take the Arbiter examination?"

Liu Mumu released the Flying Sword, her gaze settling on his forehead as she said, "Lil Yao was an Inscription Cultivator."

"So am I." Yun Xiao extended his hand, and the Prison Warden Sigil emerged from his brow, transforming into a nine-headed dragon, its nearly 10,000,000 Runes vividly clear.

"It’s curious, his Life Sigil was also a violet dragon, just not as..." Liu Mumu struggled to find the right word as she stared at the Life Sigil. She then looked back at Yun Xiao, her expression growing serious, and whispered, "Remove the Sword Rings, then come with me."

"Where to?" Yun Xiao asked.

"To honor our ancestors," she replied.

?ι══????????══ι?

In the Skyruler Immortal Manor, the Arbiter Hall stood as the annual venue for the Arbiter's examination.

An Arbiter's role was fraught with danger: some ascended, others were injured or killed, and some retired, making the infusion of new blood crucial.

Officers of the Great Dao Celestial Realm would send their progeny here for seasoning—a triple benefit of gaining grassroots experience, enhancing promotion credentials, and networking.

There were two kinds of Arbiters. The first were commoners, for whom the role was a perilous necessity. Lu An was such. The second were progeny of high-ranking officers, for whom the role was a means to social climbing and advancement. Lu Changfeng belonged to this category.

Though their ranks were the same, their origins could place them worlds apart in status.

The Arbiter Hall was the first real test for all aspiring Arbiters.

Beyond it lay the Black Demon Cavern, the true trial ground, swirling with black smoke, prowled by demons, and riddled with spatial distortions leading to other perilous places.

It was here, a decade ago, that Lu Yao had vanished.

Early this morning, the hall had already drawn a crowd, more parents than youths.

They gathered in the front hall, chatting merrily. Among them was a burly Arbiter commander with sparse hair and a scar across his forehead, a stern figure. This was Commander Yuan Gang.

Beside him stood a handsome young man, even more popular than Yuan. Many were complimenting this youth. He was Lu Changfeng.

Though still a Rank 9 Arbiter, Lu Changfeng also served as Yuan Gang's deputy. Given his background, ascending to full commander was only a matter of time, and certainly, Rank 8 was not his ceiling.

At the height of the hubbub, someone whispered to Lu Changfeng and Yuan Gang, "The Madame has arrived with Xiaolu, Shaoyang, and the others."

"Oh?" Exchanging glances, Lu Changfeng and Yuan Gang excused themselves from the others and went to greet the arrivals personally from the front hall.