Noon had passed, and the sun had shifted. Sunlight no longer streamed down onto the Oath Hall. Instead, it was focused directly on Xu Qing. As he stepped out from the group of swordsages, he looked particularly eye-catching.3

The Captain looked at him, sighing inwardly and feeling very pleased that this was his little Junior Brother.2

Qing Qiu was in the crowd, and though she betrayed no reaction even underneath her mask, in her heart she felt a swell of dislike. Turning, she looked off in the direction of South Phoenix. She didn’t like sunny days; she preferred when it was snowing. That was because every time it snowed, she would look off into the distance and think back to a scrawny figure who would approach her in the shadows of the buildings and nod in greeting.12

Big Bro Kid… It won’t be long before I can go back to South Phoenix and find you. None of these chosen can compare to you. If you could be here, you would be stronger than any of them!62

As for all of Kong Xianglong’s friends, they looked at Xu Qing begrudgingly, as if they weren’t convinced he was worth any attention at all. Kong Xianglong was different, though. He smiled in approval and support. That wasn’t just his attitude toward Xu Qing. That was his attitude toward all his friends.5

As everyone watched, Xu Qing walked forward nine steps. Then he clasped hands and bowed respectfully to the five people...0