Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“We’ll lay low for now.”
Faced with Gu Zhiyin’s question, Gu Yishang sighed and responded.
At the demon slaying conference during the day, Gu Yishang had performed poorly, and not only did she lose her own reputation, but she also lost the reputation of the Knife Moon Crowd.
Gu Yishang remembered Xu Ning’s actions on stage, and she planned to take revenge later.
But then, Xu Ning was selected as the in-name disciple of the Sect Master, and his status rose to the sky.
In the face of Xu Ning and the Seven Boxers, Gu Yishang had no intention of continuing the fight anymore.
“Lay low? How to lay low?”
Gu Zhiyin felt aggrieved, but he couldn’t do anything.
Compared to before, he was nothing but a small, tiny man.
“All of the resources previously taken from the Seven Boxers were sent back. The resource channels and mission channels nabbed from the Seven Boxers were also returned.”
Gu Yishang’s expression was bleak. “Moreover, the people who we poached from the Seven Boxers all… Forget it, the Seven Boxers is in no longer in shortage of people, so they certainly won’t accept these traitors. Just kick them out of the Knife Moon Crowd.”
“Guo Yuechun, Shen Qiulun, Ren Qingzhu, and the rest of them, for all the resources they had taken from the Knife Moon Crowd, make them return it.”
“I understand, Sister.”
Gu Zhiyin knew this was a difficult decision, but he had no other choice.
“I’m going into seclusion.”
Gu Yishang said, “In the future, try to improve our relationship with the Seven Boxers. Forget about Xu Ning, he won’t care about you. But for Ning Xun and Le Caiwei, you should be nice to them. It’s okay to give up some resources. Even if friendship cannot be established, it’s good to repair and restore our relationship.”
“Okay.”
Gu Zhiyin responded.
…
Currently, Ning Xun and Le Caiwei were very busy.
On the other hand, Xu Ning just returned back to his residence.
After a night’s rest, Xu Ning went to the core disciple sect.
“Xu Ning!”
Soon after Xu Ning walked out of the inner sect, he heard someone calling for him.
Xu Ning looked back and saw that it was Ji Yimiao.
“Are you going to the core disciple sect?”
Ji Yimiao walked up quickly.
“Yes, are you going there as well?”
Xu Ning and Ji Yimiao walked side by side.
Yesterday, the two fought demon beasts together, and at that time, they had worked quite well with each other.
Thus, they had a good impression of each other.
“Yes, my master asked me to come and see all my senior brothers and sisters.”
Ji Yimiao said.
Xu Ning nodded silently.
Ji Yimiao’s master, Elder Yuancheng, was an old hand in the Yuelan Sect. He even joined the faction before Mi Xingye.
Unlike Mi Xingye, there were many disciples under Elder Yuancheng, of which there were a few core disciples, but most of them were in-name disciples.
“Now that we have become in-name disciples, we have the opportunity to observe a dao seal. We don’t have to worry about the disadvantage of practicing a middle-grade void realm secret scroll anymore.”
Ji Yimiao was in a good mood, so he spoke in a relaxed tone.
‘Dao seal.’
This was the third time Xu Ning had heard this word.
He Mingye had mentioned it to Xu Ning yesterday, but he didn’t elaborate on it.
“What is a dao seal?”
Xu Ning seized the opportunity to ask.
Ji Yimiao was not surprised that Xu Ning didn’t know, as he had learned about the existence of dao seals by chance as well.
“A dao seal is apparently the treasure left by martial arts masters above the void realm. It contains their understanding of higher-level martial arts. If you can observe it day and night, you can quickly move along the path of martial arts.
Ji Yimiao said, “But I only heard this from rumors. I haven’t really seen a dao seal either. However, my master is a generous person, so I will definitely have the opportunity to observe a dao seal in the future. You are the only in-name disciple of the Sect Master. So most definitely, you will also get in touch with a dao seal.”
“I see…”
Xu Ning thought, ‘A master above the void realm…’
“Senior Brother Ji, is there anyone at the Yuelan Sect who is above the void realm?”
Xu Ning asked in a curious tone.
“Not on the surface.” Ji Yimiao said, “Our Sect Master is the number one warrior of the Yuelan Sect, and his strength is at the void realm ninth stage. However, it is unknown whether there are any higher-level seniors in the faction.”
Xu Ning nodded when he heard these words, and he stopped asking more questions.
‘Above the void realm is still a little too ambitious for me.’
The two chatted while walking.
At the gates of the true sect, the two people separated.
Xu Ning went to a courtyard according to the location mentioned by He Mingye.
“Are you Brother Xu Ning?”
Outside He Mingye’s courtyard, there were two sword-wielding disciples, one male and one female. They looked to be about 13 to 14 years old.
The two were not very old, but they were both mortal realm ninth stage: spirit realm warriors.
Having such strength at the age of 14 was unheard of in the outside world.
“That’s me.”
Xu Ning responded.
Although these two people called him “Senior Brother”, Xu Ning knew that the two of them must have joined the faction earlier than him.
He just didn’t know what their identities were in the faction.
“Brother He has been waiting for you for a long time, please…”
The young girl led Xu Ning into the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, there was a pavilion surrounded by water ponds, with flowers and plants everywhere.
Soon, a few people arrived at the backyard.
Before they got close, Xu Ning could hear swords slashing in the air.
After taking a few steps, he saw He Mingye wearing a clean white outfit, holding two swords, while performing sword maneuvers.
He Mingye didn’t activate his true qi. He just wielded his longswords in a simple manner.
Xu Ning stood by and watched. He didn’t say anything.
‘Although it’s just pure sword maneuvers, there is a weird feeling.’
Xu Ning saw He Mingye wielding both swords at the same time. The two swords in his hands were very coordinated, but he felt that He Mingye was practicing two separate sword techniques at the same time.
Although he was practicing two separate sword techniques, they were extremely compatible, giving off an ultimate sense of harmony.
‘Is this the Water Cross Sword and the Bright Fire Sword?’
Xu Ning thought in his mind.
He Mingye had obviously noticed Xu Ning’s arrival, but he did not stop his movements.
After half an hour, He Mingye put away his sword.
“Junior Brother, thanks for waiting.”
He Mingye walked with a smile.
“Senior Brother’s swordsmanship is brilliant. Just looking at it is pleasing to the eye.”
Xu Ning smiled.
He Mingye shook his head: “I will personally teach you the Water Cross Sword and the Bright Fire Sword.”
“Go get a sword.”
He Mingye looked at the sword-wielding teenagers.
“Yes, Brother He.”
The teenagers answered before turning around and left.
“Are they inner disciples or core disciples?”
Xu Ning looked at the two walking away.
“Neither.”
He Mingye replied, “Strictly speaking, they are not from the Yuelan Sect. When I first lived here, the elders in the faction took care of my daily life, but I was not used to it.”
“So, Master sent these two people here. They were previously all children of ordinary families, but they were affected by war and lost their family members. Seeing this, Master took them in. They would do some chores here on weekdays, but for the rest of their time, they would practice swordsmanship with me.”
After explaining, He Mingye asked Xu Ning, “Junior Brother, have you ever practiced swordsmanship before?”
Before the teenagers could come back, He Mingye took the opportunity to ask.
“No.”
Xu Ning responded, “But I practiced a knife technique when I was in the mortal realm in the past.”
Martial artists in the mortal realm were more dependent on weapons.
Many would choose to learn weapons such as long knives and spears, which were easier to acquire.
As for swordsmanship, apart from people from affluent martial arts families, very few martial artists practiced swordsmanship as their first martial arts technique.
“It doesn’t matter if you haven’t practiced swordsmanship.”
He Mingye said, “With your talents, you should get accustomed easily.”
Xu Ning smiled.
Xu Ning was very clear about his talents—he relied entirely on energy points.
Xu Ning dared to learn the Water Cross Sword and the Bright Fire Sword because he had enough energy units in reserve, so he had the confidence to follow along.
Previously, he had advanced Tidal Fist and the Flame Breath Bone Sutra to the fourth level, and then advanced to the genus realm, which completely consumed Xu Ning’s energy units.
In order to prevent his embarrassment in learning swordsmanship today, Xu Ning borrowed ten Pure Source Pills from Gu Qinghe last night, which gave Xu Ning another 1,000 units of energy.
Now that the Seven Boxers was back on track, Xu Ning’s status would inevitably improve.
Once he obtained enough resources, Xu Ning was ready to return the ten Pure Source Pills back.
“Brother He, your swords are here!”
The teenage girl walked back with a sword box.
“Open it.”
He Mingye ordered.
Afterwards, the two opened the sword box.
Xu Ning walked forward with He Mingye.
“These swords…”
When Xu Ning saw the two swords in the sword box, he felt that these two swords were abnormal.
The two swords were exactly the same in length, width, and thickness—their style was exactly the same.
The only difference was the color on the edges of the swords. Edges of one of the swords were tinted in a dark blue color, while the other was tinted dark red.
Although they looked simple, they gave him an astonishing sensation.
“These two swords were given to me by Master when I first stepped into the void realm. Now, I will give them to you.”
He Mingye said.
“No way.”
Xu Ning refused, as the two swords looked very precious. “I can’t accept anything given to you by Sect Master.”
He Mingye waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. After I switched my swords, these two swords have been collecting dust. I want them to show their glory in your hands.”
“Um…”
Xu Ning could hear the sincerity in He Mingye’s tone. “If that is the case, then I will reluctantly accept it. Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“Okay, enough talk. Now I will teach you how to perform the Water Cross Sword.”
He Mingye came to the middle of the open space and handed the swords in his hand to the young teenager. After receiving the swords, the young teenager stood aside.
Xu Ning followed He Mingye and walked two steps forward.
“Water cross sword, water characteristic, cut by attribute.”
He Mingye gestured with the long sword in his hand. “Water seeps in from all sides.”
He Mingye explained all the details of the Water Cross Sword to Xu Ning.
While explaining, he also personally demonstrated to Xu Ning.
Xu Ning was paying full attention.
Learning the Water Cross Sword secret technique from He Mingye was much easier than learning by himself.
But even so, Xu Ning did not understand much of the content for a while. Therefore, the Water Cross Sword did not appear on his Martial Arts Panel.
Xu Ning was also quite embarrassed at how slow he was learning the Water Cross Sword.
After all, he was supposed to be a top talent.
He Mingye also noticed Xu Ning’s slow progress.
He thought that a detailed explanation of the secret technique would only take two hours, but it took all morning.
However, although there were some doubts in his heart, He Mingye was still very patient.
Finally, as the morning went by, the Martial Arts Panel prompt suddenly appeared in front of Xu Ning’s eyes.
—
Consume 100 units of energy to advance the Water Cross Sword?
Yes/No
—
Xu Ning took a deep breath and finally relaxed.
Without hesitation, Xu Ning chose “Yes”.
Instantly, knowledge about the Water Cross Sword emerged in Xu Ning’s mind.
“Senior Brother, I seem to finally understand the Water Cross Sword a little bit.”
Xu Ning took the initiative to speak.
“Oh?”
He Mingye noticed that Xu Ning had been quite slow, but now he claimed that he had begun to understand.
“If that is the case, Junior Brother, you can take the sword for a try.”
He Mingye was afraid that Xu Ning hadn’t learned the essence of the secret technique, so he took the initiative to help Xu Ning save his reputation. “The Water Cross Sword is hard to learn. When I first learned the Water Cross Sword, I also had a terrible time. Only after pondering for a long time did I get better.”
Xu Ning understood He Mingye’s intentions.
But he was already very confident.
Xu Ning took out the blue sword, then swung the sword.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The longsword in Xu Ning’s hand was extremely flexible and strong.
Although the sword moved softly, it gave off a kind of indomitable force.
“Strength in softness!”
He Mingye was surprised at this moment. ‘This is the first level of the Water Cross Sword!’
‘In just one morning, Junior Brother has already cultivated the Water Cross Sword to the first level!’
He Mingye was stunned. ‘Junior Brother previously looked hopeless, but he was actually thinking about the essence of the Water Cross Sword. It’s ridiculous that I thought he didn’t learn the basic framework of swordsmanship. How foolish of me!’
When He Mingye saw Xu Ning so proficiently displaying the first level of the Water Cross Sword, he suddenly thought of when he practiced the first level of the Water Cross Sword back in the day.
Back then, he tried his best, practicing day and night for three days, under the guidance of Master Mi Xingye, before finally reaching the first level of the Water Cross Sword.
At that time, Master Mi Xingye laughed out loud and said that he was a genius in swordsmanship. He Mingye was quite proud of this for a while.
But now, compared to this junior brother of his, He Mingye felt that he was far behind.
‘With your talents, how did you not become a core disciple?’
This question emerged in He Mingye’s mind.
Besides He Mingye, the two teenagers also glanced at each other, with a look of surprise in their eyes.
They had been learning swordsmanship from He Mingye for a long time, so they could see Xu Ning’s progress.
At first, they thought that Xu Ning was not talented in swordsmanship, but the facts in front of them proved that they were wrong.
Senior Brother Xu Ning’s talents seemed to be stronger than Senior Brother He’s.
‘Water Cross Sword!’
Xu Ning was overjoyed from learning his first sword technique.
The softness and rigidity of the Water Cross Sword made Xu Ning feel very odd.
After performing a set of sword moves, Xu Ning stood still.
He looked at He Mingye.. “Senior Brother, how did I do?”