Chapter 64 – Hall Master
Translator: Seventh Peril Editor: Anuvrat
The atmosphere within the hall was tranquil. After Su Yu and Ye Zhong arrived at the centre of the hall, she just hinted to him to greet the middle-aged man.
Ye Zhong narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not say anything unnecessary and bowed as his sight fell on the man in front of him. He was actually very curious. With this great figure’s influence in the Xingxiang Sect, he should be able to easily obtain anything he wanted. With his current strength at the Martial Innate Realm, he should be standing at the pinnacle of the powerhouses in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He just didn’t know why such a big shot would want to see him. Was it just because of the talent and courage he had shown?
Time passed minute after minute. Roughly an hour later, the great figure staring at the wall finally let out a small sigh before slowly turning around.
In the instant he turned around, a golden light flashed in his eyes, and no one dared to look directly at him.
“Disciple Su Yu greets the Hall Master!” Su Yu clasped her hands and greeted the man when he turned around. Then she cast a glance at Ye Zhong.
“Disciple Ye Zhong greets the Hall Master!” Ye Zhong did the same, cupping his hands at the man and greeting in a low voice.
“Ah, Yu’er, you’re back? I’ve already heard the news from the Mission Hall, it seems like you have completed the high-rank mission of the Innate Temple? Not bad, this matter really helps our War Hall gain face. Tomorrow, you can head to the Third Floor of the Spiritual Secret Art Hall.” The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes at Su Yu, then spoke with a little admiration.
It was just one sentence, but it made Ye Zhong’s pupils shrink slightly. He had only gotten this reward after he had provided the sect with a copy of the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing. However, this man actually bestowed such a privilege with his casual words. It seemed that his influence within the Xingxiang Sect was somewhat beyond his imagination.
“Su Yu thanks the Hall Master!” Joy also surfaced on Su Yu’s face. Being able to enter the Third Floor of the Spiritual Secret Art Hall represented the sect’s affirmation towards her. After all, ordinary Inner Disciples could not enter that place.
“You did well. You deserved it.” After he casually smiled, he casually waved his hand.
Su Yu was stunned when she saw his actions, but she quickly reacted and quickly withdrew with her cupped fist.
Upon seeing Su Yu’s reaction, Ye Zhong frowned slightly but did not withdraw after a moment of hesitation. He just stared at the middle-aged man quietly. Ye Zhong did not believe it, since he had been summoned here, this man would let him go without a word.
Then, the middle-aged man’s gaze finally fell on Ye Zhong. However, unlike Su Yu, his gaze swept over Ye Zhong, as if he was examining every inch of him. Under his gaze, Ye Zhong felt like he was being seen through.
Almost subconsciously, Ye Zhong lifted his head abruptly and his gaze fell upon the man. He did not give in and met the man’s gaze.
“Heh—”
A moment later, the middle-aged man suddenly chuckled and averted his gaze.
“You know, when I first heard a report from my subordinates that someone did that kind of thing in Jiangzhou City, I felt somewhat surprised. Never would I have imagined that in the Great Zhou Dynasty, other than the great me, there is actually someone else who has the guts to do such an earth-shattering thing!” The middle-aged man looked at Ye Zhong with a gentle smile on his face, “Little fellow, you’re not bad. I appreciate you!”
“Disciple Ye Zhong thanks the Hall Master.” Hearing that, Ye Zhong’s eyes flashed, and he spoke in a more respectful tone.
“I am the Hall Master of this hall, Huo Dong, in charge of the Xingxiang Sect’s War Hall.” Huo Dong faintly spoke, “I’ve called you here to see if you little fellow really are as brave as the report says. But aside from that, just the things that happened at the Innate Temple, and the clash between you and that trash Chu Yun just now, is more than enough to prove your abilities… It seems like that if I didn’t order Chen Yuan to make a move just now, you were prepared to personally deal with that Zha Yu? I believe that no one in the world would like to die, so, it means that you actually think that you have a chance of winning, right? That’s pretty interesting.”
For the first time, Ye Zhong felt a chill run down his spine. Huo Dong was different from the two Sect Elders he had met before, and even more so compared to those elders of the Ye and Su Clans. With his sharp eyes, he was able to point out the crux of the matter almost instantly.
“But, little fellow, you only have the strength of the Fourth Layer of Body Tempering… A mere junior at the Fourth Layer of Body Tempering. Moreover, you must have had some fortuitous encounter in the Innate Temple that allowed you to reach this level of strength, right? Originally, you only had the strength of Third Layer of Body Tempering, right?” Huo Dong laced his fingers together with a playful expression on his face, “When the little fellow was still at the Third Layer of Body Tempering, you were able to move unhindered with a hundred steps, each attack could easily defeat an enemy, and lastly, you killed a senior expert of the Su Clan in a swift manner. Even when meeting Lei Ruoxu of Lei Tian Dynasty and Mo Clan’s brat of Qingshan Town, you weren’t afraid at all. In the end, when fighting over the Inheritance, you even directly killed Mo Fanlong, who was at the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering… And when you return to the sect, you’re even preparing to fight an Outer Elder…”
“Little fellow, to be honest, these are all great achievements. Even when I was your age, I could still be considered a talented young genius. However, it has not reached your level. Little fellow, can you tell me… I am very curious as to what trump card you are relying on to achieve such feats.” Huo Dong stared at Ye Zhong with a strange glint in his eyes. At his level of cultivation, he could already see through the essence of things. Since Ye Zhong could do such a thing, he must have his trump card. However, what he was most curious about was how Ye Zhong reached this step.
Ye Zhong’s expression did not change, but he was alert to the extreme. Huo Dong was just one step away from seeing through his secret. Such a character was extremely dangerous!
After a long sigh, Ye Zhong stared at Huo Dong, and with a flip of his hand, the Kongming Sword appeared in his palm. “Hall Master, what happened in the Mayor’s Mansion purely depended on luck, and what happened in the Innate Temple depended on this item.”
“*Whoosh—*”
Huo Dong waved his hand and the Kongming Sword flew out and landed in his hand.
“*Clang—*”
With a flick of Huo Dong’s finger, a clear buzzing sound came from the sword. An extremely sharp Sword Qi shot up into the sky. It was almost like the Milky Way was hanging upside down.
“Good sword!”
Even with Huo Dong’s keen eyesight, he couldn’t help but give a little praise at this moment. Even the Xingxiang Sect didn’t have many such magical treasures and weapons.
“Relying on this high-grade Spirit Vessel, you do indeed have a decent trump card. However, this might not be all you got, right?” Huo Dong toyed with it for a while before tossing it back to Ye Zhong. “However, everyone has their own secrets, and since you’re unwilling to share it, I won’t force you. After all, I didn’t ask you to come to the Xingxiang Sect for your secrets.”
“In the past, Brother Ye Tian and I met once before, so I owe him a favour. Therefore, you don’t have to thank me for standing up for you, from now on, you are an Inner Disciple of our Xingxiang Sect, but whether or not you can keep your position will depend on your own ability. Of course, if you are interested in working for my War Hall, so what if I become your backer?” As he finished speaking, Huo Dong laughed heartily. The meaning behind his words was so efficient that Ye Zhong could feel at ease about it.
After learning about Ye Zhong, he had sent an invitation to Ye Zhong, recruiting him to the Xingxiang Sect, and gave him an identity. Other than the fact that he valued Ye Zhong highly, the other reason was to repay the favour!
After repaying the favour, Ye Zhong no longer had anything to do with him! And if Ye Zhong wanted him to continue being the backer, he would have to pay a certain price. He was afraid that the so-called price would include revealing his true secret.
However, Ye Zhong felt more at ease, how sincere and immaculate Huo Dong was.
Trying to break a moment of silence, Ye Zhong cupped his hands and said, ” Ye Zhong thanks for your kindness. However, I am afraid I still have to think about whether I should do anything in the War Hall. Besides, my priority right now is cultivation. After all, I just obtained the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing.”
“Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing, huh? It is indeed a pretty good Spiritual Secret Art of Body Tempering. If you diligently cultivate it, you will definitely be extraordinary in the future.” Huo Dong’s tone changed as if he had lost all interest in Ye Zhong. Then, he gently waved his hand, “You may leave.”
“Yes sir!”
Hearing that, Ye Zhong lowered his hands slowly and left the War Hall at a leisurely pace. After leaving the War Hall, Ye Zhong took a deep breath, his eyes filled with caution. Huo Dong had yet to see through his secret, but if he didn’t pay more attention in the future, he might not be able to do so. In the future, he might not be able to use the Secret Art of Six Grave Swords as he wished within the sect. Fortunately, he still had the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing.
In the War Hall, Huo Dong was sitting upright on a throne. He seemed to be deep in thought.
“He actually still needs to cultivate the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing. Could it be that my guess is wrong…? Didn’t this kid originally possess some heaven-defying Spiritual Secret Art of Body Tempering? However, the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing is considered a good item too…” Huo Dong muttered to himself. With a flip of his hand, the Golden Book of Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing was impressively floating in his palm.