Shi Lang turned around with a vigilant expression on his face. In front of him stood a girl wearing a white robe. This lady had a cold face without any expressions. She asked, "Who are you?"
Shi Lang narrowed his gaze. He was not good with handling attitude and said, "You came into my courtyard unannounced. Would you mind telling me who you are, Senior Sister?"
The girl was surprised, but her face turned even colder. Shi Lang did not budge. Thinking about it, she radiated a strong pressure onto him. She wanted to suppress him with it, but Shi Lang's eyes flashed. He did not wish to trouble this lady much, and only for a blink did he cast the Shura illusion.
That blink made the woman dizzy. She held her forehead and mumbled, "Soul Attack?"
Shi Lang replied, "Just an illusion. Your soul is fine."
The lady did not reply and said, "I will return this humiliation tenfold."
The young man chuckled and said, "You barge into my courtyard. Try to suppress me with your aura. Yet you have the face to say that I humiliated you? Your arrogance will only lead you to develop a martial knot and stagnation."
The lady had yet to leave the place, but these words made her freeze. Just when she wanted to say something, Elder Ji arrived. She was surprised to see the young lady and asked, "Xiao Xue, I see you have met Xiao Lang."
The lady bowed to Elder Ji in greeting and said, "Elder Ji, I have something to deal with. I will see you later."
Elder Ji was yet to respond when the young lady ran away. The Elder gazed at Shi Lang, who told her what had happened. Elder Ji sighed and said, "Her name is Wen Lengxue. She is the second direct disciple of Peak Master Mei Lingyao. She is the most talented disciple of the sword peak and has always been competitive. She arrived at the sect two years ago and defeated Peak Master's first disciple the way the sword.
Thinking of it as a humiliation, Xaio Jiang left the sect to travel the world and came across a demon. He fought bravely, and to kill that demon, he sacrificed himself. Wen Lengxue learned the news and blamed herself for acting too pompous. This courtyard has become her grievance spot. Seeing that someone else has replaced her Senior Brother, she must have lost control of her emotions."
Shi Lang nodded as he watched the lady sigh. He said, "I will apologize the next time I see her. I have developed a habit of not trusting anyone completely."
Elder Ji nodded and said, "Here, your uniform and sect identification plate."
Shi Lang accepted the robes and a jade plate with both hands and asked, "Elder, can I visit the forging peak?"
Elder Ji was surprised and asked, "You know someone?"
Shi Lang nodded, and the lady said, "As a disciple, you must climb down the mountain and come back before sunrise. Those are the rules here. Okay?"
Shi Lang looked at the sky and said, "I shall go tomorrow morning."
Elder Ji nodded and left the place. Shi Lang stood in the courtyard for a few minutes before he made himself comfortable in the room and fell asleep. He was tired from all the travel and wanted to reset his mind.
...
The next morning Shi Lang woke up, bathed, and left to visit the Forging Peak. He wore a white and blue robe signifying his status as the outer court disciple. The people were surprised to see him this high on the peak, but they did not question him when they saw the jade hanging around his waist.
Shi Lang was not going to waste time in the interrogation. He rushed down the peak, and at the entrance, he asked the guard, "Senior brother, how do I get to the forging peak?"
The guarding disciple was surprised to be called senior brother, but he replied, "You can follow the pathway. It leads to the square below in the Spirit Heart City. From there, you can reach the peak. Or you can move along the mountain line till you reach the peak you wish to find."
Shi Lang thanked the guard and rushed along the mountain line. He ran fast as it was forbidden for the disciples to use spirit swords to fly on the sect grounds. Shi Lang was quick, but it took him half an hour to reach the forging peak. He came here to find out if Shi Yua's cousin could help me create a spirit sword. Right now, he was fighting with his hands.
Although he was confident, he could not fight the people in the higher realms of cultivation with his hands only. The guard disciple at the foot of the forging peak stopped Shi Lang.
The terran said, "Senior Brother, can you tell me where I can find Senior Brother Yaolao?"
The guards sighed and said, "Rush up the steps, and you will find his workshop on the seven hundred seventy-seventh step."
Shi Lang nodded and rushed up the stairs. He was counting his steps as he climbed. Soon enough, he came to the mentioned place and found a workshop. However, the door was locked.
He knocked on the door, and a few sounds came from inside. The door was opened, and a young man wearing round glasses and messed up hair came forward. Shi Lang clasped his fist and said, "Brother Yaolao, I am Shi Lang. This letter is for you."
Yaolao was surprised, and he took the letter from Shi Lang. After reading the letter's content, he smiled and said, "So, Brother Lang has come with the decree of Her Highness. If I do not help you, my legs will be discounted."
Shi Lang scratched the back of his head and said, "I have no idea what she wrote."
Yaolao said, "What do you need? I apologize. The workshop is messy, so I cannot call you inside."
Shi Lang shook his mind and did not say anything. He said, "Senior Brother, I needed a sword. However, I did not know anyone here, and there was always a risk of getting conned. So, I sought you for this."
Yaolao chuckled and sorted his ruffled hair. He said, "Very well, come in. I have a few swords here. You can pick anyone you might like."
Shi Lang thanked him and entered the workshop. The young man was surprised because the place was very nicely arranged. Yaolao said, "Rules of forging masters, never allow anyone to look inside the workshop unless they want to buy something."
Shi Lang found it weird, but he did not care. This was the last time he would come here. On the side, a few swords were placed on a wall rack. Yaolao said, "You can choose from them."
Shi Lang was not a complete doofus, and he knew these swords were not good. He asked, "Senior Brother, these must be your best, right?"
Yaolao nodded and said, "Yes. How about it? Which one do you like?"
Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I cannot afford to buy them. I am just an outer court disciple who came here yesterday."
Yaolao did not fluctuate much. In his vision, Shi Lang was just an extremely lucky disciple of his cousin's family. Internally he frowned, thinking that this guy was such a miser. He said, "I can give you a discount. After all, I have to cover the material cost too."
Shi Lang nodded and, after a small bargain, bought the least expensive sword and left the place. He made sure that he would not come to this guy ever again.
…
Over the next few days, Shi Lang did not go anywhere. He stayed inside the courtyard and practiced. He was incorporating his sword intent with his lightning spiritual energy. The lethality of the attacks will be sky-high, and if he meets a demon, the other party will suffer severely if not killed.
After three months, Shi Lang had finished three herb-gathering missions and did not attract any attention to himself. He did not get to see Wen Lengxue either. On the third month, a loud bell woke him from his cultivation.
Shi Lang was surprised and walked outside the courtyard. He saw Wen Lengxue passing and greeted her. The girl was surprised but did not react much. She said, "Master asked me to tell you the contest will begin. You need to report to the Arena."
Shi Lang thanked her and ran down the peak. Every peak had a separate ring, and the final winners will be facing off each other in an exhibition. Over the months, Shi Lang has heard of these things in the passing.
He went to the arena, and the terran fell in a queue. Many outer court disciples were surprised by his appearance, but Shi Lang acted like a pig among tigers and humbly greeted them all.
That was enough for them to think Shi Lang was a wimp, and they did not bother with him.
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