Chapter 15: A Length of 10 Miles of Empty Space
Translator: 549690339
Lin Ruhu's eyes brightened after reading the Cultivation Technique written down by Xu Zimei. After reading it once, he felt a flicker of excitement.
He felt that the method of cultivation was perfectly suited for him. Previously, he had no interest in cultivation, and even the Cultivation Techniques were chosen by his grandfather.
But now, having seen the Cultivation Technique given by Xu Zimei, his heart unexpectedly stirred with eagerness.
...…
The practice of "Force Jue" required the fresh blood of countless Monster Beasts to be infused into the body, and these Monster Beasts had to be known for their strength.
...
At noon, a bald man dressed in black arrived at Xu Zimei's courtyard.
"Subordinate Black Thirteen obeys the Deputy Sect Master's orders to accompany the young master to Heavenly Sword City," said the bald man.
Dressed in black, with a sturdy build and a deep scar on his face, topped with his bald head, he exuded an especially fierce and menacing aura.
"Black Thirteen, he must be one of the men from my father's Black Guard," Xu Zimei pondered.
Then, he said to Lin Ruhu, "Ruhu, go to the mission hall and issue a mission.
As for the mission content, just write it as accompanying me to Heavenly Sword City.
The mission reward will be ten Spirit Crystals per person, requiring no more than three individuals, and their cultivation must be at least at the Condensing Vein Realm or above.
We'll set out in three hours."
"Alright," Lin Ruhu nodded and then went to the mission hall.
...…
Xu Zimei looked at the Black Thirteen standing before him and asked with interest, "What is your cultivation level?"
"Subordinate is at the Empty Vein Realm," Black Thirteen touched his shiny bald head and said naively.
Touching his chin, Xu Zimei said, "If there are no surprises, then the strongest person in the Chang Family would only be at the True Vein Realm, having opened up just three Vein Gates."
...…
In the afternoon, Lin Ruhu returned from the mission hall, bringing three people with him.
Two men and one woman. Among them, one man and the woman had Condensing Vein Realm cultivation, and the other man dressed in a green robe was of the True Vein Realm.
"Junior Brother Zimo," the three greeted him immediately upon their meeting and introduced themselves.
The man and the woman were named Tang Huaiyuan and Xiao Yu, respectively, and the young man at the True Vein Realm was named Feng Buyu.
"I thank you all for this time," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
The group hastily waved their hands, humbly dismissing the thanks.
...…
Afterward, the party went to the Sect's Beast Taming Pavilion and hired several first-order Monster Beasts known as Desert Flying Horses, and they set off mightily towards Heavenly Sword City.
Among them, only Black Thirteen, who had reached the Empty Vein Realm, was able to fly on his own, the others needed to travel by Monster Beast.
...…
When they left the Sect, Xu Zimei felt something and looked up into the sky.
He saw Sixth Elder Xiao Yuexuan flying overhead with a young girl, who also seemed to sense something and looked down, locking eyes with Xu Zimei.
"Oh, the plot is starting," Xu Zimei smiled slightly, "Baili Xiao, welcome to the True Martial Holy Sect!"
...
After traveling for a while, they arrived at a small village by evening and decided to stay there for the night.
"Hundred Desolate Village," Xu Zimei looked at the name on the stone stele in front of the village and said with a laugh, "Interesting, truly interesting."
The person greeting them was the village chief, a middle-aged man wearing a black beastskin vest.
"I'm the chief of this Hundred Desolate Village. You can just call me Wang Tao," the middle-aged man said boldly.
He then led Xu Zimei and his companions towards his home, while many villagers curiously peeked at these strangers from in front of their houses.
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...…
After declining the dinner Wang Ta had prepared for everyone, the group all returned to their rooms.
"I always feel there is something strange about this village," Feng Buyu said, frowning as he spoke first.
"What's strange about it?" Lin Ruhu asked curiously.
"I also sense something is off, but I can't quite put my finger on it," the only woman in the team, Xiao Yu, also spoke up.
"Why think so much about it, let's all just go to sleep early," Xu Zimei said with a light laugh before heading outside the house.
"Brother Zimo, where are you going?" Lin Ruhu asked curiously.
"I am just going out for a walk," Xu Zimei turned his head and said to Black Thirteen beside him: "Thirteen, you don't need to follow me, I am confident about my safety."
...…
After leaving the room, Xu Zimei walked towards the western edge of the village.
Walking on the cobblestone path, a soft breeze gently came through, and there were sporadic lights on in the houses on both sides.
Xu Zimei arrived at the west end of the village, where there was a small shop.
A yellow flag was planted on a wooden board above the door, with several black characters written on it.
"Ten-Mile Blacksmith Shop."
By now it was late, and dim yellow halos radiated from the light bulbs inside the shop.
A man in a black shirt was still busy inside the shop.
His figure was not burly; in fact, he was rather lean.
In his left hand he held an unfinished longsword, and in his other hand was a hammer.
Each heavy fall of the hammer sounded with a "thud."
The man continued to hammer away tirelessly; if one were to watch for a while, they would notice a rhythm to his strikes.
Xu Zimei sat on a stone stool outside the blacksmith shop, watching the blacksmith with great interest.
The blacksmith worked briskly, placing the completed model into the furnace to heat.
After a while, without using anything to protect his hands, he took the now red-hot iron sword out.
He blew on it gently a few times, then placed the iron sword into the water trough beside.
A "popping" sound was heard as wisps of white steam rose from the water.
The water around the iron sword began to bubble and boil.
...…
"Do you want to learn?" the blacksmith suddenly turned, looking at Xu Zimei and asked.
"You cannot teach me," Xu Zimei said with a smile, shaking his head in response.
The blacksmith did not argue; he took the iron sword from the water and headed back inside.
"Even if you are a Sword Venerable, it would still be impossible," Xu Zimei suddenly said.
The blacksmith's steps halted, and he slowly turned around. Those eyes seemed to explode with countless longswords, sword qi crisscrossing, the aura intensifying bit by bit as he stared intently at Xu Zimei.
"I am very curious; why would the Sword Venerable Shili Changkong choose to live in such a small village, becoming an ordinary blacksmith?" Xu Zimei said as if unaffected by the looming pressure emanating from the other side.
"It's none of your business," Shili Changkong responded, his voice magnetic and indifferent.
...…
"I think, I can help you," Xu Zimei said.
He knew that Shili Changkong was currently lost because he had already opened five Vein Gates and reached the realm of a Sword Venerable.
The next step would be to forge his own path on the Martial Way, but he was stuck there.
He was hesitant about the Sword Dao he had been obsessed with for half his life, unsure of which path to choose, or rather, which path suited him best.
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