Jia Clan's Request.

The Pavilion of the Bright Moon Sect had three floors. On the topmost one, there was a hall where important matters were discussed.

Two people stood in the middle of the hall, facing the Sect Leader and the elders. A young man with a fair and handsome face wore a white robe with golden designs. He was Jia Yun, the son of the Jia Clan leader. Next to him was a middle aged man with a strong physique. He was Jia Fu, Jia Yun's uncle and the Clan leader's younger brother.

Jia Yun bowed to the Sect Leader and said in a loud voice. "My Jia clan seeks Bright Moon Sect's assistance. We are under assault by the Silent Ghost Twins. The Bright Moon Sect is in conflict with Purple Snake Society, and the Silent Ghost Twins are said to be the direct disciples of Purple Snake Leader. If you join us in defeating the twins, we will reward the Bright Moon Sect appropriately. The Bright Moon Sect's assistance will be advantageous for both sides."

The elders frowned when they heard the name of the Silent Ghost Twins. They were well aware of their reputation and ruthlessness.

"The Bright Moon Sect has its own plans for the future. I don't think the Jia Clan should have any trouble dealing with the twins, since they are just two people. Why do you need our help?" The Fourth elder Deng Guiying said in a sarcastic tone.

The Sect Leader was sitting on a high throne at the front of the hall, looking down at the rest of the people. He was a middle aged man with a smooth face, a goatee and a thin mustache. He had a calm and dignified demeanor. His name was Zhan Hua.

Zhan Hua heard the elders' opinion and glanced at the two men standing in the middle of the hall.

"Tell me more about the situation," He said in a neutral tone.

Jia Yun looked at him and said, "The young women of our clan are being kidnapped by the Silent Ghost Twins at night. They target the most beautiful and talented ones. Our elders have seen them several times, but they vanish into the darkness like ghosts. We are unable to capture them."

"Then, what do you want from us?" Zhan Hua asked.

Jia Yun clenched his fist and bowed again, saying, "We need more people to set up a trap for the twins using a formation. We have a plan, but we lack the manpower. And also…" He stopped and hesitated, "We need the Bright Moon Sect to lend us their female disciples."

The hall became noisy. Bang! An elder slammed his chair's armrest.

"How outrageous! You want to use our disciples as bait." He yelled.

"Jia Fu, it seems your clan has forgotten to teach manners to the young generation." An elder said looking at the middle aged man with the white robed young man.

Jia Fu glanced at the elder who had spoken and answered. "Let Jia Yun finish the proposal first." He showed no fear in his voice. He was also a golden core practitioner and knew the elders well. So, he could talk casually.

The Sect Leader lifted his arm, silencing the elders. He gazed at the young man and asked, "How will you compensate us if we assist you?"

The young man stood up straight and met the Sect Leader's eyes. "100 spirit stones." He said. His voice was steady but his words shocked everyone. Hundred spirit stones could nurture a gifted genius as a new elder of the sect.

"The Jia Clan must be very generous." A flirtatious voice rang out.

It came from the seat opposite the seat of the first elder Qin Yimu. They were the two seats nearest to the Sect Leader's throne.

A girl in her late teens had spoken. She wore a red robe with a low neckline. Her face was plain but her slender figure with the revealing clothes made her attractive.

She was Zhan Shi, the daughter of Zhan Hua, the Sect Leader of the Bright Moon Sect. Her red robes indicated that she was the core disciple of the sect.

Everyone looked at her, but no one said anything. She was too pampered, this was not her place to talk. But they knew that the Sect Leader adored her.

Zhan Hua looked at the first elder and asked, "What do you think, first elder?"

The first elder Qin Yimu was the most senior and experienced. His opinion mattered the most.

Qin Yimu thought for a while and then answered, "If the Jia Clan is ready to pay such a large sum, then the situation must be grave. As the sect of righteous path, we can't turn a blind eye to their plight."

"Then it is settled. Fifth Elder Bai Su, you will take some inner disciples and go with Young Master Jia Yun and help the Jia Clan. Also, take ten female disciples from the outer court with you."

Fifth elder Bai Su was a skinny old man in white robe. His white hair was pulled into a ponytail. His mustache was thin and his beard was long, hanging from his lower chin.

He looked at the Sect Leader and accepted the task, saying "I will do that, Sect Leader."

"Father, I will go too." Zhan Shi's voice rang out.

Her eyes were fixed on the attractive young man in the white elegant robe who stood in the center of the hall. She gave him a smile. He smiled back looking at her.

"It's too dangerous." Zhan Hua denied her request.

Zhan Shi retorted impolitely like a spoiled teenager. "Hmph. Father, I have reached the eighth layer of foundation building level. I may not be strong enough to face the silent ghost twins, but I can protect myself. And don't forget, the fifth elder will be with me."

She acted as if this mission was a fun outing. The fifth elder had no intention of guarding anyone. But none of the elders wanted to confront this ill-mannered Zhan Shi. They could only feel sorry for fifth elder Bai Su.

Zhan Hua glanced at her with concern and said, "Fine, you can go but don't leave fifth elder Bai Su's side."

Zhan Shi smiled at him. "Thank you, father."

Zhan Hua was pleased. He smiled back.

…

In the past few days, Li Ying had spent most of his time studying the Sword Basics manual. He only went out with his senior brothers sometimes to fight against demonic cultivators.

Li Ying was in the busy common training yard. He held a sword with both his hands and pointed it ahead. The manual's first step was to familiarize oneself with the sword's weight and shape. Li Ying had swung his sword in different directions for many hours, following the manual's directions.

Li Ying was now practicing the second step. The second step required him to infuse qi into the sword. But it was not as simple as it sounded. Li Ying had to carefully regulate the quantity and movement of qi that went into the sword.

First, he had to infuse qi only one centimeter deep into the sword, no more and no less. After that, he had to keep this state for hours, without any interruption or fluctuation. Li Ying failed repeatedly in this step. Sometimes, he would infuse too much qi and sometimes he would infuse too little qi. Sometimes, he would get distracted and the flow of qi would be disrupted.

After achieving it for one centimeter, he had to do it for two then three. He had to do this step for every centimeter of the sword, from the edge to the handle.

This was a boring and tiring process. He could have learned many offensive sword arts with this time and effort, but he chose not to. He knew that the Sword Basics manual was created by the Sword Sovereign.

The Sword Sovereign had penned this manual as his own guide, as how he would begin training with a sword if he had another chance. Li Ying had no personal information about this person but he could infer from his name alone that he was a powerful figure.

Li Ying was focusing on his sword as he felt a touch on his shoulder. He lowered his weapon and turned to see who it was.

He saw Tian Cheng smiling at him.

Li Ying greeted him with a bow. "Senior Brother Tian Cheng."

Tian Cheng greeted him back and said.

"Follow me, Li Ying. We have a mission. I'll explain everything as we go."

…

In the wild, open space, Jia Yun and Jia Fu were leading the group. Following them were Bai Su and Zhan Shi. After them, Wang Huo and his fellow disciples were walking along with other inner disciples in sky-blue robes. The outer students in their green robes were at the end of the line.

Among these inner students, five were personal disciples of Bai Su. They knew a lot about formation and arrays because their master, Bai Su, was an expert in these areas. All the male disciples were looking at Zhan Shi as she walked. She was wearing a tight, red robe that showed a lot of skin. Every time she moved, her creamy thighs could be seen through the long slit in her dress.

At first, Li Ying was shocked by her look too, but he quickly got over it. Wang Huo was looking at her back with a smile on his face. Li Ying had realized that Wang Huo felt inferiority complex around people who were more strong and talented than him.

A tall inner disciple walked up to Wang Huo and gave him a gentle push.

"Brother Huo, you look like you have fallen for Senior Sister Zhan Shi."

Wang Huo felt startled. He turned to face the tall thin fellow inner disciple who wore a sky-blue robe.

He nodded. "Brother Wei, what are you talking about? How could I fall for her? I was only looking at her. Well, she is… mesmerizing."

Wang Huo, the burly young man was blushing.

Wei Heng was a direct disciple of the fifth elder Bai Su. He and Wang Huo were of the same age and had entered the sect together. They had a good friendship.

Wang Huo slowed down his pace after he started talking with Wei Heng, and so did Li Ying and the group. They did not want Zhan Shi to overhear their conversation.

Wei Heng laughed. "Mesmerizing, huh? Why don't you make her your wife then?"

Wang Huo nearly choked on his own spit. "Wife? I'd have a better chance of plucking a star from the sky."

Wei Heng lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Wang Huo let out a sigh. "She is said to be betrothed to Senior Brother Kang Jin. And even if she wasn't, how can I match up to her?"

Li Ying shook his head inwardly. Wang Huo always measured everything by strength.

Wei Heng frowned. "What betrothal? I have never heard of such a thing." The tall skinny young man was completely unaware of it. He went on, "Even if she is betrothed, you have the talent to surpass anyone, even that Kan…" He stopped.

Wei Heng suddenly remembered the name Kang Jin and realized who he was referring to. Kang Jin was rarely mentioned, as he spent most of his time in seclusion. He was one of the two core disciples of the sect.

Wang Huo had no hope of overcoming Kang Jin with his third grade talent. Kang Jin had a fourth grade talent, which was extremely rare in the Verdure Province. Only he and the current Sect Leader of the Bright Moon Sect possessed such talent.

The atmosphere turned awkward. Li Ying secretly snickered. This was too funny.