Chapter 285: Gained

Everyone watched Lu Ren leave with envious eyes. They had already sensed that Lu Ren would receive attention from Leaving Fire Peak, but they hadn't expected Elder Tie Fu to summon him so quickly.

By evening, news spread that Elder Tie Fu had accepted Lu Ren as an inner-chamber disciple and would personally teach him the art of weapon forging from then on.

"This guy is practically a protagonist!" Xu Yang felt some emotion.

In just five or six years, Lu Ren had experienced ups and downs. He was already considered a waste, yet who would have thought he would reveal such high forging talent, gain the attention of a Leaving Fire Peak elder, and be accepted as an inner-chamber disciple.

An inner-chamber disciple was not like a nominal disciple like him; the master would not only keep them by their side to teach them but also provide resources, and the sect would also tilt resources toward them.

After this day, Lu Ren never appeared in the Weapon Forging Pavilion again.

Xu Yang didn't care. He took Spirit-Gathering Pills to improve his cultivation while cultivating the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture, and he took time during the day to go to the Weapon Forging Pavilion to keep up appearances.

In the blink of an eye, he had been on Leaving Fire Peak for more than two months.

"Bang, bang..."

With the final hammer blow, a piece of black iron emitting a dark luster appeared on the forging table.

[Thousand Forging Art · Minor Accomplishment (1/300)]

His Thousand Forging Art had finally reached minor accomplishment. Although he had used the panel to boost his progress significantly, two months of cultivation had still burned through over a thousand silver taels.

"It won't do to keep living beyond my means like this!" Xu Yang pondered.

Inner Sect disciples were not required to have a certain amount of contribution points every month like Outer Sect disciples; they were very free in their actions.

But if you didn't do missions, the sect couldn't support you for nothing.

Moreover, things like Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pills and Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills also required contribution points to exchange for.

He had been in the Inner Sect for two months, and because he had no contribution points, he had been cultivating with Spirit-Gathering Pills the whole time, and the efficiency was undoubtedly much worse.

If he didn't go do some missions soon, Jiang Fan and the others might catch up to his cultivation.

"Now that the Thousand Forging Art is at minor accomplishment, I'll wait to learn the Metal Melting Technique, Shaping Method, and Weapon Nourishing Technique, then I must go take some missions to earn contribution points."

With the Thousand Forging Art at minor accomplishment, he could learn other weapon forging methods.

With only three years until the Second Dragon Ascent, merely breaking through to Heaven Origin was not safe.

According to Jiang Fan, the intensity of the Second Dragon Ascent was a hundred times greater than the first; it was a true clash with the young generation of geniuses from the entire Yunzhou.

The water in the Purple Sun Gate was too shallow; if one wanted to go far in martial arts, one had to step out of the Purple Sun Gate.

The inheritance of the Purple Sun Gate only went up to the Heaven Origin realm; stronger martial arts existed on a broader stage, a place called the Heavenly Strategy Academy, the number one martial arts holy land in Yunzhou.

"You... you reached minor accomplishment in the Thousand Forging Art?"

Luo Xin was full of shock!

Wasn't Xu Yang judged by Elder Huoyun as having no talent for weapon forging? How could he have cultivated the Thousand Forging Art to the minor accomplishment realm?

He was certain he hadn't misread this piece of black iron; its performance and quality had improved significantly, and it was definitely the quality that could only be forged with the Thousand Forging Art at minor accomplishment.

"Senior Brother Luo has a sharp eye!" Xu Yang smiled.

"Luo Xin, did you see wrong? Wasn't Xu Yang judged by Elder Huoyun as having no talent for weapon forging? How could he have reached minor accomplishment in the Thousand Forging Art?"

A nearby disciple heard this, walked over, picked up the black iron on the forging table in front of Xu Yang, and examined it repeatedly. His expression soon became shocked as well: "It really is high-quality black iron forged with the Thousand Forging Art at minor accomplishment."

"It really is!"

"Impossible, how could Elder Huoyun's judgment be wrong?"

People nearby were also attracted over, their faces full of disbelief.

Xu Yang smiled: "Fellow senior brothers, I think you've misunderstood. Elder Huoyun only said my talent for weapon forging was poor; he never said I had no talent at all."

Once these words were spoken, these people suddenly realized.

"It took over two months to reach minor accomplishment in the Thousand Forging Art; indeed, there isn't much talent. At most, he'll be able to forge semi-spirit weapons in the future."

Luo Xin smiled, the shock on his face disappearing.

Xu Yang couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these people. He took the black iron and immediately went to find Elder Huoyun.

"You still haven't given up on learning the art of weapon forging?"

Seeing the black iron Xu Yang brought, Elder Huoyun didn't show much surprise. Xu Yang had some talent for weapon forging, but not much.

Compared to the path of weapon forging, he felt that if Xu Yang focused on cultivation, his martial arts might go further. Seeing Xu Yang so neglectful of his proper work, he was immediately displeased.

"This disciple is very fond of the art of weapon forging and plans to study it in my spare time. I implore Master to pass on the subsequent inheritance to this disciple," Xu Yang said, cupping his hands.

Study in your spare time? With that kind of talent, you reached minor accomplishment in the Thousand Forging Art in two months? You must have spent all your energy on the Thousand Forging Art.

Elder Huoyun became increasingly displeased.

However, what to cultivate was a disciple's freedom, and even as a master, it was hard for him to interfere.

"The path you chose yourself, just don't regret it in the future."

He couldn't be bothered to say more, stood up, pulled several books from the bookshelf behind him, threw them to Xu Yang, and immediately waved for Xu Yang to leave.

Xu Yang returned to his courtyard and couldn't wait to look at the books Elder Huoyun gave him: Metal Melting Technique, Shaping Method, Weapon Nourishing Technique, Weapon Forging Technique... there were seven or eight books in total.

From theory to practice, from how to forge ordinary weapons to how to forge semi-spirit weapons, and even spirit weapons, these books contained records of it all.

He had finally obtained the complete weapon forging inheritance.

Closing the door to his quiet room, Xu Yang began to read seriously. The path of weapon forging, not to mention being as profound as alchemy, was indeed more complex.

Material selection, forging, shaping, quenching, weapon nourishing... different materials forged into weapons all had different requirements. To fully grasp these things would by no means be completed in a few months.

In the days that followed, Xu Yang stayed indoors except for eating.

Of course, cultivation was the priority. Every day, he would perform tendon-changing and marrow-cleansing on time and cultivate the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.

That day, he was in the courtyard reading the Weapon Forging Technique when suddenly a sound of crying reached his ears, from both a woman and a child.

At first, he didn't care, but after finding that the painful crying hadn't stopped for a long time, he had no choice but to push the door open to check.

The crying came from the courtyard opposite his, where an old disciple who had already started a family lived; the child seemed to be seven or eight years old.

That disciple was surnamed Zhang, and he had spoken to him a few times.

At this moment, the whole family was crying together, and many disciples living nearby had walked out of their courtyards.

"Senior Brother Yang, what happened?" Xu Yang asked Yang Song, who lived next door to him.

Yang Song said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Zhang and others were escorting a batch of medicinal materials to Fufeng County when they were intercepted and killed by people from the Blood Lotus Sect halfway. Everyone died."

Hearing this, Xu Yang's heart sank.

Senior Brother Zhang was over forty years old, and his cultivation had long reached minor accomplishment in marrow-cleansing, yet he hadn't escaped the poisonous hands of the Blood Lotus Sect. The Blood Lotus Sect's targeted killings of Purple Sun Gate disciples were not limited to Outer Sect disciples.

"How will the sect handle his family?" Xu Yang asked.

"Give some pension money, then send them to Qingyang City. Living a life without worry about food and clothing won't be a problem."

Xu Yang returned to his courtyard with a heavy heart. He didn't have much friendship with that Senior Brother Zhang, but the Blood Lotus Sect demons were killing people, targeting all Purple Sun Gate disciples, and he had encountered them a few times himself.

"I hope it's just an accidental occurrence."

If one or two incidents of disciples being killed by Blood Lotus Sect demons occurred occasionally, the Purple Sun Gate wouldn't make a big fuss, but if too many people died, the sect would inevitably retaliate.

By then, his peaceful days would be broken.

But things did not go as he wished. In the following days, there were successive incidents of Inner Sect disciples dying tragically at the hands of Blood Lotus Sect demons.

Many of the Purple Sun Gate's industries, mines, and even Qingyang City were attacked by Blood Lotus Sect demons. In a short time, seven or eight Inner Sect disciples had died.

The atmosphere on the Four Peaks grew tense at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Originally, Xu Yang's Spirit-Gathering Pills were used up, and he planned to go down the mountain to refine some recently, but seeing this, he didn't dare to go down the mountain at will.

Elder Huoyun's Great Hall!

Gao Lin walked over quickly and cupped his hands: "Master, are you looking for this disciple?"

On the gilded chair, Elder Huoyun opened his eyes: "The spirit iron ore has accumulated enough. Go arrange for manpower to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley for refining."

Hearing this, Gao Lin's pupils shrank slightly: "Master, arranging for manpower to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley for spirit iron purification at this time, aren't you afraid of something going wrong?"

Recently, Purple Sun Gate disciples had been successively attacked and killed by Blood Lotus Sect demons. The Purple Sun Gate had lost not only manpower but also a large amount of resources that had been seized.

"It's precisely to make them appear!"

Elder Huoyun's face was full of murderous intent: "Recent events have already angered the Sect Master. The Sect Master has already spoken, wanting to lure these rats out and kill them. With such important supplies as spirit iron, if the Blood Lotus Sect people are still nearby, they will inevitably be unable to resist taking action."

Another genius disciple was about to become bait.

Gao Lin said, "I'm just afraid they won't take the bait like before."

"No matter, the sect will have several arrangements. The Earth Vein Fire Valley is just one trap; there are other traps waiting for them elsewhere," Elder Huoyun snorted coldly.

Among the Inner Sect disciples who died recently, one was his disciple. Although only a nominal disciple, he was still a disciple.

As high-level members of the Purple Sun Gate, those seized resources were practically their private property; it wasn't just the Sect Master who was enraged.

"Which two senior brothers does Master think are suitable to guard the Fire Valley?" Gao Lin asked.

If there were no Blood Lotus Sect situation, he could arrange for a few people to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley at will, but this was setting a trap, so he didn't dare to make decisions on his own.

Elder Huoyun pondered for a moment and said, "Let it be Xu Yang and Zhuang Tao. They two will serve as the guards on the surface. Also, arrange for your third and fourth junior brothers to hide in the dark, and you will coordinate and pay attention from the center. As long as the Blood Lotus Sect doesn't send Heaven Origin experts, there won't be much of a problem.

As for contribution points, give them one hundred every half month. If the Blood Lotus Sect people really appear, we will reward them according to their merits."

Gao Lin nodded: "When should I arrange for Junior Brother Xu and the others to go over?"

"You go to the Outer Sect first to arrange for the selection of some talented disciples, then go notify them. It should be within these three to five days."

Gao Lin cupped his hands and retreated from there.

"Is Junior Brother Xu here?"

Xu Yang was in the courtyard studying the Weapon Forging Technique when he heard Gao Lin's voice ringing outside.

He stood up to open the door, and sure enough, Gao Lin's tall and straight figure appeared before his eyes.

He hurriedly saluted and then invited Gao Lin in.

"A batch of spirit iron needs to be sent to the Earth Vein Fire Valley for purification. Master has arranged for you to go guard it. I'm here to notify you to be prepared. We should be setting off within these three to five days."

Xu Yang's heart skipped a beat; he knew the thing he was worried about had happened after all.

"Is it to lure the Blood Lotus Sect people out?" Xu Yang said.

Gao Lin nodded: "There is that purpose, so you must be mentally prepared, and don't reveal it to the outside."

He didn't choose to hide it from Xu Yang; Xu Yang had experienced this kind of thing once, and it couldn't be hidden anyway.

Xu Yang took a deep breath: "I understand."

He didn't say anything about not going, because saying it would be useless.

If you, Xu Yang, are unwilling to take risks, would others be willing to take risks?

Unless he betrayed the Purple Sun Gate, he had to obediently do whatever the sect arranged. Taking only benefits without paying anything—how could there be such a good thing?

"You don't need to worry too much. Those animals from the Blood Lotus Sect might not appear, and you and Zhuang Tao are only the people on the surface. In the dark, there are still your third and fourth senior brothers, and I and Master will also be paying attention," Gao Lin said.

He didn't stay long and left quickly.

"Not worry? How is that possible?" Xu Yang took a deep breath.

This kind of trap was too obvious. Either the Blood Lotus Sect wouldn't appear, or once they did, it would inevitably be with thunderous force. With full preparations made, he feared even Elder Huoyun would be in trouble in the dark.

"The tree wants to be still, but the wind won't stop!"

He no longer had the heart to study the Weapon Forging Technique. He put the books away, took out Cold Abyss, wrapped it carefully in cloth, and planned to take it with him to the Earth Vein Fire Valley.

If there was real danger, whether he was exposed or not was a small matter; saving his life was the most important thing.

With a semi-spirit weapon in hand, as long as Heaven Origin experts didn't appear, he was confident he could escape with his life.

After thinking about it, he also wrapped Su Xiuyuan's Star Radiance in cloth and went down from Leaving Fire Peak.

In case he couldn't return, at least Star Radiance would be Xu Qing's.

In the Outer Sect, many disciples had already learned that Leaving Fire Peak was going to select a batch of experts to go to a cultivation treasure land to refine spirit iron.

Those without connections could only watch longingly, while those with connections had already moved, starting to pull strings.