Chapter 18: This Little Guy — I Must Take Him as My Disciple

"You may begin!" The voice from inside the main pavilion rang out.

Hmmm~~

Wu Zongcheng drew his longsword from its scabbard.

Sword light blazed like fire, wreathing his body in flames.

He began his demonstration of the Raging Flame Sword Art.

Each move was practiced and fluid, Sword Qi transforming into fire that darted like a living serpent.

"Not bad — Senior Brother Wu's Raging Flame Sword Art has improved even further since a few days ago."

"But if that's all he has, it's still far from enough."

"To meet Master's requirements, he'd need to reach at least major mastery, close to perfection, wouldn't he?"

The onlookers had barely begun to murmur when a young man who had stepped out from the main pavilion shot them a sharp glare and said in a stern voice, "While someone is undergoing their assessment, you are not to whisper among yourselves!"

Chastened by his rebuke, everyone nodded and replied in unison, "Yes, Senior Brother Yuan!"

Satisfied that they had quieted down, Senior Brother Yuan turned his gaze back to Wu Zongcheng, who was in the midst of executing the Raging Flame Sword Art.

He knew Junior Brother Wu's strength better than anyone.

Given Junior Brother Wu's comprehension ability, it would take at least another year before he could grasp it.

Hmm!?

But gradually, Senior Brother Yuan's brow furrowed as he watched the sword.

The Raging Flame Sword Art that Junior Brother Wu was displaying… seemed somehow different.

At that moment, Wu Zongcheng's mind was fixed on the awe-inspiring sword strike that the mysterious junior brother had unleashed that day.

Fire — fierce and ferocious, charging forward without hesitation.

That was only the ordinary level of understanding.

But fire could also be…

A single spark, igniting a prairie fire across ten thousand miles!!

"Conflagration!!"

Wu Zongcheng let out a great shout.

All of his Sword Qi converged in an instant upon the tip of his blade.

The Spiritual Energy within him surged wildly.

An extraordinarily dense wave of fire erupted in a flash, rolling outward in all directions like a crashing tide.

"Aah!! It's so hot — what kind of power is this?!"

"I can't get out of the way!"

"It's over, it's over — I actually feel like I can't block this!"

The faces of the watching disciples changed dramatically.

Senior Brother Yuan saw that the other junior brothers were about to be caught in danger and moved to intervene.

But the moment he truly felt the force of the oncoming flames, his own expression shifted.

This strike was powerful.

He could block it himself.

But that meant he would have no time to help the others.

Just then —

A massive crimson palm of Spiritual Energy burst forth from inside the main pavilion.

All the flames were suppressed and extinguished in an instant.

The disciples were still shaken, their hearts pounding.

None of them had imagined that Senior Brother Wu could unleash such power.

"Ha ha ha! Excellent! I hereby announce — from this day forward, Wu Zongcheng is my Core Disciple!" The voice was filled with warmth and delight.

Wu Zongcheng, who had collapsed to the ground in complete exhaustion, forced himself to his feet.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your recognition, Master. Zongcheng will continue to strive forward!"

He had already made up his mind — once he recovered his strength, he would immediately seek out news of that mysterious junior brother. He absolutely had to thank him in person.

Without that person's guidance, he never could have done it.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Lin Xiao was soaring through the air, gripped by the shoulder by Old Mu.

The scenery around them blurred and retreated at a terrifying speed.

Only now did he truly understand.

A Revolving Pill Realm expert could not only fly — their speed was utterly terrifying.

Even if he trained his Shifting Phantom Step to perfection, it would fall far, far short of this.

And Old Mu was certainly not using his full strength.

After a few breaths, Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb came into view.

Old Mu showed no intention of slowing down. He struck out a Hand Seal with his right hand.

The hidden barrier appeared, and a gap opened in it automatically.

The two of them swept inside.

Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb was one of Sword Demon Sect's most restricted grounds — ordinary people were forbidden from entering.

Even those with urgent business were required to announce themselves at the entrance and await permission.

But judging by the ease and familiarity with which Old Mu entered, Lin Xiao could tell that he was clearly a frequent visitor here.

"You old fossil, stop hiding in the Sword Pavilion — come out and have a chat!"

Old Mu, with Lin Xiao in tow, hovered in midair above the Sword Pavilion and called down below.

Shortly after, a figure appeared before the two of them.

It was Old Geng.

He looked at Old Mu with a helpless expression, and when he caught sight of Lin Xiao as well, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"What trouble are you here to stir up this time, you old fellow?" Old Geng asked, exasperated.

"Speak properly — when have I ever stirred up trouble? Besides, I'm here on serious business this time." Old Mu replied with a grin.

"Serious business? Go on then." Old Geng rolled his eyes at him.

"I want to take this little guy as my disciple." Old Mu said with complete sincerity.

"Hmm!?"

Old Geng let out a sound of surprise.

He clearly hadn't expected those words.

He shifted and appeared at Lin Xiao's side, gripping Lin Xiao's other shoulder.

The next moment, Old Geng's eyes went wide, and an expression of shock spread across his face.

"Sword… Sword Intent — twenty percent?! How is that possible?"

"Last time I saw you, you had only just condensed Sword Intent! Little guy, how did you manage this?!"

Old Geng was genuinely astonished.

The last time Lin Xiao had condensed Sword Intent, Old Geng had assumed it was some Fortuitous Encounter drawing near — a mere coincidence.

The further one progressed in Sword Intent, the more the difficulty compounded and skyrocketed.

From first entering Sword Intent to comprehending it at ten percent — even a genius would need a year or two at minimum.

Yet this little guy, in just a few months, had not only broken through in Sword Intent but had reached twenty percent directly.

How on earth had this happened?

"To answer you, Old Geng — during the Outer Sect Trial, I touched the Sword Testing Stone. I felt something stir within me, and when I came back to my senses, my Sword Intent had advanced." Lin Xiao answered honestly.

Even if he didn't say it, the news would spread soon enough.

"The Sword Testing Stone!? This…" Old Geng fell silent.

So it was the Sword Testing Stone.

He had spent quite a few days studying that thing himself, yet had never made any sense of it.

It seems this boy's comprehension ability is even stronger than I imagined.

He truly is an exceptional seedling for a Sword Cultivator!

The gaze with which Old Geng looked at Lin Xiao grew brighter and more intense by the moment.

This made the white-haired old man beside him unhappy.

"You old fossil — what are you thinking?! I spotted this little guy first; you're not allowed to steal him!" Old Mu said, eyeing Old Geng warily.

He had already said his greetings; now he was ready to take the little guy back and cultivate him properly.

Old Geng released Lin Xiao and assumed an air of complete nonchalance, chuckling softly. "I had my eye on this little guy long ago. Do you really think you can take him away?"

Old Mu's expression shifted dramatically.

"Bullshit! If you had your eye on him that long ago, you would have already invited him into the Sword Pavilion!" Old Mu snapped.

"Heh heh." Old Geng gave a smug little hum, then turned to Lin Xiao and asked, "Little guy — did I or did I not tell you to come find me at the Sword Pavilion after the Outer Sect Trial was over?"

Lin Xiao could feel the tension thickening in the air around him.

Hearing Old Geng's question, he quickly replied, "Yes — Old Geng did indeed say that. I had actually planned to come back to the Sword Pavilion right after the Outer Sect Trial ended."

"Ha ha! I'll have to thank you, old friend, for delivering him right to my door. You've worked hard!" Old Geng offered Old Mu a mock-sympathetic word of comfort.

Old Mu's face had turned thoroughly sour.

Goodness.

The fool had been himself all along.

Had he known it would come to this, he should have had the little guy formally accept him as master right there at the Outer Sect Plaza.

Act first, explain later — why bother with this old fossil at all?

Old Mu was filled with regret.

He drew a deep breath, then let out a heavy sigh, and spoke.

"You old fossil — name your terms. What will it take for you to hand this little guy over to me? Whatever the conditions, I will accept them!"

As Old Mu said these words, his tone was earnest and resolute, each word landing with weight.