Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: Wen Yun, Where Is Your Golden Core?

"Are you seeking death?"

A white-clad young man leaped down from the sword, with a white and tender baby face, a pair of sparkling peach blossom eyes, lips curved in a seemingly harmless smile.

However, his green bamboo-colored sword was pointed at the disciple from The First Peak’s throat.

Coldly, he said, "Say it again, does the Qingliu Sword Sect have The Tenth Peak?"

The other side tried to draw his sword in resistance, but was horrified to find that he couldn’t move at all. Even he, who was about to undergo Core Formation, was suppressed like this, not to mention those junior brothers who were only at the Qi Refining Foundation Establishment level!

"Yes, yes, yes!"

He broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and said, "Senior brother, let’s talk nicely."

"Senior brother?"

The young man’s lips curled up, almost writing the words "You are worthy" on his face. He sneered and asked, "Who is your master?"

The disciple of The First Peak felt a slight joy in his heart, thinking that the other party still respected the position of The First Peak. He quickly reported to his sect.

However, the young man remained indifferent and asked again, "Never heard of him, then who is your ancestral master?"

The other person’s face had turned pale, staying silent and unwilling to speak. However, with the sword tip advancing, the menacing killing intent made him tremble, and in the end, he spoke, "My ancestral master is Elder Hongzhuo of The First Peak!"

"Oh, so it’s little Hongzhuo." The young man raised an eyebrow, sounding disdainful.

The disciple from The First Peak was about to curse at him, but upon seeing his appearance, he suddenly remembered something, turning white in the face, "Could it be…Xu Wanfeng!"

With a flick of the Green Bamboo Sword, the disciple’s mouth was instantly slashed to pieces, blood dripping.

He made a terrified whimpering sound, unable to say a word.

Xu Wanfeng coldly stated, "Later, go to The Tenth Peak and kowtow a thousand times, or you’ll die with Hongzhuo tomorrow."

He sheathed his sword, frowned as he wiped off the bloodstains with a handkerchief, and then tossed it aside in disgust.

"So dirty."

Looking up again, Xu Wanfeng noticed that the female disciples in the outer circle were all pale with fear.

His youthful face suddenly showed a nervous expression, and he apologized with a bow, "It was Ventus’s mistake, I rudely startled all you younger martial sisters."

He looked at the group of girls, then his gaze stopped at Wen Yun’s face for a moment.

Wen Yun was looking at him too, and their eyes met.

Next moment, Wen Yun asked, "Are you a senior brother from The Tenth Peak?"

Xu Wanfeng didn’t mind being called a senior brother by the girls, so he smiled modestly and nodded.

This might be the beginning of a sad and romantic story. He sighed to himself, knowing that good-looking people usually have many stories.

However, Wen Yun said next—

"Can you tell me how to get to The Tenth Peak? I need to go there to light a fire."

"…"

Xu Wanfeng looked at the yellow paper handed to him, and fell into a long silence.

*

Ming Yuan and the other new disciples followed behind their senior brother, walking obediently towards their respective mountain peaks.

With a pout on her round face, she stared angrily towards the sky and muttered quietly, "Why can Wen Yun, that firedisciple, wield a sword while we can’t?"

Shen Xinghai calmly explained, "Within the Qingliu Sword Sect, outsiders and ordinary disciples are not allowed to wield swords while walking, only the direct disciples and elders are qualified."

"Is that senior brother a direct disciple then?"

Only the disciples under each Peak Lord can be considered direct, and within the Qingliu Sword Sect, direct disciples are few in number, all of them renowned geniuses. However, nobody recognized the recent arrival, Xu Wanfeng.

The only senior brother who knew his identity had just rushed to the medicine pavilion to get some hemostatic medicine for his mouth.

"He’s probably a direct senior brother from The Tenth Peak."

Ming Yuan snorted, "Nobody has heard of The Tenth Peak, or those unknown concocted stories…"

"Do you want to be as rude as that senior brother?" Shen Xinghai warned lightly.

He thought to himself that after officially becoming a disciple, he would definitely ask the master where The Tenth Peak was located. He might get the chance to see the girl again and personally express the gratitude he couldn’t muster before.

Meanwhile, Wen Yun, who was being worried about by many people, flew into the sky.

She didn’t float lightly a few meters off the ground like the Floating Skill, but soared up to the clouds.

Just a moment ago, Xu Wanfeng, who was extremely fierce, now surprisingly good-naturedly flew her to The Tenth Peak on his sword.

It was unclear where he came from. Occasionally, a few elders would fly far around him as if seeing a ghost, while several female cultivators passing by would blush and come over to greet him.

Seeing the stunning Wen Yun on the sword, they all looked knowing.

"…"

Wen Yun suddenly felt like she had gotten on a thief’s sword.

She traveled all the way here to see the amazing scenery in various peaks. Although they were called peaks, they were actually mostly temples built along the huge mountain range, some elegant and some grand, giving a glimpse of the grandeur of the First Sword Sect.

Then, Xu Wanfeng’s Green Bamboo Sword landed on the very top of the last peak.

"This is The Tenth Peak."

Xu Wanfeng casually introduced, secretly assessing Wen Yun’s reaction.

In fact, this mountain was not small, but compared to the other nine peaks, it appeared inferior, lacking majestic temples or imposing towers. First-time visitors to The Tenth Peak often looked down upon it.

However, to his surprise, this girl who had seemed indifferent all along, actually smiled!

There was no hint of disdain or disappointment in her eyes, only genuine admiration and joy!

How can one not be amazed?

As soon as Wen Yun entered the inner gate, she noticed that the magical elements here were more than a hundred times richer than outside. It was only after reaching The Tenth Peak that she realized the entire mountain seemed like a giant Magic Stone, with such dense magical elements that it uplifted her spirits completely!

Wen Yun really wanted to start her training right away, but she decided to focus on her duties first.

So she asked, "Brother Xu, where is the woodshed?"

"The woodshed?"

"Yes." Wen Yun nodded and quickly got to work, "I will chop wood, make fire, cook, and also fetch water for laundry. Where should I go?"

So eager?

Before Xu Wanfeng could reply, a gentle and refined young man in dark blue robes emerged from the courtyard.

He frowned slightly upon seeing Wen Yun, then looked at his junior brother. "Second Junior Brother, why did you bring a female disciple up the mountain without permission?"

"Elder Martial Brother, isn’t this the ‘firedisciple’ you wanted to recruit?" Innocent Xu Wanfeng quickly tried to explain.

He shook a yellow paper and revealed, "I saw you write this with my own eyes, thinking it was just a joke. Little did I know you actually took it to the outer courtyard."

Yue Xingzhou frowned at the tiny words on the paper, "When did I write such an ugly…"

"Last night," Xu Wanfeng reminded with a grin, "After you challenged that boy from The Third Peak to a sword fight, you drank three barrels…"

"Alright, stop," Yue Xingzhou quickly interrupted him before he could say more, and after a moment of silence, he struggled to ask, "Can we return it?"

Xu Wanfeng smiled innocently, "I’m afraid not. Just now, a disciple caught up halfway and delivered her jade token. She is now officially a disciple of our The Tenth Peak."

He revealed the jade token in his hand, with "Wen Yun" engraved on the front and a "ten" on the back.

Even the identity jade token is already processed. The efficiency of the sect is truly impressive this time.

Yue Xingzhou looked at the girl called Wen Yun once again.

She stood quietly on the side, clearly understanding from their conversation that the acceptance of disciples at The Tenth Peak was a joke. Yet, she remained calm and composed, a rare trait indeed.

Most previous disciples were unaware of the existence of The Tenth Peak. Those who knew either avoided it or boldly switched to the neighboring and more flashy The Ninth Peak as soon as they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

And those who have their identity tokens recorded are considered members of that peak, unless they commit a serious offense like betraying the master or destroying the ancestors, it is rare for the token to be taken back. He could forcefully take it back, but that would mean destroying the future of this young girl.

The teachings of the sect are clear in his mind, he cannot do such a despicable thing.

"The will of heaven cannot be violated, since it is so, just stay at The Tenth Peak."

Yue Xingzhou sighed and instructed, "Go summon Third Junior Brother, we need to discuss Wen Yun’s whereabouts."

While they could not formally accept her into the sect, they could still offer guidance in the path of swordsmanship.

Moreover…

The Tenth Peak seems to be in need of an assistant right now.

*

When a new disciple enters a peak, a simple Ceremony of Ascending the Peak must be held, which involves bathing, burning incense to announce arrival at the mountain gate, then bowing to the ancestors in the main hall, and finally being introduced to fellow disciples by the senior members of the peak.

Wen Yun’s Ceremony of Ascending the Peak took place after half a cup of tea, in a run-down courtyard at The Tenth Peak.

"This is my Elder Martial Brother Yue Xingzhou, also the Peak Lord of The Tenth Peak," Xu Wanfeng introduced for her.

"Acting Peak Lord," Yue Xingzhou gently corrected.

Xu Wanfeng smiled and continued, "My name is Xu Wanfeng, from the second sect."

Then he wheeled forward a chair, "This is my Third Junior Brother, Bai Yushan. He had a little mishap in his recent practice and is slightly injured, causing some inconvenience."

"…"

Wen Yun looked at the person wrapped in bandages, only eyes visible over the wheelchair, and fell silent.

How could this person, who looked like a mummy on the wheelchair, really just have a minor injury causing slight inconvenience?

After introducing the two, Xu Wanfeng had nothing else to say, because…

Before reaching The Tenth Peak, there were only three of them.

He seemed to think that the Ceremony of Ascending the Peak was a bit rushed, so he cleared his throat and added, "We are all eighth-generation disciples of the sect. Although we cannot formally accept you as a disciple, you can be considered as the ninth generation disciple externally."

After saying this, he smiled and looked at Wen Yun, waiting for her to react with either panic or joy.

However, Wen Yun was used to being alone and did not even know how many generations of disciples the Qingliu Sword Sect had. So, she just calmly looked back at Xu Wanfeng and nodded calmly.

"Alright, I understand."

What a newcomer who remains unflustered in the face of honor and favor! The three of them thought to themselves that in terms of attitude, she was worthy of The Tenth Peak!

Now the question arises, who will teach Wen Yun swordsmanship?

Bai Yushan in the wheelchair silently closed his eyes to indicate his refusal, as he didn’t seem to be in a position to teach swordsmanship.

Xu Wanfeng was in a dilemma, "I can’t teach her, I couldn’t bear to see such a beauty endure hardship."

Then he looked at Yue Xingzhou and reminded, "Senior brother, this is the person that you brought back."

Yue Xingzhou looked ashamed and said with a bitter smile, "I feel ashamed, I have never taught anyone swordsmanship before…"

It was like a group of students avoiding their homework responsibilities.

The three fell into silence, unsure of how to arrange things for Wen Yun.

It wasn’t until Wen Yun softly broke the silence, "Three senior brothers, I have come to be a disciple, no need to teach me swordsmanship, just let me chop wood, make fire, carry water, and cook."

She could also practice magic on this huge Magic Stone.

The girl lifted her fair face slightly and calmly explained, "Also, I have no Spiritual Root to cultivate, so you don’t need to worry about my future."

As soon as she finished speaking, the three subconsciously looked over.

They had not intentionally investigated Wen Yun’s Spiritual Root before, assuming she had low cultivation due to them, Qi Refining Stage’s spiritual power being close to zero.

When they looked closely, all three of them froze in place.

Xu Wanfeng squinted his eyes and said, "Bone age fifteen!"

Bai Yushan mumbled, "Golden Core!"

Finally, Yue Xingzhou, who had been gentle and polite just moments ago, suddenly stood up with a serious look in his eyes.

"Wen Yun, where is your Golden Core?"

Wen Yun was now feeling confused.

The Xie Family’s method of extracting her Golden Core was extremely clever. Even powerful experts at the Nascent Soul Stage would mistakenly think she was just a regular person without Spiritual Root, similar to the elders from the outer courtyard who couldn’t detect anything wrong even after examining her carefully for a long time.

But these three strange senior brothers were able to see through the truth at a glance. What level of cultivation did they have?

The author has something to say: The mysterious group of four from Tenth Peak is complete.

Elder Martial Brother Yue Xingzhou, Second Master Brother Xu Wanfeng, Third Martial Brother Bai Yushan.

Sword Sect younger martial sister Wen Yun, take your position!