As the sun shone in the sky, the powerful clang of metal on metal rang out as the swords met for the first time.
The sparks from the collision scattered in the air like small fireworks, while each of them pressed against the other with their strength.
Zhang Yong was already in a sword fight with Lu Li.
Lu Li dodged nimbly,then advanced with a swift sequence of sword swings towards Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong quickly parried.
"You're doing well,Junior Brother... this is the last one!" Lu Li shouted and smiled challengingly.
Then she jumped into the air,swinging her sword in a wide arc charged with pale blue energy.
"Not yet,"Zhang Yong raised his sword and blocked the strike; the air pressure didn't affect him much at the moment of impact.
Then Zhang Yong began to move lightly around Lu Li,as if dancing on tiptoes. His steps were balanced, and his eyes watched her every move, waiting for any moment of weakness.
When Lu Li tried to attack him directly again,he feinted a strike towards her hand, forcing her to bring her sword back to defend.
"Heh? Not tired i presume , then take this,"Lu Li let out a short breath, through which she unleashed her full combat energy.
The blue aura around her sword flared up,and her speed suddenly increased, directing a storm of strikes towards Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong swung his sword swiftly and began to parry,but it wasn't perfect; some scratches appeared on his clothes from the cutting effect.
Immediately,Zhang Yong swung his sword with force, putting his weight and effort into it, and managed to make Lu Li's sword fly out of her hand.
Lu Li stopped,her breath ragged, her eyes sparkling despite the fatigue. "Not bad from the Junior Brother."
Zhang Yong picked up Lu Li's sword and returned it to her."Thank you, huh, this will be good for forgetting what happened earlier."
Zhang Yong looked at the sword in his hand and felt a great difference;he didn't seem skilled in swordsmanship at all. "I have a lot ahead of me."
"If I may say,Brother Zhang Yong seemed uncoordinated, as if your movements are stiff and not smooth. But to compensate for that, there's your immense strength, which is also an advantage," Lu Li gave her observation.
Zhang Yong stroked his chin and began to think.He had brought the Beginner Swordsmanship level to the maximum.
This level was enough to deal with most people and beasts in the world of Douluo,but in this world, he could barely survive.
Therefore,Zhang Yong planned to develop Beginner Swordsmanship into Intermediate Swordsmanship through training. That's why he also asked for Lu Li's help, because frankly,
only someone with Lu Li's strength could withstand his full monstrous power.
Zhang Yong sighed quietly."Thank you, Sister Lu Li, but you didn't even use your sword intent, so it can barely be considered a draw."
Lu Li laughed lightly at Zhang Yong's comment."You could have trained with Brother Su Ming."
Zhang Yong smiled slightly."Su Ming is not a morning person, and I think he'll need some sleep, haha."
Lu Li didn't understand the reason for Zhang Yong's last laugh,but she just smiled quietly.
"Well,Sister Lu Li, it was an honor to exchange pointers with you," Zhang Yong smiled as he clasped his hands in front of him.
Lu Li felt a slight disappointment,but everyone had their own preoccupations; even she, as a temporary elder now. "It's fine, it was good to spar with you."
Zhang Yong nodded and turned away quietly,leaving Lu Li behind.
He headed directly towards the sect's dining hall.
'Well,what's there to do? Maybe I'll visit my disciple? No, not yet. And I've already finished the preparations for the Heavenly Border Realm.'
"Excuse me,are you Zhang Yong?"
Zhang Yong heard a voice that cut off his train of thought.He turned towards the voice, and there was only a girl, in the sect's formal attire.
"Who's asking?"Zhang Yong said with an indifferent expression.
"The Frost Peak Lord requests an audience with you."
Zhang Yong looked at the girl briefly just to confirm.He decided to be cautious from now on after the crime incident.
No one was foolish enough to send a message in the name of an Elder,so this girl was certainly sent by the Lord.
But for what reason?
Zhang Yong sighed lightly."Alright, lead the way."
The girl walked ahead with quick,steady steps, while Zhang Yong followed quietly. Meanwhile, he began to think, 'What would suddenly make her request me? I've never dealt with her directly before, so I don't think there's a reason.'
After walking for a few minutes,Zhang Yong arrived at Frost Peak, where only female disciples were accepted.
When he stepped inside the peak's territory,icy winds blew and surrounded him, and immediately his location completely changed. He was now standing inside an ordinary room.
And there was a woman sitting on her knees in front of a small wooden table,on which were placed two cups of tea, one in front of her and the other facing Zhang Yong.
She had that kind of ice-cold,emotionless aura around her, but she was truly beautiful. If someone said she was thirty, they would be considered a liar. She looked like someone in her twenties, in a loose sky-blue robe that hid her hands, and black hair tied with a large hair crown patterned in white and sky-blue. She was the Silver Frost Peak Lord.
Zhang Yong was shocked when he saw her sitting in front of him.'Wasn't I just in...? Did she teleport me and bring me here? Damn, I didn't feel it at all.'
Zhang Yong clenched his fists and greeted,"Greetings to the Frost Peak Lord. I heard you requested my presence."
The Peak Lord raised her hand calmly and pointed to the cushion on the floor in front of the table."Sit, let's talk."
Zhang Yong stepped forward and sat quietly on the floor.Hot steam was rising from the cup of tea in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to drink it. He was in front of the Peak Lord; most of his interactions with her weren't deep and weren't something to worry about, but that's exactly what made him worry more.
The Peak Lord lifted her cup of tea and took a small sip,then indicated, "You can drink; this is an informal meeting."
For some reason,Zhang Yong felt that the Peak Lord was watching him, even though her gaze seemed devoid of any emotion, but he felt she was evaluating him as if it were a test.
Zhang Yong calmly picked up the cup and took a small sip of tea.
"I see you're close to my disciple."
The Peak Lord's sudden comment caused Zhang Yong to drink a mouthful of tea and start coughing."Ahem, wh-what exactly does the Peak Lord mean?"
"My disciple Wu Ruoxian.I can say you two are close," the Peak Lord said with a cold expression.
'Close?My ass! I'm dead beside that old hag.'
Zhang Yong shook his head in objection."No, not at all; we're not close."
The Peak Lord's eyebrow rose quietly."Wasn't it you who spoke for you during the trial? And she informed you of her feelings when you were imprisoned."
The blood in Zhang Yong's veins froze when he heard her words.What the hell?! She was listening and watching that day!
The Peak Lord calmly lifted her cup and took a sip."I'm not usually against feelings, but Wu Ruoxian has valuable talent."
Zhang Yong shook his head,but internally he was happy. The meaning of the Peak Lord's words was nothing less than saying, 'Stay away from my disciple and don't get close to her.' If that happened, Zhang Yong couldn't be happier.
"I understand the Peak Lord's words;I'll watch my own actions."
Suddenly,the door behind the Peak Lord opened, and a young girl entered, but her features resembled those of the Silver Frost Peak Lord. "Mom."
When the little girl entered,her steps halted when she saw Zhang Yong sitting there.
Her black eyes quickly focused on him before shifting her gaze to her mother.
"Mom,who is this handsome brother?" the girl asked in a soft but curious voice.
"Just a disciple from the neighboring peak,"the Peak Lord answered in a calm tone, then pointed to the girl and looked at Zhang Yong. "This is my daughter, Ling Yue."
Zhang Yong looked at the little girl,who seemed about ten years old, with a faint smile.
Wait,did she say mom? Wait, something's wrong. She's supposed to be maybe the Sect Master's age or younger.
"Wait,Lady Peak Lord, is it possible that..."
"She is your master's niece by division."
Zhang Yong looked confused for a moment.The only brother of the Master by division was Su Ming's master.
But the age...how?
The Peak Lord noticed Zhang Yong's expression and explained,"The technique I use affects the body and makes it cold, so the fetus would die automatically. Ling Yue was born by accident a long time ago, but I didn't want her to die; after all, she was innocent back then. With the help of Gu Zixian and using a few treasures, although the birth date was delayed, we managed to save her life."
Zhang Yong listened quietly,his face expressionless. He began to understand the Peak Lord's concerns a little, and he nodded with some understanding.
"Good.I didn't call you here just for that. Gu Zixian told me about your problem, so I offered to provide this." In the Peak Lord's calmly extended hand, a blue crystalline sphere floated, surrounded by an icy glow.
"What is this item?"
'Activate the Heavenly Eyes immediately!'Ling Xi rushed and said.
Without thinking,Zhang Yong activated his Heavenly Eyes and saw a kind of hidden glow around the crystal, a blue glow, more like a symbol.
'This is the true benefit of the Heavenly Eyes—seeing the signs of concentrated laws.They can help you detect and absorb the surrounding laws,' Ling Xi announced immediately.
Zhang Yong looked at the crystal and understood;it was a concentration of laws.
"This is the Primordial Ice Crystal.It contains the three intermediate levels of the Ice Law. Your master requested it from me, but I agreed under one condition. You should thank your master; if it weren't for his credit, I wouldn't have restrained the two elders since you joined the inner sect."
Zhang Yong smiled slightly and nodded,trying to hide the astonishment that swept over his expression. He knew such treasures weren't given easily.
During that period,the master was already injured, yet he requested that from her, and even requested the crystal for him. Internally, Zhang Yong was happy; the best he could do was live up to his master's expectations.
"What is the condition,Lady Peak Lord? I won't let my master down."
The Peak Lord nodded."Recently, a demonic sect called the Demonic Spring Sect suddenly started moving within our province. At the Sect Leader's request, I was asked to send a few disciples to investigate. I want you to lead them in this."
Zhang Yong was a little surprised to hear this;this was the first time he had heard about demonic sects.
"I understand,I'll accept this mission. I assume the master knows about this matter?"
The Peak Lord shook her head."Yes, you can leave now. Wait in front of the sect gate tomorrow morning."
Zhang Yong bowed his head and clasped his hands quietly."This disciple will be there."
In an instant,Zhang Yong found himself surrounded by the same icy winds, and everything around him had changed. He was sitting on his knees outside Frost Peak on the ground.
Zhang Yong let out a small,forced laugh. "Did she have to teleport me like this? I didn't even finish my cup of tea."
Zhang Yong stood up and walked away from the place.Normally, even this treasure would be of no use to him.
But he accepted for two reasons.The first was that this was arranged by his master, and he didn't want to waste his master's efforts.
And the second reason:even if he went to the Heavenly Border Realm, there was no guarantee he would find an area with Ice Law. By using this crystal, he would gain extra time instead of going to an Ice Law land, and he could focus on other laws.
Currently,Zhang Yong had some preparations to make. After finishing them, he went to his private room.
Time passed quickly,and the next day arrived.
Zhang Yong stood in front of the sect gate and waited quietly.
'I wonder who these disciples the Peak Lord sent are.It can't possibly be—'
"You seem very absent-minded."
Zhang Yong raised his head towards the voice that interrupted him,to find Wu Ruoxian standing in front of him with a faint smile on her face, placing her hands behind her back casually.
His heart clenched for a moment when he saw her.Damn! What's happening here? Is it possible that she...
He said,surprised, "You... don't tell me you're part of the team?"
"I am.The Peak Lord asked me to come on this mission. Usually, I would have refused, but when I heard you were going, I came too," Wu Ruoxian answered with a more obvious smile, showing no trace of lying.
"Wait,is this lunatic the one the teacher assigned?" another voice appeared directly behind Wu Ruoxian.
Behind her were three other people.The first was a slightly short girl, and her face showed a hostile pattern—a little fierce tiger.
Next to her,with long silky black hair, was... Chu Ning!
Her body seemed to shiver when she saw Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong summoned some memories:when he met her during the shrine competition and threatened to kill her. And now that he thought about it, she was also in the sect test, but he didn't pay her any attention.
And the third person was a girl with cascading golden hair.She was yawning as if she had just woken up; her eyes were still closed.
Zhang Yong kept staring at the group in front of him,his face expressionless, but internally, he was recalculating. Damn, a headache for four at the price of one.
Wu Ruoxian raised her hand and lightly hit the head of the grumbling girl."Stop acting rudely."
The girl held her head and began rubbing the spot of the hit with a slight frown,but she didn't argue.
Chu Ning clasped her hands quietly."It's a great honor to undertake this mission with Brother Zhang."
Zhang Yong smiled slightly when he heard Chu Ning's words,but internally, he was cursing his bad luck. Well, he didn't feel bad about treating Chu Ning that way before; this was also in his favor now.
"Sister Chu,you already know this man?" the grumbling girl asked, surprised.
"We've known each other for a while since our time as candi—"as Zhang Yong was speaking, the girl interrupted him.
"Shut up,I wasn't talking to you." There was a hostile expression on her face.
Zhang Yong felt a vein pulse on his forehead,but he ignored her comment.
A forced smile appeared on Chu Ning's face."Ah, yes, Brother Zhang Yong and I have known each other since we were outer sect disciples."
"Oh,so that's how it is," a smile appeared on Wu Ruoxian's face.
Immediately,Chu Ning seemed to be sweating uncontrollably in her place.
The girl's eyes widened."Zhang Yong!? Do you mean that man Sister Wu was—" before the girl could say anything, Chu Ning covered her mouth while her gaze was towards Wu Ruoxian.
'I'll just try to erase this from my memory,'Zhang Yong sighed internally and said, "Alright, let's start with a simple introduction. I'm Zhang Yong from Serenity Peak."
The grumbling girl put her hands on her waist and said in a clear,stubborn voice, "I'm Ning Xiao. I'm not used to working with others, so don't expect much from me, alleged leader."
Then Zhang Yong's gaze turned to the golden-haired girl who was still yawning.She raised her hand lazily and said, "I'm Yi Lin. I don't mind following instructions, but don't expect me to work hard."
Zhang Yong sighed quietly.Such a team would naturally not succeed, but to hell with the odds. First, he would have to deal with Ning Xiao and Yi Lin. Yi Lin could be considered relatively easy, but the problem was Ning Xiao.
"Alright,as the leader of this mission, I'll have the final say. So, first, wear these." Zhang Yong extended his hand, and layers of ordinary clothes appeared, which were usually the clothes of ordinary people in this world.
Ning Xiao looked angrily and kicked the ground with her foot."Why do you want us to wear ordinary people's clothes? Does this even have anything to do with the mission!"
Zhang Yong sighed as he expected this."Do you want to go in sect clothes? We're going to investigate, not for leisure. The clothes will show that you're from a sect, and then do you think the investigation target will stay in place?"
Ning Xiao frowned severely,but Zhang Yong's words made her retreat from objecting. She knew he was right, but her stubbornness didn't allow her to accept the matter easily.
"Fine,but if you expect me to wear these boring clothes, don't expect me to be happy about it!" she grumbled before taking a piece of clothing and turning her back.
'No one expected anything from you,'Zhang Yong cursed internally so as not to make things worse than they already were.
As for Yi Lin,she took her clothes lazily without any argument and said while yawning, "I understand the logic behind this, but don't expect me to look great wearing it."
Wu Ruoxian,who had been standing silently until now, took her clothes with a faint smile. "We'll change our clothes now."
Chu Ning took her clothes quietly,but she was avoiding looking at Zhang Yong.
After a few minutes,the team regrouped in front of the gate, wearing ordinary clothes that matched the local residents. Ning Xiao looked displeased but remained silent, while Yi Lin yawned as usual. Wu Ruoxian seemed completely comfortable, as if she fully accepted the situation. As for Chu Ning, she was very cautious in her actions, avoiding any accidental glances towards Wu Ruoxian.
"And before I forget,put on the straw hats. We may wander around the province if necessary."
All the girls nodded in agreement and began wearing the straw hats that Zhang Yong provided them.This step was necessary to obscure their appearance and make them look like part of the ordinary crowds in the province, making it easier for them to move freely without arousing suspicion.
And so,they set off from the gate.