Chapter 2018: Ghost Clan
Su! Su! Su! Su!
Sounds of sharp wind blades were heard from the training ground. Wearing his warrior clothing, Zhao Hai was practicing his blade cuts. He slashed blade after blade like a machine. However, his eyes didn’t deviate at all, it was as if he wasn’t moving.
If a normal person were to see this, they would certainly think that Zhao Hai was stupidly practicing his blade. He would practice his blade to death without any improvement. However, they didn’t know that Zhao Hai was comprehending the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade.
Zhao Hai’s body was slas.h.i.+ng his blade, but his mind was connected to the thoughts of the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade. This was the reason he looked dumb at this time.
Before long, the sound of monotonous slas.h.i.+ng stopped and Zhao Hai’s eyes regained their clarity. The blade in his hand also became more alive. Then a huge phantom appeared around Zhao Hai. This phantom was very strange. It looked like a huge formation of eight gates. Each of these gates were closed with each having a huge golden lock.
As the blade sounds vanished, the eight gates became more and more solid to the point where they became indistinguishable compared to normal gates. These gates were also arranged on the position of the eight trigrams.
After some time, the phantom slowly disappeared. Zhao Hai also reappeared on the training ground. Standing nearby was Qiu Tie who was staring dumbfoundedly at Zhao Hai. It was only when the phantom completely disappeared did Qiu Tie recover.
Qiu Tie had a gaze of complete respect as he looked at Zhao Hai. In his mind, n.o.body was as fierce as Zhao Hai. This became especially true during the battle against the beast horde. At that time, Qiu Tie was at resident complex 52 and wasn’t sent to Yin Yang Mountain. This was because Zhao Hai was confident in his residence’s defensive formation. Therefore, Qiu Tie was able to witness Zhao Hai’s entire battle.
Seeing Zhao Hai wearing a fierce-looking full body armor, holding a huge glaive, and leading a huge Undead Army, Qiu Tie’s eyes turned fiery. This image of Zhao Hai became imprinted in Qiu Tie’s youthful mind. After growing up, Qiu Tie would choose the heavy glaive as his weapon. Naturally, this would happen later on.
After receiving his blade, Zhao Hai calmed his blade soul down and then turned to look at Qiu Tie. Qiu Tie’s face was currently full of sweat. He just came out of the fitness room, which explains his perspiration. Qiu Tie’s training has recently increased. The reason for this was the medicinal baths that he has been given. The baths that Qiu Tie soaked in were filled with precious herbs. If outer disciples knew what herbs Qiu Tie used to soak a bath in, they would no doubt spit blood.
Zhao Hai went to Qiu Tie and said, “Little Tie, you’re done training? I’m heading over to my Masters’ place now, do you want to see your grandfather?”
Qiu Tie thought about it and finally agreed. Don’t forget that Qiu Tie was still a child. He would naturally be happy to see his grandfather.
Seeing Qiu Tie agree, Zhao Hai smiled and said, “Alright, go and wash up. Once you’re done, we’ll head over to Yin Yang Peak.”
Qiu Tie nodded and immediately went to the bathroom to clean up. After changing clothes, he quickly ran over to Zhao Hai. Then with a flash of white light, the two appeared on Yin Yang Peak.
Qiu Zhen was more relaxed compared to before. Although he still personally tended to the plants and flowers of the peak, this was his hobby, so he didn’t consider it as work.
Upon seeing Zhao Hai and Qiu Tie arriving, Qiu Zhen welcomed them in. Then he cupped his fist and said, “I have seen the Young Master.” Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, “Uncle Zhen, you’re always too polite. Since I want to see my Masters, I also took Qiu Tie with me. It has been some time since the two of you have seen each other.”
Qiu Zhen gave a nod. Then Zhao Hai walked over to the living room. Before Zhao Hai could knock, the Yin Elder’s voice was heard, “Come in.” Zhao Hai complied and pushed the door open. Then he gave the Yin Yang Elders a salute. The Yin Elder waved his hand, inviting Zhao Hai to sit on a nearby chair.
The Yin Elder looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Good job. After you received your reward, you didn’t immediately go to the Blade Pavilion to exchange for manuals. To be honest, those high-level manuals would not be of much use to you. With your talent, going slowly step by step would be more beneficial. Once you’ve established a good foundation, you could learn those advanced techniques in half the time with half the effort.
Zhao Hai nodded, “Yes, Master. I’m also not anxious to go to the Blade Pavilion to get manuals. The manuals I have right now are enough for me.”
The Yin Elder nodded. Then the Yang Elder said, “Little Hai, which blade technique are you practicing now? I saw how you used the Goldentip Blade, you already reached a deep comprehension of it.”
Hearing the Yang Elder, Zhao Hai stared for a moment. Then he immediately understood. The Yang Elder should have known about the attack on Lower Earth Mountain. So he went over to watch.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but be moved. He believed that he wouldn’t be in great danger all the time. If something really dangerous happens, he wouldn’t need to use the s.p.a.ce. The Yin Yang Elders would have a way to help him out.
But Zhao Hai was only stunned for a short moment. Then he suppressed his emotions before replying, “Replying to Master, I’m almost done with the Goldentip Blade. I’m now practicing the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade. During the beast attack, I found that my blade techniques are too focused on offense. I didn’t have any defensive blade techniques. Therefore, I chose to practice the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade. I’ve already achieved minor mastery of it.”
The Yang Elder nodded, “Good. You should continue studying the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade. In fact, you should have practiced the Eight Gates Goldenlock Blade before you practiced the Rolling Rocks Blade. During battles, you should consider your defeat first before your victory. You have to think what would happen to you after you get defeated. And after considering that, then you have to give it your all to win. Understood?”
Zhao Hai replied, “Yes, I understand. Master can rest a.s.sured.”
The Yang Elder nodded. At this time, the Yin Elder opened his mouth and said, “Little Hai, the two of us haven’t taught you a lot of things. But we’re very satisfied with your progress. You don’t hurry in taking steps. We’re relieved knowing this.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Thank you, Master.”
The Yin Elder gave a nod, then he continued, “Soon, the sect will send inner disciples to populate Lower Earth Mountain. I hope that you can help them reconstruct their residences. Knowing these people would also be beneficial to your future.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Master can rest a.s.sured, I’ll take care of it.”
Then the Yang Elder said, “Right, Little Hai, I’ve seen you ride a beast and use a heavy glaive to charge towards the beast horde. I found that you’re quite good at the glaive. Have you studied it before?”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “Yes, I learned it before when I was in the Lower Realms. I ascended from a realm where people can’t fly and most battles are done in large groups. So on the battlefield, people mainly focus on close combat. And coordination between soldiers is very important. So to advance, I not only learned how to use the blade, I also learned all kinds of weapons. I even trained an army myself. That is also when I learned to use the heavy glaive. Although the techniques there aren’t as profound as the ones in the True Spirit Realm, it had a great effect in battle as long as it’s used well. So when the beasts attacked, I used my heavy glaive along with my Undead. Luckily, the effect was as good as I expected.”
The Yang Elder nodded, then he sighed and said, “It seems like there are still merits when coming from the lower realms. You did a great job. You can also study how other types of blades are used. The Blade Dao doesn’t only apply to one type of weapon. Understand the characteristics of other blades as well. This will benefit your understanding of the dao.”
Zhao Hai replied, “Yes, Master. I will keep that in mind.”
The Yin Elder replied, “And don’t focus too much on practicing the blade. You shouldn’t neglect your spiritual qi cultivation. You are still at the Rebirth Stage. You need to enter the Condensed Avatar Stage as soon as possible.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Yes Master. I haven’t stopped cultivating my Spiritual Qi. You can rest a.s.sured.”
The Yin Elder nodded, “Alright, you can go. Practice well. Don’t go to the Black Dragon Mountain in the meantime. The sect is planning to cleanse the mountain and will release tasks regarding it. But this will also cause the beasts of the mountain to retaliate. It’s too dangerous for you to go now. Those who take the missions will be inner disciples. Although you’re also an inner disciple, your cultivation is on the same level as outer disciples. You’re not suitable to take on these tasks. You can practice peacefully during this time. Also, inner disciples are stronger than you think. You can cultivate without any worries.”
Zhao Hai nodded. He understands that the Yin Yang Elders were only thinking of his safety. His strength is indeed not suitable to venture into Black Dragon Mountain. He wasn’t the same as other young cultivators who would do the opposite of what their elders said. He has long pa.s.sed the age of being hot-blooded. He knew clearly what he needed to do right now. He needs to cultivate in peace and slowly improve his strength.
Then the Yang Elder added, “But it’s not like you won’t have anything to do. As you know, the territory that the Tyrant Blade Sect controls is very large. Majority of those who live in our territory are ordinary people who don’t cultivate. In fact, it’s similar to the lower realms that you talked about. For easier management, we support countries that govern these ordinary people. However, this doesn’t mean that our territory is free of trouble. In the True Spirit Realm, there has always been a group of people that caused headaches to the sects. You might not know of them. This is because only few people in the realm would mention this race. They’re called the Ghost Cultivators. They aren’t included in the sect’s introductions. Take this jade slip. You can read it when you return. From time to time, the sect will issue tasks to deal with the Ghost Cultivators. These tasks should be appropriate for you. This won’t only aid in your cultivation, it would also make you understand the Ghost Cultivators more. The Ghost Cultivators will be your main opponents in the future.”
After he said that, the Yang Elder gave Zhao Hai a jade slip. Zhao Hai received the jade slip but didn’t read it immediately. He nodded and said, “Alright. Master can rest a.s.sured.”
The Yang Elder nodded, then he waved his hand and said, “You can go back. Memorize everything in that jade slip. Don’t underestimate the Ghost Cultivators.” Zhao Hai nodded. Then he stood up and gave the two elders a salute before leaving.
Zhao Hai fetched Qiu Tie and then the two of them left Yin Yang Peak. After Zhao Hai left, the Yin Elder looked at the Yang Elder and said, “Isn’t it too early for Little Hai to know about the Ghost Cultivators? It hasn’t been long since he arrived in the True Spirit Realm. Those who ascended from the Soaring Dragon Realm would farm for three years before they’re sent outside to do tasks. Then they will be introduced to the Ghost Cultivators.”
The Yang Elder shook his head and said, “It’s not early. Little Hai is not the same as the others, so we cannot treat him the same way. I think it’s good that he learns about the Ghost Cultivators this early. I believe he won’t disappoint us.”
Hearing the Yang Elder, the Yin Elder couldn’t help but sigh, “I hope so. Although the Ghost Cultivators have been driven into hiding, they would still head out from time to time to cause trouble. Moreover, the Ghost Cultivators have been diligently recovering their strength. They might be planning on doing something big. Little Hai knowing about them early might be a good thing.”
The Yang Elder nodded, “We have fought against the Ghost Cultivators for many years yet we’re still unable to eliminate them. Conversely, after all these years, the Ghost Cultivators are becoming more and more difficult to deal with. Looking at the sects of the True Spirit Realm, their internal issues are becoming more serious. I even suspect that the internal strife within the sects is caused by the Ghost Cultivators. We need to look out.”
The Yin Elder replied, “The Santana Nation has been unstable recently. I heard that the Ghost Cultivators have been spotted there. The sect might send people. If we have time, we’ll pay more attention to them. In recent years, the sect suffered heavy casualties whenever we sent people to deal with the Ghost Cultivators. This isn’t a good sign. There might be a conspiracy going on. The mice hiding inside the holes are getting more and more cunning.”
The Yang Elder nodded and sighed. Then the room returned to its usual silence.