"Did you see that? A chore disciple beat an outer sect disciple! Haha!"
"Yeah! Li Hao finally brought some honor to us chore disciples! Who dares call us lowly now?"
"An outer sect disciple! I always said Li Hao was different, that one day he'd soar like a true dragon from the abyss! Do you believe me now?"
"You idiot, is that what you really said back then?"
"..."
That day, the entire Chores Peak buzzed with discussions about Li Hao's feat. Many chore disciples were so engrossed they neglected their duties.
Seven Mysteries Peak
This was the primary training ground for the Outer Sect. It featured seven distinct training areas: the Golden Armor Array, the Wooden Man Alley, the Thousand Layer Water, the Lava Cavern, the Gravity Cave, the Yin Wind Ridge, and the Thunder God Valley. However, access wasn't free. Apart from the top ten disciples on the Outer Sect Ranking, everyone else had to pay with hard-earned Sect Contribution Points for training time.
Earning these points was arduous. Disciples had to venture into the perilous Myriad Mountains Range to hunt Profound Beasts or undertake dangerous sect-assigned missions. The difficulty of these missions was so high that only the most talented and powerful outer sect disciples dared attempt them.
Among the上千 (Note: This number should be translated. Assuming it's 'over a thousand' based on context) outer sect disciples, fewer than fifty could regularly train at the Seven Mysteries Peak. These fifty represented the absolute elite of the Outer Sect.
"Brother Yunfei! That Li Hao has become a Profound Practitioner! And he defeated Duan Jun, who was at the Eighth Grade, even though Li Hao is only at the Sixth Grade!" reported an outer sect disciple within the Wooden Man Alley, addressing a young man in white robes.
This was Zhao Yunfei, ranked sixty-fifth on the Outer Sect Ranking, hailed as the most dazzling genius from Pingnan City, an Innate Expert at just seventeen.
Zhao Yunfei's brow furrowed. "That waste is already a Profound Practitioner?" When he first arrived at the Sword Sect, his father had suggested he 'deal with' Li Hao if the opportunity arose. However, upon arrival, Zhao Yunfei discovered Li Hao had been demoted to a chore disciple and labeled the 'Number One Waste in History.' Deeming Li Hao unworthy of his attention, Zhao Yunfei had dismissed the matter. Now, hearing this news was unexpected.
"Yes," the disciple confirmed. "But it seems he hasn't been reinstated as an outer sect disciple yet. Should we... eliminate him?"
Zhao Yunfei pondered for a moment, then shook his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "No. Let's go. We'll pay a visit to this 'waste' who has somehow become a Profound Practitioner."
Jade Wind Valley
"Here, Little Apprentice, this ring is for you. There are some Energy Stones inside too," Ya Ya said cheerfully by the pond, handing Li Hao the Sumeru Ring she had previously extorted from Elder Zhou Feng.
Looking at the ring, Li Hao's eyelids twitched. It was a spatial treasure! Of course, he was tempted, but he had his principles. After a moment's hesitation, he shook his head. "Ya Ya, this is too valuable. I can't accept it."
Ya Ya pouted, feigning offense. "Little Apprentice, if you talk like that, Ya Ya will get upset! It's just a ring, not a big deal. Besides, without you, I wouldn't have won all those things. If you refuse again, I'll throw it away!"
Warmth spread through Li Hao's heart. He didn't refuse again and accepted the ring. Remembering something, he quickly pulled out the Strength Talisman he had made and offered it to Ya Ya. "Ya Ya, this is a Strength Talisman I made. It's High Grade. Please take it."
"Okay!" Ya Ya smiled, pleased he had taken the ring. Suddenly, her eyes widened comically. "Y-you... you said you made a Strength Talisman? A High Gradeone?"
"Yes," Li Hao nodded.
"You... you're not lying to me, are you?" Ya Ya looked at him suspiciously. "Little Apprentice, Ya Ya really doesn't like being lied to!"
Li Hao rolled his eyes. "Whether I'm lying or not, you can see for yourself!"
Ya Ya took the talisman. When she saw the vivid, light golden flame symbol, she froze. She stared at it for a long moment before muttering to herself, "How is this possible... It really is High Grade... truly High Grade... How can this be?"
Seeing her stunned state, Li Hao asked softly, "What's wrong? Is it good or bad?"
Ya Ya looked up at him, trying to contain her excitement. "You... you said you made this in half a month?"
"Yes," Li Hao nodded again. "I failed many times at first. I wasted a lot of the materials you gave me." He felt a bit embarrassed admitting this.
Ya Ya gave him a deeply strange look. Grandpa is such a big liar!she thought. It took me three months to make my first talisman, and it was only Medium Grade! And he had the nerve to call me a genius! He must have been fooling me! Hmph! Just wait until he gets back; I'll pluck out all his beard hairs!
"What is it? Am I too slow?" Li Hao asked, noticing her silence.
Hearing this, Ya Ya's expression became even more peculiar. After a moment, she composed herself and looked at Li Hao seriously, nodding. "Taking half a month to make just one talisman... your talent is... average, I'd say. Yeah, just average. Definitely a bit worse than Ya Ya!" After saying this, her cheeks flushed slightly with guilt.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. By the way, Ya Ya, I'm not very familiar with the other elemental talismans yet. Could you teach me?"
"Well..." Ya Ya pretended to think it over, drawing out the moment. Seeing Li Hao's nervous expression, she quickly added, "Unless you agree to a condition!"
"What condition?" Li Hao was eager. Becoming a Rune Master would greatly benefit his strength and future prospects.
"I'll accept you as my grandpa's disciple on his behalf. Agree to become my grandpa's disciple, which means you'll be my Junior Brother. How about it?" Ya Ya looked at Li Hao, her lively eyes sparkling with a mischievous light.
"Be your Junior Brother?" Li Hao was taken aback.
"What, you don't want to?" Ya Ya's face fell.
Li Hao quickly shook his head. "No, it's not that! The learner is the junior; of course, I'm willing to be Ya Ya's Junior Brother. It's just... Ya Ya, is your grandfather willing to accept me? What if he doesn't think I'm worthy... I..." He was worried. Every Rune Master was incredibly powerful. What if her grandfather looked down on him? The embarrassment would be unbearable.
Ya Ya's displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile. "Don't worry about him! I'mwilling, and that's what matters. Okay, from now on, you are Ya Ya's Junior Brother! Your Senior Sister will take good care of you. It's getting late today. I'll come find you when I have time. In the next few days, study the other elemental talismans. Consider this your task! I'll test you on them next time I come, understand?"
Li Hao didn't dare refuse and promptly nodded.
Satisfied with his agreement, Ya Ya nodded authoritatively. "It's late, I'm leaving. I'll take this Strength Talisman back to study... I mean, to inspectit. No need to see me out." With that, she turned and hurried out of Jade Wind Valley. The moment she turned away, her serious expression melted into a gleeful grin. I've stumbled upon a treasure! Haha! I found this treasure, and he's even my Junior Brother now! Heehee!
Watching her leave, Li Hao felt something was off. Ya Ya was about the same age as his sister Xiao Yao, but she was so mischievously clever. She had definitely hidden something from him just now.
"Ah, forget it. She definitely means me no harm," Li Hao chuckled to himself, dismissing his suspicions. His attention returned to the Sumeru Ring Ya Ya had given him. Holding it, his heart raced with excitement. A Sumeru Ring! Even the City Lord of Pingnan City might not possess one!
He played with it for a while, then cautiously extended his spiritual sense into the ring. When he perceived the space inside, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. The space was enormous—about twenty zhang in length and width! (Note: A zhang is about 3.3 meters, so roughly 66x66 meters). Not only that, the space was filled with a massive pile of Energy Stones. There had to be at least over a hundred thousand stones!
Remembering Ya Ya's casual mention of 'some Energy Stones,' Li Hao's mouth twitched. He had assumed a few hundred, not a small fortune! "This is a huge favor I owe now," he murmured, shaking his head wryly as he looked at the stones. He was truly experiencing what it meant to be 'rolling in wealth.'
Slipping the ring onto his finger, Li Hao focused his mind. He took out the Fine Steel Sword, a Yellow Rank High Tier weapon Elder Zhou Feng had given him. The sword was about 1.6 meters long, two fingers wide, and emanated a cold, sharp gleam. It felt perfectly balanced. A casual swing produced a faint, clear hum through the air.
"An excellent sword!" Li Hao's eyes shone with delight as he held the Fine Steel Sword. "I was thinking I'd need to go to the Sword Pavilion to choose a sword after becoming an outer sect disciple again. I never expected Elder Zhou Feng to give me one, and a Yellow Rank High Tier weapon at that. Finally, I don't have to practice sword techniques with tree branches anymore."
"In twenty-eight days, it's the Sword Sect's biennial Outer Sect Disciple Assessment," Li Hao mused, his gaze fixed on the sword. "With my current strength, becoming an outer sect disciple shouldn't be difficult. But ranking in the top ten... that's still a stretch. I must improve my strength further."