Yin Long and Lan Yun informally joined the Heron's Ascension Dojo, the actual entrance procedures would have to be taken care of when they returned to the city and arrived at the dojo. Lan Yun still looked somewhat miffed at her loss and Jin Wang disregarded Xue Qiuling and her group as he continued to scarf down the few remaining corpses. Xue Qiuling finished shaking Yin Long's hand and pulled back her arm, sweeping it out in a gesture towards the four men as she introduced them.
"These four are my current companions and they'll be your Senior Brothers in the future, you can rely on them if you need help. From the left to right they're Qiao Hou, Shing Lan, Jun Shyu, and Xiu Hum, they've been students at the dojo for a little over four years and have taken part in quite a few training sessions here in the wilds so they're considerably hardened. We're currently on our way to a spot where a Firecloud Melon is supposed to have appeared, it'll be very helpful to Junior Brother Shyu, and since the two of you have joined us now I expect you to also pull your weight should it be needed."
The four men stepped forward and shook Yin Long's hand while observing him with scrutinizing but polite gazes. They then shook Lan Yun's hand, taking on a markedly kinder attitude as they introduced themselves again while smiling charmingly. The clear change in attitude caused Lan Yun's mouth to twist slightly, even Xue Qiuling shook her head in exasperation at their poor attempts to elevate themselves. Lan Yun finished shaking their hands and then distanced herself from the four men, positioning herself behind Yin Long to maker her stance clear while Yin Long introduced his own group.
"I'm Yin Long, this is my friend Lan Yun, and that gluttonous fellow over there is Jin Wang. He's going to ignore you, but that's just how he is, arrogant to the depths of his soul. Like I said earlier while you were eavesdropping, we don't belong to any school, sect, or clan, we're just wanderers who arrived here had have decided to join an organization to promote our own growth."
Lan Yun puffed her cheeks out for a short second when Yin Long introduced her, Jin Wang only raising his head to glance over since he heard Yin Long call out his name. The four men immediately caught on to the title Yin Long gave Lan Yun, mentally pumping their fists in joy while Xue Qiuling walked over to Jin Wang. She crouched down to pet him but he simply bared his fangs and let out a low growl as her hand got close to him, a very clear warning that she had to take care unless she wanted to lose her hand.
Xue Qiuling pulled back her hand and straightened her body again, raising both her hands to signal that she wasn't going to touch him. That was Jin Wang's judgment of Xue Qiuling and her group, unworthy, not fit to touch him or stay with Yin Long. But since it was Yin Long himself who had agreed to join them, Jin Wang chose to remain silent so that Yin Long could do as he pleased. Xue Qiuling lowered her hands again when Jin wang returned to his feast, quickly swallowing the last two corpses as Xue Qiuling turned to Yin Long and the others.
"Well then, the area with the Firecloud Melon is only a few hours away from here so let's get moving. We'll probably have to fight one or two groups when we get there so make sure to restore your energy while walking if you need to."
Qiao Hou and the four other men immediately responded in a respectful manner, Yin Long and Lan Yun far more casual in their demeanour as they started to follow Xue Qiuling. The group from the Heron's Ascension Dojo had clearly made proper preparations to get their hands on this Firecloud Melon, Xue Qiuling constantly pulled out a map to check their path while marking the trees around them with a piece of blue chalk so that they would know the moment they accidentally walked in circles.
Xiu Hum and the three other men stuck close to Lan Yun as the group moved, acting as suavely as possible while asking her about herself and simultaneously talking about themselves. Xue Qiuling's expression soured slightly as she looked at the men's fervent attempts at gaining Lan Yun's favour. She turned and apologized to Yin Long, who was nonchalantly walking at her side while Jin Wang was sticking close to his legs, but he only shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't apologize to me, if anyone of them can move her heart then they are free to do so, she deserves someone who can actually love her properly. Oh, but if their characters are bad then I'll definitely reconsider, she deserves someone outstanding, not some rabble that's just after her looks."
Lan Yun loved him, this was a fact that continuously prodded at Yin Long. He didn't love her the way she wanted him to love her, but he still treasured her deeply so he wanted her to end up happy, something that would be hard as long as she continued her unrequited love towards him. Xue Qiuling nodded her head while looking Yin Long up and down, it wasn't often you saw someone who could so easily shrug off the love of a girl as beautiful as Lan Yun.
Coupled with the calm he showed and the fluid way he carried himself even in mortal combat, she had to admit that he somewhat aroused her interest. At the same time, she also became even more certain that asking them to join the dojo was the right choice, he would certainly become splendid if she groomed him just a little bit. Adding on the fact that he was more than just a bit handsome she was certain that there would be quite a few female disciples, and some instructors, in the dojo that would thank her for bringing him over.
Of course, she also understood the underlying threat in Yin Long's words, it was the same type of threat that Jin Wang gave to others that tried to get close to Yin Long. If they weren't worthy then he would chase them away, one way or another. And seeing how easily and remorselessly he had beheaded the group of raiders that attacked them, Xue Qiuling didn't have the slightest doubt that he was capable of doing so to others as well should he so desire.
But Qiao Hou and the three others had reached the 2nd Immortal Door realm so she wasn't worried about him making a move against them yet, nor did he indicate that he had any intentions of doing so. As such, the group managed to continue their travels in a mostly peaceful manner, Lan Yun on more than one occasion distancing herself from the four men and pulling close to Yin Long while voicing her annoyance at them.
These actions managed to quiet them down for a bit, but like flies, they would always return after a while. Lan Yun luckily had Jin Wang on her side, hiding by Yin Long's side made it so that Jin Wang would growl at the four men the moment they got within two metres, his teeth gleaming slightly when the light of the sun hit them. The men were stronger than Jin Wang but had no interest in getting bitten and souring their budding relationship so they pulled back each time.
Their pace slowed down after three hours of marching, the expressions of Xue Qiuling and the others growing a touch more solemn as their bodies tensed up slightly. And then, after walking for another half hour, they reached the spot where the Firecloud Melon was growing. The area was actually a small crater, the earth along the edge of the crater showing signs that it had melted once before hardening into a wavy pattern.
Their target was located at the bottom of the 2-metre deep crater, an item that looked like an oval crystal that was about as large as a watermelon. It looked like an orange crystal but it was, in fact, a melon, the surface covered in faint flames that fluttered about like clouds. Firecloud Melons weren't the rarest cultivation resource as they were fairly easy to cultivate on your own, you just needed an underground source of fire, fertile land, and any melon seed that you could infuse with a great amount of Qi.
As long as you had this and did things properly, there was a 60% chance that the end result would be a Firecloud Melon. Of course, the simplicity at which you could recreate it didn't decrease the sheer amount of fire-type energy gathered within it, there were many fire-element cultivators who would gladly pay good money for this item.
Xiu Hum and the other men didn't immediately rush towards the melon, vigilantly scouring the surrounding forest. Yin Long and Jin Wang glanced to the side, but Xue Qiuling didn't need them to tell her anything, she had already turned to look in the same direction.
"Jyushi Mok, I didn't know that you had a penchant for spying on people from the sidelines. But if you're hoping for me and my lovely friend to start stripping down then I have to disappoint you. Just get out here so that we can find a way to settle this."
One of Yin Long's eyebrows couldn't help but rise when Xue Qiuling called out. Jyushi Mok clearly belonged to the Jyushi clan that ruled Starfall city, the clan that should be the superior of the Heron's Ascension Dojo. But even so, she dared to speak to him so disrespectfully, which made Yin Long guess that this Jyushi Mok either didn't have a high status, or that the Jyushi clan was actually too weak to have total control over their subordinates. Someone in the forest to their side clicked their tongue when Xue Qiuling called out, their group revealing themselves while one of them spoke out.
"What's the point in spouting words you don't even believe in? Our starting points were equally far away from this point so it was inevitable that we'd get here at just about the same time, you know that we've been here at best half a minute longer than you. Since we're going to be here at the same time anyway, what's wrong with trying to create an advantage?"
The group that stepped out of the forest consisted of six people, two young men and four young girls. The one who spoke out, Jyushi Mok, was one of the young men and had a slender build, his dark green hair was slicked back and his brown eyes carried a faint tinge of annoyance as he looked at Xue Qiuling. Xue Qiuling wasn't bothered by Jyushi Mok's annoyance and placed her hands on her hip, opening her mouth to push him on.
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"Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Just tell me how we're gonna figure out who gets the melon. Of course, if you want to we can just duke it out, but I fear that you won't live to return to your clan's cute little castle if we do that."
Her continued derision of Jyushi Mok, especially her final words, further solidified Yin Long's belief that the Jyushi clan didn't actually have full control over what should be their subordinates. If this was true, then the Jyushi clan was probably in a state of decline, just like the Lang clan had been in the past. When they truly started declining all those years ago, it had been their allies that had been the first to strike at them, eager to snatch any advantage they could before the extracted themselves to safety. Jyushi Mok's eyebrows twitched slightly at her attitude, but he didn't say anything about it, pointing at the Firecloud Melon.
"You can brag and boast all you want, but we both know that if we actually do duke it out that your side would end up just as bad as ours. A simple contest, that's how we'll decide it. Two people, we both send forth one subordinate the first person to touch the opponent's back wins and earns the right for their side to take the melon. Swear the oath."
An oath, an unbreakable vow a cultivator made that would connect them with the Celestial World. Breaking the oath would cause the might of the Celestial World to descend and shatter the soul of the cultivator, it was the greatest failsafe cultivators had in their negotiations. Xue Qiuling swore the oath and Jyushi Mok followed suit, turning his head and calling forth the other young man in the group.
Xue Qiuling's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the unfamiliar man, but just as she was about to call forth Jun Shyu, Yin Long stepped forward. He stopped a few steps away from the other youth, inspecting him with an interested gaze for a short second before he spoke up.
"I'm Yin Long, what's your name?"
The youth standing in front of Yin Long looked to be a bit younger than him and his build was quite thin, bordering on malnourished. His head was covered in golden hair that hung loosely down to beneath his ears and his face carried several small scars. But the most eye-catching feature he had was that his left eye was completely white and lifeless while his right eye was the same brilliant golden as his hair. The youth looked somewhat caught off guard at Yin Long's actions, turning to Jyushi Mok with a somewhat uncertain gaze. It was only when Jyushi Mok shrugged his shoulders and nodded at him that the youth turned back to Yin Long and introduced himself.
"My name is Bai Mu, it's very nice to meet you."
The youth, Bai Mu, gave Yin Long a polite bow so Yin Long returned the favour, still looking at Bai Mu with interest. He turned his head slightly to glance at Xue Qiuling, making it seem as if he was asking for her permission to be the one to step forward. But Xue Qiuling could see the truth in his eyes, he was going to challenge this Bai Mu no matter what she ended up deciding. Xue Qiuling's pupils flickered slightly as her thoughts moved, her gaze drifting between the Firecloud Melon and Yin Long for a few moments before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, let's see what you've got. But if you fail then it will be up to you to earn enough to buy Junior Brother Shyu another treasure of similar worth, I won't let you get an ounce of rest before that debt is paid."
Yin Long shrugged his shoulders in an unconcerned manner and turned his gaze back onto Bai Mu, his body instinctively shifting slightly. He had a very simple reason for wanting to challenge this Bai Mu, the Netherworld Energy in his soulsea had turned somewhat chaotic once Bai Mu stepped closer. This was the first time the Netherworld Energy had actually turned somewhat chaotic, it hadn't even done this when he stood in front of the other Netherworld gate so he couldn't help but be curious about this Bai Mu.
With Xue Qiuling accepting Yin Long's participation, Jyushi Mok stepped back so that Yin Long and Bai Mu had a bit of space, looking supremely confident. Yin Long and Bai Mu gazed at each other in silence, Bai Mu's entire demeanour turning a bit colder as his eyes narrowed faintly as his Qi started to seep out, allowing Yin Long to notice that they were at the same cultivation level. Yin Long was looking curiously at Bai Mu when his senses suddenly rang out in alarm, his body instinctively leaning forward and dipping into a bow.
A hand shot over Yin Long's back, just barely missing him. His senses told him that Bai Mu had already vanished from his previous position and was now standing behind him, his arm bending so that he could touch Yin Long's back. Yin Long leaned even further forward and placed his hands on the ground, flipping himself into a handstand and kicking away Bai Mu's hand.
But just as he kicked away the hand, his senses told him that Bai Mu vanished again, appearing behind Yin Long once more. Now that he was fully focusing on his senses he could detect that Bai Mu wasn't actually disappearing, he was just moving so fast that Yin Long couldn't properly keep up with him using his eyes. But he did discover something as Bai Mu moved, he seemed to only be able to move in straight lines. To get behind him, Bai Mu actually had to perform four dashes, first one backwards, then one to the side, then one forward, and finally one last one to the side to reach Yin Long's back.
His hand reached for Yin Long's back once more, but Yin Long was prepared this time. He quickly moved his hands and spun around while still in his handstand, bending his elbows so that Bai Mu's hand passed through the gap between his legs. Bai Mu tried to quickly pull back, but while he might be faster than Yin Long, the fact that he seemed to only be able to move in straight lines was a fatal flaw.
Yin Long sent a bit of his Qi all around Bai Mu's legs and used his law of the sword to make his Qi as sharp as an actual sword. Bai Mu walked back into the Qi and cut himself, instinctively yelping and skipping forward. And Yin Long took advantage of this opening, straightening his arms again and bending his waist so that he could place his legs on Bai Mu's shoulders.
He used his legs to squeeze Bai Mu's neck and then exerted all his might, the veins in his legs bulging as he straightened his waist and bent his knees. Bai Mu was lifted off the ground and drew a crescent moon through the air as he was dragged over Yin Long and slammed into the ground on his back.
Yin Long also ended up on his back thanks to his manoeuvre, quickly grabbing onto Bai Mu's arm, which was still trapped between his legs, and twisting it fiercely. Bai Mu instinctively spun and twisted his body to prevent his arm from breaking, but doing so resulted in him ending up with his face pointed at the ground and his back at the sky. And with him in that position, Yin Long could easily allow his hand to slide down Bai Mu's arm and land on his back, ending the battle.
Yin Long allowed his hand to linger on Bai Mu's back for a bit longer, but the Netherworld Energy in his soulsea had calmed down again and wasn't showing the slightest movement. He couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed upon discovering this, but he couldn't immediately say that it had just been a coincidence that it turned chaotic when Bai Mu stepped forward. He let go of Bai Mu's arm and rolled backwards into a standing position, dusting off his robe and then stretching his hand towards Bai Mu.
"You're fast, really damn fast, so I'm guessing that was the law of light? But you haven't trained properly, your movements are too obvious, it's too easy to see where you're planning on going. And if I know where you plan on going then it's easy to counter you. Speed equals power, but that saying goes both ways. If this was an actual battle then I could just throw a rock in your path, you'd smash into it at full speed and destroy it, but it would destroy you in the process. Basically, work more on your movement. But hey, you can come to find me once you've got some more training, I'm always up for sparring with someone who can help me improve."
Looking at the youth who grabbed his hand and allowed him to help him up, Yin Long couldn't help but be somewhat confused. The cold demeanour he had at the start of the fight showed that he had a fair bit of experience, he shouldn't be a stranger to fights and killing. But if that was the case, why were his movements so unrefined and simple? It was as if he was a complete beginner who had yet to even learn how to move properly in a fight, even the way he tried to touch Yin Long's back had been perfectly straight and simple.
And now that Bai Mu was standing again and dusting himself off, he didn't have a trace of the coldness that he had at the start of the battle. He bowed politely and thanked Yin Long, almost seeming like a completely different person.
"Thank you for your guidance, it is indeed the law of light. I got too confident in my speed advantage and didn't think about anything else, I'll make sure to properly train how to best move. If you want to spar some more to help test my progress then you can find me in the Jyushi clan."
The two opposites of his demeanour left Yin Long wanting to scratch his head, but he could only ignore it as he had no idea what else to do. He nodded his head at Bai Mu and then returned to Lan Yun and the others, somewhat unsatisfied that he couldn't figure out why his Netherworld Energy acted up, but satisfied that he had found someone he could spar with.
With Bai Mu's law of light, he would always be faster than Yin Long, if he learned some proper movement he would be a formidable foe he could spar with to sharpen his own swords and test various techniques. Jyushi Mok let out a light sigh over the loss, but he didn't blame Bai Mu, patting him on the shoulder and encouraging him to focus on his training.
He had sworn an oath so there was nothing they could do here, he could only cast one last glance at the Firecloud Melon before bringing his men and leaving the area. Xue Qiuling followed the group with her eyes, gesturing towards the Firecloud Melon once she was sure that they were gone.
Jun Shyu quickly scurried over and started to uproot the Firecloud Melon, carefully digging out the earth around it while taking care not to touch the melon itself. While he was doing that, Xue Qiuling looked Yin Long up and down once more, nodding her head with undisguised appreciation.
"Not bad, not bad at all, calling it marvellous isn't out of bounds either. Even I could only somewhat follow that Bai Mu with my eyes, it must have been even harder for you. But you still managed to dodge him beautifully and win. Looking at that Qi at the end, the cultivation manual you use focuses on the law of the sword, no? That would certainly explain your skills with the sword, it must be an exceptional manual. But don't you worry, I can promise you that our dojo has a plethora of sword-based cultivation manual and techniques, we'll definitely have something that'll be of use to you."
Yin Long didn't hide the fact that he had the law of the sword, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. He didn't hide his law of the sword, but he was definitely going to hide the fact that he could use his soul to create swords, he was also planning on hiding his unique cultivation method and his Netherworld Energy. He could probably show off the first two, but he didn't see a need as it would just make him stand out needlessly when he just wanted to train his sword, he could leave the standing out to Lan Yun, she was far more suited to it than him.
Jun Shyu spent nearly half an hour digging up the Firecloud Melon, quickly placing it in a wooden box lined with silken sheets that they had prepared beforehand. Once the Firecloud Melon was safely acquired, Xue Qiuling's group had nothing left to do here, their group had enough combat experience that the excursion into the Four-Kings Valley was mostly to gather up one or two resources. As such, she decreed that it was time for them to return, they had to show off the two new disciples after all.