Tie Nse and Old Iba appeared back in the little room at the Inn inside hammer city. Already, they could hear the chaos outside. Many were running around trying to see what had happened in the forte. People gathered and discussed, they had been able to see the carnage from afar, while the forte was under attack.

Old Iba looked out the window and saw the commotion out on the streets.

“There is a message! The hammer gate is offering one hundred thousand spirit stones for the person who kills Sung Sung. He is said to be a soul-seeking master. His portrait will soon arrive in the city!” someone announced.

“Oh? Sung Sung? Was he the one that did this? This person has courage!” some people started to discuss.

“I know that name! This person keeps challenging young master Gul Fulren to fight. I heard young master killed his family and took his sister,”

“How can a soul-seeking master be able to bring down an entire gate by himself? Is that even possible?”

“The gates have peak soul-seeking masters as elders. The Gate Lady herself is an early soul awakening master. There are people that can jump stage and fight beyond their cultivation,”

“Even so, one against so many elders?” discussions outside were heard from inside. Tie Nse and Old Iba had changed back into their appearance.

“Who would have thought that we have managed to implicate someone?” Old Iba said.

“Well, he gets to be a legend,” Tie Nse said.

“Aren't you worried at all? We should find this boy first and take him away before they catch him,”

“You heard the discussions. This boy has hoped to get his revenge for so long. We did him a favour,”

“Why did you even execute that skill anyway?” Old Iba asked.

“You know I am bad with a sword. I just casually made up some skill. How could I have known that some little boy already uses this as his signature skill?” Tie Nse said and Old Iba did not know whether to slap him or not. He is bad with a sword? That is called being bad with a sword?

Old Iba had always known that the other powers were wary of Tie Nse. His soul power was beyond strong, therefore his ability to understand martial skills and qi concepts was extraordinary. This old man may look old, but he has actually not yet hit a hundred in age. He was in truth a child as he stopped ageing too young but liked to be known as an old man. if one was truthful, he was in the same generation as his disciple. Compared to powers like lady Mi and the two clans whose leaders have lived no less than two thousand years, he was a one-in-a-millennia existence.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The other powers all have chiefs at the soul realization stage. But they all had at least one living ancestor. The two alliances and two clans should both have a living ancestor and at least five protectors each, but the Heaven alliance ancestor died and handed over power to Tie Nse. These people were basically hermits at this point. Living for more than five thousand years, they had passed the soul realisation stage and were at peak first heaven seeking. They spend their lives cultivating and never really coming out in public.

Tie Nse would probably enter early first heaven seeking soon. It would make him the strongest leader amongst the nine powers. How can he casually say he was bad with a sword? If he was bad with a sword, then swordsmen had wasted their time being born.

“No matter the reason, this boy is in trouble,” Old Iba said and Tie Nse sighed.

“Fine. We need to let some time pass before we borrow the next ingredient so, we might as well find him. But...I don't have the time to take care of him. He will be your problem,” Tie Nse said.

“What? You keep forgetting that I am only here because of the ingredient. You take responsibility for all the backlash from our actions. After all, it is your disciple we are making the pill for!”

“You have a lot of disciples anyway. Just take one more. I only have one and I have been reduced to a thief. I’m too stressed to handle another sapling,” Tie Nse said tiredly. If one looked at him, one would think he was just in a great fight attacking the hammer gate. But they both know they had not been in a great fight in forever.

“You said we are going to borrow the next ingredient. The amount of thunder lead we need for this pill and the purity level, where do you intend to borrow it?”

“What do you mean? The Ku thunder forest has a thunder lead mine sitting on its edge. They should have some, right? We will just borrow a few,” Tie Nse's words caused Old Iba's eyes to shrink.

“Borrow? Are you crazy? The Ku clan; one of the two great clans, you want to rob the Ku clan too?!” Old Iba exclaimed.

“How do you intend to do get the thunder lead, then?”

“I wrote the ingredient list. That list has a bunch of rare materials on it. In fact, anyone that looked at it would probably have his eyes burnt from fear. How many of these ingredients are you going to buy or ask for? Are we going to steal all?” Old Iba asked solemnly.

“Probably. Raising a disciple is too expensive. I must save money where I can,” Tie Nse said righteously.

“You will be hunted down by all nine powers including your own if so! No! I cannot risk my life for your disciple!” Old Iba said and turned away. Tie Nse frowned. He could see that the old man was serious this time.

“Do you want to know why I need the lightning when he breaks through?” he asked and Old Iba paused.

“He cultivates all four energies,” Tie Nse said and old Iba turned sharply. The look in his eyes said it all.