52: Chapter 52 Master 200, are you leaving or not?

Three days after Tu Ziguan made his Breakthrough to the Third Realm, Xie Feng's cultivation dropped to the Eighth Layer of the First Realm.

That morning, as usual, he meditated in his room. His spiritual power circulated through his six meridians for a full cycle, and then he successfully cultivated himself backward.

Xie Feng sat on the couch and zoned out for a while.

"Alright then."

He accepted it.

Knowing this was his mana converting was one thing, but waking up every morning to find his cultivation had dropped another notch still felt pretty bad. It was like saving up money for over half a year, only for the bank clerks to haul it out of the vault every day, assuring you it wasn't lost, just converted into gold.

Gold was indeed more valuable, but when you couldn't spend it, it was no different from a stone.

With spiritual power at the Eighth Layer of the First Realm, Xie Feng couldn't even pass the monthly exam for Outer Sect Disciples now—though he hadn't passed back then, either.

Tapping his blind cane on the ground, he stood up, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard. The sun had just risen, shining against the courtyard walls, where a thin layer of dew condensed on the roof tiles, giving off a faint white mist under the warmth.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard with his cane resting on the bluestone ground in front of him, Xie Feng began practicing his cane technique.

The cane technique had been exchanged from the Inner Sect. Having just resolved such a huge trouble and even pulled a fast one on the Tianque Sect, Xie Feng had successfully obtained a manual for a twenty-four-stance cane technique personally handed out by Elder Liu.

By the time he finished all twenty-four stances, the sun had climbed higher. Xie Feng sat down on the threshold, habitually spreading his spiritual power perception outward. Someone was walking along the mountain path outside the courtyard wall, their footsteps unhurried.

It was Gu Jian.

The footsteps stopped at the courtyard gate. Xie Feng tilted his head slightly. "Come in. The door isn't closed."

Gu Jian pushed open the gate and walked in. He was wearing dark gray tight-fitting robes with tight cuffs, a long sword hanging from his waist.

"Something up?" Xie Feng asked.

"Are you up for going to Ranhuo City?" Gu Jian asked.

"Starting price is two hundred." Xie Feng's mouth moved faster than his brain.

"?"

"Never mind, force of habit. Where is Ranhuo City?"

Xie Feng had a vague impression of it, though it wasn't clear. Tie Rong had mentioned it to him when they went on a mission together before.

It seemed to be a small city north of the Tianque Sect. There was an earth-fire fissure in the city that had been converted by the Tianque Sect into a fire source for Artifact Refining. Every year, the Artifact Hall of the Qingyun Sect purchased a batch of metal blanks tempered by earth-fire from Ranhuo City. The metal used by Mo Tang and Tie Rong had come from Ranhuo City.

"I commissioned someone there to forge a sword for me," Gu Jian said. "It's finished, and the swordsmith sent a message asking me to retrieve it. But after what happened in Cangyun City recently, relations between the Tianque Sect and the Qingyun Sect aren't looking good. I'm afraid going alone might cause trouble."

"What kind of sword?"

Gu Jian reached into his shirt, pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, unfolded it, and handed it over.

It was the sword diagram the swordsmith had enclosed with his letter.

"Good sword." Xie Feng folded the paper back up and handed it back.

"You can see it?" Gu Jian was surprised.

"Do you even know what polite pleasantries are?"

Gu Jian fell silent for a moment before speaking:

"The swordsmith's surname is Huo, the best swordsmith in Ranhuo City. Even the Artifact Refining Elders of the Tianque Sect have to address him as Master Huo." Gu Jian stuffed the sword diagram back into his robe and hung his old sword back on his waist.

"He originally came from the Qingyun Sect, but left twenty years ago over an old matter and moved to Ranhuo City. The sword is a favor he owed my Master, which is why he agreed to forge it for me. But Ranhuo City is now Tianque Sect territory, and ever since the incident in Cangyun City, the Tianque Sect has been keeping a close eye on anyone from the Qingyun Sect. As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect, getting into the city won't be difficult, but taking the sword and leaving might cause trouble."

Xie Feng tapped his blind cane on the ground. "Master Huo, the top dog of Tianjin? Then I really ought to go check it out."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Gu Jian asked, completely bewildered.

"Ranhuo City hasn't been peaceful lately," Gu Jian added. "Master Huo mentioned in his letter that the city's earth-fire has been unstable over the past few months, with temperatures much higher than in previous years. The Tianque Sect sent several groups to investigate, but couldn't find anything. Later, the Imperial Court intervened, claiming that Ranhuo City's Artifact Refining fire source directly affects military equipment supplies for several surrounding prefectures and cannot be compromised, so they dispatched people to oversee the situation."

"People from the Imperial Court?"

Gu Jian looked at Xie Feng as if he were looking at a wild savage.

"The Third Princess," Gu Jian said. "The Third Princess of the royal family, Fifth Layer of the Fourth Realm. She's stationed in Ranhuo City with a squad of Imperial Guards. Nominally, she's overseeing the operation, but in reality, she's keeping a close eye on both the Tianque Sect and the Qingyun Sect to prevent us from causing trouble in Ranhuo City."

Xie Feng tapped his fingers on his blind cane twice. Tu Ziguan had mentioned it before, but he hadn't expected it to be so serious. Judging by Gu Jian's description, things seemed to be escalating quite fiercely.

Regarding the incident in Cangyun City, the Qingyun Sect had seized defense control of the city from the Tianque Sect, leaving the Tianque Sect humiliated. The paper-thin pretense that existed between the two Sects had been torn open, yet neither side dared to completely break into open warfare.

Anomalies plagued all corners of the Nine Provinces; if the two Sects truly went to war, those anomalies would take advantage of the chaos.

Thus, the Tianque Sect could only swallow their grievance, and the Qingyun Sect refrained from rubbing salt in the wound. However, the lower-ranking Disciples didn't share that restraint. Verbal arguments and minor skirmishes between the young Disciples of both Sects had been constant whenever they crossed paths. The Sect leadership turned a blind eye—so long as no one died, they pretended not to notice.

As it happened, Ranhuo City was Tianque Sect territory, yet the Qingyun Sect's Artifact Hall purchased raw Materials from there every year. This city was one of the most active hubs of economic exchange between the two Sects, making it the primary flashpoint for friction following the Cangyun City incident.

"The Third Princess, huh?" Xie Feng murmured the title under his breath. He had never met anyone from the royal family, but Wen Yushu had mentioned them. The imperial family of the Nine Provinces was surnamed Zhou, possessing centuries of Legacy with its own cultivation system and secret methods, operating parallel to the Sect system.

Sect Cultivators looked down on royal Cultivators, considering them "caged birds" lacking the edge honed through life-or-death battles. Royal Cultivators looked down on Sect Cultivators, considering them "stray dogs" with no discipline. Neither side cared for the other, yet neither wished to provoke a confrontation.

"She can mind her business, and we'll retrieve our sword," Xie Feng said, standing up. "When do we leave?"

Gu Jian looked at him. "Aren't you going to ask why I invited you?"

"Why should I care?" Xie Feng tapped his blind cane on the ground. "You're going to pick up a sword, not to pick a fight. Bringing someone with high cultivation would draw attention. Bringing me? The Tianque Sect won't even look twice at me."

Gu Jian offered a faint smile.

"Tomorrow morning. We'll meet at the South Gate."

He turned and walked toward the gate, stopping just before stepping out. "Is Tu Ziguan coming?"

"Go ask him. I'm not his father."

Gu Jian nodded, stepped over the threshold, and departed.

Xie Feng sat on the threshold for a short while, then stood up and headed over to the neighboring courtyard. Tu Ziguan was squatting in the yard with a copper shell of an earth-shaking thunder in front of him, holding a carving knife as he added a new bend to the rune circuit.

"Gu Jian is going to Ranhuo City to pick up a sword," Xie Feng said, standing at the doorway. "Leaving early tomorrow morning. You coming?"

Tu Ziguan looked up, his carving knife freezing in midair. "Ranhuo City? The one owned by the Tianque Sect?"

"Yeah."

"Gu Jian is retrieving a sword, but what are you going for?"

"He said things haven't been peaceful over there lately, with the earth-fire being unstable, so he's bringing me along just in case."

"Bring a blind man with zero cultivation just in case?"

"Your tongue's getting pretty sharp lately. I'm tagging along to check it out since I want to forge a new blind cane anyway."

Tu Ziguan put down the carving knife and brushed off the copper shavings on his hands. "Sure. The fourth version of the earth-shaking thunder is almost finished modifying anyway, and I haven't seen copper ingots tempered by Ranhuo City's earth-fire yet. Might as well go open my eyes."

Xie Feng nodded and went to the Sect's exchange office. He converted all his past mission contributions into physical goods to carry with him, preparing to purchase some high-quality Materials when they reached Ranhuo City.

He conveniently stuffed the statue of Tsathoggua into his sleeve as well.

Xie Feng gazed toward the statue for a moment before lying down. He had a long journey ahead tomorrow.