With his disciple’s departure, the Third Elder cleared his throat and redirected his gaze to the sheath at Kenja’s side. Made from jade with the color of blood, such a sensational sheath should contain an impressive weapon.

“This old man has a thing for weapons. May I?”

His gesturing eyebrows and explicit request left Kenja no room for misinterpretation. Hiding his reluctance, Kenja swiftly unsheathed Sakura and passed her to the Third Elder, praying nothing would go wrong.

The Third Elder examined the sword closely, bringing the blade to his eyes for a closer inspection. He slid his thumb against the edge with the air of a professional.

Sakura remained motionless.

While the elder did not show any change in emotion, he was thoroughly unimpressed.

The sword had the appearance of mortal iron. Moreover, countless years had passed since it had left its originating furnace…

No additional alloys…

No extra enhancements…

No infused inscriptions…

No reinforcing runes…

…Nothing!

Even the wooden hilt appeared to have been carelessly carved into a perfectly plain mold!

A sword in this condition was sure to break within the next five strokes against any other common blade.

The elder coldly glanced at the blood-red sheath, feeling that his expectations were led astray because of it.

Carrying such a faulty sword around, it could only be for sentimental reasons.

“Disciple seeks elder’s advice.”

Kenja’s sentence that was neither hurried nor impolite brought him back to the present.

Elder Kondo puffed his chest out and cleared his throat a couple of times to build up suspense.

“There is a saying that the sharpest blade is the simplest one,” he stated while nodding his head in feigned approval.

He was hoping to pay a compliment to Kenja’s sword in order to improve this niece’s perception of him, but how was he supposed to know that the beautiful and expensive-looking sheath would hold a worthless blade?

His indirect, flowery words might have sounded extravagant and praiseworthy, but this philosophical balderdash was all he could conjure up without blatantly lying through his teeth, hoping Kenja and the other elders would not see through his act.

Kenja believed the praise was sincere, so he was happy for his companion and replied, “Her name is Kimura Sakura.”

Third Elder Kondo was dumbfounded by Kenja’s reply. He blinked several times at him to see if he was joking, but seeing no sign of falsehood in Kenja’s enchanting smile, he could only play along.

He cleared his throat again to wipe away the awkwardness in his mind.

“An exquisite name.”

It was odd for a sword to have a name like a human, let alone a gender.

Many big-headed cultivators would gloat about their weapons, shamelessly bragging about some name or story they fabricated for glory.

Over the years, Elder Kondo had witnessed plenty of these incidents—Thousand-Armed Blade, Twin Dragon Edge, Elegant Tiger Knife. One idiot servant who did not understand the concept of time thought he had found an unparalleled magic sword and named it the Century Millenium Sword.

Such stupidity!

But Kenja did not throw out any airs nor was the name imposing. He behaved as if the name was just a fact unrelated to him, treating the sword not as an object but a respected person with their own identity separate from him.

To a blacksmith who pursued the Dao of Weapons, Kenja became more pleasing to the eye.

Third Elder knew a good bond with one’s weapon was paramount to understanding the Dao of Weapons. Cultivators of such temperament were rare but would often accomplish great things in the future, especially in regards to the weaponry they wielded.

Such a shame…

He held Sakura by the hilt and waved her a couple of times through the air.

That a sword of such poor make and quality would receive such good treatment from its owner.

Sakura was too light and flimsy to be classified as a good weapon. The metal blade was dulled from the passage of time, and the hilt had been worn out to the extent that it might shatter if he exerted a little more force.

“Un. A good heirloom. It must have gone through many fierce battles in its prime.”

Kenja was uncertain why he called Sakura an heirloom, but he went along with it. As soon as this elder was done talking with him, he could return to his cave and resume cultivating until Elder Kazane returned.

It took three years!

Three years of continuous training and repeated spying, with the help of a magic snail and sword, while being coerced into masquerading as a woman, and he could finally, barely cultivate.

Now that he had made some progress, he wanted to resume meditating in seclusion as soon as possible.

He had a lot of time to make up for, so the sooner this elder would leave, the sooner he could get back inside!

It took everything he had to withhold excusing himself prematurely.

Third Elder Kondo peeked back at the other elders before covertly erecting a barrier around Kenja and himself, isolating their conversation from the others.

The other three elders frowned when they saw this.

“Che, what does he mean by this?”

“It’s obvious. He wants to intimidate my little disciple.”

“Whose little disciple? Fourth Brother shouldn’t joke about such things else I’ll tell Fifth Sister.”

“Sixth Brother must be the one joking. You’re here for the same reason.”

A spark flashed between the Fourth and Sixth Elder’s locked eyes.

“I came to deliver pills in accordance with my responsibilities, che che che,” the tall elder chuckled sneeringly at the short elder.

His meaning was obvious: he had a good reason to start a dialogue with Hirai Hikaru while the Fourth Elder was here to shamelessly poach a direct disciple from his Fifth Sister.

“I didn’t know being a delivery boy was one of Sixth Brother’s duties,” Ariyoshi Miji jeered in retaliation, “Besides, Little Hikaru and I have already had a fated encounter, tackling the same challenge side-by-side.”

“My challenge! Che, you guessing randomly for many years while she did it on her first day. I can definitely see the fate between you two! At least Fourth Brother’s stories are tall,” he replied with seething sarcasm while mocking him.

Both of their faces darkened as the sparks between them intensified.

The sound of someone sipping another cup of tea nearby reminded them that they had one more competitor that might pose a bigger problem than each other.

They brought their conflict to an end with a snort and refocused their gazes on their Third Brother who was having a private conversation with their shared target.

…

“Niece may be unaware of this, but this old man is more than an admirer of weapons. I am a blacksmith.”

“Un. Disciple knows. Third Elder’s name resounds loudly beyond the sect’s walls.”

Kenja heard a few things about the elders from his childhood in Ryuga, and he had learned more from Puchi and several other disciples along with bits of gossip from the bazaar merchants he haggled with.

Third Elder Kondo was the leading blacksmith and weapons expert. His physical strength was his strongest attribute, and he had achieved a high level of mastery with several different weapons, both for battle and for forging purposes. It was public knowledge that he was not great at communicating with the opposite gender, not that he was aware of this shortcoming.

First Elder Kaitou Daiki handled the sect’s affairs and treasury along with supervising the vice elders. Rumored to be cultivating a secret technique, he rarely ever appeared outside his cave. He originally came to Ryuga from another continent more than a century ago, but a discipleship with the previous elder gave him a stepping stone to becoming the First Elder.

Second Elder Inazuma was the only spiritual architect in the sect. Rarely made an appearance outside of his studio, people described him as a man with many scars and burns. An oddball and an eccentric, he focused more on spiritual tools than on his own cultivation. Plus, he was a tea addict. He rarely interacted with the sect aside from the other elders and his tea girl Aracha.

Fourth Elder Ariyoshi Miji cultivated his body and martial arts while dabbling in formations. Despite his short stature, his athletic prowess and combat adaptability was said to be the highest amongst the elders. Although he was famous for his temper when someone mocked him for his height, he did not shy away from mentioning it when it benefited him, displaying his adaptability.

Fifth Elder and Kenja’s new master Kazane Kazue delved in enchantments and spent most of her time cultivating her first disciple, Aoi Rin. While the elders could be classified as aloof, being the only woman amongst the elders, Elder Kazane kept to herself even more than the other Elders. Supposedly, she was a native to Ryuga, but she had spent a large portion of her life outside the Freezing Desert.

Finally, Sixth Elder Gao Diao was the head pill alchemist and apothecary. Similar to the First Elder, he came from outside the Freezing Desert decades ago and quickly rose to elder status due to his proficiency in pill concoction. He had a distinct laugh that would accompany his speech.

Scratching his sideburn in delight, Third Elder Kondo smiled at Kenja tenderly. His impression of Kenja improved further.

The elders of any sect were treated with the utmost respect and veneration by both the sect disciples and most outsiders, but it was for this reason that treatment towards an elder varied radically and extremely.

Oftentimes, whether by reverence or by fear, disciples would remain silent and steer away from an elder’s path. Others with a braver heart would brown-nose an elder, praising them to the heavens, hoping to obtain special treatment as a result.

Technically, neither conduct was wrong, but from the perspective of an elder, a balance between the two was the most desirable.

Kenja’s words were well-measured.

They gave Elder Kondo the chance to regain some lost face with the spectating sect without over-embellishment. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Kenja, Elder Kondo had already erected a sound barrier to prevent any eavesdropping.

Still, Kenja’s gesture did not go unappreciated.

“Mm. What does niece think of forging?”

Kenja was puzzled.

“Disciple asks Elder to forgive. Disciple is ignorant.”

Thinking that the issue with Matsushita Hizumi had reached an end, Kenja was politely going along with the conversation to give the elder a platform to retreat from. But now, it seemed like there was something else the elder wanted to talk about.

“Good. Good. Take a look at this.”

Using his free hand, the Third Elder took out a different sword from his storage bag and held it to Kenja with his free hand.

Bewildered, Kenja did as requested and examined the sword in front of him.

It was nearly twice the length and several times thicker than Sakura with a sleek and unblemished surface that only appeared on recently-forged metal. He could sense a powerful wave of Qi surrounding the blade.

He could tell the caliber of the sword was clearly beyond the comprehension of a Qi Flourishing cultivator like himself.

“Disciple is inexperienced, but disciple feels this sword is unfathomable.”

Elder Kondo’s smile grew and nodded his head several times in agreement. This was not how he had planned to reveal the sword he made for the first time, but he finally got to show it off. Kenja’s critique pleased him immensely.

“Mm. Here, hold it.”

Passing the sword to him, Kenja was forced to grab it with both hands. He nearly fell over due to the sheer weight of the object.

Kenja could feel a violent power between his palms that he could not control as if he was holding a bull by the horns unlike when he held Sakura who instilled in him a sense of gentleness and security.

“...Disciple can tell this sword is amazing.” Although he was more comfortable wielding Sakura, he would often forget she was a weapon; whereas, he felt he could do some serious damage with this blade if he could swing it.

“Mm. Mm.”

He looked at Elder Kondo’s face for a sign of what to do with the sword but only met a surprised look that quickly switched to a more expectant and happy expression, nodding in approval.

“Disciple wishes to ask…what is Elder’s meaning?”

Elder Kondo replied tersely, “Trade swords.”

“Trade swords?”

Kenja’s mouth was opened slightly, unsure of what to say.

Now that they had exchanged a few words, Kenja came to the conclusion that this elder’s conversational skills were, indeed, a bit lacking like the rumors said as he jumped from one random point to another with no obvious train of logic.

All of a sudden, he wanted to trade swords?

Kenja grew silent, his confusion about what the Third Elder wanted escalating.

“Trade your sword for this one. It can handle the strength of a crystallized core. Will serve you well in the future.”

Kenja’s eyebrows knitted tightly in hesitation.

Kenja’s troubled expression perplexed Elder Kondo. “Unwilling?”

“Now’s our chance, disciple! Let’s get rid of this promiscuous girl once and for all. This new sword’s a tad too fragile for me, but it’s not a bad start for you. Much more reliable than that toothpick,” whispered Snail so that only Kenja could hear him.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kenja replied, “Disciple asks for Elder’s understanding. Disciple has attachments to that sword. Won’t trade it for anything.”

Kenja held out the heavy sword to return it to Elder Kondo.

He was enticed by the sword’s obvious appeal, but Kimura Sakura was not just a sword. Although it had been only a week since they met, he considered her a companion. Additionally, she was definitely special in some way; otherwise, the pillars would not have praised her so highly. And most importantly, she contributed to his cultivation.

Plus, she helped Kenja deal with Snail…

The elder frowned at Sakura in annoyance. Preferring this scrap metal over his masterpiece, he felt humiliated.

After stealing a quick glance at the other elders, his head made a slight nod at Kenja.

“Careful, disciple!”

Before Kenja could register Snail’s warning, he suddenly grew dizzy, and his knees felt weak. Losing control of his lower body, he began to fall forward.

Acting fast, he weakly stabbed the ground with the Third Elder’s sword, managing to stay upright thanks to its help.

Looking back at the Third Elder, Kenja questioned his actions, “If Elder wishes to punish disciple, Elder should report disciple’s crime.”

The elder was surprised by Kenja’s resistance. “No crime. If you wish to study my craft, you must recognize me as master. Now, hurry and kowtow. Do you need this master’s help?”

Kenja was dumbfounded.

Who said anything about studying under you?!

And what kind of master would force someone to worship him?

That defeated the purpose of the ceremony!

Kenja reflected on their brief exchange and could not understand how they reached this point. Elder Kondo had clearly skipped several steps and broken several rules regarding the art of simple communication.

“It’s coming again!” Snail warned.

Before he could provide Third Elder Kondo with an answer, Kenja was attacked by a more powerful round of vertigo than the previous time. The sword that he struggled to hold onto for stability was knocked to the ground by an invisible force.

With his legs still feeling like jelly, his bent body followed gravity’s course and fell forward, his arms limp at his sides.

Instinctively, he braced for impact and closed his eyes, ready for his face to meet the grass…