The disciples of the Fire Cloud Hall were filled with ambition. The Fire Cloud Hall certainly had an advantage in resources, but it had never been able to translate that into an advantage in power and influence. The Holy Hall’s foundational techniques were the sa for every hall, and disciples like Li Tianyi were rare exceptions. When it ca to practical application, the Dao Guang Hall had always been dominant, giving the other Sub-Halls no opportunities at all. Furthermore, the Dao Guang Hall had created a virtuous cycle. The most talented disciples preferred to join them, aning the best only got better, making it even more difficult for the other halls. If they wanted to catch up, they needed a creative change.
But Yao Yuan had done it!
This was the Fire Cloud Hall’s chance. Song Zhong could see the fire burning in his junior brothers’ eyes.
They had waited for this day for a long ti!
"Senior, Senior, this is bad! She’s here!" a Fire Cloud Hall disciple rushed in, pale with panic.
The group inside was in high spirits, but Song Zhong’s face imdiately grew stern. "What’s the matter? Why are you in such a panic? Show so discipline!"
The disciple jumped in fright and imdiately fell silent. Only then did Song Zhong ask, "Who’s here?"
"Miss Zhao has arrived..."
Instantly, everyone in the room shared a bitter smile. The Fire Cloud Hall was the Zhao Family’s sphere of influence, much like the Thunderlight Hall was to Thunderbolt. Zhao Tianlong himself had risen from the Fire Cloud Hall, and unlike others, he took a keen interest in its managent.
Zhao Lingxuan might not officially join the Fire Cloud Hall in the future, but Zhao Tianlong didn’t stop her from coming here to make her presence known. After all, this was the Zhao Family’s private garden.
But Song Zhong and the others really couldn’t stand Miss Zhao. On the surface, Miss Zhao was kind, amiable, and very well-behaved. Generally speaking... she didn’t cause trouble. But when she did, she was an absolute monster!
They say won are fickle, but there are usually patterns to follow and preferences to learn. Little girls, however—especially clever ones—were the most terrifying of all. You could never figure out what they truly wanted. And the worst part was, in Zhao Tianlong’s eyes, his daughter Zhao Lingxuan was obedient and sensible, a worthy heir to the Great Dao. He had no idea about her other side, and who would be brave—or foolish—enough to tell him otherwise?
Song Zhong and the others had been fooled by her act before, and the consequences had been miserable. Once, Zhao Lingxuan had insisted on playing hide-and-seek in the Fire Cloud Cave. She ended up placing a seal on a group of disciples, trapping them inside for ten days. Officially, they had to claim they were on a special training mission to appreciate the hardships of their ancestors.
"Little Zhongzi, get out here!"
Everyone else looked at their usually invincible Senior with pity. So miseries in life are simply unavoidable.
Song Zhong composed himself and hurried out to greet her, a brilliant smile plastered on his face. This smile should not be underestimated. Song Zhong had practiced it for a month, ever since Zhao Lingxuan had told him he had an unattractive face, which looked even uglier when he wasn’t smiling. A bad smile would put her in a bad mood, and when she was in a bad mood, she made trouble for everyone.
"What a pleasant surprise, Junior Sister! If you’d let know you were coming, I would have prepared a proper welco."
Zhao Lingxuan waved her hand. "Is Wang ng here?"
Song Zhong froze for a mont, his mind racing. ’What is she up to now?’ He always tried to see the bigger picture, even concerning the Magical Combat at the Hundred Treasures Hall eting. ’Could this be part of so arrangent from the Ancestral Master?’
Song Zhong didn’t dare to speculate wildly. Still, the fact that she had co looking for Wang ng—and had tracked him all the way here—was completely baffling. But looking at her expression, and knowing her personality... Song Zhong had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
"That brat was here earlier. He wanted to buy so good ore, so I sent him to the Fire Cloud Cave to do a little mining. If you’re still angry, Junior Sister, I have other ways to deal with him. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"
Song Zhong patted his chest as he spoke. This was his territory, after all. As long as he didn’t make too big a scene, teaching an ordinary disciple a lesson was a piece of cake.
Zhao Lingxuan’s expression soured instantly. She brought her foot down hard on Song Zhong’s instep, making the Fire Cloud Hall’s number one figure almost bite his tongue in pain. Behind him, the assembled Fire Cloud Hall experts fell deathly silent, all staring intently at the floor. This was Zhao Lingxuan being *polite* to their Senior. With anyone else, she might have just drawn her sword.
Maintaining his smile through the pain, Song Zhong said, "Junior Sister, who angered you? Just say the word, and I’ll take so n to teach them a lesson!"
"You! You’re the Senior in charge of the Fire Cloud Hall! Why aren’t you helping people!"
Song Zhong’s smile imdiately twisted into a pained grimace. Even an idiot could have figured it out by now: Zhao Lingxuan wasn’t angry, she was worried.
"Ahem," Song Zhong said with a slight smile. "Actually, I was just testing his sincerity. If I helped every single person who ca to for aid, the Fire Cloud Hall would be picked clean! The Ancestral Master himself would have my hide." ’This Zhao Lingxuan might be a troublemaker,’ he thought, ’but she’s usually reasonable at her core. I just never thought she’d stick her neck out for such a trivial matter.’
"That’s right. Our Senior is in a tough spot. He even had to turn down Senior Sister Yang," Fang Lufei added with a smile.
Zhao Lingxuan’s large eyes darted around. "Senior Sister Yang was here?"
"Yes, she wanted us to make an exception for the Thunderlight Hall, but our Senior stuck to his principles."
Zhao Lingxuan bead. "Brother Song, I misunderstood you just now. No wonder the Ancestral Master always praises you."
Those words sent Song Zhong into a state of ecstasy. He didn’t care about anyone else, but Zhao Tianlong was the one person he absolutely could not afford to offend. One could say Zhao Tianlong held the key to his future success.
"Junior Sister, it’s my duty. I can ignore others, but if you’re the one asking, I can always make a special exception."
Song Zhong chuckled, offering Zhao Lingxuan this verbal ’gift’. ’No matter how clever a child is, their life experience is still limited. As long as you play to their interests, they’re much easier to handle.’
"I haven’t gone to play in the Fire Cloud Cave for ages. Let’s all go take a look. We can also see for ourselves if this disciple from Thunderlight Hall is truly sincere."
At the ntion of the Fire Cloud Cave, everyone’s expressions stiffened. The mories of what happened last ti were clearly still fresh, and it had been a truly awful experience.
Zhao Lingxuan smiled faintly. "Don’t worry," she said. "I’m here on proper business this ti."
Song Zhong gave an awkward laugh and had no choice but to lead the group. He grumbled internally, ’Proper business? What kind of proper business could a little brat like her possibly have?’
「anwhile」
Wang ng and Yang Ying had already ventured deep into the Fire Cloud Cave. The act of mining was clearly a foreign concept to Yang Ying; it was her first ti here. The environnt inside was admittedly terrible. Many disciples, mostly those of lower rank, were busy digging away. Yang Ying’s arrival caused many to stare in a daze, but she and Wang ng moved quickly, heading straight for the cave’s deeper regions.
The Fire Cloud Cave was vast and deep, rumored to be bottomless. The deeper one went, the higher the chance of finding good ore, and perhaps even so unexpected treasures. However, the pressure also increased with depth to the point of causing suffocation. After several accidents, the Fire Cloud Cave had been divided into different zones based on level.
The outermost areas were Zones A, B, C, and D. Generally, disciples stayed within Zones A and B, while Elders might venture into C and D. As for anything deeper, that was beyond the concern of disciples.
Wang ng and Yang Ying had no desire to linger with the others, so they continued deeper. Carrying the pickaxe on his shoulder, Wang ng certainly looked the part.
"Do we need to go even deeper?" Yang Ying asked.
Given Wang ng’s strength at the Fifteenth Layer, Zone A was the most suitable place for him. He could manage Zone B, but the spiritual energy consumption would be imnse. The problem was, she couldn’t tell if Wang ng was just acting out of spite or if he actually had a plan.
"The ore veins here are too sparse. We need to go deeper," Wang ng said.
He had absolutely no experience with mining; even in his past life, he wouldn’t have done such hard labor unless he had nothing better to do. The whole way, he had been trying to sense the ore veins. They belonged to the tal of the Five Elents, but the concentrations near the surface were too thin to be of any real use.
Upon reaching Zone B, the number of disciples thinned out considerably. The few who were present were mostly Body Cultivation Disciples, for whom mining also served as a form of endurance training.
Defensive Body Cultivators could use the imnse pressure to temper and strengthen their bodies. In contrast, offensive Power Cultivators didn’t mind the act of mining itself, as it was essentially a form of explosive attack training.
Once they reached Zone B, Wang ng slowed his pace. His sense of the tal of the Five Elents was much stronger here.
Yang Ying watched him quietly. ’Why did he co here if he’s not going to mine? Is he just planning to try his luck?’
"Isn’t that Senior Sister Yang?" a surprised voice called out. Before them stood a sturdily built Power Cultivator.
"Junior Brother Guo, long ti no see."
"Haha, I’m buried in the mines every day, so it’s hard to see anyone," the Power Cultivator laughed in the dim light, his smile revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"Wang ng, let introduce you," Yang Ying said. "This is Guo Rongjin, a disciple from Hengshan Hall. He’s nicknad the ’Soul of the Mines’ and is a master who hides his true strength." She then added, "This is Wang ng, a disciple from Thunderlight Hall."
"Haha, enough with the ’master’ talk. I’m just an old miner," he laughed. "Junior Brother Wang, co on, shake my hand!"
As he spoke, he extended a large hand. Wang ng reached out his own. A sudden, imnse force surged through their grip. They were locked in a brief stalemate before Guo Rongjin let go, looking slightly surprised.
"Junior Brother Wang, you’re really sothing. How co I’ve never heard of you before?"
Wang ng couldn’t help but chuckle. The man was certainly direct.
"Junior Brother Wang only joined in the last couple of years," Yang Ying explained. "He’s here because the ore quality at the Thunderlight Hall is too poor."
"Haha, that must be Song Zhong being a cheapskate again! Since fate brought us together, let lead the way. I know this place like the back of my hand," Guo Rongjin said.
’This man’s strength is certainly impressive,’ Wang ng thought. ’And his elental affinity is tal. Even though he can’t use Five Elents Techniques after becoming a Power Cultivator, his sensitivity to ores is much stronger than an ordinary disciple’s. It seems my opponent from Hengshan Hall really wasn’t giving it his all back then.’
"Although Zone B has better reserves than Zone A, it’s not by much. We should go a little deeper. What grade of ore does Hengshan Hall need?"
Guo Rongjin asked warmly, and Wang ng happened to notice his pickaxe. It was definitely not an ordinary tool.
Wang ng smiled. "We’re just looking to procure a relatively good batch. Of course, the more the better."
"Heh, for that, you’ll probably have to talk to Song Zhong. Generally, anything below Fifth Grade is negotiable, but there’s no hope for anything Fifth Grade or higher. That’s all reserved for Artifact Refining."
"Junior Brother Wang is mainly here to practice his forging, so Third-Grade ore should be sufficient. Anything higher would be wasted on him. The problem is, Thunderlight Hall only has First-Grade Ore," Yang Ying explained.
Guo Rongjin sized up Wang ng. "If I’m not mistaken, you’re a Sword Cultivator, right? A Sword Cultivator practicing forging is a complete waste of ti. You’d be better off spending that effort on your Sword Technique. Don’t bite off more than you can chew."
"Junior Brother Guo is as blunt as ever," Yang Ying remarked.
"Haha, it’s just a habit! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be hiding out here for peace and quiet. Life should be simple. If you feel like cultivating, cultivate. If you’re bored, dig for so ore and hope for a surprise. If you get restless, go out, soak up so sun, and pick a fight."
"I doubt that’s the whole story," Yang Ying said. "The grand tournant is just around the corner. I’m looking forward to your performance, Junior Brother Guo."
"Haha, by then, I’m sure your Phoenix Dance Green Fall Sword will have reached the stage of Great Success, Senior Sister. But even if I’m just embarrassing myself, I’m looking forward to it too."
In the last tournant, Guo Rongjin had been defeated by Yang Ying’s sword, but his strength had earned her respect.
Never underestimate a person who is truly focused.
*(To be continued. If you like this story, please co to Qidian and vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)*
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