"Are you done washing?! Stop dawdling!"
Hearing the impatient urging, Tie Dan casually used the herbs meant for strengthening his muscles and bones to scrub himself down. After washing up and changing into a robe, he came out.
The Sword Sect disciple outside initially intended to scold him for dawdling, but upon seeing Tie Dan come out, his previously disheveled appearance now paired with a fierce face obscured by long hair, he was momentarily taken aback.
It suddenly dawned on him that this person had been ordered to be confined not only because he left the mountain on his own but also because he had killed many fellow sect members. This realization forced him to suddenly brake hard on the reckless path to doom, swallowed his saliva, and softened his tone:
"The medicinal meal is ready. Eat slowly! Itâs not my problem if you gorge yourself to death!"
Tie Dan hadnât expected that in addition to having a medicinal bath available for washing, there would actually be a medicinal meal prepared as well. He suspectedly glanced at it and found that it indeed was a medicinal meal. Of course, it wasnât as good as the takeout he had snatched during a chess game at Cloud Platform, but it was the regular food for sect disciples. It had meat and vegetables, and the nutrition seemed quite balancedâat least it wasnât short on weight or filled with sand or bugs.
It seemed that, at least on the surface, the sect kept up appearances: they fought and killed, but they didnât indulge in those insidious, disgusting tricks.
Pity there was no wine, a definite downside.
So Tie Dan ate slowly. The Sword Sect disciple didnât bother him, just sat nearby, cross-legged, practicing breathing technique, apparently solely responsible for watching over him.
Tie Dan had been eating for a while when a white crane descended from the sky.
The disciple promptly knelt on the ground, bowing,
"Greetings, Lord He!"
Tie Dan sat still, eating his porridge unhurriedly. Though his head didnât move, his eyes eerily turned, staring at the craneâs thighs like a wolf.
The crane was unnerved by his gaze, swallowed some saliva, turned its face away, and cleared its throat with a "Cough cough, ahem!"
"The Sword Pavilion has orders! Outer Mountain Disciples Tie Dan and Wu Di! Both of you have completed the Golden Core Realm! Depart immediately to Yin Mountain for the tribulation!"
Wu Di was extremely nervous, shouting loudly,
"We comply with the edict!"
Tie Dan responded with a "Slurp slurp slurp."
The crane continued, "Cough cough ahem! This time you are leaving the mountain, acting for the Mountain Gate! You may each take a sword and two pots of elixirs!"
Wu Di, "Thank you, Master..."
Tie Dan suddenly jumped up,
"Is this for real?!"
The crane and Wu Di were both startled,
"Of course, of course! Humph! Whatâs a Sword Sect disciple without a sword!"
Tie Dan was surprised,
"So generous? Can we really take a sword from the Sword Pavilion!"
The crane hesitated, then burst into uproarious laughter!
Tie Dan frowned,
"Why, not the Sword Pavilion, hmm, the Sword Tomb will do as well."
Lord He laughed even louder, mocking with a sharp mouth,
"Pah! Just an Outer Mountain man! Do you really think you can take a sword from the mountain? Do you deserve it!
The blacksmith shops down the mountain are run by those from the mountain; pick one and scram!"
Then the crane flapped his wings and flew away.
Tie Dan wasnât angry; instead, he seemed to come to a realization, with a look that said, "Ah, I knew it, I thought I was at a fake Sword Sect," then he calmly sat back down to drink his porridge.
Wu Di initially smiled along, but the smile soon froze on his face. Although the insults were directed at Tie Dan, he too showed a face of shared sorrow and felt despondent.
Kissing up is useless; the outer mountain remains the outer mountain.
However, the swords crafted by the blacksmith shops werenât bad either. After all, they were made for the sect disciples by those from the mountain, with top-grade materials and craftsmanship.
Besides, whatâs the point of all those fancy decorative functionalities on a swordâit just needs to kill people.
So Tie Dan chose a 3-foot 6-inch Mystic Iron Sword, while Wu Di picked a 7-foot bin iron long sword. Both had sword inscription talismans on them, which probably would slightly increase the damage of Nine Luminaries Sword Qi.
As for those two pots of elixirs, they werenât anything rare, but the quantity was indeed ample, filling two large bronze elixir pots to the brim.
One pot was called âStrengthening Body and Mind Pill,â and the other âFalling and Striking Blood Clotting Healing Pill,â such straightforward names; clearly one boosts attack, and the other enhances health. Taken either internally or externally, it highlighted its practicality.
What? Why arenât there any nourishing Qi pills? Heh, whatâs an Outer Mountain man thinking? Even if they gave you Spiritual Qi Pills, do you have a special magic treasure to store them? If put in your pocket, the Spiritual Qi might disperse within days.
Of course, Tie Dan actually had a gourd to store pills, but since they wouldnât even let him go up to Cloud Platform anymore, they surely wouldnât give him good stuff.
After all, as an Outer Mountain person, he was solitary with little attachment. With a little preparation, he went down the mountain heading north.
For Mystic Sect Disciples reaching the Golden Core Realm, going out for training in pairs was a common rule. Moreover, since the mountain provided swords and elixirs, it appeared the Sword Sect truly regarded this as a balance of merits and faults, closing the Chapter on the private escape after a three-month imprisonment.
The disciple accompanying Tie Dan on this outing was Wu Di, also from the outer mountain. Cultivation among Sword Sect disciples was indeed solid, and those able to form their cores were certainly not ordinary. Though he didnât know escape skills nor could perform sword flight, along the way, he could alternately use Purple Mist and Red Evil Sword Qi to shield his body, traveling a hundred miles daily.
Tie Danâs Black Sword sword power was completely drained by that Heavenly Blade fellow, and though he reforged his sword for three months, the nature of Heavenly Ruin Sword Qi seemed to change with it, but his sword power had fallen back to the Foundation Establishment stage from the Golden Core Peak. However, the strength of Heavenly Ruin Sword Qi lay in its zero consumption, allowing him to move without rest relentlessly, so he could keep up.
Wu Di was very different from Tang Tong in character, being taciturn, just diligently walking, giving Tie Dan a peaceful environment. Without speaking a single word, they traversed mountains and ridges, quickly arriving at a Yizhuang.