Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

The ground around Happy was so clean that it looked as if it had been washed!

  "This is amazing…"

  Compared to the nameless Murong Clan that was built in the middle of a busy street, the mighty northern clan was indeed much more stylish. Its Sword Crafting Hall alone was enough to make them gain a great status among the eight aristocratic families.

  It was no wonder then why the descendents of the former royal family—the Murong Clan—who had a lot of money and power acc.u.mulated, would treat them as a great enemy.

  The mighty northern clan did have the money and strength to be arrogant!

  The door of Sword Crafting Hall was very wide. It was the size of twelve doors, and there was endless heat coming out of it.

  The expressions of all disciples who got close to it turned grave, but they said nothing.

  That included the mighty northern clan disciples who stood at the entrance. They were half-n.a.k.e.d, revealing their chiseled c.h.e.s.ts. There were also some Sword Sect disciples who were dressed in long white robes and had extraordinary elegance, along with the disciples of the Nangong Clan, who were dressed in brocade robes and looked very noble.

  The mighty northern clansmen were naturally dealing with the heat well. They had to stay for a long period of time in Sword Crafting Hall and had a unique qi cultivation technique that helped them deal with the heat. When they were competing with each other, most of the time, they were just paying attention to the strength of those from Sword Sect and the Nangong Clan.

  The Moksha Realm disciples had already stood at the entrance for a long time.

  The faces of the Sword Sect disciples were covered in sweat. Their robes were drenched, and the sweat on their palms fell to the floor from their swords. But their gazes remained firm, and they never took a step away from their spot.

  It was the same case for the Nangong Clan disciples. Even though the heat came crashing at them in waves and they felt suffocated, they did not want to admit defeat. They gritted their teeth and persevered, which filled the mighty northern clansmen with admiration.

  The thirty-six people might not have high qi realms, but they were still a rather impressive scene in Happy's eyes.

  He circulated Nine Yang Divine Skill a little before walking into Sword Crafting Hall as if he was part of the normal disciples who went in and out of Sword Crafting Hall in an endless stream.

  Sword Crafting Hall was a very majestic sight!

  A huge sword pool, which had a diameter of more than sixty-five feet, was right inside. There were more than thirty weapons of various sizes plunged into the boiling water. There were at least four furnaces and forges beside each sword pool.

  Two powerful half-n.a.k.e.d men stood by each forge. They were drenched in sweat while they swung the huge and heavy metal hammers.

  The loud and piercing sounds of hammers hitting metal were very rhythmic and reverberated through the soul.

  There were more than one hundred sword pools!

  It meant that there were more than four hundred mighty northern forgemasters working in Sword Crafting Hall at that moment!

  The loud and powerful hits gathered together to form a deafening sound wave. The booming sounds never stopped, and they hit everyone's eardrums and hearts heavily.

  The feeling of awe instantly rose in Happy's heart!

  It was the real power of the mighty northern clan…

  It was no wonder then why they could stand tall in China for so many years and be admired by all sects.

  The astonishing sight before him alone was enough to testify for everything!

  "Mu Li! I've waited for you for a long time. Why are you only here now?"

  The man in the lead pointed at the wooden bucket by the side.

  "Hurry up and move these items to Sword Pool 68."

  A few people beside the man had smiles that said that they were delighted by his misfortune.

  Happy's spiritual perception was very sharp. When he entered, he quickly discovered a secret by the edges of the sword pools. There was a number on the edge of each sword pool, and there were numbers from one to four carved on each forge by the sword pools.

  Happy guessed from the expressions of the young men that the Sword Sect disciple he was disguised as had a very low position. He was the target of teasing and pranks, and he also had to do a lot of hard labor.

  'If that's the case…'

  Happy quickly noticed some things from the young men's expressions, tone, and the environment around him. He gathered all the information he could.

  He swept his gaze over the ten or so huge wooden buckets filled with black charcoal beside the young men before he looked at the actions of a few people in the distance who held the buckets in their arms. It made an idea spring into his mind.

  He walked over quietly and grabbed two buckets that weighed more than 220 pounds. He took a bucket in each hand before he walked to Sword Pool 68.

  The group of young men stared at Happy's back with expressions that quickly turned stiff. They looked like they had seen a ghost!

  Happy had been paying attention to their reactions, and his heart instantly sank.

  'Crap.'

  Chapter 662 - I Am Mu Li

  When Happy noticed that the young men's expressions had changed, he immediately judged that he had slipped up. Based on the look of the one who bullied Mu Li, he must have displayed Arm Strength that was far stronger than Mu Li's. Happy immediately s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath, and while he circulated Nine Yang Divine Skill in preparation for anything unforeseen, he continued to quietly bring the buckets to Sword Pool 68.

  Even though he might have exposed himself, he still had some hope that as long as he was not fully exposed, there was still hope.

  After all, he had a human skin mask and a perfect disguise, so no one should suspect that he was a fake immediately. Besides, if Mu Li had stayed for a long period of time in Sword Crafting Hall, he should have the strength of a normal Sword Crafting Hall disciple. He might be bullied because he was a new member, but their understanding of him should be very low.

  Countless thoughts flashed in Happy's mind as he squashed down the churning emotions in his heart and continued steadily to the sword pool.

  Everything was just his assumptions and inferences. He could not guarantee that no accidents would happen.

  That was why he was still prepared for the worst.

  Once he forced his body and mind to calm down and ignore the deafening sound waves, he paid attention to the actions of the young men who were staring at him while daydreaming. His body was tense. At the moment they cried out in alarm or exposed him, he would throw away the wooden buckets in his hands without hesitation, forget about the quest, and slaughter his way out of Heaven Shaker Fortress!

  Even though there were people from three factions surrounding Sword Crafting Hall, Happy had Nine Yang Divine Skill protecting him. As long as he had the chance to switch his equipment, even if a Myth Realm elite came over, he might not be able to kill him.

  "That brat… He's been pretending to be a loser all this while."

  "We're from the same cohort, but he has already become so good?"

  "Could it be because we've been asking him to carry wooden buckets all day long that he became so strong?"

  "Damn it!"

  The group of young men waited for "Mu Li" to walk far into the distance with the wooden buckets before they s.u.c.k.e.d in deep breaths and discussed what they saw in whispers.

  'They're gone.'

  The conclusion the group of young men finally came up with was that their acts of lazing around and bullying others had instead made the person they usually looked down on the most become stronger and officially gain the strength of a Sword Crafting Hall disciple.

  The group then went to carry their own wooden buckets with great regret.

  Soon, the wooden buckets on the floor were divided, and the men carried them laboriously. The group of young men scattered like fleeing birds.

  'That was r
isky.' Happy heaved a long sigh.

  Once he was certain that he did not face the risk of exposing himself, he cast his attention on Sword Pool 68, which was not too far away from him.

  There were more than ten men with heavy hammers made of recondite steel in their hands surrounding it. They swung their hammers as if they weighed nothing, and the clear, pleasant, as well as rhythmic sounds of hammers striking metal were incredibly smooth there.

  The shadows of hammers practically overlapped with each other in the air. Their actions and range of movements were practically the same, but there also seemed to be slight differences, and Happy was hooked by them.

  'Northern clan, what a clan you are.'

  Happy's initial guess was that the northern clan forgemasters should be the elite of the elites of Sword Crafting Hall. They were in Inaction Realm and so strong that they could rival people from Sword Sect.

  Happy suddenly felt that things were a little strange.

  The mighty northern clan had built up a lot of power over the years, so how many people would Sword Sect need to send before they could suppress the northern clan and safely steal Heaven Crystal away from them as well as the Nangong Clan?

  While thinking about it, Happy imitated the other disciples and put the items next to the forge. Then, while he was under the forgemasters' contemplative gazes, he moved to the next place.

  "Over here!"

  The other forges also started calling for additional materials.

  However, every time Happy got close to the sword pools, the heat wave that came charging at his face would make him feel suffocated, and his mood would drop.

  Fortunately, his Nine Yang Divine Skill could circulate at will.

  "Mu Li, come here."

  Once Happy left Sword Pool 68, he heard a familiar voice calling to him. That voice entered his ears only, and it belonged to Ten Thousand Swords.

  Happy did not turn his head around to look and continued walking to his next spot.

  "Not bad, you didn't show any flaws in your performance just now. Judging by your actions, you should have become used to things in Sword Crafting Hall. This is good."

  Ten Thousand Swords seemed to have been observing Happy from the shadows.

  His voice traveled into his ears again.

  "But you still have to be careful. Heaven Crystal's repairs aren't in the main hall of Sword Crafting Hall. Did you see that place the Sword Sect disciples, the mighty northern clansmen, and the Nangong Clan are guarding? There's an entrance over there, and it leads to a secret underground sword crafting room."

  Happy's heart trembled. He quickly spread out his spiritual senses and soon found an entrance guarded by more than ten Inaction Realm martial artists dozens of feet to the east.

  "There's a unique underground sword crafting room there. It's the place that the mighty northern clansmen use when they create divine weapons!"

  Ten Thousand Swords wore the disguise of a normal Sword Crafting Hall disciples, and he followed after Happy while explaining things for him. "The repairs for Heaven Crystal are nearing their end. Those people showed up during the day, and now, they've used up quite a lot of their qi."

  Happy frowned. He quickly noticed that the entrance to the underground sword crafting room surrounded by the group of people was encircled by a few large sword pools, and the temperature around in place seemed to be much higher than in the hall.

  Each person's face was an abnormal shade of red. Their breathing was quick, and there were even a few people who had already sat down cross-legged to fight against the evaporation of their qi due to the extremely high heat.

  Happy said nothing.

  While he added charcoal to the forges nearby, his thoughts raced. 'This environment will clearly benefit the northern clan most. It'll be very dangerous if the Sword Sect elites want to steal Heaven Crystal away from the mighty northern clan.'

  Soon, Happy emptied the wooden buckets in his hands. He had to leave the core before he could return with another two buckets. There were nearly one thousand forges in Sword Crafting Hall, and they used up charcoal very quickly, so the disciples had to ensure a steady supply of it at all times.

  While on his way back, Happy found a chance to walk side by side with Ten Thousand Swords.

  A person with six hundred qi points could transmit voices privately, and Happy moved his lips slightly to send a message.

  "There are plenty of people among the northern clan. It won't be easy for Sword Sect to attack. How are we going to steal Heaven Crystal?"

  At the same time, Happy also told Ten Thousand Swords about Torn Army.

  Ten Thousand Swords was silent for a few seconds. "We never thought about leaving alive after we entered Heaven Shaker Fortress, but we will definitely not let Sword Sect have their way. Brother Happy, I hope that you will take revenge for us."

  "What do you mean?" Happy's expression changed. He could sense an incredibly great will for death in Ten Thousand Swords' tone.

  "With Sword Sect's methods and preparations, they will definitely have a solid plan. We'll wait and act according to the situation."

  Once he finished speaking, Ten Thousand Swords walked past Happy to lift the wooden bucket to his left.

  Happy quickly cast a glance at Ten Thousand Swords' back. With slight unease, he continued doing what Mu Li should do.

  Sword Crafting Hall continued having heat waves surge upward.

  Chapter 663 - Discovery

  The Sword Crafting Hall was maintained at a relatively high temperature. Heat waves rolled about in the air, and they were accompanied by deafening sound waves that were everywhere in Sword Crafting Hall. The depletion of a person's mind and soul was incredibly great!

  Happy noticed that the young men who bullied him previously had to go outside and sit down to restore their qi after only going about a few rounds. At that time, they were already drenched in sweat.

  Even some of the powerful looking Sword Crafting Hall disciples found it difficult to continue staying in the hall after some time. Once they did a few rounds, they left and had new Sword Crafting Hall disciples enter.

  Happy became more and more impressed.

  It was no wonder why the mighty northern clan could remain at the top of the business world when they had to stay in such a hot and horrible environment. No normal faction of power would be able to do it.

  It was also no wonder why Sword Sect and the Nangong Clan would allow the mighty northern clan to set the location of Heaven Crystal's repairs. If even the mighty northern clan could not succeed, it was unlikely that anyone else in the world could repair the sword.

  However, while doing the quest, Happy realized to his shock and surprise that as he continued moving the heavy charcoal, his Arm Strength increased by a tiny bit. Since he had to circulate his Nine Yang Divine Skill continuously, his qi also climbed up slightly. His training speed in the hall did not lose to when he practiced with martial arts.

  "It's indeed a good place to train."

  Happy finally understood why the mighty northern clan could cultivate such a large number of forgemasters and Moksha Realm as well as Inaction Realm martial artists.

  There was still a long time before Heaven Crystal was fully repaired. At that time, Ten Thousand Swords will give a reminder, so Happy decided to put all his attention into training. He seized the moment to slowly increase his qi and Arm Strength.

  There were only a few days left until his fight against One Emperor, so if he could increase even the tiniest bit of his strength, Happy would not complain about it.

  "That young man is a new disciple, right?"

  "That's right. I think his name is Mu Li."

  "Do you have a deep impression of him?"

  "Yes, he's from the same cohort of Clan Elder Lu's grand martial nephew. The grand martial nephew often bullies him with his mates. I've run into him a few times before. He's usually working alone way past his limits.

  "But what I find strange is that his arm strength in the p
ast was horrible. I haven't seen him in a while, and he has become much stronger. His arm strength has increased by leaps and bounds, and his endurance as well as tenacity surpassed those of a normal Sword Crafting Hall disciple. It's truly unbelievable."

  "Oh, that's interesting. Are you saying that he's very suited for the environment in Sword Crafting Hall?"

  "Clan elder, it seems that you have thoughts of promoting him to an official Sword Crafting Hall disciple."

  A few people stood at the high spot of a flight of stairs above Sword Crafting Hall. That area was covered in red waves intersecting with each other, and the men calmly monitored everything that happened in Sword Crafting Hall.

  However, when they spoke, Happy still noticed their voices.

  The people on top of the stairs were clearly high up in Inaction Realm. One of them might not even be weaker than the grand cult elder of the evil cult.

  Happy quickly calmed down the surging emotions in his heart and examined himself. He then became certain that there were no flaws in his human skin mask. If Ten Thousand Swords was not familiar with everything in Sword Crafting Hall and created a human skin mask that couldn't endure high heat with the unique conditions in mind, it would have started showing problems after it was baked in the high heat for a long time. Also, due to the effect of restraining essence from Nine Yang Divine Skill, Happy's physical constitution looked like that of a normal teenager, which was how he managed to deceive everyone's eyes.

  "He's a good seed, and he's definitely entering Sword Crafting Hall, but we can't promote him in haste. We have to pay more attention to him and see just how far he can go…"

  The speaker was a man with red hair who seemed to be in his forties. The veins at his temple were popped up, his eyes sparkled, and his sturdy body was filled with powerful muscles that seemed to contain explosive strength. He gave off an astonishing pressure.

  The others beside him were also outstanding people, but compared to this elder, they were slightly inferior. The only similarity about them was that all of them were very young!