I Became a Peak Master With No Disciples?!

Visiting the Blacksmith Hall immediately after returning, Su Ming was surprised to find that Elder Tie had recently broken through to become a Grandmaster Blacksmith. While the sect possessed several Grandmaster Blacksmiths, it was no doubt still an impressive achievement.

Yet when Su Ming placed his broken swords onto the stone table, Elder Tie stared back at him in complete shock.

"You want me to forge these into a Saint-grade sword?" Elder Tie asked, his voice trembling as his eyes kept widening. "Su Ming, you’re asking the impossible of me. I am only a Grandmaster. I might be able to forge one in the next ten years, but forging a Saint-grade weapon requires a Saint-level Blacksmith."

"I cannot do this, but..." Elder Tie shook his head, looking troubled, "..my master might."

"Your master?" Su Ming asked.

"She is a reclusive Blacksmith Saint of the sect," Elder Tie said, lowering his voice. "She lives in deep seclusion and despises visitors. But these materials are good. I will show them to her and ask for her guidance."

Su Ming had agreed and left the materials in Elder Tie’s care.

Now, sitting in his cultivation chamber, Su Ming exhaled quietly. ’It’s time to go out.’

The morning sun shone over the eastern peaks, casting golden light across the courtyard.

Su Ming stood up, smoothed his white robes, and stepped outside.

***

In the center of the training grounds, Jiang Chen drove his spear forward with steady rhythm.

The training robes were soaked with sweat, clinging to his back as he repeated the simple thrust. His feet remained planted in the stone ground, and his breathing steady. The wariness that had once shown during meeting Su Ming was long gone, replaced by trust.

Nearby, Lin Yao and Wang Tian stood watching him.

"Keep your elbow tucked," Lin Yao called out, gesturing with two fingers. "The power comes from your core, not just your arms. If your stance wobbles, your strike loses half its force."

Jiang Chen nodded without breaking form, adjusting his footing with a low exhale.

Su Ming watched from a distance as a quiet sense of satisfaction settled in his mind. In the past, White Lotus Peak had been mostly silent. Now, the peak carried a vibrant energy of growth and strength.

Noticing their Master approach, the three disciples immediately straightened and bowed in unison.

"Master," they greeted respectfully.

"Good," Su Ming replied, waving a hand. His gaze shifted toward Lin Yao. "How is your progress with your new sword technique?"

Lin Yao smiled brightly, her chin lifting with confidence. "I have already achieved Great Mastery, Master."

Su Ming raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. "Is that so? Let us see it then."

Lin Yao’s eyes lit up. With a soft breath, pure qi surged through her meridians. A dark violet flame mark ignited between her brows, as two translucent wings of nether flames unfolded behind her back. With a single flap of them, she leaped into the sky, hovering gracefully above the courtyard.

Su Ming stepped lightly into the empty air as well to meet her at equal height in the sky.

"I will keep my strength within the Golden Core Realm," Su Ming said, drawing a standard practice sword from his storage ring. "Come at me with full strength."

"Please guide me, Master!"

Lin Yao drew her Cold Abyss Sword. Her wings flared with nether fire as she turned into a streak of violet flame, diving toward Su Ming at blinding speed.

Su Ming lifted his sword to meet her.

Clang!

Feeling the weight behind her strike, Su Ming could clearly see her growth. Since emerging from seclusion following the Black Crow Ridge campaign, she had reached the third stage of Body Refinement while firmly stabilizing her early Golden Core Realm.

Although the phoenix shadow inside her remained mostly asleep, she could now awaken it for a short time, granting her terrifying speed and powerful nether flames.

As their blades scraped against each other, Su Ming narrowed his eyes.

The flames coating her sword were not ordinary nether flames. The dark violet flames subtly shifted colours, containing traces of ancient laws rippling around her.

’Are these Nether Phoenix Flames?’ Su Ming wondered.

He recalled how Lin Yao had recently rescued a bunch of inner disciples of Illusion Moon Peak and received a Saint-rank Soaring Phoenix Sword Art inheritance from the Secret Realm. When she showed him the manual, she firmly declared that she wanted to comprehend it herself and forge her own unique sword path.

Seeing her in action now, her progress was truly remarkable.

Lin Yao twisted mid-air, her blade tracing three swift arcs resembling phoenix talons.

Su Ming shifted his footing by half an inch, deflecting each strike with measured taps of his sword. "Your transition from flight to attack is clean, but your left side opens up during the turn. Do not let your momentum pull your guard away."

With a flick of his wrist, Su Ming sent a gentle burst of sword qi that pushed her back three paces.

Lin Yao steadied herself on her flame wings, her eyes glowing with excitement. There was not a trace of disappointment on her face. It had been far too long since she had the chance to spar directly with her Master.

With a joyful laugh, she charged forward again, adjusting her angle exactly as Su Ming had instructed.

Below on the ground, Wang Tian watched with his complete attention, tracking every subtle shift of their movements and defensive posture.

Jiang Chen stood entirely frozen, his iron spear held tightly in his hands.

The mid-air sword exchanges were far too fast for his mortal eyes to follow, leaving only blurry streaks of fire and ringing clangs. More than that, the young boy found himself in a dilemma.

He wanted to cheer, but he had no idea whom to cheer for.

On one hand, there was Su Ming, his Master, who had taken him from his village, treated him with dignity, and gave him a path to strength.

On the other hand, there was Lin Yao, his Senior Sister, who had welcomed him with warm smiles and showered him with snacks and gifts the day he arrived.

Jiang Chen stood on the stone ground, sweating profusely as his eyes darted frantically between the two flying figures, completely paralyzed by conflicting loyalty.