Chapter 54: Broken Moon Sect
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over these ten days, aside from the time he spent on his own cultivation, Lu Changfeng dedicated the rest of his efforts to diligently teaching the new disciples of his hall.
The number of disciples who joined the hall in those ten days increased significantly, bringing the total to two hundred sixty-five.
Every day, the training grounds of the Changle Martial Arts Hall bustled with activity.
Due to the large number of disciples, Chunzhu had to purchase more training weapons and hire additional servants to cook meals.
Ten days wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short, either.
It was enough time for Lu Changfeng to select a group of students for promotion from Named Disciples to ordinary disciples.
A few of these disciples had excellent Root Bone and Talent, and Lu Changfeng planned to focus on their development.
The disciple with the best Root Bone was the third son of the Chief of the Changfeng Escort Agency, one of the Four Great Escort Agencies in Jiangnan Prefecture.
His name was Nie Xiaohu. He had a Middle A Class Root Bone and a Low-Grade Sword Technique Talent.
The one with the best Talent was Han Fan, a commoner, who possessed a Lower A Class Root Bone and a Middle Grade Sword Technique Talent: [Fast Sword].
Han Fan’s talent was a perfect match for Lu Changfeng’s Storm Sword Technique. Throughout the ten days of instruction, his progress was the fastest of all.
Lu Changfeng had already decided to make him his first True Disciple.
In addition, another disciple named Nan Jiageng had a B Class+ Root Bone and also possessed a Low-Grade Sword Technique Talent.
Currently, the disciples in Lu Changfeng’s martial arts hall with Sword Technique Talent were: Han Fan (Lower A Class, Middle Grade), Nan Jiageng (B Class+, Low-Grade), Nie Xiaohu (Middle A Class, Low-Grade), and Lin Yan (B Class+, Low-Grade).
If these few disciples were properly nurtured, the Changle Martial Arts Hall would surely have worthy successors.
Lu Changfeng had nearly finished developing the Storm Body Forging Sword Skill.
The completed portion of the technique allowed one to cultivate directly to the Body Forging Sixth Layer.
The disciples’ daily training was centered on the Storm Body Forging Sword Skill, supplemented by the Storm Sword Technique.
However, because each person’s Root Bone and Talent were different, their progress in the Martial Arts naturally varied.
For example, Han Fan’s high talent for Swordsmanship allowed him to progress with the Storm Sword Technique at an incredible pace, reaching the entry level in just ten days.
Nie Xiaohu, with his outstanding Root Bone, was more attuned to the Storm Body Forging Sword Skill. His vitality and constitution improved by leaps and bounds, far faster than with the Body Forging Technique he had practiced at the Escort Agency.
Before he knew it, the relationships within Lu Changfeng’s martial arts hall had begun to grow intricate and complex.
Early in the morning, the Changfeng Martial Arts Hall was filled with the ceaseless sound of shouting.
The training grounds were filled with disciples practicing with weighted, twenty-pound longswords.
For disciples with inferior Root Bone, practicing the Body Forging Swordsmanship with a twenty-pound longsword was utter torture.
After a session of training, they were all red-faced and drenched in sweat, with quite a few collapsing directly onto the ground.
Training at the very front of the grounds were the dozen or so ordinary disciples Lu Changfeng had recently promoted.
They were dressed in white, distinguishing them from the Named Disciples, who wore blue.
As the disciples were training, Lu Changfeng’s figure appeared on the training grounds.
Instantly, all the disciples of the martial arts hall began to swing their heavy swords faster.
Clearly, they all wanted to make a good impression on Lu Changfeng.
Lu Changfeng’s gaze fell upon Han Fan, Nie Xiaohu, and the others.
With just a few casual words, he pointed out their shortcomings, allowing them to benefit immensely.
Soon, the round of training came to an end.
Lu Changfeng sat in a grandmaster’s chair as the dozen or so ordinary disciples began to take turns asking him questions.
The questions all pertained to difficulties they faced in their cultivation.
This was a session Lu Changfeng had specifically established.
Less than an hour later, Lu Changfeng had finished answering the disciples’ questions.
Just then, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the martial arts hall.
Lu Changfeng frowned slightly and had Hei Niu lead them to the main hall.
「Main Hall」
Lu Changfeng sat at the head of the hall.
His guests took their seats on either side.
"Master Lu! We’ve come uninvited. I hope we’re not disturbing you?" said the leader of the guests.
The man appeared to be in his early fifties. His hair and beard were black with streaks of white, and his expression was that of a cunning old fox.
"You are, in fact, disturbing me," Lu Changfeng said.
The old fox, not expecting Lu Changfeng to deviate from polite pleasantries, was taken aback. He paused for a few breaths before speaking again.
"Ahem, Master Lu, your great name resounds like thunder. We truly had no choice but to impose on you today."
"Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Yane Song, a Steward Elder of the Broken Moon Sect!"
Lu Changfeng had already overheard their origins when they were speaking with Hei Niu at the entrance.
The Broken Moon Sect. One of the Ten Great Sects of Jiangnan Prefecture and a powerful Sword Dao Sect.
"What business brings you here, Elder Yane?" Lu Changfeng asked.
Yane Song smiled. "I hear Master Lu’s Sword Dao Cultivation is astounding. We would like to invite you to become an Honored Guest Elder for our Broken Moon Sect. Your only duty would be to occasionally teach our disciples Swordsmanship. Rest assured, the compensation will be generous!"
’Trying to get something for nothing,’ Lu Changfeng thought. ’For the mere title of Honored Guest Elder, they want to snatch away the Body Forging Sword Technique and Sword Intent I created.’
’These Major Sects are truly shameless.’
Still, Lu Changfeng thought for a moment before nodding lightly. "And what compensation are you offering?"
Yane Song hadn’t expected Lu Changfeng to agree so quickly.
After a moment’s hesitation, he laid out his best offer: "Thirty thousand silver taels annually for you, Master Lu. In addition, the Broken Moon Sect’s Scripture Pavilion will be open to you!"
’Thirty thousand taels a year... that’s not too stingy.’
Lu Changfeng nodded in agreement.
Of course, his goal wasn’t the thirty thousand taels.
The Broken Moon Sect coveted his Storm Body Forging Sword Skill and Sword Technique; likewise, Lu Changfeng coveted the Root Bone Talents within the Broken Moon Sect.
’Besides, I created the Storm Sword Technique myself,’ he reasoned. ’No matter how others practice it, they’ll never be able to wield it with more power than I can.’
’As for the Storm Body Forging Sword Skill, I’m still perfecting it myself.’
’For those with insufficient talent, cultivating the Storm Body Forging Sword Skill would be less effective than practicing an ordinary Body Forging Technique.’
"I agree. So, how often do I need to go to the Broken Moon Sect?" Lu Changfeng asked.
"Haha, Elder Lu, once a month will suffice! Our Broken Moon Sect has a base in Jiangzhou. When the time comes, just present your Elder Token at the base, and someone there will arrange for your entry into the sect’s headquarters!"
As he spoke, Yane Song took out an Elder Token and handed it over.
Lu Changfeng accepted the token and examined it. The patterns etched onto it were simple and ancient, carrying a sense of history.
On one side was the image of a full moon bisected horizontally. On the other, the two words "Guest Minister" were inscribed.
’The Broken Moon Sect has a long history. Perhaps I’ll find some unexpected gains within the sect,’ Lu Changfeng thought.
"Elder Lu, when might you come to the Broken Moon Sect to give your first lesson?"
Lu Changfeng thought for a moment, then said, "My first lesson... let’s say in five days."
’In five days, the replication interface will refresh. It’ll be the perfect time to take a trip to the Broken Moon Sect and see if I can find a better Root Bone Talent.’
’If I don’t find anything, there’s still time to come home at night and copy Zhao Xingtian’s Upper A talent.’
"Excellent! I’ll make the arrangements, Elder Lu! We will eagerly await your arrival at the Broken Moon Sect in five days!"
Yane Song left with his group of Tendon Transformation Martial Artists.
Although Yane Song had been all smiles and, despite being a Tendon Transformation Expert himself, had remained respectful and polite toward Lu Changfeng, his actions were a clear show of force. The four men he brought with him had extraordinary auras; they were all experts at the Grandmaster Level.