On the stairs leading up the Sword Pavilion mountain peak, a tall slender-looking youth that seemed as if the slightest breeze could blow him over was climbing them.
The disciple who he passed would stop and stare at him in confusion and with perplexed looks on their face, some would even show a minute amount of hostility.
This reaction from these Sword Pavilion disciples was because of the signature red robes of the Blade Pavilion, which were comically about to slip off of him due to his thin frame. This youth looked around fifteen, sixteen years old with a stern look on his face. He looked like a disciplined youth who would earnestly work hard on his cultivation and Saber Skills, but at the same time would forsake everything in the outside world. Neither participating in social interactions nor thinking that it was worth his time to do such things.
So between his eyebrows, one could decern that he was someone who didn’t grasp normal human behavior or etiquette. He had distanced himself too much from the outside world that he had developed some traits that seemed out of place. Coupled that with his adolescence hormones, and you get a youth in his late teens who's hotheaded, rash, boorish, unconventional, and numerous other things along those lines.
This youth who was fuming and was uncontrollable stomping up the stairs, seemed as if was a sleeping bull that had been poked awake by someone, but it didn’t end there, that person then began waving around a red cloth in front of him as if to provoke him further.
“You bastards from the Ming Clan, I won’t forgive you. Just because I won’t join your stupid Faction you went ahead and do something so unforgivable. Whatever this demonstration or training is I’ll still make you answer to my saber.”
That saber in question was held tight in his scrawny hand, which was swinging about wildly while he moved up the stairs.
“Curse these damn stairs, why do the Sword Pavilion have to be on top of a Mountain? Ugh so troublesome.”
Frustrated, the youth stomped on the ground and shot forward at inhuman speed up the stairs.
The Sword Pavilion Disciples who were watching him with various expressions become stupefied with their eyes bulging out of their heads when they saw this youth’s speed.
The ones he passed felt a cold chill down their back, and they sense a raging threat emanating from this youth all of a sudden. It almost felt as if he was a saber that was slicing forward, giving them the sensation that a saber had barely missed their necks.
Within the training grounds of the Sword Pavilion, Shiming had just ordered Jin to challenge Renxiang who had just appeared. But all of a sudden his eyes roamed around the crowd and spotted Xi Shen and the group, specifically Yang Su.
Hatred suddenly erupted in Shiming's heart and his expression turned gloomy.
Xi Shen and the rest for the past three days had always been watching the events from the stage from the periphery of the crowd, but after Fang Chen exited seclusion he propose to get closer.
Xi Shen figured he was somewhat itching to test his strength somehow.
Xi Shen had thought of challenging these Ming Academy disciples. He went through the consequences if he butted heads with the Ming Clan now, and he came to the conclusion that it was a good way to dampen the Ming Academy's rise, though he hadn’t officially formed a Faction as yet he was really pissed that they chose to go about this when his birthday was less than a month away.
Their officially opening ceremony wasn’t held yet, and Xi Shen had a nagging feeling that they would try to overlap that with his birthday. The powers on the Continent would have to choose whether to participate in Ghuanyu’s Academy opening or the second prince’s birthdays celebration. This was possibly what Ghuanyu planned, to have the powers choose aside.
However, this was just speculation on Xi Shen’s part. He wasn’t sure what exactly would happen in the following days.
A shout suddenly interrupted Xi Shen's thoughts.
“Jin! Come back, I’ll go instead.”
Shiming called back the disciple he had just sent up the stage.
Jin on the stage wore a confused expression, but he didn’t question Shiming’s sudden change of mind and just turned to leave the stage.
Shiming then leaped onto the stage.
‘Bastard bastard bastard BASTARD!!’
Shiming screamed internally, but his expression remain neutral on the surface.
‘How dare you show your face in front of me! I’ll fucking kill you. The humiliation you brought to me in front of granduncle, I’ll pay back that humiliation tenfold! Completely unforgivable! You piece of commoner garbage. The reason why I trained so tirelessly over the past weeks was for this very day, I’ll make you understand the difference between me and you once and for all!’
The mission that Ghuanyu had instructed him to carry out had been pushed aside by his ego. The only thing his mind was filled with was to brutally tear into Yang Su’s flesh and bones.
However, unlike the raging storm in his heart, Shiming's expression on the surface was as calm as a lake, when he came to the center of the stage.
Everyone in the crowd thought that he himself was going to challenge Renxiang as the first opponent, as it looked like that was what Renxiang and the other members of the Divine Sword Faction were prepared for. But unlike what the crowd expected, Shiming didn’t address Renxiang but rather look in another direction of the crowd and said, “I see the second prince is here to watch our Faction against Faction matches.”
Everyone was surprised to hear the mention of the second prince and they followed Shiming’s gaze to stop at Xi Shen who wore a plain one-piece attire along with bare feet.
The crowd had to look closer at this person to realize he was indeed the second prince.
“Huh? The second prince? Why is he dressed like that, I almost thought he was a beggar you’d find in the mortal world.”
“Exactly, how could he dress so unbecoming of his status? Look! He’s not even wearing any shoes! This second prince is really strange. Has he become so much of a miser that he’s not even willing to spend money on himself? Such god-tier penny-pinching!”
Ignoring the strange looks that were directed at him, Xi Shen said to Shiming, “It seems I have, good of you to point that out.”
Shiming's eyebrows creased a bit at Xi Shen’s words, but he ignore them and then said, “I heard that the second prince is forming a Faction, that’s fantastic news. Why don’t the second prince have your members participate? I see that you’ve gathered quite a few talented individuals, I and my Clan members would like to have a friendly spar.”
“Waah! What’s with this sudden situation?! I want to see what’s going to happen!”
The crowd of disciples started a ruckus of noise from Shiming’s request for a spar.
Renxiang who had come to reclaim face for her Sword Pavilion, had on a thoughtful expression as she looked over to Xi Shen’s group. Seeing Yang Su her eyes flickered, but she suddenly frown when she saw his red hair and change in appearance.
In the sunlight that seep through the dark clouds in the sky, it seemed as if his red hair gain a life of its own as it glowed with a bit of red luster and was moving slightly in the little breeze.
He looked rather… handsome.
Not only Renxiang, a few female disciples was staring at Yang Su, his distinct hair color was just too eye-catching.
Xi Shen responded to Shiming’s words, “I, unfortunately, don’t have enough members to form a Faction officially so we aren’t a Faction.”
“If the second prince is worried about not being able to battle us because you haven’t officially become a Faction then there is no need to worry at all. My Ming Academy sent disciples who cultivate in our new cultivation to most of the institutes across the Academy. As of now, we aren’t large in numbers, but with this, we hope that the institutes on the Maple Continent see the benefits of this cultivation system and accept us. We are here to build a friendly relationship as well, so not officially being a Faction shouldn’t be a problem. As long as disciples are willing to challenge us they can gather together to match our numbers and battle us. Faction or not.”
This was extremely contradictory to their initial stand, but Shiming had to change it so this trashy second prince would accept his challenge so he could battle Yang Su. After he wiped the floor with them he can move on to Renxiang's group.
And he was sure some benefits would come out of him beating Xi Shen before he even formed his Faction. After all, a Faction connected to the Li Clan hadn’t appeared in the Celestial Academy since the Crown Prince had created one with the sword genius Ling Tian.
That was one of the reasons why the Ming Clan doesn’t have a Faction in the Sword Pavilion. They would’ve been completely suppressed by Fu Wei. That, and the fact most of the Ming Clan wielded sabers so they wouldn’t enter the Sword Pavilion whose only focus was swords.
Hearing Shiming’s words, Xi Shen smirked and said, “Sure why not, a spar would be great.”
Xi Shen's eyes twinkled. Since Shiming was so insistent on having a spar then obviously he’ll oblige.
Shiming smiled as well, but his heart was cold.
He pointed at Yang Su and said, “Then I’ll be the first to challenge your assistant.”
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