C17 Chapter 17

The Outer Sect competition came to a successful conclusion. To everyone's surprise, Hua Hsing claimed first place in the Outer Sect. From that moment on, no one dared call him a failure again. He had become the undisputed number one disciple of the Outer Sect. After the competition ended, it was time to distribute the rewards. Re Yunzheng had been defeated by Hua Hsing, and he hated him so much that he wished he could kill him. But there was nothing he could do, because he was no longer Hua Hsing's match.

Of course, the person happiest about Hua Hsing's victory was the Ninth Elder. Among all the elders present, only he had noticed that Hua Hsing used the fourth strike of the Golden Light Sword Arts to defeat Re Yunzheng. Although he did not understand how Hua Hsing had obtained mastery of the fourth strike, he was still delighted for him.

"The third-place winner in this Outer Sect competition will receive 1,000 Low Grade Spirit Stones and one low-tier ordinary weapon."

When they heard that an ordinary weapon was part of the reward, all the disciples were stunned. The rewards this time were simply too generous. An ordinary weapon had actually been included.

On the Ancient Sword Continent, there was a profession known as the Artifact Refining Master. Every Artifact Refining Master held extremely high status and was capable of forging powerful weapons. In battles between experts, the quality of a weapon could have a tremendous impact. Apprentice refiners could only forge ordinary weapons. These weapons were the cheapest and most commonly found on the market. True Artifact Refining Masters, however, were able to forge ordinary weapons of a much higher grade.

Ordinary weapons had already surpassed the category of common arms, and their power was exceptionally great. If a disciple possessed an ordinary weapon, his strength would increase significantly. Above ordinary weapons were Essence Weapons forged by Artifact Refining Great Masters, and beyond those were Spirit Weapons crafted by Artifact Refining Grandmasters. In short, all weapons were divided into four minor grades: low, middle, high, and peak. This time, the rewards included a low-grade ordinary weapon, which was enough to show how highly the Azure Edge Sword Sect valued its top Outer Sect disciples. It should be known that in the entire Azure Edge Sword Sect, there were only a few Essence Weapons, so ordinary weapons were considered quite precious.

Ouyang Haofeng was overjoyed when he heard this. If he could obtain an ordinary weapon, his strength would improve greatly.

"The reward for second place is 2,000 Spirit Stones and one low-grade ordinary weapon."

Although the reward was extremely generous, Re Yunzheng could not feel happy at all. His expression was grim, and his fists were clenched tightly. This was a humiliation. As the acknowledged number one disciple of the Outer Sect, he had actually been defeated by someone who had once been considered useless.

However, no one paid attention to Re Yunzheng's expression at this moment. They were all eagerly awaiting the announcement of the first-place reward.

"The first-place reward is 5,000 Spirit Stones, one low-grade ordinary weapon, and one hour in the training room."

When the judge announced the first-place reward, all the disciples were filled with envy. Not only would Hua Hsing receive 5,000 Spirit Stones, but he would also gain a low-grade ordinary weapon. Of course, the most important thing was that he could train in the cultivation room for one hour. In the Azure Edge Sword Sect, Outer Sect disciples were not allowed to use the cultivation room. Only Inner Sect disciples had that privilege. The room was rich with cosmic spiritual energy, which was incredibly beneficial for cultivation.

Hua Hsing collected his things and left immediately. Just as he stepped out, Re Yunzheng caught up with him.

"Hua Hsing, one day I'll defeat you," Re Yunzheng said coldly.

Hua Hsing noticed a flicker of killing intent in Re Yunzheng's eyes and replied with a smirk, "I'll be waiting."

With that, Hua Hsing left on his own and headed toward the Training Tower. The Training Tower was located in the Inner Sect area, and under normal circumstances, Outer Sect disciples were not qualified to enter. However, as the first-place winner of the Outer Sect competition, Hua Hsing had earned the right to use a training room there for 1 hour.

When he arrived at the Inner Sect entrance, he reported his name and was allowed inside. Before entering a training room, he saw the towering Training Tower rising into the clouds. Inside were many training rooms of varying quality. The better rooms contained denser cosmic spiritual energy, making cultivation far more effective, while the poorer rooms offered much weaker results.

After entering the tower, Hua Hsing noticed many figures inside, and his presence was quickly discovered by the Inner Sect disciples.

"Hmm? What's an Outer Sect disciple doing here?" one disciple asked in confusion.

"Did he sneak in to use the Training Tower?" another guessed.

As the disciples continued to question him, Hua Hsing selected a training room and walked in, shutting the door behind him to begin cultivating. Seeing this, several Inner Sect disciples outside the room were first stunned, then sneered.

"This fool actually dared to choose Room Eight. He's asking for trouble."

"Yeah, Room Eight is Young Master Mao's personal training room. No one dares to use it."

"Quick, go inform Young Master Mao."

Before long, a man dressed in golden robes appeared outside the training room with an obvious look of anger on his face.

"Who dares occupy my training room?" Zhang Bofeng asked coldly.

"Young Master Mao, he seems to be a newcomer. We don't know him," a disciple said ingratiatingly.

"You dare take my training room? You're courting death," Zhang Bofeng said sternly.

He remained outside the training room, because once the door was shut, even he had no way to open it. He could only wait there. As time passed, Zhang Bofeng's expression grew increasingly grim, and the fury in his heart continued to build.

Hua Hsing arrived at the entrance to the Inner Sect and reported his name before being allowed inside. As the first-place winner in the Outer Sect disciples' competition, he had earned the right to use a training room for one hour, and so he entered the Inner Sect as he had hoped. Before reaching the training rooms, he saw a towering structure rising into the sky. This was the Training Tower. Inside it were many training rooms, and naturally, some were better than others. The better rooms contained denser cosmic spiritual energy, making cultivation far more effective, while the poorer rooms were much less beneficial.

After entering the Training Tower, Hua Hsing noticed many figures inside. His appearance was quickly spotted by the Inner Sect disciples.

"Hm? Why is there an Outer Sect disciple here?" one disciple asked in confusion.

"This idiot actually dared to occupy Training Room No. 8. He really has a death wish."

"That's right. Training Room No. 8 belongs exclusively to Mr. Mao. No one dares take it."

"Go notify Mr. Mao at once."

Before long, a man dressed in golden robes appeared outside the training room, radiating an aggressive presence.

Meanwhile, inside the training room, Hua Hsing sat cross-legged. "The spiritual energy here is so dense. Training here for one hour is at least equal to an entire day outside. This place is incredible," Hua Hsing said as he looked around. It was no wonder so many people wanted access to the training rooms. Under normal circumstances, anyone wishing to cultivate here had to pay Spirit Stones. Of course, for ordinary Inner Sect disciples, Spirit Stones were still very scarce.

"I need to reach Qi Refining Stage Level Four as quickly as possible and enter the Inner Sect," Hua Hsing thought. Only by entering the Inner Sect could he obtain better resources and improve his strength more rapidly.

Hua Hsing began absorbing the cosmic spiritual energy and refining his body. Before he realized it, one hour had passed. When the time was over, he suddenly opened his eyes. "In just one hour of cultivation, I've already reached the middle stage of Qi Refining Stage Level Three. That's remarkable," he muttered in surprise.

Outside Training Room No. 8, a beautiful woman in a red dress arrived, immediately drawing the attention of many disciples.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing here?" she asked in a clear voice.

The man in golden robes forced a slight smile. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to spend some time in the training room. What about you?" she replied.

"A newcomer took my training room," he said calmly, though the anger in his voice was impossible to miss.

"Who would dare take your training room?" the woman asked. Then she suddenly thought of Hua Hsing. Could it be him?

"It's some new disciple no one knows," he replied.

"If my guess is correct, that newcomer must be Hua Hsing, the top disciple of the Outer Sect," she said.

"Oh? You know him?" the man asked.

"He's cruel and harms his fellow disciples. It's a pity I'm no longer in the Outer Sect. Otherwise, I would have taught him a lesson in the next competition," she said, her face filled with anger.

The man gave her a thoughtful look. "Do you have a grievance with him?" Knowing that many people in the Inner Sect were aware of his interest in her, he had already begun to understand the situation.

"Who took my training room?" Zhang Bofeng asked coldly.

"Mr. Mao, he seems to be a newcomer. We don't know him either," one of the disciples said ingratiatingly.

"You dared to seize my training room. You're asking to die," Zhang Bofeng said in a low voice. After that, he waited outside the training room, because once the door to the training room was closed, even Zhang Bofeng could not open it. He could only wait. As time passed little by little, Zhang Bofeng's expression grew darker and darker. The longer he waited, the more fiercely his anger burned.

Inside the training room, Hua Hsing sat cross-legged.