Chapter 21: Weird Weapon Pavilion

The Blood Transformation Ridge, where the Guiqi Pavilion is located, is located on the other side of Ruoyu Peak. Along the way, Su Yang waited for Third Sister Yi to gradually master the use of bamboo slips to control the wind and parallel movements. He casually pointed out various places to teach her how to do them. As they reached the Blood Transformation Ridge, Su Yang felt it necessary to remind Third Sister Yi: "The disciples in the Blood Transformation Ridge are all experts in refining weapons. Their cultivation methods are bizarre and they love to challenge others to duels. Don't just blindly follow them into a fight."

Third Sister Yi, however, was distracted by the thought of Chen Ranming. Over the past year, Chen Ranming had become almost a source of worry for her. They had boarded the same ship and arrived at the Zang Yao Sect, but due to their different spiritual roots, they had embarked on completely different paths. Although she hadn't expressed it at first, she knew how much she was driven by the ruthlessness in her heart to compare herself to the imaginary Chen Ranming. In Third Sister Yi's mind, Chen Ranming was the epitome of a Zang Yao Sect disciple. She had never made a big move to truly cultivate those unconventional methods, focusing on laying the foundation first, secretly unable to accept that this was her only path.

People who originally came from the Demonic Sect are more likely to develop inner demons, but this is of no benefit to their cultivation.

Hearing Su Yang say this, her mind became even more active. I need to move forward and not be held back by these distracting thoughts. How can I find Shen Ranming in such a vast Blood Transformation Ridge? She lowered her head and followed Su Yang's footsteps, entering the Blood Transformation Ridge directly.

Unlike Ruoyu Peak, Huaxue Ridge lacked any protective formations. The disciples within mostly used magical instruments to traverse the air, rather than walking. Many instruments, resembling black plates, hung suspended in mid-air. Several were surrounded by a crowd, all shouting and clamoring.

"That's a fighting plate. If any of you fellow disciples have some free time, you'll go and play." Xu Yunsheng, the eldest brother of the Guiqi Pavilion, smiled broadly and wiped the blood foam from his face. The wide sleeves of his gray robe were stained with blood. Third Sister Yi looked towards where he had come from. It was a fighting plate.

Su Yang raised his hand in greeting, followed by Third Sister Yi. Xu Yunsheng stared at them, stunned, scratching his head. "Junior Brother Su and this Junior Sister, there's no need to be like this..." However, Su Yang's eccentricity wasn't a big deal among the crowd, so he quickly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Junior Brother Su, are you here about the matter on the sound transmission note this morning? It was originally Third Brother's responsibility, but I just injured him, and the other Junior Brothers have already gone to deal with it. I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"Etiquette cannot be abandoned. It's okay to wait. After all, recreating the talisman is a big deal. I was too hasty."

Xu Yunsheng was naturally speechless after his words. Su Yang also sat with his sleeves rolled up, expressionless and silent. Yi Sanmei was preoccupied with other matters, and the three of them were in a stalemate. It was Sikong Qian, the deacon of the Guiqi Pavilion who came by and greeted them, who shouted silently, "Why don't you all go sit in the pavilion for a while? Standing here will inevitably attract attention."

Third Sister Yi, however, spotted the young disciple following behind Sikong Qian. It was none other than Shen Ranming, whom she hadn't seen in a year! He was now dressed in the Guiqi Pavilion's disciple uniform, a short robe revealing a pair of arms covered in burn marks and charred ankles. He looked up and met Third Sister Yi's gaze, a gleam of light immediately gleaming in his eyes.

The two people are in different situations, but their thoughts coincide.

After Shen Ranming arrived at the Weird Weapon Pavilion and became a disciple of the True Lord Bei Lian, he finally understood why the True Lord Bei Lian was so eager to recruit him as a disciple. After undergoing a rite of initiation, a large number of disciples were sent to the lower levels of the Weird Weapon Pavilion to practice and refine various instruments. These instruments required crude refining techniques that didn't require the practice of other accomplished disciples, nor could they occupy the automatic refining furnaces. Therefore, these newcomers were treated as laborers.

At least ten hours a day were spent refining instruments, leaving little time for cultivation. Furthermore, the senior brothers who taught him were all practical practitioners, disdaining to teach him textual knowledge. Shen Ranming's progress in learning the techniques on his own was incredibly slow. Five other people who had joined at the same time had long since abandoned studying textual knowledge in favor of practical training with their senior brothers. Shen Ranming knew that laying the foundation in this way was the key to long-term cultivation, so he continued to toil daily at the fundamental level, though his inner peace wasn't as apparent as he appeared.

Every night, as Shen Ranming sat cross-legged in his training, the face of Yi Sanmei would rush back to him from his memories. The darkness of the cabin and the sudden flash of Yi Sanmei's sword still flashed before his eyes. Her terrifyingly bright eyes in Feiyan Pavilion kept him awake at night. Although he later inquired and heard that Yi Sanmei had ultimately entered the Danxin Pavilion, known as the "cannibalistic" place, what if? What if she didn't give up and wait for death, while he was still here to languish? Would she repeat the same mistake when they met? This thought almost became a paranoia, constantly torn between rapid training and calming down. Shen Ranming knew he had to find an opportunity to fight Yi Sanmei again, otherwise he would not be able to practice peacefully.

Therefore, when he heard that Danxin Pavilion was going to refine a new talisman, Shen Ranming was tempted and asked to follow the deacon to greet them. Although he was looking forward to Yi Sanmei's arrival, when he really saw Yi Sanmei, Shen Ranming couldn't help but gasp.

She wore the gray robes of the Danxin Pavilion. Even standing behind Su Yang, her aura was vastly different from a year ago. Though still young, she already possessed a subtle elegance, much like Su Yang. More importantly, Shen Ranming, now at the ninth level of Qi training, couldn't comprehend her cultivation level. The spiritual energy pulsing around her wasn't the rough, chaotic energy typical of Qi training, but rather, like her senior brother, refined and flowing. She couldn't have reached the Golden Core stage in a single year; it could only have been the result of her own profound understanding and refinement. Shen Ranming knew that initiations beyond those for registered disciples were different, and he had asked Sikong Qian if anyone like him could be found in the Guiqi Pavilion.

"In previous years, there were countless applicants, and this year, more than a hundred people have also arrived since you. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"It's just that I've never seen them before, and I'm a little curious. Since their cultivation has greatly increased after the initiation, why not let them come and refine weapons as well?"

"So you wanted to be lazy." Sikong Qian smiled in relief. "Refining weapons requires a firm mind. The minds of the materials that have been infused like this have been almost destroyed. They only have a little bit of willpower left, and we have to guard against their rebellion. Of course, we lock them up and wait for use. I have to wait and see how the refinement goes. You just focus on doing your job well."

At the time, Shen Ranming had suspected that he might see a weakened Third Sister Yi, no longer capable of her cunning ways. The resentment he harbored for nearly killing her had long since faded. But with a dying person, aside from meeting once more to dispel his obsession, their lives would never intersect again. But now it seemed he was completely wrong.

The moment he saw Yi Sanmei, he forgot that this was a material of the Xu Chong realm, and forgot that she was a half-dead person who could not use most of her cultivation. He was just terrified and could not help but blurt out: "There is still a battle between us!"