"Who is it?"

"The Liu Family? Or the Iron Saber Gang?"

Zhang Yang knew Bai Yuan had rejected an offer from Ji Hanming, the Sixth Young Master of Flying Eagle Castle. The only ones who could make a better offer were the Liu Family or the Iron Saber Gang.

At this thought, Zhang Yang knew he had to inform Master Xue immediately.

If Master Xue found out that the only disciple to have mastered the Blood Tiger Saber had been poached by another faction, he would surely erupt in a thunderous rage.

"The Liu Family? The Iron Saber Gang?"

Bai Yuan listened, utterly confused.

"I mean, I’ve passed the Bone Forging Pass. Looks like I’ll have to call you Senior Brother from now on."

Zhang Yang was fuming.

"You treacherous brat! How dare you call me Senior Brother?"

"Bone Forging?!"

Once he processed what Bai Yuan had said, Zhang Yang’s eyes flew wide with astonishment.

’Good heavens, how long has it been? A year and a half?’

To think Bai Yuan had broken through to Bone Forging, and with a severe shortage of medicinal herbs at that.

As the saying goes, one year to temper the skin, three years for the bones. Bai Yuan’s breakthrough speed was considered impressive even among the Inner Courtyard Disciples.

There were certainly those faster than Bai Yuan, plenty of them in major factions like Flying Eagle Castle, but they were practically steeped in medicinal herbs.

"Good, good, good!"

Zhang Yang said "good" three times in a row. He was genuinely thrilled to see Bai Yuan showing so much promise, and he was sure Master Xue would be delighted as well.

"Come, I’ll take you to see Master Xue."

Unlike Outer Disciples, Inner Courtyard Disciples not only had to pass the Bone Forging Pass but also needed to receive the approval of the hall master, Xue Gui.

Becoming an Inner Courtyard Disciple was equivalent to being accepted under Xue Gui’s personal tutelage, so naturally the requirements were much stricter.

Zhang Yang was an Inner Courtyard Disciple himself, so if Bai Yuan joined their ranks, it was only natural for Bai Yuan to address him as Senior Brother.

...

"Good, good, good!"

Xue Gui stroked his beard and let out a hearty laugh, his reaction identical to Zhang Yang’s.

’As expected of the Master, even his laugh is far more commanding.’

A mere touch of the bones in Bai Yuan’s hand was enough for him to confirm it: this young disciple, who had joined only a year and a half ago, had already passed the Bone Forging Pass.

The path of the Martial Dao was ever thus: one either advanced with unstoppable momentum or stagnated and declined.

Just like his own disciple, Zhang Yang, who had been stuck at the Bone Forging Pass for far too long.

"Disciple Bai Yuan pays his respects to Master."

Without waiting for Xue Gui’s consent, Bai Yuan immediately performed three resounding kowtows. THUD, THUD, THUD.

Seeing this, Xue Gui beamed from ear to ear. ’This kid is really to my liking, just like I was back in the day.’

"Good. From this day forward, you are my, Xue Gui’s, eighteenth disciple."

Xue Gui had run the Martial Arts Hall for forty years and taken countless disciples, though most had already graduated. The current generation consisted of thirteen Inner Courtyard Disciples and four True Disciples. With Bai Yuan, the total was now exactly eighteen.

Not all True Disciples were Yijin Powerhouses. In fact, aside from the head disciple Chu Yuan, the other three were at the Bone Forging Pass.

Of course, True Disciples were far superior to Inner Courtyard Disciples in both talent and temperament.

Xue Gui did not directly make Bai Yuan a True Disciple, as that would attract too much attention and prove disadvantageous.

Now that Bai Yuan was his disciple, he could be promoted to True Disciple at any time.

"Congratulations, Master!"

A handsome young man with sharp features spoke up in a loud voice.

Since it was the day for accepting a new disciple, the Inner Courtyard and True Disciples were all present, and they all congratulated him in unison.

The man leading the congratulations was Chu Yuan, the head disciple of Huwei Arts Hall and one of its three Yijin Powerhouses.

Bai Yuan had already made a name for himself in the Martial Arts Hall, so many of the Inner Courtyard Disciples recognized him.

A few of the Inner Courtyard Disciples who had met him before gave Bai Yuan small nods, a gesture of goodwill.

"Alright, you are all dismissed."

With a wave of his hand, Xue Gui dismissed the others, leaving only Bai Yuan behind.

Since he had already kowtowed, the ceremony was considered complete. Xue Gui had always disdained fussy rituals, preferring to keep things simple.

After everyone had left, Xue Gui spoke.

"I hear you’ve been practicing the Black Tiger Saber?"

Xue Gui gazed at Bai Yuan, his eyes crinkled in a smile. The more he looked at this disciple, the more he liked him. But most importantly, he had mastered the Black Tiger Saber.

’My master has finally found a successor.’

In forty years, Huwei Arts Hall had seen two other disciples master the Black Tiger Saber. Unfortunately, they both went berserk and died less than two months into their training. Bai Yuan was now the one who had practiced it the longest, so he was naturally of special importance.

"Indeed."

Bai Yuan replied. He had gotten the Black Tiger Saber from Celestial One Pavilion, a fact there was no need to hide.

"Do you know what this saber technique was originally called?"

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow. He had long suspected that Xue Gui had deliberately renamed the Black Tiger Saber. He hadn’t expected to be right.

"I do not know."

"The Black Tiger Saber was originally called the Blood Tiger Saber. It was created by your grandmaster, the Black Evil Elder."

!!!

Bai Yuan’s eyes widened, his face a picture of disbelief.

’I thought this saber technique might be related to the Black Evil Elder, but I never imagined I’d actually become a grand-disciple of that black-faced old fiend.’

’In my past life, I must have killed that black-faced old fiend at least eight hundred times.’

’Doesn’t that make me a traitor who’s betrayed my own lineage? Did I just chop up my own grandmaster eight hundred times?’

’I can’t even think about it...’

Xue Gui, lost in reminiscence, didn’t notice Bai Yuan’s unusual reaction.

"Since you have mastered the Blood Tiger Saber, you are the true heir of my lineage. The title of True Disciple will be yours sooner or later, so there’s no need to rush."

"Your Grandmaster was once a heroic figure who dominated a region. Unfortunately, he suffered a backlash from his Cultivation Technique, went berserk, and committed the grave error of slaughtering a city."

"Knowing he was guilty, your Grandmaster sealed his saber and lived in seclusion on Treasure Spring Mountain. He took five disciples. I was one of them, and so was Wang Chao, the man who caused trouble at the Martial Arts Hall the other day."

"Wang Chao betrayed our master and lineage. Now, I am the only one left. It’s a pity my own talent was insufficient, and I was unable to master the Blood Tiger Saber."

Understanding finally dawned on Bai Yuan.

’No wonder Huwei Arts Hall has been targeted from every direction. It turns out this is an old grudge.’

"Just focus on practicing your saber techniques diligently."

"In a few months, the Divine Mansion Sect will come to Qinghe County to recruit disciples. You should prepare for it. My lineage doesn’t have a rule against taking another master. Just remember to pass down the Blood Tiger Saber so that our line does not die out."

Xue Gui sat upright in the Grandmaster’s Chair, speaking slowly with his eyes closed.

The Divine Mansion Sect was a behemoth that loomed over Huanglong Prefecture, an entity that even the Black Evil Elder would not have dared to provoke.

If Bai Yuan could really enter the Divine Mansion Sect, he would certainly not obstruct his future prospects.

That is, as long as Bai Yuan could master the Blood Tiger Saber and bring glory to the Black Evil lineage.

"I will heed your command, Master."

"Right. You practice the Blood Tiger Saber, which takes a heavy toll on the body. This is a Token for the herb shop. From now on, you can go collect a dose of medicinal herbs every three days. It will greatly benefit your training."

Before he even finished speaking, Xue Gui pulled a Token from within his robes and tossed it to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan stared at the Token in his hand, overjoyed. This small Token was worth a thousand taels of silver!

This was a benefit that not even True Disciples necessarily received. Old Xue had truly spared no expense.

"Thank you, Master. I will not disappoint you."

"Very good. Go and practice your saber."

Xue Gui waved his hand.

"Yes, Master. I will take my leave."

Bai Yuan bowed again, then slowly exited the room.

’I really hit the jackpot by becoming his disciple this time.’