Yin Long rose from his seated position with a smile, this was what he had been waiting for. Jin Wang continued to follow close at his side, Xue Qiuling staying a bit closer than normal to Yin Long as they left her dwelling and started the tour through Swan Queen Hall. There were a myriad of doors in the main hallway, but most of those were reserved for dwellings so the actual number of places she could show him was actually somewhat low.
She first brought him to the first building that they had entered yesterday, which he found out was called Soaring King Hall. She showed him some of the stores where he could buy resources, the general library, as well as mission central, where he would have to go to accept or deliver missions. Once she showed him the most important parts of Soaring King Hall, she brought him to the central section of the dojo, the large open area located at the centre of the four buildings.
Just like the rest of the dojo, this area was covered in a space compressing array so that the actual space the disciples could use far surpassed what could be seen from the outside. What looked like a plain from above turned into a wilderness thanks to the arrays, some parts looking like a small tropical forest, some like a prairie, some like a mountainous area, there was even a large lake at the very centre of the training field. Xue Qiuling didn't lead Yin Long through all the areas, only giving him a stern reminder.
"The prairie is open for everyone, but the forest, the lake, and the mountainous areas contain several special cultivation areas so you need permission from the dojo if you want to enter them. Trying to enter them without the appropriate token can be dangerous so make sure you don't enter them carelessly just to sate your curiosity."
Yin Long nodded his head to show his understanding, both he and Jin Wang gazing curiously at the areas. The next area Xue Qiuling brought him to was the forge located within Swan Queen Hall, this was where the disciples could buy or order their weapons. They would get a discount based on their standing in the dojo, they might even receive some upgrades to their original request for free if their standing was high enough.
The same was true for the other shops, something the dojo had put in place to encourage the disciples to work hard towards increasing their strength so that they could increase their standing. Yin Long had no need for a weapon so he wasn't terribly interested in the forge, nor was he too interested in the dining hall that she brought him to afterwards. But the next stop, and their final stop, that one he had more than just a little interest in.
The last location she brought him to was another room that looked more like a plain, a large 9-floored pagoda standing as the centre point of this room, hundreds of disciples gathered around the pagoda while chatting or practising their moves. The dark green pagoda looked excessively large, each of the nine floors looking to be about half a kilometre wide and a little over 100 metres in height. But as Xue Qiuling explained what the pagoda was, Yin Long lost all thought about it being excessively large.
"This is our martial library, the pride of our Swan Queen Hall. Each floor is split into three floors, so the first floor is split into the lower, middle, and top floor. And each floor is filled with martial techniques that go from the floor to the ceiling, there are techniques and skills for every weapon and style you can think of! But you can't just enter and read them all as you please, each floor requires you to beat a golem of a certain strength to enter. And of course, the higher floors contain stronger and rarer techniques so make sure you don't slack, otherwise you'll never get to see what we truly have to offer."
Xue Qiuling's voice contained an unmistakable trace of pride and arrogance as she spoke about the pagoda. It was this pagoda that allowed Swan Queen Hall to become the third greatest haven for all sword wielders in the entire Starblood Province, a truly grand honour.
Yin Long's eyes sparkled slightly as he looked at the pagoda, his feet instinctively carrying him forward. He ignored the people around him as he headed for the pagoda, but two people stepped in front of him before he could walk too far, smiling thinly at him as they stopped him.
"You're the new Junior Brother that Sister Xiuling brought, right? Yin Long, wasn't it? Please forgive us, but hearing how highly she praised your skills we couldn't help but feel our hands itch, would you mind sparring with us here?"
Yin Long's gaze moved away from the pagoda and landed on the two men, his black pupils seemingly gazing straight into their souls. The two men looked rather charming and refined, but their eyes flashed with a faint sliver of hostility and envy when they looked at Yin Long and the closely accompanying Xue Qiuling. Yin Long couldn't be bothered with their desires and envy, politely rejecting them.
"Sorry, but I want to check out some manuals and techniques first to improve my skills, we can spar once I'm done, how about that?"
The two men had both reached the 1st Immortal Door, so their cultivations was a fair bit stronger than Yin Long's. But he wasn't scared of them, he had killed people of their level of strength before so just sparring with them was nothing. But the two men seemed to misunderstand his intentions, or they simply didn't intend to let him leave without first making a fool of him in front of Xue Qiuling.
"Now now, there's no need to be worried, we're not looking to bully you. We really just want to spar with you, we won't even use any Qi, just our skills with the blade. So come on, please enlighten us!"
One of Yin Long's eyebrows rose in slight annoyance at their insistence, he wanted to check out the techniques and manuals as quickly as he could. If he was lucky, not only would he be able to learn something new, he might even be able to find something that could help him come up with the next part of his cultivation technique. Jin Wang understood his annoyance, a low growl reverberating forth, but Yin Long pat him on the head to quiet him down, glancing behind him.
"Don't bother, I don't want to clean up any messes. Can I leave them to you?"
Jin Wang stopped growling but still glared at the two men, baring his fangs as a threat. The two men originally thought that Yin Long was talking to Xue Qiuling, but the slightly pouting voice that came from behind even Xue Qiuling quickly showed them that they were wrong.
"Boo, that's the first thing you say after finally seeing me again? Not an 'I love you' or a 'Never leave me again'? You're hurting my fragile heart."
The amber-haired and brown-eyed Lan Yun came walking over with her hands behind her head, her lips puckered as she playfully pouted. Yin Long rolled his eyes at her antics, the corners of his lips pulling up very faintly. Lan Yun didn't give him the chance to say anything in response, shooing him away with both hands.
"Alright, shoo shoo, you go and do yours. I'll clean up your little mess and then come and get nice and close, so prepare yourself for some intense lovin'."
Yin Long rolled his eyes even heavier than the previous time, casting a sideways glance at Jin wang before he stepped past the two men. Jin Wang understood Yin Long's intentions and didn't follow, sauntering over to Lan Yun's side to accompany her just in case. The two men were completely caught off-guard by the situation, taking a second to marvel at Lan Yun before calling out to Yin Long.
"You're willing to go as far as to hide behind a woman just to avoid a sparring match? If you're a coward then you can just say so, no need to act this pathetically."
Yin Long ignored their goading, carelessly waving his hand without even bothering to turn around, even ignoring all the stares he got from the other surrounding people.
"She's really darn strong, so if I were you then I'd be thinking more about myself right now."
Yin Long entered the pagoda after he finished his words, leaving the surrounding crowd rather perplexed. His words seemed as if he was freely admitting that he was leaving the fight to someone stronger, but didn't he feel any shame in doing so? None of them knew the truth, only Lan Yun and Jin Wang knew. And while Yin Long might not care to show off, Lan Yun certainly wasn't just going to let everyone here think poorly of him.
"Alright, you two fodder, let's spar. I have yet to beat him, so if you can't even beat me then you shouldn't even bother trying to look for him. And even if you can beat me, odds are you'll be gobbled up by this little cutie before you can get close to him. After all, he's growling and glaring at you like this, and that means only one thing, you aren't worthy."
The two men frowned darkly at Lan Yun's insults and insinuations, no man enjoyed being insulted by a great beauty. Lan Yun pulled out her large axe and the two men brought out their own weapons, quickly deciding on who should go first. But it didn't matter what order they went in, Lan Yun had gotten much stronger after acquiring a cultivation manual that allowed her talent to truly flourish. Both of the men were beaten down in quick succession, Lan Yun mercilessly delivering the verdict.
"See? Not worthy. Now you can leave, there really isn't any point in you guys challenging him and embarrassing yourself. Of course, you're free to do so if you want, but just know that he isn't as merciful as I am."
The two men grit their teeth at Lan Yun's slightly cold utterance, but they had lost so there was nothing they could do. The sucked in and spat out a quick breath, glancing at Lan Yun and then at the doors of the pagoda for a short second before they left. Lan Yun put away her axe, turning around to look at the clapping Xue Qiuling.
"How wonderful, you're rough around the edges and somewhat clumsy, but you're bursting with potential, it really was the right idea to bring you here. And you truly care for him, huh? Even chewing those guys out so viciously, you really hurt their pride."
It was one thing to beat them like that after saying that Yin Long was stronger than her, but the simple judgment of not worthy was quite vicious due to how broad it was. Lan Yun shrugged her shoulders in the same manner as Yin Long, not an ounce of embarrassment in her now tender voice.
"Why should I care about their pride? And care for him isn't enough to describe it, he's the first person who treated me like a human, he's the first one who taught me proper warmth and how to be myself. I don't just care for him, I love him."
The tool of the Lang clan, a prostitute trained to gather information, that was what she had been trained as ever since she was picked up as an orphan. But Yin Long hadn't once looked at her like that, not once treated her like that. And thanks to that, his warmth and figure had branded themselves directly into Lan Yun's heart, forever altering her. A faint light flashed through Xue Qiuling's pupils after she heard Lan Yun's heartfelt emotions, her head tilting innocently as she questioned.
"Love him, huh? But he doesn't love you, in fact, he worries about your love for him, he worries that you'll end up chasing him forever just to end up alone. So if you love him, wouldn't it be best to give up so that you can ensure his happiness? What you're doing now, isn't it rather... selfish?"
Since she loved him she definitely wanted Yin Long to be happy, that was something everyone who loved someone else wished for them. Lan Yun's eyes narrowed slightly in response to Xue Qiuling's words, the corners of her lips forming a faint sneer as she understood something.
"Heh, are you jealous? And yeah, I've thought about it, thought that it might be better to give up on him. I came into his life too late and at a poor time where he had closed his heart slightly due to pain, but I won't give up. He taught me that it's fine to be myself, to think and act for myself, it's fine to be selfish. So yeah, I want him to be happy, but I want him to be happy with me, I want to be part of his happiness, no matter how selfish it might be. So you can take your jealousy and shove it."
Thanks for the Words I really like Lan Yun's character