No Name

Having a disciple of the Second Realm reach the level needed to participate in the City Seizing Battle within a year sounded truly bizarre, but Liang Yue chose to accept.

The reason was simple: no matter what, it was a sure win with no losses.

Wang Rulin would teach him for a year. If he truly reached the level where he could participate in the City Seizing Battle, that would naturally be wonderful. If he had the chance to fight for the Nine Provinces, he would not refuse it.

If he lacked the ability by then, it would still certainly be better than growing wild on his own. Even if Wang Rulin no longer acknowledged him as a disciple afterward, he would still have cultivated for a year.

There was no downside in the end.

"Heh." Wang Rulin smiled faintly. "Rest assured. With your peerless talent of five immortal vines, plus my careful instruction, what are those Heaven's Chosen on the Young Phoenix Ranking? Mere clay chickens and porcelain dogs. Within a year, I will surely help you make the rankings!"

Liang Yue added, "Miss Wen is naturally an exception."

He neatly reeled Wang Rulin's harsh words back in.

"Hehe." The middle-aged Daoist gave an embarrassed laugh. "Naturally."

"No matter." Wen Yifan said lightly, "It is always a good thing for master and disciple to have lofty ambitions. Besides, compared to your aptitude of five immortal vines, I truly can only gaze at the dust behind you."

"You mustn't put it that way. How could I possibly compare to Senior Sister Wen's immortal body?" Liang Yue hurriedly said. "Besides... talent cannot represent everything."

"Heh." Wen Yifan let out a soft laugh.

It was unclear whether she was laughing because the words she had just spoken had so quickly been used to comfort her, or because Liang Yue had been so quick to seize the moment that he was already calling her Senior Sister.

With a sweep of his broad sleeve, Wang Rulin said, "Since you have taken me as your master today, I cannot offer nothing at all."

He turned and returned through the small door at the side of the main hall. Before long, he came out carrying a long case and set it before Liang Yue.

"This is..." Liang Yue asked curiously.

Wang Rulin raised a hand. "Open it and see."

Liang Yue slowly opened the case. Inside lay a long sword that seemed to contain a hidden radiance.

The blade was over four feet long, silver-bright from end to end, with faint dragon patterns upon it. Three inconspicuous little words were engraved near the hilt.

"This was the sword I wore in my youth. It accompanied me through the martial world for many years. Today, I give it to you as a gift for becoming my disciple," Wang Rulin said. "I trust you will not let this sword gather dust."

"Thank you, Master!" Liang Yue said joyfully.

He lifted the treasured sword from the case. The moment his hand closed around it, it gave off a faint hum, almost like a dragon's cry.

"No Name?" He read the three small words on the hilt. "Is that this sword's name?"

"More or less." Wang Rulin's smile was somewhat strange.

He explained, "Back then, I asked the master swordsmith Mo Wuxie to forge this sword for me. When the sword was completed, heaven and earth were stirred; dragons gathered in the river. He said that such a divine sword required an imposing name, and asked what I wanted it called so he could engrave it directly onto the blade."

"I hadn't decided at the time, so I said... it was fine not to leave a name." Wang Rulin sighed and shook his head. "His sword-forging skill was extraordinarily superb, but his brain was not so easy to use. He directly engraved those three words onto it."

"Later, I thought the words 'No Name' possessed quite a bit of charm as well, so I simply left it that way." His tone was full of helplessness.

Liang Yue had also heard the name of that master swordsmith, Mo Wuxie. He was currently the chief swordsmith of Weapon Forging Mountain. Liang Yue had not expected Wang Rulin's assessment of him to be like this.

It was amusing to hear, but Liang Yue also felt those three words were quite good.

The sharp kill with swords; the chivalrous leave no name.

"Among the many famed swords of the Sword Control Branch, No Name can rank within the top ten," Wen Yifan added from the side.

Liang Yue's heart surged. If it could rank among the Sword Control Branch's famed swords, then among all the treasured swords beneath heaven, it was surely near the forefront as well. Yet such a weapon was now in his hand.

He ran his fingertips along the blade, listening to its waves of sword cries, and said solemnly, "This disciple will certainly not fail your trust."

"There is no need to rush. This sword may not necessarily be yours yet." Wang Rulin smiled again. "Famed swords all possess pride, and this No Name is especially unyielding in its pride. Ordinary mortals cannot wield it. Even I had to undergo three recognitions of ownership before succeeding. If this sword refuses to acknowledge you completely, there is nothing I can do even if I wish to give it to you."

Liang Yue froze. "Recognition of ownership?"

"The swords of the Sword Control Branch are all magical artifacts, unlike the sabers, swords, and weapons of ordinary martial artists," Wang Rulin explained. "Only after recognition of ownership can a sword merge into your bloodline and become linked to your heart and will. Moreover, the sword's master nourishes it with heart's blood, while its Sword Qi can nourish the master's cultivation. The two complement each other."

"What do I need to do?" A bad premonition suddenly rose in Liang Yue's heart.

Sure enough, Wang Rulin immediately seized his arm, grabbed No Name, and cut open his wrist once more with a single stroke.

I knew it...

Liang Yue sighed silently to himself.

The blade touched blood. Wang Rulin swiped a fingertip across it, and with a tearing hiss, No Name's blade suddenly began to tremble violently.

Unlike its previous hum, this time it gave a sharp, clanging sword cry. A moment later, light suddenly flared from the blade. Then, with a whoosh, it shot into the air, circled Liang Yue once, and drilled into the wound on his wrist with a hiss.

"Ah..."

His heart clenched. Within his Divine Palace, an unfamiliar connection suddenly appeared. He could feel a sharp aura probing into his palm along his bloodline.

Yet that sharp aura lingered in his left palm for only an instant before fleeing as if startled. It raced through the blood vessels of his body to his right palm, where it finally settled.

The wandering process was icy and chilling, making Liang Yue's heart tighten again as his face turned deathly pale.

The feeling was like an unparalleled sharp weapon slicing past his throat, causing an inexplicable shudder of dread.

"Ha, this is only the beginning." Seeing him like this, Wang Rulin instead laughed. "Taming a sword is no different from taming a horse. A flying sword will not easily acknowledge any master, much less when your cultivation is so low. It will probably make a fuss for a while. This time, just let it become familiar with you first. The next attempt will be much easier... eh?"

He had been speaking in a torrent when he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Liang Yue had trembled only once before settling down. Not only did he show no further discomfort, but color gradually returned to his face.

What was going on?

Wang Rulin looked at him suspiciously. "Where has No Name gone?"

"Here." Liang Yue raised his right hand.

Feeling the sharp intent in his palm, he gently urged it with his Divine Sense.

Sshhk—

A streak of sword light sprang from his palm, and the treasured sword was instantly in his hand.

How wondrous.

Liang Yue marveled inwardly.

It was said that magical artifacts capable of holding heaven and earth existed in the world, but only Qi Refiners or Mystic Art Masters could activate them. Martial artists possessed no such wondrous divine ability and could only carry things clumsily.

Even someone with cultivation as high as Ling Yuanbao's had to keep a long weapon on her back at all times.

But this No Name sword could merge with him as one, appearing and vanishing at will. This was not his own divine ability, but the sword's inherent spirituality.

The swords of the Sword Control Branch truly were extraordinary.

Yet when Wang Rulin saw this scene, he stood stunned for a moment.

Then he suddenly flew into a rage. "You damned thing! Back then, you tormented me until my head and feet ached and my organs felt as though they were splitting apart. Why are you so obedient today?"

At first, Liang Yue thought Wang Rulin was scolding him. Only after listening did he realize that Wang Rulin was scolding the sword.

Wang Rulin snatched No Name away. "Wah-yah-yah! You really are a sword, aren't you? You look down on your old man, don't you?"

With a clang, he hurled the sword to the ground and raised a foot to stomp on it.

With a whoosh, No Name spun twice to evade him, then became a streak of light and flew back into Liang Yue's palm.

"Call it out! I want to fight it one-on-one!" Wang Rulin shouted furiously.

"Master, calm your anger. Master, don't lower yourself to its level..." Liang Yue hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Good heavens.

It seemed his master had quite the fiery temper too.

He could even argue with a sword?

Still, Liang Yue could sense that No Name had initially intended to stir up trouble too. But the moment it entered him, it sensed the aura of the thing in his left palm and had not dared move rashly ever since.

And in his left palm...

If he had guessed correctly, it should be the hidden pattern of the character "Fight."

So that thing was a little stronger after all?

After some testing, the disciple ceremony, and the gifting of the sword, it was already getting late.

Liang Yue arranged with Wang Rulin to come cultivate once every two days from now on, then returned home for the day.

He was actually somewhat anxious. There were only a few days left before the regularization assessment. Naturally, the sooner he cultivated and grew stronger, the more secure he would be. But since his master had said so, he could not press the matter and could only wait another two days.

Wen Yifan left together with Liang Yue, and he naturally thanked her profusely. Wen Yifan merely smiled faintly and said, "Cultivate diligently. I look forward to fighting side by side with you in Frost North City."

At the mention of this, Liang Yue truly fell into a daze.

Did his master really think he could do it?

If even Wang Rulin believed in him... then it seemed he had no reason to doubt himself.

He made his way home like that. The moment he entered Peaceful Lane, he saw Liang Xiaoyun waiting anxiously at the entrance.

"What happened?" he stepped forward and asked.

"Big Brother!" Liang Xiaoyun hurriedly said. "Something happened! I went to several places just now and couldn't find you!"

"What happened?" Liang Yue hurriedly asked.

Xiao Yun was usually a composed child and would not become so anxious so easily.

Then Liang Xiaoyun said, "Xiao Peng was taken away by people from the Dragon Tooth Gang!"

Good morning.