The worldwide tournament that's about to commence soon will reflect the effect of our sect's traditional apprenticeship ceremony . An official announcement regarding this will be made from the authorities in a few days . Don't waste any time in the next few days and prepare yourself for the first round of the tournament . I don't have the permission to tell you anything about it in advance since that goes against the tournament rules . All I'll say is...keep your mind fresh and ready to tackle some challenges ."

With the vague hints delivered smoothly , Kong Ye left Xuhan's hut . Looking at his back , Xuhan's muddled thoughts finally started clearing up .

His current situation was...terrible to say the least . The tournament was one problem he couldn't really prepare to tackle with his current strength . Eld-master's vague warnings made it sound even worse and more ominous than it already was . If he had some concrete ideas about what horrors the first round held , he could have thought something up at the very least .

Setting the tournament aside , the more pressing issue was the problem in his meridians . They were damaged beyond repair to begin with . It was going to get even worse ?

Han Xuhan wasn't keen on putting his trust on others to get his issues solved . Maybe his new master would really find a way to repair his meridians , maybe he wouldn't . But he had to make sure he himself did .

Cultivation was too interesting to let go of , regardless of how many obstacles he faced . The addictive feeling of superhuman strength surging through his body and qi obeying his command was beyond anything he had ever experienced .

Taking a deep breath , Xuhan focused on the stack of papers in front of him . Two different cultivation manuals , all for himself . For so long he had been practicing that same Skeletal Monarch technique . Granted , he could have actually practiced other techniques too after getting past the sect's deadline for new disciples . But that would have set his cultivation speed back by several degrees compared to his peers . It was the wisest decision to choose to focus on a single technique unless one had powerful , rich backing and an awfully lot of time on their hand .

"The Snowfall Garden technique , eh ?" Tun Shi Tian said , popping out from behind . Zhanxian too had come out of the kitchen , not having made a single appearance throughout his entire conversation with elder Kong .

"I thought you two were supposed to make tea ."

"I'm sorry , but if you thought I'd be making tea after receiving the news that my very existence is in danger right now , you'll be sorely disappointed . Quit having such high expectations for my work ethics , master . You'll only hurt yourself more that way ."

"Zhanxian , it's another matter whether I get crippled due to my meridians becoming damaged or not . You should be more worried about killing me with your words and you two dying that way ."

"I didn't think you actually listened to anything I say , let alone feeling insulted by my words ."

Bantering back and forth , Xuhan felt his spirit recover slowly . Feeling out the normalcy of his regular lifestyle seemed like a good way to get a better grip on the reality . As the three of them continued to bicker pointlessly , he studied the Snowfall Garden technique for the rest of the evening .

The first surprise he received while going through its pages was the fact that it belonged to another subtype of cultivation techniques .

Unlike stubs , where the cultivation technique doesn't generate a dao tower before the soul reformation realm , this subtype was known as 'Ghosts' . The reason behind such a title was the fact that this type of techniques had no apparent effects on one's physique or soul , which frankly , were the two major areas of focus for every cultivator . These techniques only focused on pure cultivation through enlightenments , rigorous mental discipline , pursuit of self comprehension and building dao foundation . It offered no extra benefits other than the nominal status of a cultivator .

Predictably , this subtype of cultivation techniques were quite unpopular worldwide . The only redeeming quality it was known for was its lack of presence which suited cultivators with sensitive identities . To Xuhan's knowledge , the only practitioners of this subtype of cultivation techniques lived in a far off corner of the continent as monks . Their views of cultivation was extreme , and they preferred to call all the other types of orthodox styles unworthy of the power they pursued .

The stack of papers elder Kong had handed to him held the instructions for the entire physique transformation realm while practicing the technique . Once again , Xuhan felt a pang of shock after realizing that elder Kong too , kept entire tomes of cultivation manuals memorized...

"Am I the only guy without photographic memory ? Is this an innate skill that everybody has in this world , but I don't ?"

Torn between confusion and lamentation , he started browsing through the next manual , a suspicious looking technique titled The Hand That Holds Treasure .

Although his new master never made it clear what the technique's primary purpose was , Xuhan had an uncanny feeling that it was for stealing stuff . There was no awesome looking description on top of the manual , not even a credit to its creator ; which was incredibly rare among orthodox , righteous techniques .

It's principles were rather complicated , with lots of theories and sub-techniques that had to be mastered before being able to practice the main one . In general , it was divided into ten layers like any other techniques , with each layer consisting of learning some basics and mastering one sub-technique related to them . The entire premise was about switching objects , moving them telekinetically , changing substances and colours using qi , something that resembled element bending , disguising tricks , psychological warfare , basic formations , and one technique that had definitely been adapted from law manipulation principles . Then there would come the specialized version that elder Kong had promised to give him .

The task ahead of him looked so lengthy , daunting and hard to accomplish that not feeling complety disheartened and giving up was already an accomplishment to him .

* * * * *

"You're telling me , you got into a fight with a girl your age at the peak of physique transformation realm , without considering how powerful a backing she would need to have a cultivation base that high at that age -"

"Who even considers that sort of stuff before getting into a fight ? What kind of dumbass would wait to think through so much unnecessary details when you can just punch those . . . high cheekbones out of her . . . beautiful face ?"

Seeing the dreamy look on Mu Ran's face gave Xuhan a pause while he tried to process his boss's reply to his question .

". . .Okayyyy , I see . And then while the two of you were fighting , you trashed the restaurant you were in , which inevitably pissed off the owner who turned out to be an overpowered grandpa-"

"It's okay , Xuhan . He was very understanding about it , such a sporty chap . He even said the two of us suited each other perfectly ."

". . .He still made you two do him a favour in exchange for all the cash you cost him though ," Xuhan said , still mired in deep confusion trying to find the logic in that scenario . But the answer was as elusive as any sane person's ability to imagine the scene unironically .

"A totally logical decision , I'd say ," Mu Ran answered .

"The grandpa made you two look for a mysterious treasure hidden deep inside this infamous Black Reaper Jungle where not even soul reformation cultivators dare to enter casually . . . I'm not sure how that translates into him being a sporty chap , boss ."

"Eh , my original mission was a task at the outskirts of that jungle too , Xuhan . His hints about the mysterious object helped me greatly ! So I didn't mind hitting two birds with one stone , no wait , make it three birds , hehehe ."

Again , a dreamy , dazed smirk appeared on Mu Ran's face . Realizing that his boss was smitten with this lass he had met in that restaurant , Xuhan felt a headache coming . All protagonists became useless , dense fools whenever their love interests were involved . Mu Ran had never exactly been a brainy guy , but now it looked like even zombies would ignore him due to the lack of substance inside his skull .

"What was the object anyway , boss ? I'm not trying to sound suspicious or anything , but don't you think the whole incident is sort of shady ?"

"Shady ?" Mu Ran rolled his eyes in annoyance .

"Underling , you must put a bit more trust on others' character . The grandpa clearly was a cool , unfettered daoist trying to comprehend the great truth in the mortal world . The moment we laid our eyes on each other , we could see the familar sparks of magnificent spirit for the dao within ourselves . It was an instantaneous , mutual understanding . Then the grandpa simply told us that since we looked young , he'd let the slight go as long as we enquired about something for him secretly . He was very straightforward while describing the object , and later when we found it deep within the jungle , his descriptions and warnings matched impeccably ."

"That actually sounds even shadier now . What was the object exactly , boss ?" Xuhan asked curiously . A solemn look appeared on Mu Ran's face as he answered .

"It was a shortsword , its edge so sharp that it could cut through huge boulders like sliding through mud . The smithing was so incredibly advanced that I couldn't even identify what materials were used to create it . Its blade was so thin and flexible that you could twist it into a knot and carry it around in your pocket !"

The description was downright impossible to believe . How could blades like that even exist ? Even back on earth where science had advanced so far , Xuhan didn't remember any type of alloys being so terrifying . Maybe something similar could have been created using nanotechnology , but Xuhan had no idea how it would be possible to accomplish that here . Wait...why was he trying to find scientific explanations when cltivation magic was involved ?

Meanwhile , Mu Ran's passionate speech continued, unobstructed by the usual quips from his paranoid underling .

"Not only was its materials and craftsmanship exquisite , it also had a requirement for its wielders ! A pure , untainted mind , a heart dedicated to the great dao , a soul untouched by the worldly sins ; that sword's wielder must meet those requirements to unlock its full potential and gain its allegiance !"

"Ohh , you became its master , right boss ?" Xuhan asked , wide-eyed .

". . .Let's not talk about that , underling ."

". . .Why ? How, boss ? Does your character not meet one of those requirements or what ? "

"Xuhan , the ancient scholars said , ' poking a sleeping dragon in the eye is a great way to increase the average intelligence of mankind .' Do you want to martyr yourself for this great cause ?"

". . . "

Xuhan fell silent . Sitting opposite to him , Mu Ran grinded his teeth rather viciously for quite a while before breaking the silence .

"No matter . As my underling, you should be aware of this , just in case . The sword was taken by a arrogant little brat from a very powerful sect situated in another continent . We had a bit of a 'friendly discussion of the great dao' before he escaped . He told me that we would meet again in the worldwide tournament when he manages to unlock the sword's full potential . He might target you there . So be prepared to fight for your life ."

The bout of silence that ensued after Mu Ran's warning was even more awkward and grave , with Xuhan staring daggers at the guy .

"Correct me if I'm wrong , boss . But , I don't have anything to do with your scuffle with this arrogant brat , do I ?"

Coughing pointedly , Mu Ran looked away , staring outside though the window .

"I uhh . . . I might have killed a few of his spirit beast pets and crippled one of his vile mouthed, black hearted companions . His response is pretty logical, I'd say ."

"Ah, absolutely . It all makes sense now . I can picture the whole incident very clearly now ."

His eyes flashing with a gaze commonly seen among dead fish , Xuhan nodded like a sage , trying to hold back some really degrading insults and the urge to throttle his martial brother .

"Anyway, boss . There was one thing I'd like to ask . You are aware of the apprenticeship tradition in this sect, right ? I've recently gathered some inside intelligence , and if there's any particular area of skills that you'd like to develop soon , feel free to tell me . I'll help you find the best master here ! It's my duty as your underling, after all ."

Mu Ran's eyes lit up in appreciation . Clapping Xuhan on the shoulder like a satisfied elder of the family , he beamed in response .

"Wonderful work , underling ! This is why I like having you around . I was already about to make some enquiries myself . Since the tournament is coming closer and closer everyday , there is one skill that I'd love to learn by the time it starts ."

"Just name it and leave the rest to me , boss . You don't even need to grovel under the feet of those obnoxious elders . I'll handle everything !"

"Really ?" Mu Ran asked with eyes opened wide in surprise and appreciation .

"Mm , the skill I want to learn is . . . Astral Warfare !"

Xuhan racked his brain trying to figure out what it could mean before realization dawned on him . Mu Ran had always been rather focused on spells related to souls , something that was greatly reflected on his performance in the land of laws . Since the word astral was involved , it would clearly be something to do with souls too .

"Is this a definitive name of a known skill , or just a rough area of expertise ?" He asked finally , taking out a list to note it down .

"I don't know for sure . I heard the phrase somewhere . It sounds really useful and interesting ," Mu Ran said , keeping his answer rather vague .

Trying not to laugh or scoff at his half assed excuse , Xuhan noted it down with a serious expression and bade him farewell for the day .

"One down , two more to go ."