The day was at its peak, but due to the snowy weather, it couldn't thrive in its usual manner, as the droplets of snow fell upon the lively city. The final days of the selection were closing in, and the atmosphere in Machen Town was vaguely undergoing invisible changes, as many new powerful and mysterious faces slowly began to seep into this ordinary town. The once humble and straightforward town became a dwelling place for sleeping dragons and crouching tigers.
However, despite this change, the citizens of Machen Town continued to enjoy the seemingly merry and joyful mood. As recently, even the battle arenas that had only a limited amount of people began to swarm with unusual and mysterious characters.
∞ ∞ ∞
At the center of Machen Town, stood a vast mansion. It was about twice to size of the Feng Clan mansion. Hung atop the gates of this mansion was an iconic symbol representing a high prestige, this place was the Town Lord Mansion.
Standing in front of its gates were town guards wearing standard town armour, and both gave off a cultivation level like that of a 9 Tier Body Training realm practitioner.
Inside of the Town Lord Mansion, within a decorated and luxurious room.
Seated around a pristine glass table, were a few individuals. Starting from the opposite side was a middle-aged man who had a mature lady seated quietly by his side, while on the opposing side of the table, was a voluminous looking young woman and an arrogant looking young man.
The middle-man and mature woman were currently doing their best to offer their most hospitable service to these two individuals.
"Madam Xuan, Young Master Bei, this lord feels honored to have been given a chance to cater for such prominent individuals from the capital city," The middle-aged man said as he bowed slightly.
Seeing this the arrogant looking man nodded and replied, “Of course, usually we would not even place such an insignificant place in the eyes of my Bright Flame Kingdom. You should be honored. Now then, about that matter my father inquired about, have you gathered the necessary information?"
Hearing his words, a solemn look appeared in the eyes of the middle-aged man. He then looked towards the mature woman by his side and nodded. Seeing his gesture, she promptly took out a piece of jade slip and passed it over to the arrogant young man.
After taking the jade slip, the arrogant young man quickly scanned the information concealed within it, "Oho! Interesting..." He said as he tapped his fingers on the table curiously.
Hearing the words of the individual beside her Madam Xuan couldn't help but gain an interest, she looked towards him and said in an unsatisfied manner.
"Bei child, aren't you going to share the information with me?"
"Humph! We’re leaving," Not bothering to reply to her, the arrogant young man quickly got himself up and made his way towards the entrance of the mansion.
Seeing this, Madam Xuan could only shake her head and follow him as she said dismissively to the two people behind her, "You've done well gathering what we asked for, as such compensation will be sent to your abode within three weeks’ time. Now then, I will be excusing myself."
Witnessing the scene before them the Town Lord and his wife could only grit their teeth silently as they complained under their breaths.
"Sigh, this is the third one that has visited our mansion this passing month, and each of these influences has asked about the same kind of information. Darling, it looks like this Talent Selection won't be a simple one," The middle-aged man said with a weary look on his face.
"It doesn't matter, it has nothing to do with us, as long as we stay out of these troubled waters we will be able to continue just fine," The mature woman said as he looked at the direction the two characters left with a severe expression.
"Un. Indeed, we have no need to partake in this scheme," The Town Lord replied.
∞ ∞ ∞
Inside of the Feng Clan Manor, within an unoccupied courtyard.
A young man could be seen walking towards a structure close by the frozen pond, where the fragrant scent of roses permeated the air. Observing carefully, a garden of roses could be seen neatly arranged around the structure, giving the area a slightly colorful taste within the snowy monotone.
At the center of this garden, was a small structure with a few neatly arranged seats placed inside. Seated on one of these seats was a beautiful looking young woman, who seemed free from the mundane constraints of the world as she quietly and peacefully read her book.
As Feng Yu approached, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of tranquility as his mood instantly became several times better. Vaguely, his overall abilities including his martial comprehension and his cultivation had slight indications of breakthroughs.
However, this peaceful mood did not last forever, as upon seeing Feng Yu appear in the garden the quiet little aunty instantly became her usual self once more. She jumped from her position reaching high into the air while she somersaulted before gracefully landing right in front of Feng Yu.
"So, Yu'er has finally come to see aunty! Come quickly, let aunty have a look at your strength!" As if she was waiting for a very long time and couldn't hold back any longer Feng Xingyu quickly started to unleash attacks towards Feng Yu.
As he was not expecting such a sudden change Feng Yu became filled with shocked, quickly he tried to explain his purpose for coming here, "Aunty! No! I came for a reaso----" Before he could finish, he was caught into a ‘clothesline’ that firmly wrapped around his neck. Then, he was violently pulled in the air as Feng Xingyu jumped to the sky, she revolved her body with Feng Yu gripped firmly in her clutches to increase her momentum before falling downwards at bolting speeds smashing Feng Yu into the field of snowy roses creating a white cloud of dust.
"Araaaaghhh!" A mournful howl resounded throughout the Feng Clan as all the younger generation elders trembled, most them revealing an expression of deep reminiscence.
Inside of the clan master’s hall, Feng Yunlong and Feng Junling sat as they discussed family matters. Suddenly they heard the scream and Feng Junling couldn't help but reveal and slightly mocking expression. Seeing this scene, Feng Yunlong couldn't remain silent.
"Why didn't you warn Yu'er about Xingyu's behavioral patterns?" Feng Yunlong said as he looked towards Feng Junling.
"Isn't it for the same reason you did," Feng Junling replied as he sipped the tea from the cup in his hand.
An embarrassed expression appeared on Feng Yunlong's face as he replied, "That's, that's because..." But soon he quickly recovered and placed on a more serious expression as he continued.
"Humph! A Young Phoenix cannot grow unperturbed, it must learn to face all circumstances including the unexpected, "Feng Yunlong said with a deep and profound expression.
Seeing his brother like this Feng Junling sneered in his heart as he thought back to the days of early childhood, the form of small Xingyu violently beating the slightly older Feng Yunlong with utter dominance as she flaunted her immense innate divine strength.
As he thought up the here, he suddenly sighed, "Such a pity, Xingyu's circumstances are actually the most troublesome of us all, born with unlimited divine strength yet unable to use it due to the limitations of our family."
Hearing this a pensive look appeared on Feng Yunlong's face as he also replied while looking out the window, towards the garden covered with white clouds of dust in the distance, "A pity it is indeed..."
Within a few moments, the dust cloud that blanketed the garden faded away by the snowy weather as snow began to fill the cleared earth once again. The figure of Feng Yu was now in a sorry state he picked himself up off the ground rubbing his neck while looking at the excited and happy mood his aunt was in after a moment of triumph.
"Sigh, how could I forget to look up the memories I have on this aunty of mine? Eh? There's nothing," Feng said in surprise as he realized that there was no memory of his aunt behaving in such a violent manner before.
Seeing her nephew who held his head down while rubbing his neck, a gentle
r expression soon came on the battle crazed female face. She walked over and lifted him off the ground while offering to counsel.
"There nephew don't go crying on me now, It's only a process of initiation. Now that you are truly apart of the clan's cultivators, you would have had to be given the ritual done to many," Feng Xingyu said in a reasonable tone of voice.
Hearing this Feng Yu instantly felt like vomiting blood, "A Ritual? You call beating the heck out me a ritual... sigh," He thought inwardly. Soon, however, he forced himself to stay on track and inquire about his problem.
"Aunty Xingyu, It's ok I'm fine. I only came to ask today for your help regarding a matter," Feng Yu asked as he quickly regained his composure and stood before Feng Xingyu.
Hearing Feng Yu's statement, a severe look soon came of Feng Xingyu's face as she replied, "You want auntie’s help, ok I will help you, but first Yu'er will have to make a promise to aunty."
"A promise? What kind of promise?" Feng Yu asked curiously and cautiously.
"It’s nothing overly dramatic, aunty just wants Yu'er to do something for her," Feng Xingyu said in a more reassuring tone.
"Ok, tell me what it is you need me to do," Feng Yu responded after hearing her statement.
"Good! That's my Yu'er, it’s like this ever since aunty was but a small child, I had always been blessed with an unusually powerful innate divine power, as such, when it comes down to physical combat, I had no equal. But, this comes at the cost of having terminated inner aura cultivation veins and our Feng Clan does not have any types of body cultivation techniques that are suitable for our bloodline. Thus, my strength has always remained limited unable to advance the slightest. If Yu'er promises to create a suitable technique for aunty, aunty will do her best to aid Yu'er," Feng Xingyu said as she looked towards Feng Yu with hints of expectation.
Hearing her circumstances, a look of understanding some came across Feng Yu's face, "It seems that aunty is suffering from a similar situation as I once did in the past due to my lack of talent. Only, in her case, it's having talent but not the means," He then arranged his thoughts and firmly replied, "Aunty Xingyu, Yu'er promises to do his best and make to the most powerful body cultivation technique for your practice,"
"Good, good! Now, quickly tell aunty what you need help with," Feng Xingyu said excitedly as she saw her nephew’s determination for her sake.
"Aunty Xingyu it's like this, I currently walk the path of a dual swordsman, but I am missing one more sword. I was wondering if aunty may know where I can get another sword around the quality of the one I have on my back," As he said this, he quickly reached for Black-Lightning and unsheathed it in front of her.
Shing! Upon seeing the sword in front of a curious gleam appeared in Feng Xingyu's eyes, she quickly reached her hand out and took the sword before gently stroking the surface of its blade.
"Oh, a top-tier mortal rank sword this is a pretty good weapon... wait, something's wrong the aura it emits is that of a mortal ranked sword, but it seems as if it is about to advance to the low-tier earth rank. Little Yu'er what's going on? Did you create a lifeblood weapon?" Aunty Xingyu asked curiously as she looked at the sword in surprise.
"Yes aunty, I had chosen this weapon to be my first primary life weapon, is there any weapon of a similar grade in Machen Town?" Feng Yu asked as he gently stroked the hilt of Black-Lightning.
"Hmm, well while the materials used for this sword aren't the best, it is still ranked at the finest class within its grade. If you want to find a blade like this in a small city like this it would be the same as trying to find a needle in a haystack," Feng Xingyu replied as she placed her finger at lips while pondering.
Hearing this Feng Yu became disappointed as he made the decision to leave and search elsewhere Feng Xingyu made an exclamation, "Hmmm, wait! I just remembered something, how could I forget something so important? Little Yu'er you may be in luck if it was any other time you may not have been able to find such a weapon. But it just so happens that in two days’ time there will be a special event in Machen Town's biggest merchant facility."
"Eh? What's that?" Feng Yu asked in a curious tone.
"The annual auction of the Mystery Pavilion!" Feng Xingyu responded with an excited expression on her face.
Chapter 33
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Lang Kuang and Miren Fei
Inside the Feng Clan Manor, within a training field. As the day began to fade, the curtain of night slowly descends unto the world once more. A young man could be seen seated in crossed-legged posture as he drew upon the flame essences of the heaven and earth to temper his body. Within his body, his internal organs and inner veins were completely glowing with a golden crystal hue.
Bang! With the sound of something overflowing, all the essence-energies gathered inside Feng Yu's body burst out into the surroundings transforming the field around him into a small sea of flames and lighting. His eyebrows and hair were glowing with a bright golden-scarlet color as his bloodline started to revolve on its own accord. Shortly after, his energies began to retract towards a central organ within his body flowing through his strengthened inner veins and settling nearby the organ.
Suddenly, Feng Yu opened his eyes, as he looked towards the burnt area with a hint of excitement, "Great! I've finally striven a step further and achieved peak 8 Tier Body Training realm. Hmm, such a powerful cultivation technique my internal organs and veins have been tempered to a stage no way inferior to that of a peak 9 Tier Body Training realm expert. My Dantian is also on the verge of true awakening, I wonder, will I be able to condense wisps of aura the moment I breakthrough to the 9 Tier. No matter, for now, I just need to focus and wait until the date of the auction to see if I can find a decent sword, then I should be able to make a bit more progress on my sword realm before the day of the selections."
As Feng Yu was pondering his future direction for cultivation, a figure appeared in the vicinity and was walking towards him. He was wearing black qigong robes with black wrappings around his arms, and he had light blue hair with a somewhat handsome semblance, an angular face that was a bit above average with bright eyes gleaming with intelligence. It’s a pity though, for most of it could hardly be recognized due to his large conical hat.
Seeing this figure, Feng Yu revealed a curious expression, but soon it became filled with surprise. Quickly, the character appeared before him and promptly knelt on the ground.
"Young Master Yu, I have successfully achieved initial success with my
Looking over Dai Lin for a bit Feng Yu felt proud, he thought for a moment before speaking once more, "Dai Lin, very good! Your talent for the Electric Path has left me speechless, previously I told you to cultivate until your reach Aura Disciple realm before I assign you the second task. But, I've changed mind. Now that I've broken through, I won't be able to increase my strength within a short amount of time. As such, I will use the little extra time I have to scout for talents. We will immediately head to the Town Battle Arena to see if there are any suitable talents that we can recruit for Dawnwing."
As Feng Yu said this, he then turned around and made his way towards the entrance of the Feng Manor.
Hearing his words an interested expression soon came over Dai Lin's face as he was curious what kind of individuals his young master would be willing to let join Dawnwing.
"Yes, Young Master!" Dai Lin said as trailed behind Feng Yu.
∞ ∞ ∞
The scene in Machen Town was a lively one tonight, as groups of wanderers, practitioners, and locals squandered their time in the streets. However, mixed amongst these people were a myriad of mysterious and unusual characters.
Dressed in a conventional style of clothing was a strange old man who quietly sat in the middle of the street drinking from a large jug of wine. It seemed as if he existed but did not exist at the same tim
e, as the individuals within the road would directly pass him by as if he was nothing but air. He had a very casual and straightforward expression as he would occasionally laugh while he glanced around at the clueless individuals.
"Haha! Such a lively little place, but it’s such a pity no one is capable of even sensing this old man. Hmm, could the one I'm looking for truly reside in a place such as this?" The strange old man said as he placed on a pondering expression.
However, as if he felt something, he glanced towards his right to see two individuals making their way through the streets. These two individuals were strange, as they made their way through the road, they would do so with a peculiar pattern as if they had practiced countless times to achieve a unique rhythm with perfect harmony. Vaguely, a hint of lightning energy could be felt in the areas they went by.
Seeing this scene, the strange old man felt curious, "Oh! Such a magnificent display of footwork, who are these two little fellas?" As he said this, he couldn't help but send out a bit of his spiritual sense.
As if sensing something one of the youths looked towards his direction with an expression of uncertainty and caution. Seeing this a look of surprise soon came into the eyes of the strange old man as he thought to himself.
"Hmm, such remarkable senses, but he is not the one I'm looking for he does not carry any traces of a nefarious aura. Oh well, it seems that I may have to try from a different approach." The strange old man said as he started to phase away from existence.
Swoosh! As if feeling the constraint that was placed on it disappear, the night wind that was pressured by some unknown force soon began to flow into the street once more.
"Strange, why is there so much wind now?" Feng Yu muttered.
Dai Lin who was standing behind him licked the tip of his fingers and pointed it in the air, after a short while he looked towards the direction the old was previously residing.
"Young Master, I feel that this wind is quite unusual, as it seems to have originated from the area just now," Dai Lin said as he looked towards the area with a scrutinizing appearance.
Dual Sword God Box Set Page 21
