by Fat Bread
"Yeah, they're really some big trouble." Yun Xi smiled bitterly. He had no choice, but to suffer in silence. He didn't dare to tell her the truth.
If his childhood sweetheart, Hua Huo, was a summer storm, then the pair of twin witches, White Lotus and Red Lotus, were a pair of unexpected calamities!
****
The next day, Yun Xi got up early and quickly understood what was the trouble Hua Huo meant.
The small village's narrow street was filled with strange creatures which were obviously from other towns.
Rhinoceroses, red hares, yellow claws, flying lightning, and unicorns. Usually, you would never see so many cursorial mounts, but now, they were everywhere.
There were even some rare flying mounts which you wouldn't see many times in such a common small village.
The specialty of the Eastern God's Domains - the Manned Roc birds.
The specialty of the Western God's Domains - the powerful and magnificent Griffins.
Yun Xi even saw in the air, a flying carriage which was pulled by three flying horses and shrouded by clouds and mist...
Young boys wearing various well-crafted clothes were seemingly in high and vigorous spirits. They excitedly gathered together, talking with eloquence.
Among them, many people were wearing white two-leaves sword-shaped emblems, which meant that they were 2nd-ranked swordsmen, the best of the best.
Yun Xi even saw a few of them wearing three-leaves sword-shaped emblems. It meant that they were standing at the top of mortals and known as matchless geniuses.
Of course, these geniuses weren't the local people of the small village.
Some of them were from nearby towns, and some of them were nobles or men of good families, riding on rare flying mounts and coming from thousands of miles away.
The swordsmen who had had three-leaves emblems were certainly candidates who would join the Sword Palace. And the geniuses like Hua Huo didn't even need to take the exam, they could join the Sword Palace directly.
The young boys, girls, and their servants and relatives who came from faraway areas made the narrow road of the small village more crowded, and they were here for only one reason.
The coming of the twin witches, the future masters of White Lotus Sword Domain - Red Lotus and White Lotus.
If it was a common admission, it wouldn't draw so many people's attention. The only reason it aroused such a storm was the appearance of the twin witches.
The clouds were rolling on with full force. Perhaps this was the best description of this scene.
"Dong! Dong!" At the entrance of Yun Xi's bakeshop, it was ringing with hasty knocking sounds.
Yun Xi went down the stairs and opened the door, seeing a crowd of travel-stained servants.
"Hey, young master, do you want to sell your house? I'm from Xiyuan village and the representative of Childe Ling, I want to buy your house at ten times the price!"
"Wait, I'm from Donghe village. Childe Xiao. I can pay fifteen times the price!"
"Thirty times the price! We, from Yun He City, want your house!"
Yun Xi looked at the servants gathering together in front of his shop's door and felt flabbergasted. Since when did the houses of this small village become so expensive?
He looked carefully. It wasn't only his bakeshop. There were also many servants gathering together in front of the other shops; nearly all the shops on the street.
"Sorry, but I won't sell my shop. Temporarily closed." Yun Xi couldn't bear the noise and directly closed the door. After thinking for a while, he posted a paper on the door, which was written - "My shop will be temporarily closed, and it's NOT for sale".
"The twin witches are here. It means that the small village will be in trouble soon after." Yun Xi finally understood the words his childhood sweetheart told him.
The future masters of White Lotus Sword Domain, the twin witches, were more valued than his imagination.
White Lotus was a princess, but she had a higher status than real princesses.
They were cursed and doomed twins, who became unmatched Hero Ranked sword maidens at the age of 14.
It was like Hua Huo had said. As a man who was loved and was confessed her love to by the White Lotus Holy Virgin, he was in a big trouble!
****
Outside the small village, at the riverside camp, the twin witches were there.
Rarer flying mounts were flying from faraway places and landing beside the river; they were placed in the open space.
More young talents who had family backgrounds and strength were led by their elder family members, waiting to be summoned by the legendary twin witches.
"What a bother. Fortunately, White Lotus had gone to bed. Otherwise, their dirty eyes would make her have a nightmare." Sitting on the holy chair, as White Lotus impatiently received one after another so called 'young talents', she grumbled to her maidservant.
"Qiu Lan, why should I waste my life on this kind of meaningless things?"
"Lady Red Lotus, please lower your voice. The number one heir of Yun He City is waiting for you." The beautiful maidservant, who was named Qiu Lan, smiled and covered her small mouth.
****
Twenty metres away from the holy chair, Childe Yun He half kneeled on the ground and heard a different voice.
"Not bad. I hope you can keep trying to take part in the exam."
"Yes!" After obtaining Red Lotus's recognition, Childe Yun He vigorously patted his chest and looked pretty excited.
This was a recognition from one of the twin witches, which was equal to the recognition of the Sky Sword God's Domain itself.
Why didn't he hesitate to catch a chill in the night, but still rushed to here by riding on his family's flying horse? Undoubtedly, it was for the sake of this opportunity!
There were also exams of the Sword Palace in other places, but these exams were presided by common instructors. How could they deserve to be compared with the exam which was presided over by the twin witches?
Taking part in the exams which were presided over by the twin witches was equal to getting the opportunity to have a direct link with the future masters of White Lotus Sword Domain!
He wasn't the only one who thought so. He believed that every man of every good family who took the exam was thinking so.
As the old saying went, "The near water balcony gets a month first". He could come so fast because the remote small village wasn't too far away from Yun He City. After he heard the news that they were here, he was the first man of a top-level family to arrive here.
Conceivably, after this news spread around, the next several days, more and more young geniuses whose age was between 16 and 18 would use various methods to come here.
This small village was doomed to be the center of attention.
The twin witches were such two mystic and special presences. They were worth all the men of good families in White Lotus Sword Domain paying attention to them.
Their every movement would affect the whole White Lotus Sword Domain's situation.
Due to their coming, even such a border small village, which was carelessly marked on the map, became the focus of every noble family's eyes.
Chapter 39: Limit Practice
Two days. Within just two days, the peaceful small village had completely changed in appearance.
One after another, temporary bamboo houses were raised up straight from the ground, with writings of each aristocratic family's name on each of them. Geniuses came from all directions. They gave up their opportunity to take the exam in their hometowns, but took part in the exam of the Sword Palace in this small village.
For a time, clouds gathered, driven by the wind. The history of the small village opened into a new page.
However, it had temporarily no relationship to Yun Xi.
After getting the premonition that some big trouble would happen in the small village, he had no hesitation in directly picking up camping tools and food, hiding with Mei'er in a secret location of the hill.
Here was also a location he had found once when he was playing games with his childhood sweetheart. It was a hiding spot in the small secret valley.
In the end of the valley, there was a big beautiful tree. On the tree, there was a clumsy, but cute umbrella-shaped mark. On one side, it was Yun Xi's name, and on another side, it was Hua Huo's name.
"Yun Xi and Hua Huo will stay together forever." Looking at the handwriting he wrote when he and Hua Huo both were still young, Yun Xi wasn't able to stifle a laugh.
At that time, Hua Huo and he were still naive. They never realized how wide was the gap between their identities.
Children's feelings were always so pure and innocent.
"Ok, let me start limit practice from now on!" After putting up the tent under the tree, Yun Xi drew out his long sword, which he specially bought from the blacksmith's shop in the village.
By imitating the sword Hua Huo used, this sword was as much as possible like the elite-level longsword of the White Lotus Sword Palace. However, it was just a good product sold in the blacksmith's shop, after all. It wasn't possible for it to be as sharp as Hua Huo's sword.
However, it didn't matter. Because Yun Xi wasn't going to use the sword to fight.
He wanted to train in the Limit Practice that he learned from Hua Huo's seed.
Push-ups for 1000 times, sit-ups for 1000 times, squat for 1000 times, run a hundred miles, and brandish his sword for 10,000 times.
Based on this, it was a circle. Over and over!
It was totally a challenge to the limit of the human body. You could even say that the human physique itself had made it clear that it was an impossible practice.
It was said that long ago, a man kept practicing like this for three years and became an invincible warrior. However, as the price, he became a baldy...
Ok, Yun Xi didn't think that he could overdraw his life to keep practicing this limit practice for three years. The man who could do it must have a monster-like physique.
He was just a 1st Ranked swordsman. Even the three basic trainings were impossible for him. The mortal-ranked swordsmen were just flesh and blood, even if they had all sorts of magic-like techniques just like hero-ranked warriors.
Now, Yun Xi had only come into contact with two hero-ranked warriors. However, the twin witches weren't at the same level as ordinary hero-ranked warriors.
Because Yun Xi chose the wrong referents, he had a great misunderstanding about the gap between mortals and hero ranked warriors, and had an illusion that his strength was extremely insignificant.
That was the reason why he was here, preparing to challenge the limit practice. Which in his memory, Hua Huo didn't even finish when she was still at the 1st Rank.
"The first, is push-ups for 1000 times." Sticking the long sword in front of himself, and standing under the tree he made the promise with Hua Huo, Yun Xi started to challenge the inhuman limit practice.
One, two, three, four... relying on his 1st rank limit of physical fitness after absorbing the green hippo's soul, Yun Xi kept to it, doing 500 push-ups. Then, he couldn't hold up and laid on the ground.
"Sure enough, my 1st-ranked body can't handle this." Yun Xi's eyes were covered by his own sweat. It was his strong will that supported him to hold on to his limit.
And the fact also proved that as just a 1st Ranked swordsman, no matter how strong willed he was and how perfect he could save his physical strength, it was impossible to finish 1000 push-ups.
It wasn't like common push-ups. No matter the posture, height, or the position to support the body, it had an extremely high demand on all aspects. Ordinary people would go into convulsions, toppling down to the ground before they did a hundred push-ups.
"Release the seed's power." At the beginning, when Yun Xi just obtained the green hippo's blood seed, he had a guess. And now it was the time to verify it.
He wasn't going to release all the blood power from the seed just like what he did in the battle, but slowly released the blood power from the seed, using it to help his practice.
With the help of the tremendous blood power of the green hippo's seed, he could do what he wasn't able to do in the past and successfully finished the seemingly impossible limit practice.
A little warmness appeared inside Yun Xi's body, and then spread to his four limbs.
Yes, this was the feeling!
Like this, he could go beyond the limit of his mortal body!
It was deserving to be the fierce green hippo's seed. Yun Xi even felt a little pity.
Ashen, do you have more hippos?
By using the green hippo's blood seed, Yun Xi broke through his body limit. He did 1000 push-ups, 1000 sit-ups, 1000 squats, and ran for a hundred kilometers.
"Heee!" With the flashing light of his sword, he started to practice the last part, and it was also the part that needed the most attention - brandishing his sword ten thousand times.
Keeping the speed steady, brandishing his sword stably and powerfully. Making sure that it wasn't beyond his limit. This was the most important and core part, he had to do this after he finished the previous part of the limit practice.
As he kept his eyes and heart focused on the same line, Yun Xi stood under the big tree, brandishing his sword methodically and focusedly.
Sweat continuously flowed down from his forehead, but it couldn't affect his concentration.
Again, Hua Huo's sword seed grew slowly.
In this nameless small valley, Yun Xi took the first and most important step in his life.
****
"Done!"
In the encampment of the twin witches, White Lotus happily lifted up the Star and Moon Ring.
Around her, there were the craftsmen who were hurriedly called from the White Lotus Sword Palace. They looked at the artifact's shining golden-red light of sun, silvery-white light of full moon, and the bright light of stars in White Lotus's hands, showing a relieved expression.
After working hard for three days and nights, she finally made the perfect fruit.
From now on, the White Lotus Sword Palace had another legendary artifact.
The Star and Moon Ring, the secret artifact which was forged by the White Lotus Holy Virgin personally.
Look! Its golden-red halo was so bright and as holy as the sun.
"It's beautiful." Red Lotus looked at the finished artifact, the Star and Moon Ring, in surprise. If she didn't know its origin, she wouldn't believe that it was made of a micalex.
"Because this is the miracle of love." White Lotus put the Star and Moon Ring on her finger and smiled sweetly.
Chapter 40: Exit
"9996!"
"9997!"
"9998!"
"9999!"
"10,000!"
After brandishing his sword ten thousand times, Yun Xi finished his first round of limit training. He felt dizzy and empty of all his strength, collapsing under the big tree.
So tired, so painful, so sad.
Was this the feeling of continuously going over his own limit?
No wonder even Hua Huo couldn't finish this challenge when she was at the 1st rank.
Vaguely, Yun Xi felt that his consciousness was fading and his body twitched with pain.
His muscle, bones, and nerves all screamed badly, suing his grievous limitation training.
The beat of his heart became fast, then slow. Its rhythm was completely messed up.
"Woo woo!" When Yun Xi felt that he was dying, he heard a familiar voice.
Opening his eyes, Yun Xi saw that his star spirit was biting a big piece of rolled leaf and running to him.
"Swish!" Cold water drops dropped on Yun Xi's exhausted body, bringing him a little vitality.
Mei'er's healing power had been already exhausted when Yun XI brandished his sword three thousand times.
She was so tiny. The only thing she could do for Yun Xi was use these kinds of leaves to bring cold and clear water from the stream outside of the valley to cool down Yun Xi's overheated body.<
br />
"You... are such a good girl..." Yun Xi smiled as he looked at Mei'er's expression of worry.
As he looked at Mei'er, he felt that he could still keep on training.
****
Several days passed very quickly. Soon after, it was the day before the exam of the Sword Palace.
