HSSB410: The legendary senior apprentice-brother Yan
Looking calmly at Yin Liuhua, Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “Hope has to be strived for by oneself; fortune favours the prepared.”
Yin Liuhua pressed her lips together, answering with a lowered head, “Yes, senior apprentice-brother Yan. I understand.”
She felt some unease within, feeling as though Yan Zhaoge might have heard her earlier conversation with Feng Yunsheng, therefore being a little vexed at that.
“I wonder if senior apprentice-sister Feng, just now, had noticed that senior apprentice-brother Yan was just by the side…” Yin Liuhua’s gaze dimmed slightly.
Having returned from the East Sea and entered Broad Creed Mountain, living together with its other disciples, only now did she truly understand how much weight this youth before her held.
He was the undisputable most outstanding leading figure of Broad Creed Mountain’s younger generation, even presiding over all his similarly aged peers in the Eight Extremities World.
There was already no one who saw him as a member of the younger generation.
Outside of the clan, whenever Yan Zhaoge visited another Sacred Ground, the one to receive him would at the very least be a bigwig and longtime Elder of their clan.
His name had even first been created by the oldest Martial Saint expert of the Eight Extremities World, Old Man Mo who had the highest seniority.
And currently, in the eyes of the higher echelon experts of the other Sacred Grounds, Broad Creed Mountain’s important figures other than Yuan Zhengfeng and Yan Di who could rank into the top three was not Fang Zhun who was known as one of the Broad Creed Three Heroes alongside Yan Di, not the two Grand Elders of the same generation as Yuan Zhengfeng, but Yan Zhaoge who was only around twenty years of age!
Within the clan, in the hearts of all the younger disciples of Broad Creed Mountain, Yan Zhaoge had already long since become a figure of legend.
While the difference in age between them was not great, they were already completely no longer on the same level.
Other than a few whose will to win was exceptionally strong and still harboured thoughts of chasing after his footsteps, most had already switched this to a desire to follow after him.
While they still addressed him as ‘senior apprentice-brother’, Yin Liuhua herself knew that she herself included, many disciples of Broad Creed Mountain would be even more nervous before this senior apprentice-brother Yan than before many longtime Elders of the clan.
And in truth, while he was young, his cultivation base still inferior to many seniors of the clan, in terms of authority, Yan Zhaoge was one of the top few in the entire Broad Creed Mountain.
All of this was not because Yan Zhaoge had a father called Yan Di, who was Broad Creed Mountain’s current Chief and the number one Martial Grandmaster of the entire Eight Extremities World.
It was merely because-he was Yan Zhaoge.
As a Maiden of Extreme Yin, Yin Liuhua could especially recognise this.
On the matter of Maidens of Extreme Yin, the weight of the words spoken by this youth before her surpassed even that of her Master, Fu Enshu.
This youth who was but twenty was the real person in charge of Broad Creed Mountain’s Maidens of Extreme Yin and their participation in the Extreme Yin Bout.
Yan Zhaoge looked at Yin Liuhua, saying calmly, “You should go and cultivate diligently. I only came by here leisurely on a stroll today. After senior apprentice-aunt Fu finishes the matters she has on hand, she should be coming over to check on the progress of you and junior apprentice-sister Feng.”
Yin Liuhua nodded, “Yes, senior apprentice-brother Yan. I will definitely cultivate diligently.”
Her expression appeared a little dim, “It’s just that I always feel somewhat lacking in confidence before senior apprentice-sister Feng, who is just that outstanding.”
“I have already watched the recordings of the previous Extreme Yin Bouts. Those Maidens of Extreme Yin were all so outstanding before, yet senior apprentice-sister Feng was able to come up from behind in such a short period of time, overtaking and surpassing so many of them.”
Yan Zhaoge glanced at her, saying slowly, “That is what junior apprentice-sister Feng deserves. The hard work she has put in and the hardship she has suffered as a result also far surpasses the average person.”
“I speak the truth on this. I and the clan played some use, but most of it was still junior apprentice-sister Feng herself.”
Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “The homework you have to complete every day now was also allocated based on junior apprentice-sister Feng’s intensity level. How does it feel?”
Yin Liuhua’s face turned rather pale, “Very difficult…”
Yan Zhaoge said, “There are seldom shortcuts that can be taken in this world. Even if there are, they are generally always accompanied by a price or risks.”
“Currently, what has been provided by the clan that junior apprentice-sister Feng has but you do not are two. One is the Qilin Spring Baptism, while the other is a certain secret technique…”
On hearing this, Yin Liuhua’s gaze flickered slightly.
After having heard of the Qilin Spring Baptism, she had also aspired to it. Sadly, the chances were limited, and before she had entered the clan, the final chance had already been given to Ying Longtu.
Yin Liuhua was inevitably dejected as that. If she had entered the clan a bit earlier, due to the uniqueness of Maidens of Extreme Yin, she might even have had a chance to obtain it.
Still, after hearing the latter half of Yan Zhaoge’s sentence, Yin Liuhua’s gaze brightened slightly.
Yan Zhaoge continued, “However, this technique requires one to suffer immense pain. There are few who are able to withstand it.”
Yin Liuhua pressed her lips together, “Senior apprentice-brother Yan, I am willing to try.”
Glancing at her, Yan Zhaoge’s expression was as per usual as he nodded slightly, “After you have reached the Martial Scholar realm, if you want to try, you can. With your current cultivation of the Body Refinement realm, your bones are still too weak for it.”
Yin Liuhua didn’t know if she felt regret or inwardly let out a breath of relief.
Still, on the surface, she nodded forcefully, “I will definitely cultivate diligently with the goal of cultivating qi into aura more quickly.”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Good luck then.”
Saying thus, he then turned and left.
Looking at Yan Zhaoge’s departing figure, Yin Liuhua’s gaze flickered slightly, “I wonder what the ideal girl is in his mind? Is it Feng Yunsheng’s type, or as the rumours say, the type like that girl surnamed Lin?”
Feeling Yin Liuhua’s gaze on his back, Yan Zhaoge paid no heed to it.
Still, after his personal observation of her today, he felt that if no major changes occurred, the thoughts of some in the clan who wanted to ‘groom a Maiden of Extreme Yin who truly belongs to us’ would likely not be easily achieved.
It would have to be seen whether Fu Enshu’s goal to groom a backup for Feng Yunsheng like Yun Xiuqing was for Meng Wan could truly be attained.
With Fu Enshu having returned to the Mountain, with her personally overseeing things, the situation should probably grow a little more optimistic.
Amidst his thoughts, Yan Zhaoge returned to the vicinity of the waterfall. There, he saw Feng Yunsheng still unmoving in that pose of the upraised sabre, stable as a monolith.
By her side, Ying Longtu was seated in the meditative position.
Seeing Yan Zhaoge, Feng Yunsheng smiled while Ying Longtu pulled back the corners of his mouth in a wide grin.
Yan Zhaoge came before Ying Longtu, smiling as he asked him, “What martial arts have Han Long’er cultivated in thus far?”
Ying Longtu held his hands together, replying, “I have cultivated in Master’s Vajra Body and the Wind Fire Calamities and also learnt the Chaotic Elements Uniting Sabre from the Chief. The Chief says that following this, if I still want to learn, I should learn the Great Heaven Earth Sword or the Big Dipper Sword.”
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly, “So many?”
In terms of martial arts on the level of the Eight Extreme Arts, other than Yan Zhaoge who could freely enter and exit the clan’s Martial Repository as he liked, the other core, direct disciples of the clan were usually only taught one or two of them.
If they wanted to cultivate in more, they would have to perform a huge merit and obtain the right to enter the Martial Repository and acquire their martial art of choice as a reward.
This was not being stingy and restrictive, being more to incentivise the striving of the disciples to reach great heights and at the same time also prevent them from biting off more than they could chew.