Book I Chapter 35
…
Hyuna froze on the spot as she did not know what to say or do at this moment.
She did not expect that Madam Il would actually be requesting such a thing from her.
"Why are you hesitating? There are people that trust your talent you know… And look, you already have four little disciples of your own…" she suddenly pointed at the four.
"Oh, no… no… Auntie, these four are just here to joke around… Hehe…" Hyuna awkwardly waves her hand to deny it.
"I've heard about your practice sessions at the back forest… And those four are considered as top ten of the most talented new disciples in the Outer sect below the Spirit Refining stage… Why do you still doubt yourself?" Mi Jin-ah walked beside Hyuna and then held her small shoulders.
"Listen… I will give you time to think about it, okay?" she then patted his head and walks out of the courtyard.
"You four… let him think about it…" she added before her figure disappears.
Hyuna was left musing on the suggestion of Madam Il as she walked back to her room.
Her progression and time in the sect have truly been fruitful.
With the enhancement of her physique and her sharp mind in learning, she could be considered a prodigy cultivator already if not for her being a mere mortal.
Of course, that does not include the fact that she is already a Rune Maker Adept.
In fact, if she uses runes, she can defeat any Spirit Refinement stage cultivator and could go toe-to-toe with any Meridian Refinement stage cultivator.
But of course, that is only in her conjecture as she has not tested that theory yet.
…
The next few weeks, she decided to secretly teach those four Outer Sect disciples a few techniques she learned and modified from the Inner Sect manuals.
Song Dong seems a bit proficient in using his fist. He is a bit of a bully and very stubborn, but he also knew when to lower his head.
He did not want to be under any of the groups in the Outer Sect as he wanted to form his own group.
On that day that Hyuna saw him bullying that timid guy, it was because that guy actually snitched on him, and the other two gained their ire and beats that guy up.
But it seems that the four of them are actually a group of their own.
Besides Song Dong, the other three like to use swords.
And Hyuna taught them the basics of the swords technique which is a bit different from what the Outer Sect instructor are teaching them.
What Hyuna is teaching them is the way the sword is wielded while using a small amount of spirit Qi. This would make them last in battle while being able to hold their ground even when facing higher-level opponents.
As long as they got hold of the basics of the technique and complete control of their Qi, then they could withstand the energy of their enemy.
But of course, that does not mean they are invulnerable. When fighting against those that are in the inner sect, such a technique could only save their lives and not win the fight.
After Hyuna's explanation, the four are already elated and have focused their attention on their training.
A few months later, Hyuna is now going to celebrate her 14th birthday.
She asked her aunt not to celebrate and the four of them just had a nice dinner.
Il Kwan gave him a new robe made of strong fabric. Her aunt and uncle gave her a new musical instrument, an erhu.
After receiving her gifts, Hyuna felt a bit happy. She would always receive something on her birthdays, and she is grateful for everything.
After that dinner, she walked back to the old courtyard which she has already considered her home.
But before she could enter, she saw two people standing outside the gate.
"You… guys…" she was a bit stunned upon seeing Ji Eun and Han Joonho.
"Seniors… what are you doing here?" she asked feeling a bit confused.
"Haha… Junior Jin… Don't think that we did not know that it is your birthday today…" Han Joonho chuckled as he steps forward.
"We also come here to celebrate…" he added.
Hyuna could not help but look at Il Kwan who shrugged his shoulders feigning ignorance.
Hyuna opened the gate and the group enters the clean courtyard and got seated around the stone table.
After keeping her gifts inside the room, she walked out of the small house and brought a box of snacks.
"Oh… Is this that famous snack those female disciples are crazy about?" Han Joonho suddenly exclaimed as he looks at the few assorted snacks on the table.
Hyuna just nodded her head and then got seated with the group.
"Let me go first… Junior Jin… Happy birthday…" Ji Eun was the first one to present a gift.
It was a small box and inside that small box is a wooden ring.
Upon seeing the ring, a scowl appears on Han Joonho's face.
"What is that? A wooden ring?" he teases.
Ji Eun smirked as he takes out the ring.
"Sigh… Senior, don't you know what this is?" Ji Eun showed the ring to Han Joonho which suddenly stunned the young man.
"You… This… this is a single space container…" he suddenly muttered with disbelief in his eyes.
"This… this is a rare artifact, right? This thing has existed in ancient times and only those array masters could make it… I heard that these things are being kept by rulers of the mortal countries…" Han Joonho is truly knowledgeable of the world as he could identify the ring after seeing it closer.
Hyuna felt a bit of a shock in her heart as she is a bit familiar with those tiny lines or words inside the ring.
Though she could not identify them yet, she could already tell that they were advanced runes.
"To use this, you have to drip your blood on the ring to make it your own… Then it can store a single non-living object… no matter how big… inside the ring." Ji Eun explained.
"Only a single object?" Il Kwan asked.
"Well, mortals can't use their spirit to connect to space rings, so… only a single object can go inside…" Ji Eun explained.
"Ahh… So if you put a cart filled with food inside…" Han Joonho suddenly interrupted.
"It would fit…" Ji Eun continued.
A happy smile could be seen on Hyuna's beautiful face as she received the ring.
"Thank you, senior…" she said as she scrutinized the ring.
"Well, my turn…" Han Joonho suddenly takes out a wooden box.
Inside the box lays a finely decorated carving knife.
"A carving knife? Wow… it looks exquisite…" Hyuna held it excitedly.
"Well, I have received a lot from you… Being your friend is actually a great boon for me. So, I was thinking of what kind of gift could I give that would be different from others… I actually was thinking of a butchering knife you know… Hahaha… But then I noticed you like carving, so I got this for you…"
Hyuna could not help but look at the two with grateful eyes.
Il Kwan on the side who saw how his friend looked at the two seniors made his heart feels uncomfortable.
And thus Hyuna's birthday ended on a high note as she received a lot of gifts.
…
It was another great morning when Wu Hyuna and Il Kwan decided to go out of the sect secretly.
The two suddenly stops as they saw a few Outer Sect disciples walking back to the sect.
"Hey… Have you heard of the few Outer Sect disciples who went missing?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, I heard that the deep forest is now off-limits. There is a vicious creature lurking in there." Another one chimed in.
"Then why does the sect not get rid of those things?"
"I heard that an elder tried to go out and search the area where some of the disciples went missing, but found nothing."
"Damn… This is getting dangerous… We're lucky that we did not encounter anything out here."
"Haha… How could we be defeated by a mere beast when we have Senior Gwan with us… Hehe… Senior Gwan is about to reach the Dantian Condensing stage, so those kinds of beasts are an easy target for him…" a small disciple boasted.
Meanwhile, a young man which seems to be in his 20s lifted his chin up after hearing someone praising him.
As someone who has reached the Meridian Refinement stage, he is confident of facing any fierce or savage beast in the forest.
Right now, the group is currently near the middle part of the forest just outside of the Outer Sect. They are returning back to the sect after successful training and hunting.
Hyuna and Il Kwan went through the secret passageway and reached this area with ease.
As they both hide behind a tree, they dare not make a noise so as not to be discovered by the group.
However, while the group is busy chatting and walking, they suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes.
One of the three female disciples in the group suddenly jumps up a tree and scouted the bushes.
Using her keen eyes, she tried to look for the culprit so that the group could prevent an ambush.
However, who would have known that when she saw the culprit that made that sound, her body would suddenly freeze on the spot?
Right now, she feels like her soul has suddenly left her body while she stares at those yellow serpentine eyes like burning embers of a fire.
The pressure alone has already made her unable to move, so how could she even talk and warn the others?
She could only stay atop the tree while watching in horror and savage beast that is slowly closing in on her group.
She tried her best to open her mouth, but no words would come out as she began to tremble with fear.