Lei Tian dropped to his knees. "It would be my greatest honor, Master."
Elder Kuang's smile widened into a grin of triumph. "Excellent. Excellent."
He clapped his hands twice. A side door opened, and an older servant carrying a tray entered. On the tray were a teapot and two cups.
Lei Tian poured the tea with practiced deference, offering the first cup to Kuang with both hands. Kuang took it, took a symbolic sip, and nodded.
"Rise, my disciple," Kuang said generously. "As your master, it is my duty to ensure your proper development."
He reached into his storage ring and produced several items, placing them on the desk.
"Here is a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills. They will stabilize your foundation," Kuang said. "And here is a copy of the Iron Vein Scripture, a superior cultivation technique reserved for the inner forge. It will replace whatever crude method you were taught in the branch family."
Lei Tian accepted the gifts with a bowed head. "Thank you, Master."
Kuang pressed a small silver bell on his desk. A moment later, the main doors slid open and a middle aged man in gray robes entered.
"Butler Shen," Kuang said. "This is Lei Tian. My new personal disciple. See that he is assigned an appropriate chamber in the disciple's wing. And ensure he has all the necessary provisions and access tokens."
"At once, Elder," Butler Shen said, bowing crisply. He turned to Lei Tian. "If you would follow me, Young Master Lei."
"Master," Lei Tian bowed to Kuang one last time before following the butler out of the study.
They walked the elegant corridors of the inner pavilion.
"Your new quarters will be in the East Wing, Young Master," Shen said politely.
"My belongings are still in the outer apprentice quarters," Lei Tian said.
He needed to get his old clothes and more importantly, the storage ring hidden beneath the floorboards.
"Of course," Shen agreed readily. "I shall accompany you. It is not fitting for a personal disciple to be seen hauling his own baggage."
They left the inner courtyards and walked back toward the grime and heat of the outer forge.
They reached the apprentice dormitories. Lei Tian told the butler to wait outside in the corridor. He didn't want the man seeing the squalor of his old room or catching him prying up floorboards.
He slipped inside, pulled up the loose plank, and retrieved the storage ring and his dark clothes, shoving them deep into his pockets. He grabbed his few legitimate possessions and stuffed them into a sack.
He stepped back into the hallway. "I am ready."
As they navigated the labyrinthine paths back toward the inner gates, a group of three people turned the corner, walking directly toward them.
In the center was Lei Jian. The Second Elder's arrogant son. The man who had beaten him.
And walking half a step behind him, an adoring smile on her face, was Xiu'er.
Lei Tian's steps slowed imperceptibly. He felt a hard knot form in his chest.
Lei Jian spotted him. He stopped, his arrogant sneer twisting into a look of disgust.
"Well, well," Jian drawled, his voice loud enough to echo down the corridor. "If it isn't the mud scraper. Did you get lost looking for the refuse pit?"
He looked at Butler Shen, frowning. "Butler Shen? What are you doing escorting outer yard trash?"
Butler Shen stiffened. "Young Master Jian. I am escorting Elder Kuang's new personal disciple to his quarters in the East Wing."
Lei Jian stared at the butler. "Personal disciple? Elder Kuang?"
He let out a bark of laughter. "You're joking. The old man has finally lost his mind. How does a talentless loser from the branch family become a personal disciple overnight?"
Behind Jian, Xiu'er gasped softly. Her eyes darted from the butler to Lei Tian. The adoring smile she had worn for Jian was replaced by a look of shock.
Lei Tian met her gaze. He felt nothing. No anger, no longing, no betrayal. Just a cold void where his heart was.
He looked back at Lei Jian. He looked at the man as one might look at a particularly noisy insect.
"We should go, Butler Shen," Lei Tian said. "I have much to unpack."
"Of course, Young Master Lei," Shen said, resuming his walk.
They moved past the group. As Lei Tian passed Xiu'er, she reached out a hand.
"Tian...?" she whispered.
He didn't acknowledge her.
"You'll regret this, mud scraper!" Lei Jian shouted after them, his face turning an ugly red with humiliated fury. "Elder Kuang can't protect you forever! I'll see you back in the dirt where you belong!"
He turned to Xiu'er, grabbing her arm roughly. "Come on. I'm suddenly sick of the smell around here."
Lei Tian kept his pace steady.
"Butler Shen," Lei Tian said quietly as they turned the next corner. "That courtyard we just passed... the large one with the twin stone lions at the gate. Who does that belong to?"
Shen glanced back. "Ah, that is the residence of the Second Elder's family. Young Master Jian's quarters are the pavilion on the western side of the compound."
"I see," Lei Tian murmured. "Thank you."
They arrived at the East Wing. Lei Tian was shown a spacious suite of rooms. It had a large bed, a sitting area, and a private courtyard that held a high quality forging anvil and furnace.
"These are your quarters, Young Master," Shen said, placing Lei Tian's sack on a table. "If you require anything further, please ring the bell."
"Thank you, Butler Shen."
The butler bowed and departed, closing the sliding doors behind him.
Lei Tian walked into the bedroom. He pulled the storage ring containing the nine corpses from his pocket. He found a sturdy wooden chest beneath the bed, emptied its contents, and placed the ring inside, locking it securely.
He returned to the main room and entered his private yard. He walked over to the anvil. The tools here were of superior quality… spirit forged hammers, precision tongs, and specialized quenching oils.
He pulled a heavy block of High Grade Spirit Iron from the supply rack. It was a stubborn metal that required immense heat and control to shape.
He ignited the furnace, feeding it with his own Middle Stage Golden Core fire Qi. The flames roared, burning white hot in seconds.
He threw the block into the fire. He pulled the glowing metal from the forge. It was blindingly bright, radiating a heat that would have blistered a normal man's skin.
Clang.
He struck with full force, channeling his Golden Core power into the hammer.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
The metal yielded like clay. He folded it, hammered it, and shaped it with precision.
He worked for hours, lost in the rhythm of creation. He etched intricate wind and lightning runes into the blade using the tip of a specialized chisel, infusing them with his thunder affinity.
When he finally plunged the blade into the quenching oil, a hiss of steam filled the courtyard, accompanied by a sharp crackle of static electricity.
He lifted the sword.
It was a masterpiece. The blade was slightly curved, the metal a dark gray. The edge was shimmering with a faint blue hue.
It was a High Grade Spirit Tool. A weapon that even a Golden Core expert would covet.
"Beautiful," Lei Tian whispered, admiring the balance as he gave it a swing. The blade cut through the air with a hum.
He slid the sword into an empty scabbard he found on the rack and secured it to his waist.
He felt a sense of satisfaction.
He looked up. The sky above the courtyard was already pitch black. It was late at night.
The memory of the encounter in the corridor flashed in his mind. Lei Jian's arrogant face. His mocking voice.
Lei Tian turned away from the anvil and walked back into his bedroom.
He washed soot off his hands and face. He opened his wooden chest, pushing aside his few belongings to retrieve the bundle of dark clothing.
He stripped off the fine robes of a personal disciple and dressed in the garb of a shadow. He pulled the dark hood over his head and secured the black cloth mask over his lower face.
PS: I'm sorry, guys, for not uploading chapters over the last four days. It was my birthday, so I took some time off to spend with my family, haha.
PS: There are 10+ Advance chapters available on the Patreon for those who want to read ahead. www.patreon. com/Drrajnovel