Chương 85: Chapter 84 – Why Am I So Popular?!

Once Zhao Wen confirmed that he was indeed the author, her irrepressible enthusiasm was clear on her face. She asked him so many questions so quickly that Ren's head spun. Funnily enough, only half the questions were about the formations within the book. The rest were about him, how he came up with the variations, what he was thinking when repurposing arrays, and how he managed to explain complex concepts so clearly. Some questions were really just sincere praise disguised as questions!

When the flood of questions slowed, Ren finally came to learn that the books he had written and submitted to the libraries in the inner and outer sect had gained incredible popularity. Ren thought it strange because cultivators rarely spent much time studying in the library. When he had newly joined the sect, he had been the exception, not the norm, who spent more time studying than hunting or fighting.

Zhao Wen herself didn't know why the books were so popular, but something she said helped Ren make the connection. Hu Yan, the information broker who Ren had partnered with during the blood moon elder's inheritance trial, was the culprit. He had continued to sell Ren's books as part of his information packages until word spread. Zhao Wen did know that novice herb growers and weapon forgers read his works and found them easy to understand. The explanations described within pushed them along new avenues of thought.

It had sent many to the library seeking more inspiration, but those dusty tomes only highlighted how easy Ren's books were to understand. So there were many eager disciples waiting for the author to release another book only to face a long silence. Their enthusiasm had undergone a resurgence when Ren released his second volume, including additional books on other professions such as arrays and formations and alchemy.

He had also submitted supporting books, repositories of useful herbs, materials, ores, and such, and how to use them. A few disciples were actually earning a fortune by copying and selling the books! The books had greatly increased the popularity of crafting, and recently everyone not out on missions or participating in the Challenger's trials was trying their hand at crafting.

The markets were being flooded with equipment of all kinds of quality, and merchants were struggling to gather resources and materials fast enough to sell to the voracious crafters. Ren could hardly believe the influence his simple actions had had on the sect! From the challenges, to now this. His primary reaction was fear that he tried desperately to conceal from Zhao Wen, who kept on talking about how many of her friends were interested in delving into a profession alongside their martial training.

Ren's fears were natural and justified. Fear that the elders wouldn't tolerate an ordinary disciple with this level of influence. Fear that they would seek to control or curb him. Fear that they would disapprove of him forcing his ideas and opinions on the disciples of their sect. Then another thought formed that superseded all the fears.

'Why haven't they acted already?' The question was the only one Ren really wanted to know the answer to.

'Don't they care if the sect is being influenced like this, or am I exaggerating my own importance?' Zhao Wen finally noticed how distracted he was and fell silent. Knowing he couldn't offer her much with these thoughts churning in his mind, Ren bid Zhao Wen farewell and left to meet up with Bao Hua. They had made plans to visit the outer sect's market day. As he waited for Bao Hua to arrive, Ren's thoughts settled. Answers about the sect's leadership thinking had always been beyond his means to glean.

The only thing he could do was control his actions. For the first time, Ren felt he needed to have a way to flee the sect if his hand were forced. Blindly trusting the sect's sense of honor was foolish, and though much of his wealth was tied to his mountain abode, he might just have to consider abandoning it. Birds died for food, and men died for money. If his life depended on escaping the sect's retribution, then money wasn't important. He would find some other ways to survive as a loose cultivator.

But Ren fervently hoped it wouldn't come to this, as loose cultivators lived a much harsher life. When Ren spotted Hua, he shook the dour thoughts from his mind. It was highly unlikely for the sect to act now if they hadn't already. He only held value while alive, so it was unlikely they would want his life. It was enough consolation that Ren could temporarily put the matter out of his mind. He waved and caught Hua's attention. Together, the pair of them entered the grounds of the market.

PoV Change: Bao Hua could tell right away that his brother was anxious or agitated by something. He was always thinking about something or the other, but his current demeanor was particularly distracted. He might just be nervous about his first journey outside the sect, but this seemed worse than that. Hua didn't worry too much, as if it were something serious, Ren would bring it up eventually.

Hua looked around at the vibrant scene of the market day, with the bustle of disciples, stall owners haggling over items, and the medley of scents from the many food stalls. He enjoyed the lively scene as he accompanied Ren, who flitted from stall to stall looking for more hidden treasures. Ever since he had bought that one seed for a bargain, he had insisted on coming to the market as often as possible. His brother had already started to fill his new spatial ring.

Hua looked down at his own ring, which was barely half filled and mostly contained practical things like supplies, security formations, and tools for escape. He had only climbed 3 steps of those mysterious stairs, but that was somehow enough to earn a coveted place in the 25 top disciples and the spatial ring. His body cultivation wasn't the best, nor had he kept up pace with his qi cultivation, but no one could doubt the strength of his will now. It was all thanks to his focus on the sword.

As his master said, "A sword's sharpness was determined by the will of the wielder." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Hua found double the success in his sword cultivation manual when he meditated on his experiences while keeping one of his master's sayings in mind. It would take time, but those seemingly obscure and confusing words would have hidden depth that was only revealed after much introspection.

He was only just starting to understand how vast the path of the sword truly was. He would have found his way to it on his own eventually, but he had his brother to thank for helping him find it early. Just in time for the expedition where Hua caught his master's attention, completely changing his future. And that wasn't all! Hua still owed Ren a great deal for his current sword, the 'Storm Tyrant'.

Not everyone was fortunate enough to have a weapon-forging master for a brother, one willing to part with valuable materials on a whim for others. Hua also knew that Ren didn't look at it as a favor, and that's what made Hua so proud to have such an honorable brother. But he wouldn't forget. Maybe not now, but someday he would find a way to help Ren out in some way. It wasn't good to count favors among brothers, so like Ren, he would just extend a hand whenever he could.

"Brother Hua, what do you think of this talisman? Is it worth the price?" Ren asked, holding a beautifully made talisman in front of him. Hua could tell at a glance that it only looked well-made, but the flow of qi was full of leaks, meaning the technique sealed within it would only get weaker over time until it was used. When he said as much, Ren just used it to bargain down the price before buying it for scraps.

The young disciple selling it was more than glad to take the loss just to get rid of the troublesome customers.

"You already knew it was poorly made. Why buy it then?" Hua asked curiously.

"It looked like an early attempt, but the maker, that youngster back there, was more focused on beauty than the functionality. I wanted to point out the flaw but also didn't want to discourage him. This way he'll remember the frustration from selling his work for cheap and hopefully improve." Hua could only smile at the casual kindness. He could tell that Zhao Ren was really suited to teaching, and it would be most amusing to see him with a disciple of his own someday.

Ren had already found another stall to occupy him. According to him, he was searching for spirit plants that matured after a long time and could survive without much care. His arrays weren't good enough to care for expensive formation realm plants, which was why he was searching for qi gathering realm plants here. When they were done, the pair walked to the western gate to fly home when they were stopped abruptly by 10 or so disciples. Bao Hua's heart sank when he saw who it was.

Cheng Lei had found him to make trouble again. The Cheng family's young master had tried a few times to provoke Hua into a fight since, as a core disciple, he would lose face by throwing the first punch against an inner sect disciple. Hua had even fended off 2 ambushes in the past by Cheng Lei's possible lackeys. Those suspicions were justified, as he recognized a few still bruised faces standing behind the young master who stood before them with a supercilious look.

As though he had already won the battle he was working up to. Normally, Hua wouldn't have a second thought before answering such brazen provocation, but he hesitated to get his brother involved in this matter. Cheng Lei had started a small rant, so Hua took the opportunity to turn slightly and warn his brother to retreat. When he saw the look on Ren's face, Hua knew he wouldn't stand alone for this fight. On the contrary, he was surprised by how eager Ren looked to begin this conflict he had no stake in.

His normally peaceable brother looked ready to vent some frustration on these brigands. Hua idly wondered just what exactly had agitated Ren so badly that he lost his usual calm. Hua turned back and caught the tail end of Cheng Lei's insults before he heard something unexpected.

"… never expected a worthless cur I raised would turn and bite me. Honestly, I don't know what Senior Jun Yi ever saw in a worm like you to accept you as a personal disciple! But he'll soon realize what a gigantic mistake he's made." Hua's eyes widened as he perceived Cheng Lei's real cause for seeking this conflict. He had heard rumors, and from some of Master's words, he pieced it together. Master Jun had been doing the Cheng patriarch a favor by guarding his brat during that important expedition.

It was now clear that Cheng Lei wished to leverage the opportunity and show off his abilities in the hopes that Master might accept him as a disciple. An opportunity that, in this young master's eyes, had been stolen by a nobody. Hua sighed as he realized this fight was inevitable. As outnumbered as the two of them were, he couldn't afford to hold back. He drew his sword just as Cheng Lei gave the signal and, out of the corner of his eye, saw Ren smile coldly.

The 9 toadies advanced in full view of the small crowd that had gathered to enjoy the argument. The crowd that was now swiftly retreating as they realized this was no mere argument. As they were still technically within the outer sect's bounds, Hua refrained from attacks that would inflict permanent harm and went on the offensive. Careful not to get surrounded, he positioned himself so they hampered each other's attacks.

His heavy sword didn't even reach the greatest momentum it could with the first 4 disciples that he battered in short order. His blood was just beginning to warm as he looked for the next one, only to find a field of groaning bodies. Ren had 9 swords hovering around him, and he was just finishing up the last delinquent. The swords swirled in a dizzying pattern before the main attack. It looked like a simple and straightforward strike, but Hua had learned the hard way not to underestimate those.

Even as the boy facing Ren dodged, the strike flowed right at him, as if it were following him. The boy who had just witnessed four others finished off in a similar manner knew that dodging was pointless. So he struck out with his spear. It was to no avail as the flying sword smoothly avoided the spear and slashed his leg as if it had aimed for it from the very start. With a cry of pain, he joined the others lying down.

Cheng Lei had a frigid look as he stared at the followers who had caused him to lose face in front of the growing crowd. He looked up at Hua and Ren, who had walked over to join him, and drew an artifact scroll. Hua's blood went cold as he recognized that artifact. He had seen it during the expedition when Cheng Lei had wielded it against the beast tyrant.

'No! Surely he wouldn't go that far while inside the sect!' but Hua could already see it was too late as Cheng Lei channeled qi into it.

"Courting death! You bastards don't know who you've offended. Now feel the wrath of the Cheng clan!" The young master declared just as the artifact started to give Hua a terrible sense of doom. Hua was about to stake it all on the throw of a dice and push Ren out of the way so he could take the blow alone when everything froze. Cheng Lei, that artifact, and even his body. Everything just stopped. Then he heard footsteps approaching from behind and an annoyed voice saying,"Good, good, good!

Just which juniors dare to kick up such a fuss in my Heavenly Sword Sect and disturb my precious reading time?!"