Chapter 408: Ancient River Trading Company
Translator: KurazyTolanzuraytor Editor: Jay
"Squeak squeak~" The little gold mouse heard the beautiful woman’s words and she stretched out her claw to point towards the distant room, her jade eyes filled with anger.
Flowing lights revolved in the beautiful woman’s pretty eyes when she saw this and she smiled slightly, seeming to have guessed something.
Duan Ling Tian and Ke Er finally had some time together after a very long time, and they lingered together until deep into the night before leaving the room.
After they left the room, they arrived atop the pavilion and at the first possible moment, they saw the beautiful woman that was teasing the little gold mouse…
"Master." Ke Er bowed respectfully, her beautiful face flushing cutely.
"Peak Master." Duan Ling Tian greeted as well. He remained unfazed and didn’t forget to blink at Ke Er, causing Ke Er to be embarrassed to the point she wished for nothing more than to dig a hole and hide within.
The beautiful woman was the Peak Master of Alkaid Peak, Qin Xiang.
Qing Xian lightly smiled and nodded to Ke Er, then her gaze descended onto Duan Ling Tian and she sighed lightly. "Duan Ling Tian, I really never imaged that you’d actually seize first place in the Martial Competition for the Seven Star Sword Sect… Our Seven Star Sword Sect hasn’t seized first in the Martial Competition of the five great sects for a very long time." As she spoke up to here, Qin Xiang slightly recalled past memories.
Duan Ling Tian’s brows raised, he’d heard the Sect Leader, Linghu Jin Hong, speak of this before.
The last time the Seven Star Sword Sect seized first in the Martial Competition was almost 20 years ago…
At that time, the person that seized the first for the Seven Star Sword Sect was precisely the Alkaid Peak’s Master before him, Qin Xiang!
Before long, Qin Xiang changed the topic. "The two year agreement between you and the Zither Young Master will arrive in a year… I’ve discussed it with the Sect Leader. We’ll let you go out and gain experience since your current strength is already not inferior to a sixth level Nascent Soul Stage martial artist."
"Gain experience?" Duan Ling Tian was stunned.
Qin Xiang nodded and said slowly, "I presume you’ve heard since long ago that our Seven Star Sword Sect possesses many businesses in various places in the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom… Whereas besides some External Affairs Elders, it’s mostly inner court disciples above the age of 30 that are in charge of managing these businesses." Duan Ling Tian nodded as he’d heard of this.
Qin Xiang continued. "After the discussion between me and the Sect Leader, we’ve decided to send you to the Ancient City of Everlast!"
The Ancient City of Everlast?
Duan Ling Tian couldn’t help but be stunned when he heard Qin Xiang.
He wasn’t unfamiliar to the Ancient City of Everlast.
Two year ago, when he and Li Fei had left the Seven Star Sword Sect to head to Solitary Summit, they had gone to the Ancient City of Everlast.
After that, they even got acquainted with Zhang Shou Yong and Wang Qiong in the Ancient City of Everlast.
"Our Seven Star Sword Sect has businesses in the Ancient City of Everlast?" Duan Ling Tian was slightly surprised.
Qin Xiang nodded. "Our Seven Star Sword Sect doesn’t have any businesses in the Ancient City of Everlast… However, two External Affairs Elders and some inner court disciples of our Seven Star Sword Sect are protecting the Ancient River Trading Company in the Ancient City of Everlast."
"Protecting a trading company?" Duan Ling Tian’s brows raised as he never imagined that the Seven Star Sword Sect would be related to the trading companies of the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom.
Presumably, the Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciples that were protecting the Ancient River Trading Company ought to be able to obtain a certain amount of fees…
This was something that Duan Ling Tian could be sure about.
"When am I leaving?" Duan Ling Tian asked.
"Tomorrow." Qin Xiang said, "You just have to go look for the Sect Leader at noon tomorrow."
Duan Ling Tian nodded.
Duan Ling Tian then bid his farewells to both Ke Er and Qin Xiang before leaving Alkaid Hall.
He cultivated for the entire night after he returned to the stalactite cave.
At dawn the next day, Duan Ling Tian went to Alkaid Peak to look for Li Fei and told her how he would be temporarily leaving for some time.
Duan Ling Tian didn’t bring along Ke Er and Li Fei when he left this time.
According to what the Alkaid Peak’s Master, Qin Xiang, and Elder Bi said, the Ancient City of Everlast was too chaotic.
Coupled with the fact that Duan Ling Tian was going to gain experience and not for a tour, if the two girls were to follow by Duan Ling Tian’s side then they might affect Duan Ling Tian.
Swoosh!
A black figure flashed into the sky from outside the Seven Star Sword Sect’s Dubhe Hall, then shot straight up into the air before concealing itself and vanishing within the cloud and mist.
At the same time, high above in the air, a young man that wore a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple’s attire stood atop an enormous eagle that tore through the sky with extremely swift speed.
The handsome and extraordinary young man with sword shaped brows saw through the cloud and mist to descend towards the distance as he muttered. "With this first level Nascent Soul Stage Sun Eagle to carry me, it would at most take at most a month to reach the Ancient City of Everlast."
It was Duan Ling Tian who’d left the Seven Star Sword Sect.
Presently, Duan Ling Tian stood on the Sun Eagle and flew through the sky…
Although the speed of the Sun Eagle couldn’t compare to Elder Peng, it still far surpassed that of a Ferghana Horse.
The Seven Star Sword Sect’s Leader had entrusted Elder Peng to capture this Sun Eagle for Duan Ling Tian.
It wasn’t that Elder Peng was stingy, but the stronger a flying beast was, the more difficult it was to be tamed.
Just this first level Nascent Soul Stage Sun Eagle had caused Duan Ling Tian to spend three hours of relying on his entire strength to be able to completely tame it.
"Squeak squeak~" A wave of cries echoed out from beneath Duan Ling Tian’s sleeve.
In next to no time, a gold and fluffy small head had stuck out, and she blinked her jade eyes as she looked at Duan Ling Tian.
It was the little gold mouse that always followed by Ke Er’s side, the infant Jade-eyed Heavenly Mouse.
"Big Brother Ling Tian, this mixed hair bird’s speed is too slow." Duan Ling Tian’s ear drums slightly trembled, and the little gold mouse’s immature voice that was like a young girl’s entered into his ears.
Duan Ling Tian rolled his eyes at the little golf mouse. "You really compared yourself with it? Didn’t you think what cultivation it has and what your cultivation is? Or, do you want to become big and take me to the Ancient City of Everlast? In this way, it would take a few days at most for us to arrive there."
"Hmph! Hmph! I don’t want to become big, it’s so ugly, so fat, so embarrassing…" The little gold mouse’s voice transmission sounded out without stop.
This caused Duan Ling Tian to be speechless, then his gaze descended onto the chubby body of the little gold mouse and shook his head as he sighed. "This little fellow really has a good perception of herself… Could it be that she thinks she isn’t fat now?"
They didn’t encounter any trouble on the way because they travelled high in the air all the way.
One month later.
The Sun Eagle beneath Duan Ling Tian slowed down, then plunged down before flying at a low altitude.
Meanwhile, the clouds and mist before him completely dispersed, and a simple and ancient city appeared before Duan Ling Tian’s eyes.
In the distance, the ancient city seemed like a colossus that was hibernating in the desert, and it opened up its bloody mouth and ceaselessly swallowed the merchants and pedestrians within the desert…
"Ancient City of Everlast!" Duan Ling Tian had a feeling as if they were worlds apart when he saw the Ancient City of Everlast again.
He’d only passed by the Ancient City of Everlast the last time he came here, as his main destination was still the Solitary Summit… But the destination this time was instead the Ancient City of Everlast itself!
Outside the Ancient City of Everlast, many people rode flying beasts to the city. If it was just this, then Duan Ling Tian would be insufficient to draw the attention of others.
However, most of the people that were near Duan Ling Tian couldn’t refrain from repeatedly looking at Duan Ling Tian.
These gazes all descended onto Duan Ling Tian’s clothes.
The inner court attire of the Seven Star Sword Sect was undoubtedly a ‘signboard.’
"This young man looks to be a little over 20, and is absolutely not older than 23… He’s actually a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple?"
"According to my knowledge, the minimum requirement for becoming a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple if to be at the seventh level of the Origin Core Stage. Besides that, because of the strictness of the Seven Star Sword Sect’s inner court disciple test, normally it’s only people that have stepped into the eighth level of the Origin Core Stage that would be able to pass the inner court disciple test for sure."
"The younger generation of the Seven Star Sword Sect lacks strong successors. The disciple with the strongest natural talent seems to be the Seven Star Sword Sect’s Leader’s personal disciple, Huang Ji. But even Huang Ji was only an outer court disciple at that age, right?"
"Looks like this young man ought to have replicated a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple’s attire and is pretending to be a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple because he wants to pass himself off as a genuine inner court disciple."
"It ought to be so."
…
Many people that saw Duan Ling Tian passing started discussing animatedly, and within their discussions, they didn’t think Duan Ling Tian was a real inner court disciple of the Seven Star Sword Sect.
Duan Ling Tian was truly too young.
These discussions naturally entered into Duan Ling Tian’s ears, but he didn’t mind and stood on the Sun Eagle to descend outside the Ancient City of Everlast.
Whoosh!
Duan Ling Tian’s figure leaped down, then looked at the Sun Eagle and blew a whistle with his mouth.
Instantly, the Sun Eagle seemed to have obtained some sort of instruction and it flapped its wings to conceal itself and vanish within the clouds and mist.
Duan Ling Tian moved his gaze to descend onto the Ancient City of Everlast after the figure of the Sun Eagle vanished, then he walked out in large strides, intending to enter the Ancient City of Everlast.
"Don’t move!" Right at this moment, a cold shout stopped Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian frowned and turned around.
He saw a young man around the age of 35 in the distance, and the young man was riding a Ferghana Horse over and was staring at him from the distance…
"Hmm?" Duan Ling Tian’s gaze lit up when he clearly saw the young man’s attire.
The attire of a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple!
Obviously, this young man was a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple as well.
But in the next moment, Duan Ling Tian’s brows frowned.
That Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple spurred his horse to stop before Duan Ling Tian, then looked down as Duan Ling Tian condescendingly and shouted out fiercely. "Kid, who are you? Why are you pretending to be an inner court disciple of my Seven Star Sword Sect?"
Pretending?
Duan Ling Tian was stunned and slightly muddled.
What did he mean by this?
"Still playing dumb?" Before Duan Ling Tian could even react, the Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple sneered. "Kid, let me tell you, I’ve seen so many people like you who have pretended to be my Seven Star Sword Sect disciples… A young man a little over 20 wearing my Seven Star Sword Sect’s inner court disciple’s attire? Do you really think you’re a peerless genius like the five great young masters?"
Duan Ling Tian finally recovered from his shock after being sharply denounced right to his face by this Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple, and he lightly smiled and said, "Senior Brother, I’m afraid you’re mistaken… I’m really a Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple. I’m called Duan Ling Tian, this is the letter written personally by the Sect Leader that he asked me to pass to Elder Zhao Yu and Elder Feng Ping, and my introduction is within it." As Duan Ling Tian spoke, he withdrew a letter from his Spatial Ring and passed it to the Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciple.
He didn’t take the Seven Star Sword Sect inner court disciples previous actions to heart.
As far as he was concerned, this was only a misunderstanding.
But in the next moment, the smile on Duan Ling Tian’s face froze.