'All right. It's almost time to leave. I will head to the Fragrance Pavilion first to check on Nightshade,
and then I'll go straight to the training ground for my morning training,' Rocky thought to himself.
Although he didn't even get a moment to sleep, he was still full of energy. After he packed his things, he
left his Magic Spiritual Space and returned to the beast farm before going to the Fragrance Pavilion.
Upon arriving at the pavilion, he immediately saw a young man dressed in luxurious clothes and was
accompanied by a few servants who should be at the fifth grade of the Spirit Realm at most.
"Hey, who are you? What are you doing here? Don't you know that this place is off-limits to outsiders
like you?" the man wearing elegant clothes asked as he stared at Rocky with a piercing gaze.
"Oh, I am..." Recognizing the man's unfriendly look, Rocky knew that this person must have come from
some powerful background. Moreover, it appeared that he had also reached the seventh grade of the
Spirit Realm.
But right before Rocky could finish answering the man's question, Tessa suddenly appeared and
interrupted them. "He's here to take care of Nightshade for me. He is a beast curer," she answered in a
cold and unwelcoming tone. It was obvious that she was not in the mood to see this man.
"What? How could you let a stranger enter the Fragrance Pavilion so freely? You should learn to be a
bit more careful," the man remarked as he wore a dissatisfied expression on his face.
"Why do you care? Choosing whom I let inside the pavilion is my prerogative. Do I need to remind you
that it's none of your business?" Tessa retorted haughtily.
"You're still as willful as ever. By the way, I heard from my cousin that she has made some
arrangements for you to enter the Martial Spirit Graveyard. Good for you. That way, we can enter the
graveyard together. I will help you refine a marital spirit in order to break through to the King Realm.
How about that?" the man asked, changing the topic of the conversation.
"No, thanks. I don't want to bother you. After all, I reckon that the nephew of the sect leader should
always be pretty busy," Tessa sneered as a look of repugnance became visible on her face. Although
this man was actually the nephew of the leader of the Sword Spirit Sect, she did not have a very good
impression of him. In fact, it would be an understatement to say that she disliked him.
The well-dressed man's name was Miguel Qiu. Although he was just the nephew of the sect leader, his
uncle regarded him highly; thus, he was already accepted as an inner disciple by the Sword Spirit Sect.
In the Sword Spirit City, only disciples that possessed outstanding talents could have the chance to
become inner disciples. Once they achieved this status, they were reassured of a bright future.
"Tessa, how could you say that?! We are already engaged, and it wouldn't be that long before we get
married. You should learn to treat me properly and we should get along well. You can't always be so
unruly towards me," Miguel Qiu remarked sternly.
"Huh? My father agreed to that marriage without my consent. Why would I approve of something like
that? If there is nothing else that you need to discuss with me, you may now leave!" Tessa ordered with
an unyielding attitude.
Hearing all of her cold words, Miguel Qiu gritted his teeth and shook his head helplessly. Obviously, it
wasn't the first time that he had been driven away like this by Tessa. "Fine. I'm leaving now." He cast a
cold glare towards Rocky before he turned around and left the pavilion.
Tessa just crossed her arms and stood firmly as she watched Miguel Qiu and his men leave.
"When he said cousin, was he talking about Miss Hannah?" Rocky asked as soon as the visitors
disappeared.
"That's right. He's actually the adopted son of the sect leader. That's why he displays such arrogance
everywhere. I can't just take him," Tessa commented.
"But he looks like a decent man. Why are you so hostile towards him?" Rocky queried.
"Decent? You must be kidding me! He's known for being a womanizer and he's always involved in
troubles within the city. And every time that happens, Hannah has no choice but to bail him out," Tessa
scoffed as she shook her head.
"And what about the engagement?" Rocky continued to pry.
"That? My father and the sect leader arranged that thing even before I was born. How could they even
decide it? There's no way I'd agree to it even if I die!" Tessa stressed out.
"What if your father still forced you to marry him? What are you going to do?" Rocky asked with a faint
smile.
"Then, I'll leave home. I don't care if he disowns me," Tessa said seriously. She was indeed a stubborn
person who wouldn't succumb to others' will, especially if it compromised her principles.
"Please remember to take me with you when you decide to leave," Rocky teased lightly.
"Yeah, sure. You're a good beast curer anyway. It would actually be better if you're around me," Tessa
agreed in a heartbeat.
"Well, I should go to my morning training now," Rocky said as he prepared to leave.
"Go ahead. Oh, and come back here after your morning training," Tessa suddenly demanded.
"Is there anything else that you want me to do or check?" Rocky asked, not knowing what Tessa
wanted from him.
"I want to give some pointers. You can call it a kind of secret training," Tessa replied with a faint smile.
"Really? That's so kind of you!" Rocky raised his eyebrows in surprise. Though he didn't need much
guidance, he was still elated that she was offering it to him.
"Consider it as your reward for saving Nightshade," Tessa said with a nod.
"All right then. I would gladly accept your invitation." Rocky nodded and bowed slightly before he finally
left for the training ground.
After his morning training was done, Rocky hurriedly returned to the Fragrance Pavilion to receive
Tessa's training. He started with basic sword skills that even ordinary beginners couldn't learn that
freely.
One month passed rather quickly. Although Rocky was supposed to be a newcomer and couldn't learn
any powerful sword skills yet, he still absorbed a lot of the essence of swordsmanship that was unique
to the Sword Spirit City, thanks to the generous guidance of Tessa.
At the same time, because of Rocky's brilliant treatment method, Nightshade seemed to be recovering
at an amazing speed, which made Tessa very happy. Moreover, he also started training Nightshade
and taught Tessa some skills on how she could effectively control the spiritual beast. As they gained a
lot from their mutual relation, they also became closer.
Then, the day of the examination approached. At that moment, many people gathered around the
training field. More than twenty trainee disciples would participate in the examination, and those who
would pass could become formal disciples of the Sword Spirit City.
Compared to the recruitment test, they said that this one should be much easier. There was no need to
scrutinize their basic qualifications, and it was just all about swordsmanship.
Although there was only the test of swordsmanship, one still had to complete all the trials within the
prescribed time. Therefore, beneath the surface, it was more difficult than the entrance examination.
The center of the training ground had been divided into three consecutive areas, where the trainee
disciples needed to overcome all three trials.
The first trial was to test one's ability to properly control the sword. One had to use his spiritual energy
to hit ten moving jackstraws in a row in the designated area.
Then, the second trial involved using one's sword skills. The participants must use their sword skills to
destroy all the obstacles that would get in their way within the designated area.
Lastly, for the third trial, it would test one's ability to employ his sword skills continuously. To pass the
trial, one had to block all the flying swords that would rush towards him from different directions.
In the end, as long as one could pass all three trials, he could then be declared as an official disciple.
On the surface, the three trials sounded simple when taken separately. However, the problem was that
they should be done and passed in one go, and there would be no time to rest in between trials. If one
happened to not have enough spiritual energy to finish them all, he would most likely fail. At the same
time, there was also a time limit. If one could not finish all three trials within the allowable time, it would
also be considered a failed attempt.
Furthermore, every disciple would only be given one chance to go through the trials. So, each of them
needed to take this examination as seriously as possible.
As the trainee disciples were preparing nervously, Rocky was still leisurely talking and laughing with
Tessa.
"I can see that you don't look nervous at all. Don't forget that you only get one chance to do this
examination. If you fail, I can no longer do anything for you to be accepted." Tessa couldn't help but
comment when she saw the unusual calmness on Rocky's face despite what this examination entailed.
"Don't worry. I'm already well-prepared. Besides, I don't need unnecessary pressure. Put a little faith in
me," Rocky remarked as he let out a confident smile.
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