"Well, my father would certainly claim so. Ugh, this is really annoying. What about the final result?"
Tessa couldn't help but pout as she asked.
"What do you think?" Hannah responded with a meaningful smile.
"I know that you are very eloquent, so I really hope that you have convinced my father," Tessa said with
an expectant gaze from her gleeful eyes.
"Ha-ha! Of course, I did. However, he still insists that you participate in the competition for the
qualification. And it is a must that you land the top eight position at the least," Hannah replied.
"Top eight? That should be a piece of cake then! Moreover, I think this will also be a good chance to
practice my skills," Tessa remarked with a bright smile on her delicate face.
"Oh, one more note. You are not allowed to bring Nightshade in this competition. After all, spiritual
beasts are rare, so it would be unfair to the other participants if you did so," Hannah added.
"Well, I don't intend on bringing it anyway. Nightshade still needs more rest," Tessa replied. In fact, she
didn't think that it would put her at a disadvantage if she didn't use Nightshade in the competition. She
was confident enough to win it with her own strength.
"I'm glad to hear that. So, I think that's all for today. I should take my leave now," Hannah said after a
while.
"All right. Come on, let me walk you out," Tessa quickly offered.
"That would be unnecessary. Besides, if Nightshade is almost healed, you shouldn't let anyone outsider
enter the Fragrance Pavilion. Otherwise, we don't know what might suddenly happen," Hannah
remarked as she cast a subtle glance at Rocky.
"Oh, yeah. You're right..." Tessa just nodded slightly, knowing immediately what Hannah actually
meant.
Soon enough, Hannah left the Fragrance Pavilion.
"It seems that she doesn't like me that much. I even thought that she was nice to me the first time we
met," Rocky blurted out. Judging from Hannah's attitude just now, he had a bit of a different opinion of
her. The first time he encountered her, he thought that she was a kind-hearted woman, but now it
seemed that it was only on the surface. There was something that told Rocky that she was pretty
scheming.
"Well, she is indeed nice if you get to know her more. Probably since you're an outsider, she is just a bit
wary of you. And I have a good hunch that Ramon spoke ill of you in front of her," Tessa said with a
mischievous smile.
"I would also assume." Then, Rocky changed the topic and asked, "By the way, I heard the two of you
talking about the Martial Spirit Graveyard. What is that place? It sounds very interesting."
"Oh, that? It's one of the forbidden areas that are being guarded by the Sword Spirit Sect. It is said that
a long time ago, that place used to be a battlefield where the human race, the spiritual race, and the
Shura Race on the Supreme Ether Land fought each other. However, due to an unexpected natural
disaster, they were all killed in one swoop. But after these super masters died, they didn't completely
vanish. Instead, they were transformed into martial spirits and wandered in that place. Our ancestor
happened to discover the area and established the Sword Spirit Sect based on it," Tessa explained as
she told the brief history of the Martial Spirit Graveyard and its connection to the foundation of the
Sword Spirit Sect.
"So, if you enter that place, what can you gain from it?" Rocky asked out of curiosity.
"That place is very important if you want to achieve greater heights in terms of your cultivation. If one
can find and refine a martial spirit there, he can directly break through to the King Realm, provided that
he is already at the seventh grade of the Spirit Realm. Moreover, if he is already at the King Realm,
then he can directly cultivate and brew the Spiritual Infant, which would make his cultivation much
easier in the future. That's why the place is highly regarded, and no one could just enter it whenever
they want," Tessa remarked.
"Wow! That place is really awesome! But how can we go there if it's not open for anyone?" Rocky
inquired again.
"Every year, the leader and the elders of the Sword Spirit Sect will discuss and eventually recommend
a group of warriors at the King Realm who are qualified to enter there. Additionally, they will hold a
competition for the disciples at the Spirit Realm. The one who will win first place will also be granted
permission to be there," Tessa elaborated.
"Hmm. So is there no way for me to go there?" Rocky asked in a gloomy tone.
"You? I'm afraid you won't be allowed. You're not even a disciple of the Sword Spirit Sect, to begin with.
Also, if you want to participate in the competition, you must be at the seventh grade of the Spirit Realm.
It's not that easy to get inside that place," Tessa answered as she shook her head.
"I see. Then, how can I become a disciple of the Sword Spirit Sect?" Rocky asked with a straight face.
"Well, the Sword Spirit Sect recruits new disciples every year. Are you interested in joining the sect?"
Tessa replied as she saw the serious look on Rocky's face.
"I've actually dreamed of becoming a peerless master since I was a child. However, since I came from
the countryside, I didn't have any chance. Now that I got the opportunity to be in the city, I would
consider myself very lucky if I can join the Sword Spirit Sect," Rocky replied with a determined
expression.
"I see. The timing wasn't just right. The recruitment of new disciples for this year has just ended. I'm
afraid that you will have to wait until next year again." Tessa broke the news in a soft voice.
"Really? Oh, man! I'm so unlucky!" Rocky couldn't help but exclaim as he let out a frown.
As Tessa observed Rocky's reaction, she really saw his desire to join, so she wanted to confirm again.
"Do you really want to be a part of the Sword Spirit Sect that much?" she asked in a serious tone.
"Yes," Rocky quickly answered without a hint of hesitation on his face.
"Well, let's see what I can do. Maybe I can help you out," Tessa remarked with a gracious smile as she
came up with a solution.
"Is that true? Oh, you're so sweet! I can't thank you enough!" Rocky burst out with flattering comments.
"Ha-ha. Okay, that's enough. Just come with me," Tessa said with a sweet smile as she gestured
Rocky to follow her.
With that, Rocky and Tessa eventually left the Fragrance Pavilion.
Since Tessa was the daughter of the governor, and also a prominent member of the Sword Spirit Sect,
she inevitably attracted everyone's attention wherever she went. On top of that, she was one of the
most beautiful women in the entire Sword Spirit City.
However, today, because of Rocky's presence, the two of them attracted even more curious eyes than
Tessa expected.
"Hey, look at that! Since when did Miss Tessa have a follower?"
"It's also the first time that I've seen this. But what's up with that man? He looks disgusting!"
"Yeah, he looks very weak. I bet even I can knock him out. What makes him qualified to be Miss
Tessa's follower? I would be better in all aspects!"
Several people were curious about Rocky's identity. Since it was a pretty rare sight, they tried to follow
them to see what was going on.
"Tessa, I can see that you do really have a lot of admirers!" Rocky commented as he glanced at the
group of people who were following them from behind.
"That's strange. They just usually look at me when I pass by. I think this is the first time that they've
deliberately followed me like this," Tessa said with furrowed brows. It was also a bit of a mystery to her
why this was happening.
"Well, I guess it's because of me. Maybe they were baffled on why you allowed someone like me to be
your follower," Rocky said with a playful smile.
"What? No one asked you to be my follower," Tessa grumbled as she realized what Rocky was talking
about.
"Ha-ha! Stop being shy," Rocky said as he chuckled.
Tessa's face immediately blushed, which made her all the more charming and beautiful.
Soon enough, the two of them entered the training ground in the city.
At that time, the training field was full of people. There were several young men and women, most of
whom were about sixteen and seventeen years old. They wore different types of clothes and were
obviously the newly-recruited disciples of the sect.
In front of all these disciples stood a tall and sturdy man with a round fat face. It also seemed that he
was a warrior who had already reached the seventh grade of the Spirit Realm.
Then, Tessa led Rocky to the huge man and greeted him, "Hi, Eugene!"
"Oh, Tessa! What brings you here?" the man asked. He was surprised to see her in this place and also
instantly noticed Rocky who was behind her.
The man's name was Eugene You, and he was the one in charge of the new recruits. Furthermore, he
was one of the outstanding Spirit Realm masters in the Sword Spirit City.
As soon as the new disciples saw Tessa, they were instantly charmed by her compelling beauty and
couldn't help but gaze upon her.
"I actually have a favor to ask of you," Tessa said straightforwardly as she ignored the hot gazes from
the crowd.
"Go ahead. What is it?" Eugene You asked casually.
"This is Basil, and he is my friend. He wants to join the Sword Spirit Sect, but as we both know, the
recruitment for the new disciples this year has just ended. So, I was wondering if you could make an
exception for me. Please?" Tessa appealed.
"Your friend?" Eugene You's curiosity spiked when he heard this. He took a good look at Rocky and
didn't expect that Tessa would refer someone like him as such. After all, he had never heard anyone
being regarded as a friend by the governor's daughter. Moreover, Rocky didn't look like someone who
was from a prominent background.
Fortunately, Eugene You was a sensible person. He thought that if Tessa was personally
recommending him, it meant she had full trust that this person was worth all this trouble. Naturally, he
couldn't refuse her request. So, he said, "All right. You seldom ask for such favors, so I'll make an
exception just for you. Besides, I think it's his lucky day. A new disciple just quitted yesterday, so I'm
really required to recruit for one more. Anyway, since you are recommending him, I would assume that
he has what it takes to be a disciple of the Sword Spirit Sect. If he can pass the basic test, he will then
be accepted into our sect."
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