Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

Chapter 1123: Chapter 1123: Why Is It So Hard to Keep a Low Profile?

”Rumor also says that the reason you passed the trial is because of the Beast Taming Secret Technique. Although Qiu Yongcheng passed the trial, he was unexpectedly injured by the Palace Guardian Beast Soul for this reason.” Tan Yu continued.

Only then did Han Yan understand what was going on. These rumors weren’t entirely baseless. At least attributing Qiu Yongcheng’s matter to her was not wrong at all.

With a slight shift in thoughts, Han Yan guessed who spread the rumor. Apart from Jiang Qiling, others probably wouldn’t have such insight, nor any need to tarnish her reputation.

As for why others avoided her like the plague, there was no need to think much. Just on her first day entering the academy, she had harmed a mentor. Even though her feud with the Qiu family was well known, the academy mentors, united against a common enemy, couldn’t possibly treat her kindly. The younger disciples wouldn’t dare associate with her either.

”Ah, why is it so hard to live a low-profile life?” Han Yan lamented silently.

”Aside from this, I also heard some bad news.” Tan Yu added.

”What?” Han Yan asked casually, anyway, with so many fleas, she didn’t worry about itching, and couldn’t be bothered to worry about more bad news.

”You know Lord Nie Fangsheng? He is said to have a close personal relationship with Qiu Yongcheng, and had even arranged a marital bond between their children. If Master continues to study sword casting, it might be hard to learn any true skills, not to mention facing a lot of difficulties. Maybe it’s better to learn some other strange and mysterious arts instead.” Tan Yu suggested.

”No need.” Han Yan immediately rejected his suggestion.

Qiu Yongcheng had been at Long Yan Academy for so many years and had likely built some relationships. It’s one thing to avoid Nie Fangsheng, but could she avoid all mentors, unless she focused solely on the Sword Dao and forsook all other strange and mysterious arts?

She wanted to see how these mentors would unite against her and how they would make things difficult for her.

”Okay then.” Tan Yu understood this and didn’t press further.

...

In the afternoon, a group of people came to the Sword Casting Hall.

A sword casting furnace stood in the center of the hall, and Nie Fangsheng stood behind it, like a black tower. Opposite him stood dozens of academy disciples. About ten of them, like Han Yan, were new disciples just recruited into the academy, while the others were senior disciples from previous years.

In the corner of the hall, stood dozens of young people wearing disciple sword robes, but they were all outer disciples, and had been accepted under some mentors due to their talent. Although they were not formal disciples of the academy, they could observe from the sidelines, but they were not allowed to speak extensively or ask mentors for advice. If the mentor was in a good mood, they might get some guidance, otherwise, they just had to watch quietly and see how much they could grasp based on their own aptitude.

Outside the hall, there were dozens of young men also wearing outer disciple sword robes, craning their necks to peer inside from the windows. These people, like Tan Yu and others before, were of the servant status, so they didn’t even have the privilege of observing up close.

As soon as Han Yan and others entered, everyone turned to look at them, their gazes meaningful. Quite a few people instinctively wanted to hide, but the sword casting hall was only so big, where could they hide?

”Why has this plague god come to learn sword casting too? Should’ve known and switched to something else.” The academy disciples were quietly lamenting their bad luck.

There was no way to hide, but they instinctively took a few steps back to keep a distinct distance from Han Yan, clearly indicating they were not to be approached.

”Everyone is here, let’s start then.” Nie Fangsheng glanced at Han Yan before speaking with a stern face.

Tan Yu and the Gu Family’s three brothers knew the rule and quickly retreated to the corner of the hall, while Han Yan and Ling Baobao approached the sword casting furnace.

With everyone avoiding her as if she were the plague, Han Yan couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries and had decided to focus on learning the Sword Casting Technique, ignoring everyone else as if they didn’t exist.

Based on Nie Fangsheng’s current behavior, he didn’t seem to be intentionally making things difficult for her. His expression was solemn, but with his face, it was hard not to look stern.

Could it be that Nie Fangsheng was a person who strictly separated public from private matters and wouldn’t let personal grudges affect his responsibility as a mentor? Han Yan secretly wondered, could it be that good? Although she wasn’t someone with a dark heart, thinking of all possibilities was beneficial. If things played out exactly as she assumed, there would be no disappointment. If it turned out differently, it would just be a pleasant surprise, wouldn’t it?

It didn’t take long for her to realize that her assumptions were not dark but rather insightful about certain despicable and shameless people.

”Today, I will teach you the Blood Gall Sword. This sword, you should have heard of it, right?” Nie Fangsheng took out a longsword and said to the group of disciples.

”This Blood Gall Sword, isn’t it one of the swords used by military generals, quite different from the swords we usually use for practice?” A well-informed disciple asked.

In the Holy Court Continent, the vast majority of cultivators practiced the Sword Dao and naturally had high demands for the quality of their longswords. Among the dozens of disciples here, most of their longswords were custom-made by renowned swordsmiths, and since each swordsmith had a different technique and understanding of sword casting, the crafted swords each had their unique characteristics.

Although on the surface, the differences between their longswords may seem subtle, if one’s strength reached a certain realm, they would notice significant differences that could mean life or death.

However, the Blood Gall Sword was uniformly equipped for the soldiers of Anyun Country’s military, as it was impossible to have custom longswords for tens or hundreds of thousands of troops. Therefore, the Blood Gall Sword was produced by multiple Sword Workshops, with similar designs and quality.

Consequently, the quality of the Blood Gall Sword was much lower than the custom-made longswords they wore.

Having finally entered Long Yan Academy and studying the crafting of the Dragon Gall Sword, it seemed overly redundant to them.

”Do not underestimate the Blood Gall Sword. The fact that tens of thousands of soldiers of Anyun all use this sword suggests a reason. The crafting of this sword is divided into seven steps: two steps for casting, two steps for bone forging, two steps for sharpening, and the final step of nourishing the spirit. There are thirty-two techniques in total, and these thirty-two steps are the foundation of the Sword Casting Technique. Mastering the Blood Gall Sword will significantly enhance your skills in crafting other longswords.” Noting a disciple’s doubt, Nie Fangsheng added assertively with a hint of reproach.

”This disciple acknowledges the mistake.” The young disciple quickly admitted the error.

Han Yan didn’t expect that even crafting a common military sword would involve so much detail, and she focused intently.

”Today, I’ll first craft a Blood Gall Sword for you to watch, focusing mainly on the initial casting and bone forging techniques. Pay attention.” Nie Fangsheng instructed.