Chapter 26

Looking at Qin Fengming, who was only twelve or thirteen years old, one could see that although he was slightly thin and small, he was very calm and did not show any signs of nervousness or panic. Sect Master Sima could not help but smile slightly and said:

"Fengming, do you know why you have been brought here?"

"Disciple does not know, please instruct me, Sect Master." Qin Fengming bowed again, extremely respectful and honestly answered.

"Hehe, I believe you might have guessed. At the last Hundred Refinements Hall competition, based on your outstanding performance and the strong recommendation of Hall Master Zhang, after a joint discussion by the high-level members of our sect, we want you to join the Dark Night Hall. Are you willing?"

Sect Master Sima chuckled, his face initially smiling, but became very serious by the end.

Hearing the Sect Master's words, Qin Fengming was momentarily stunned, but then suddenly came to his senses. His long-held wish was about to be realized, and his excitement was hard to hide. He bowed again and answered, "Disciple is willing."

"Hehe, don't be in a hurry to answer. You may not yet understand what the Dark Night Hall is and what responsibilities it bears. Let me explain it to you first, and then you can answer." Sect Master Sima smiled faintly, his face suddenly becoming very serious, and he said in a solemn voice.

"The Dark Night Hall is the core of our sect. The people in the hall are all top experts of our sect. Once you enter, it means you are already a top expert, and various resources will be prioritized for you. This is a place that all disciples of our sect aspire to."

"It is also the most dangerous place in our sect. The tasks executed by the Dark Night Hall are the most dangerous. At best, you might get injured; at worst, you might lose your life. However, I can tell you that in the past few hundred years, the Dark Night Hall has only lost seventy-eight disciples, making it the hall with the fewest casualties in our sect."

"Once you join the Dark Night Hall, you will receive one hundred taels of silver per month. Additionally, if you stay in the Dark Night Hall for ten years, you can automatically retire and become an elder, and you will receive ten thousand taels as a settlement fee."

"Now, do you still wish to join the Dark Night Hall?"

Sect Master Sima looked at Qin Fengming, and a sense of authority suddenly emanated from him, making Qin Fengming, who was standing in front of him, suddenly startled.

At this moment, although Qin Fengming was somewhat concerned about the dangers mentioned by the Sect Master, hearing that he would receive one hundred taels of silver per month, he had already ignored all the so-called dangers.

One hundred taels of silver was what his family would spend in several years. With this money, not only could his parents and family live better, but the lives of his fellow villagers could also be improved.

"Disciple is willing." Qin Fengming raised his head and looked at Sect Master Sima, his young face showing unwavering determination.

After staring at Qin Fengming for a while, Sect Master Sima nodded slightly and clapped his hands three times.

A figure flashed, and a person walked out from behind the screen. This person was wearing a black robe, a hat, and a black veil. If Qin Fengming had not seen him face-to-face, he would have thought that this black-robed person did not exist in the room.

"This is the Hall Master of the Dark Night Hall. From this moment on, you are officially a member of the Dark Night Hall. From now on, you will only follow the orders of the Hall Master and will not accept orders from anyone else, including me. Understand, Fengming?" Pointing at the black-robed person, Sect Master Sima's face was serious as he said solemnly.

Qin Fengming looked at the black-robed person and nodded to Sect Master Sima, "Disciple understands."

Sect Master Sima looked at Qin Fengming for a moment, and the black-robed person did not stay any longer. In a cold voice, he said, "Follow me."

His voice was slightly hoarse, as if coming from a distant place. It was difficult to judge his age from his voice. After speaking, he did not acknowledge Sect Master Sima and turned to walk towards the back door.

Seeing this, Qin Fengming did not dare to delay any longer. He bowed to the Sect Master and Elder Wu and hurriedly followed the black-robed person.

On the way, neither of them spoke. After leaving the manor, they walked deep into the forest for more than half an hour. The black-robed person stopped in a valley, pointed to a forest in the distance, and said:

"There is a courtyard there. From now on, you will live there. Someone will bring you food every day. There are only ten people in the Dark Night Hall. You are an exception, and you will not be assigned any tasks for the next two years. You must focus on your martial arts training and become a formal member after two years."

"If you need anything, you can find Elder Wu who brought you here. As long as it exists in the world, he will help you." After saying this, he did not pay any attention to Qin Fengming, turned, and leaped into the dense forest, disappearing in the blink of an eye as if he had never been there.

Qin Fengming stood there, stunned for a while, and then walked into the dense forest. He saw a courtyard hidden in a clearing in the dense forest. Inside the courtyard were three bamboo houses, and a small stream in front of the door, making it very quiet and elegant.

Entering the bamboo house, although the furnishings were simple, all the necessary living items were complete. Sitting on a bamboo chair, Qin Fengming recalled what the Hall Master had said and felt a bit puzzled.

The Dark Night Hall was so famous within the sect, yet it only had ten people. It seemed that these ten people were undoubtedly the best in the martial arts world. To be among these ten people, he would have to work hard and train diligently.

Time passed slowly, and half a year had already gone by. During these six months, Qin Fengming received one hundred taels of silver every month. He sent the silver to his brother in Qijia City every three months.

During these months, Qin Fengming's sword skills had greatly improved, and he had a deeper understanding of the essence of swordsmanship.

One day, after some thought, Qin Fengming went to the manor where the Sect Master lived and found Elder Wu. After bowing respectfully, he said, "Qin Fengming pays respects to Elder Wu. I have something I would like to ask for your help with. I wonder if Elder Wu is willing?"

"Hehehe, I thought you would have come to me long ago. I didn't expect you to wait for half a year. What is it? As long as it exists in our Luoxia Valley, I will certainly fulfill your request."

Seeing Qin Fengming standing in front of him, Elder Wu was greatly surprised and chuckled, seemingly very surprised that Qin Fengming had only come now.

Hearing Elder Wu's words, the discomfort in Qin Fengming's heart immediately disappeared. It turned out that what the Hall Master had said was not just empty words.

"Thank you, Elder. This time, I indeed have something I would like to ask for your help with. Previously, Hall Master Zhang taught me a light body technique, but I feel it is somewhat lacking. Therefore, I would like to ask Elder to recommend a more advanced light body technique for me."

Hearing Qin Fengming's words, Elder Wu pondered for a moment and said, "With Hall Master Zhang's abilities, the light body technique he taught you is certainly not ordinary. In our Luoxia Valley, there are dozens of light body techniques, but not many are better than what your master taught you.

"Oh, I do remember one light body technique. If you can master it, it will definitely surpass what your master taught you. However, this technique is very special, and in the past hundred years, no one in our sect has been able to master it. Are you interested?"

"What is the technique called?" Hearing this, Qin Fengming was immediately delighted.

"The technique is called 'Green Cloud Tracing.' It was created by a brilliant elder in our sect hundreds of years ago. However, since three hundred years ago, only one talented disciple managed to learn it, and no one else in our sect, despite their exceptional talent, has been able to understand it."

"This light body technique is different from others. Ordinary light body techniques require internal energy to work effectively. However, this technique is completely different. Once you understand it, even an ordinary person can use it."

"Such an unconventional technique is listed as one of the three most difficult techniques in our sect."