My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 064 – Inner District

Li Yuan had been standing on the street for a few minutes when a Blood Blade Sect disciple rode around the corner on horseback and called out, “Li Yuan, the sect master is in Blood Fury Hall. Please hurry!”

Before Li Yuan could respond, the disciple leaped off his horse, ready to hand it over. With a dismissive wave, Li Yuan replied, “I’ll just walk.”

The disciple promptly handed the horse to someone nearby, dismounted, and escorted Li Yuan through the busy street toward the heart of Silver Creek.

For various reasons, Li Yuan had never ventured into this core area before, and he couldn’t help but take in every detail along the way.

The inner core of the Blood Blade Sect resembled a city within a city. Towering walls and a massive steel gate immediately conveyed its importance, and to his surprise, he noticed soldiers clad in black armor patrolling the walls with spears in hand.

At every corner, watchtowers and fortified bastions bustled with troops, clearly indicating a well-established garrison. These soldiers were unlike ordinary people. Their eyes appeared vacant, yet their entire demeanor radiated a cold, unfeeling precision, as if they were programmed solely to obey orders without a hint of fear.

At the entrance, security was extremely tight; without verified credentials, no one could gain entry.

Li Yuan stepped up to the gate and looked up at the freshly inscribed words Blood Blade Sect emblazoned in the center.

The modern style of the lettering, set against the ancient wall, suggested that this inner district might not have been built by the Blood Blade Sect at all but was merely a shifting emblem on the township’s ramparts.

Meanwhile, the disciple had already completed Li Yuan’s entry registration. After finishing, he stood outside with a friendly smile and said, “Please proceed inside on your own.”

“Weren’t you coming along?” Li Yuan inquired.

The disciple chuckled. “For the inner district, ordinary disciples aren’t allowed in without an official decree. You may enter by yourself.”

Glancing up at the numbers 21~23 hovering above the disciple’s head, Li Yuan asked, “What’s your name?”

The young man paused in surprise before replying, “I’m Tian Feng.”

“Thanks for guiding me,” Li Yuan said, to which Tian Feng quickly returned the greeting with a respectful bow.

With that, Li Yuan turned and stepped into the Blood Blade Sect. The moment he entered, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of astonishment.

It wasn’t particularly large; he could easily see the corners of its walls from one vantage point. Yet compared to the familiar neighborhoods of his past, where the old, dilapidated districts and ordinary residential blocks barely made an impression, the inner district was akin to an upscale neighborhood of villas.

Everywhere he looked were grand houses and spacious courtyards. Even the exterior surroundings were tastefully arranged.

In the eastern part of the district, where there was no enclosing wall, the buildings bordered the waters of Silver Creek. Along its banks, elegant pavilions and towers lined the bank, and from a distance he could even glimpse graceful figures playing and boating by the lake.

The scene was tranquil and idyllic, a stark contrast to the chaos outside, as if he had stepped into a hidden paradise.

On closer inspection, Li Yuan noticed that beyond the lake, protruding rocks were interlinked by iron chains as thick as a child’s forearm, forming several layers of barriers.

The chains swayed in the breeze, occasionally rising and falling above the water with a soft, muffled clatter, their cold metallic sheen catching the sunlight. One might say that even if the Red Lotus Rebels were to overrun Gemhill County and seize Silver Creek, this place would remain unscathed.

As Li Yuan absorbed the serene beauty of his surroundings, a woman’s voice drifted from not far away, “Li Yuan, hurry up. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Li Yuan looked up and saw a woman in a dark robe with red trim smiling at him in the sunlight. She was well-built, her face broad and muscular, with a scar along her left cheek near her mouth that appeared to almost merge with her lip, giving her a somewhat fearsome look.

Strapped to her back was an executioner’s blade, and a floating 72~80 glimmered at her side. Unlike the typical dark-robed disciples, her garment boasted an extra white edge—a clear sign that she was no ordinary member of the sect.

“May I ask how to address you?” Li Yuan inquired politely.

“Inner disciple, Zhao Chunxin,” she replied, clasping her fists in greeting. Her courtesy was evident; she didn’t look down on him despite him being a ninth rank martial artist.

“Zhao Chunxin... Then I suppose I should address you as Senior Sister Zhao.” Li Yuan returned the bow respectfully.

With a smile, she replied, “Whatever you’d like. Since we belong to the same sect, let’s make sure we stay close in the future.”

“Of course,” Li Yuan agreed.

Without further ado, the two of them walked side by side, quickly arriving at a pavilion at the very heart of the inner district.

Upon entering, Li Yuan’s eyes immediately fell on a man in a white robe seated in the center.

With a thick beard and a sword at his side, the man exuded an imposing aura, and his blood-edged white robe stood out starkly among the other dark-robed disciples.

This was Tie Sha. A 215~235 floated at his side, the highest among everyone present.

To Tie Sha’s left sat a rather delicate yet strikingly handsome young man—Yu Chaojin. Floating next to him was 210~225, the second highest in the room.

Below them were three chairs arranged in a formation. One was empty while the other two were occupied by men—and, quite surprisingly, Senior Li was among those seated.

On the opposite side, four chairs were arranged, of which three lay empty while the remaining seats were taken by two men and a woman.

Alongside these, about 20 other disciples stood at attention.

“Reporting to the sect master, Li Yuan has arrived,” Zhao Chunxin announced after finishing her bow. Then she stepped aside to join the ranks of the other disciples.

Tie Sha sniffed thoughtfully as he eyed Li Yuan and suddenly asked, “Kid, did you get caught up in the ambush?”

Li Yuan replied, “I encountered two ninth rank opponents and an archer. I managed to kill them all, though I sustained a few injuries myself. I hid away to recuperate until things calmed down before coming out.”

After saying that, he produced from his pocket two tokens with the Wei Family insignia and presented them respectfully, proof that his story was true.

Turning his gaze toward Yu Chaojin, Tie Sha remarked, “Old Yu, from now on let this kid reside within the inner district.”

Yu Chaojin’s voice was cool as he replied, “As long as you decree it, that’s that.”

Casting a glance at Li Yuan, Yu Chaojin mused silently. It appeared he had misjudged Li Yuan. This country bumpkin wasn’t as unsophisticated nor as inept as everyone had assumed.

That much was plain for all present to see.

Everyone in the room understood the situation. The Wei Family had sent two ninth rank assassins to kill Li Yuan—a plan that, on paper, was foolproof.

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After all, during Li Yuan’s match against Zhao Zimu in the arena, his strength had been thoroughly assessed.

The adversaries had calculated that dispatching two men of comparable ability to ambush him from the shadows would surely finish him off. The deaths of Zhao Zimu and several other promising young talents of the Blood Blade Sect were grim testaments to that very tactic.

Yet, Li Yuan was still alive. The ordeal had been so harrowing that his casual recounting of the events hardly did it justice. Everyone could easily imagine the peril he faced.

Normally, gaining entry into the inner district of the Blood Blade Sect wasn’t as simple as just having the right identity; one also had to pass a strict evaluation, and only when deemed fit could one move in.

That was why when Zhao Zimu had snatched Li Yuan’s opportunity earlier, he couldn’t immediately settle in. Even if Li Yuan had distinguished himself, he still wouldn’t have been admitted so quickly under normal circumstances.

However, the brutal war between the Blood Blade Sect and the Wei Family had taken a heavy toll. An elder was slain, one of the sect’s enforcers fell, and the losses among the younger generation were even more severe. This devastation, in turn, created an opening for Li Yuan.

Standing nearby, Senior Li teased, “My silly student, aren’t you going to thank the sect master already?!”

Li Yuan hastily replied, “Thank you, Sect Master!”

Tie Sha, watching him, burst out laughing, “I really like this kid. Old Yu, I told you he’d pull through. You see, not only did he win, but he’s still here!”

Yu Chaojin declared, “I’ll subject myself to three cups of punishment in front of everyone.”

Tie Sha chuckled, “Getting worked up again, huh?”

Yu Chaojin replied, “Not a chance.”

“Old Yu,” Tie Sha continued, “our past quarrels were nothing to fuss over. If you want one of your people to be promoted to elder, there’s an opening now. It's yours; and if you want someone to serve as an enforcer, there’s an extra slot available. When your territory expands, there’ll always be room for more elders and enforcers. Keep your eyes on the bigger picture. Don’t just fixate on our little Silver Creek.”

Yu Chaojin responded, “Yes, Sect Master.”

Tie Sha then turned to Li Yuan and said, “Kid, for now, stay here in the inner district and train in peace. Once things settle outside, we’ll have missions lined up for you. But this time, no more falling ill on a whim.”

Li Yuan’s face flushed as he replied, “Yes, Sect Master.”

Tie Sha laughed heartily and waved his hand dismissively.

After bowing and stepping back, Li Yuan noticed Zhao Chunxin beckoning him over.

Meanwhile, inside Blood Fury Hall, Tie Sha continued discussing the matters at hand. Listening for a moment, Li Yuan discerned that the plans boiled down to three points.

The first was handling the aftermath with the Wei Family. That was rooting out and eradicating the die-hard remnants hiding in the shadows, and recruiting the skilled defectors from the Wei side.

The second was expanding the sect by bringing in fresh talent to inject new blood into the Blood Blade Sect.

The third was keeping a close watch on the Sun Family to prevent them from taking advantage of the chaos.

For now, however, none of these tasks involved Li Yuan. He was one of the promising talents among the younger generation, and a prime target for the lingering loyalists of the Wei Family.

Tie Sha had no intention of sending Li Yuan out on these missions. Instead, he planned to nurture Li Yuan within the safety of the inner district for a while longer.