5 A Place For The Sword

"Sir Daniel." Freud turned his calm gaze to Daniel, the gaze turning to something more fierce as he did so. "You performed admirably well, showcasing a level of skill that is expected of a Pseudo-Sword Initiate. However, your style was not perfect." He closed his eyes and nodded in a sagely manner. "I am not entirely sure of why the Elder simply accepted you into the school, but it does not matter. It is out of my hands. Welcome to the Nine Peaks Sect." He held out his hands to the side before extending one for a hand shake. Daniel hurriedly shook his hand, his ego swelling ever so slightly from the constant praise he had been the recipient of through the day.

"Thank you, Master Freud." Daniel replied with a slightly bowed head.

"That is all I have to say for now. We shall see how well you perform upon your induction in the school. Wendy, please show him to one of the free rooms in the boy's quarters." Freud stood up, wiping the dust off his clothes. "I bid you farewell." He walked away, leaving the two students on their own.

A silent moment passed before Wendy turned to Daniel, the look in her eyes less than friendly.

"My name is Wendy Jade. And although I am not too happy with losing to you, I am willing to put it in the past." He held out her hand for friendly handshake, one which Daniel happily returned.

"Nice to meet you, Wendy. My name is Daniel Ban, one of the descendants of the Highsword Clan. Although the name sounds odd, it defines me, and I am proud of the Highsword Clan." He firmly shook her hand as he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I hope we get along. Now, please, if you will follow me, I will take you to the boy's quarters." Wendy stood up and turned away to lead Daniel to the boy's quarters where the male students of the school were assigned rooms.

While the female students were not barred entry from this section of the school, it was still quite rare to see a female student wandering through his area, as boys tended to be more... free, among themselves. That was why Wendy's presence in the boy's quarters was something rather odd.

Daniel took in the sights as he walked. The boy's quarters was a large compound that held multiple blocks of rooms. It was large enough to easily accommodate up to a hundred students! But in reality, the number of male students was only a fraction of this total. The entry bar for the Nine Peaks Sect was set quite high, and that barred a large amount of people from entry into the sword school. Those that made it in were already considered elite swordsmen and swordswomen among the masses.

In the very center of the large compound, a medium sized pond could be seen, with a beautiful willow tree that was grown right beside it. Vines from the willow tree dipped into the pond, making the surface of the pond ripple ever so slightly. Several benches were placed around the pond, a place of relaxation for tired student after an intense day of classes or training.

Numerous shirtless students hung around the place, with more than just a few of them eyeing Wendy and the new boy who sported long black hair.

Wendy ignored all of these, however, and led Daniel to one of the bocks that was closest to the gates of the compound. The blocks were arranged in a rectangular fashion, with two long blocks on either side, and one single block facing the gates at the farthest wall of the compound. It was simple, but beautiful.

Daniel nodded in appreciation of the detailing that had gone into the architecture. The architect who had envisioned this was a true master of the arts. If Daniel ever met him, he would invite him to add a few touches to the main compound of the Highsword Clan.

"This is your room. Everything you would need, as well as our sword school's uniform will be inside. I believe you will be sharing this room with someone. If not, then you can have it all to yourself until another person is assigned here." Wendy stopped before the first room of the first block by the gate. She explained everything that Daniel would need, or find important before nodding to him and taking her leave.

Daniel sighed deeply before pushing open the door to his room. It was a simple flat, with a wide open living area. There were no plush seats or any other sort of furniture, aside from the low seated table that was placed in the center of the room, and the soft looking mats that surrounded this table. From its size, Daniel guessed it could seat around six people at a time.

He nodded, and made his way into the building.

"This isn't exactly a room. It's more like a decent house. I'm sure this is probably the size of some of the houses of some common folk." Daniel shook his head with a smile on his face. "As expected of the prestigious Nine Peaks Sect. They sure do take care of their students."

Although the Nine Peaks Sect was one of the most renowned sword schools in the Southern Continent, known for its discipline and intense training regime, the school spared no expense at taking care of its students. After all, how would you expect the next great Swordsman to sleep on a pile of rocks? This was the modern age, where every art was refined, not some backwards era!

Daniel made his way past the living area. The space further expanded into a kitchen, before splitting off into two paths. Each path led to a room, he found out. One of the room was seemingly occupied, with clothes folded in the closet, and a few shoes under the bed.

"I guess I have to share." He shrugged before walking back down the hall, through the kitchen, and into the other room. This one was empty, with a plain bed, and empty closet. Daniel gently set down his travelling bag that was slung over his shoulder, before collapsing into the bed.

"Ah! I can finally get some rest!"