A Trace of Shadow

Blue skies and white clouds.

Green mountains, verdant waters.

A thick fragrance wafted through the air.

Three rabbits were placed on the grill, each almost dripping with oil.

The Ninth disciple Squary and the tenth disciple Round were both eyeing the rabbits hungrily, especially Round, whose mouth was watering uncontrollably. It was quite disgusting.

Harry reminded him, "Ninth disciple, remember that Master Squaring is known as The Gentle Sword. You should try to embody some of that gentleness."

Squary retorted, "We only need to behave in front of Master. Why bother in front of our senior brothers?" His master, The Gentle Sword Squaring, was indeed a refined gentleman, but Squary was more of a rough-and-tumble type. While he behaved in front of their master, behind his back, well, that was a different story.

Round wasn't much better. He was lazy and loved to eat.

Of course, Harry wasn't much better either. He had been scolded countless times by Master Abbas for being lazy.

The fragrance grew stronger with each passing moment.

Harry skillfully sprinkled some cumin over the rabbits. He was so adept at cooking, it was as if he was wielding a sword.

After a while, the three rabbits were cooked to perfection.

Suddenly, three sword lights simultaneously appeared, aimed directly at the rabbits Harry had his eyes on.

The rabbit meat was tender and juicy, especially when paired with the yellow wine. It was truly a delightful experience.

Harry couldn't help but squint his eyes in enjoyment.

These carefree days were truly wonderful.

Harry loved this atmosphere.

It was said that within the Shian Learners' Groups, there were many rivalries and conflicts.

Learners often sparred with each other, and the Shian Learners' Landing was even more dangerous than the martial world.

But what did that have to do with him?

He was just a lazy person hiding away on the Sworthy Mountain, living a life of ease. He didn't care about the trials and tribulations of the Shian's learning.

But sometimes, the atmosphere shouldn't be too good. When the atmosphere was too good, envy would arise.

And envy would inevitably lead to someone trying to ruin it.

Like now.

"Hey, isn't that Sixth Senior Brother?" With these irritating words, a white-clothed, arrogant-looking youth emerged from behind a tree.

This youth was about the same age as Harry, Squary, and Round, but his presence immediately spoiled the mood.

This arrogant youth in white was the eleventh disciple of the tenth generation of Sworthy Mountain, named Houk Simon.

If one had to address him, he would be called Eleventh Junior Brother.

The problem lay in the fact that he was eleventh.

Sworthy Mountain had a rule set by its founder, which stated that each peak could only have ten True disciples.

This rule had been in place for five thousand years, and no one dared to break it. Each peak also had some outstanding elders who would pass on their teachings to disciples.

If there weren't enough elders, it wouldn't be a problem.

But unfortunately, Sworthy Mountain had quite a few outstanding elders, so they had already filled their quota of ten true disciples.

The previous generation of Sworthy Mountain's most famous figures were known as The Six Great Sword of the Northern Peak.

Figures like Harry's master, Abbas, Squary's master, The Gentle Sword Squaring, and Round's master, The Rouding Sword Rouding, were all part of The Six Great Sword of the Northern Peak.

Another member was Aeron Simon, who had already brought his grandson into the ranks of the true disciples as the fifth, but with the growth of his another grandson Houk, he also wanted to bring him into the ranks of the true disciples.

However, the ten true disciple spots were already filled, so Houk could only be ranked eleventh.

If he had ranked twelfth or thirteenth, it wouldn't have been such a big deal, but being ranked eleventh was a bitter pill to swallow, just one spot short.

You see, the treatment of the top ten true disciples was completely different from that of the eleventh.

This was a rule set by the founder of the sect.

The top ten disciples received many resources in terms of pills, techniques, and swordsmanship, far beyond what the eleventh disciple could get.

So, Houk was desperate to become one of the top ten true disciples.

Therefore, the position of the top ten true disciples was not set in stone.

If a disciple performed poorly, they could be replaced. However, most of the top ten disciples were not easy to deal with, so Houk set his sights on Harry.

Harry had always been lazy and easy to deceive.

Of course, there was another reason: his master, Abbas, had been seriously injured in his youth and was now nearing the end of his life. He couldn't compare to the other members of The Six Great Sword of the Northern Peak in terms of lifespan.

That's why Houk dared to pick on Harry.

And now, Houk was here again.

The white-clothed, arrogant Houk taunted, "I've heard that Sixth Senior Brother has never been willing to put in much effort in his cultivation, and his swordsmanship is mediocre at best. However, he seems quite interested in the culinary arts. How about this: Sixth Senior Brother, why don't you leave the sect and open a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain? I promise to visit frequently, and I'll bring friends along too, so everyone will know about Sixth Senior Brother's culinary skills."

Squary and Round praised Harry's cooking skills, but Houk mocked them.

Furious, Harry retorted, "By the way, I heard that there will be a sect-wide competition in six months. We will all participate, and some of our senior brothers will too. At that time, I hope Senior Brother Houk won't hesitate to teach me, and let me, as your junior brother, witness the exquisite swordsmanship of Sixth Senior Brother."

The emphasis on "exquisite swordsmanship" was deliberately ironic.

Shian Learners' Landing was currently in an era of peace and prosperity.

However, a time of peace didn't mean that there was nothing going on.

Sometimes, there were minor conflicts between sects, and occasionally, demons and monsters appeared.

The five major sects all had their ways of motivating their disciples, ensuring that they didn't become too complacent.

Harry muttered to himself, "Born in suffering, die in peace." This was a lesson that all sects understood.

And every five years, there was a sect-wide competition on Sworthy Mountain.

"At that time, I won't let Senior Brother Sima down," Harry replied coldly. "Oh, by the way, Senior Brother Sima seems to be very eager to eat chicken. Unfortunately, all I have to offer you is a chicken bone." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the chicken bone at Houk.

Houk raised his sword to block it, but the bone hit him squarely in the chest and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Harry muttered, "So, Senior Brother Sima still wants to eat chicken, but not the bones."

Houk felt embarrassed and quickly left.

Once that arrogant brat Houk was gone, Harry cursed under his breath.

It was truly annoying to encounter such people.

Harry had been enjoying a carefree life on Sworthy Mountain, but unfortunately, there were always some malicious individuals like Houk who wanted to snatch his position as one of the top ten true disciples.

Even in the most carefree of days, there was always a shadow lurking.