"This Senior Apprentice Rory, is he very famous in the Outpost? What exactly is his background?" Elara Stonefield couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised and curious upon seeing this.
"What? Junior Sister Elara, you don't even know the renowned Senior Apprentice Rory?" Hearing this, "The Calculator" Sammy's face immediately showed an exaggerated expression of disbelief, as if he were looking at a monster, as if Elara had asked an incredibly foolish question.
"Err... Didn't I tell you earlier? Due to some special reasons, I was in secluded cultivation in a remote place for several years, so..." Elara had no choice but to repeat her previous excuse somewhat helplessly.
"Oh, right, right! Look at my memory, how could I have forgotten that again!" "The Calculator" Sammy slapped his forehead abruptly, as if a sudden realization had struck him, and hurriedly put on a fawning smile, apologizing profusely to Elara. "My memory is truly terrible! I always subconsciously think that within Stonefist Outpost, it's impossible for any apprentice not to know Senior Apprentice Rory. So, for a moment, I completely forgot what Junior Sister Elara had said earlier about secluded cultivation. I really deserve a beating for that!"
"Then, can you tell me a bit about this Senior Apprentice Rory? He sounds really formidable." Elara asked, going with the flow. She had indeed developed a strong interest in this individual who could cause such a huge commotion.
"Junior Sister Elara, of course I can!" "The Calculator" Sammy's spirits immediately lifted upon hearing this, and he said with great enthusiasm, "Regarding Senior Apprentice Rory's glorious deeds, we younger apprentices who entered in the same year as him know them all clearly, like counting family treasures!" He glanced at the field and saw that Charles Blackwood's side hadn't immediately sent out an opponent capable of contending with Senior Apprentice Rory. So, he enthusiastically began to recount to Elara the various legends and stories of this renowned legendary figure among the Outpost's younger generation.
"Junior Sister Elara, this isn't 'The Calculator' just boasting wildly in front of you!" Sammy cleared his throat, adopting the posture of a storyteller, and continued, "Not only do we apprentices who entered in the same year know Senior Apprentice Rory's heroic deeds very well, but even those senior apprentices in the Outpost who are older than us know quite a bit too! Back then..." As he spoke, his entire demeanor became invigorated, and he began to narrate to Elara, speaking with great animation and in an endless torrent, the various exciting stories about this Senior Apprentice Rory. His animated and exuberant appearance, as if he himself were the true protagonist of these legendary tales, was filled with pride.
Listening to "The Calculator" Sammy recount, one by one, the past deeds of this Senior Apprentice Rory, Elara found that this youth's experiences truly had a somewhat unexpectedly legendary quality to them.
This Senior Apprentice Rory was also said to have entered Stonefist Outpost through assessment four years ago, around the same time as Elara and the others. Of course, he was not in the same batch of examinees as Elara. Moreover, it was said that in the initial entrance test at that time, he hadn't managed to pass smoothly like those exceptionally gifted geniuses, but due to some reasons, had ended up only as an ordinary probationary apprentice, not a particularly high starting point.
However, half a year later, in the formal assessment specifically for all probationary apprentices, this Senior Apprentice Rory had suddenly emerged, shining brilliantly. Not only did he successfully achieve the top score in all assessment items with an absolute advantage, but in the final, brutal practical combat against numerous senior apprentices whose strength far surpassed his, he became the only probationary apprentice among all participants who successfully withstood a full thirty fierce attacks from those experienced senior apprentices! This astonishing record not only broke all previous best achievements by Stonefist Outpost's probationary apprentices in similar tests but also attracted the attention and notice of many truly powerful figures among the Outpost's upper echelons.
However, in the subsequent aptitude examination conducted on Rory, the results were again surprisingly disappointing. The examination showed that Senior Apprentice Rory's innate constitution and aptitude were merely average, and his future growth potential and the ultimate height he could reach seemed quite limited. This unexpected diagnosis made many of the Outpost's higher-ups who had initially been optimistic about him feel very regretful. Therefore, he ultimately couldn't be directly accepted as an inner chamber disciple by some high-ranking figure of esteemed status and receive special training, unlike those true geniuses. After the conventional, tedious two-year basic training period, he eventually only became a disciple under an ordinary Guardian within the Outpost who held no significant real power, learning only a few common martial techniques that were widely circulated within the Outpost and not considered particularly profound. "Rushing Thunder Saber Technique" was one of the ordinary saber arts he learned from that Guardian master—a mid-tier martial art within Stonefist Outpost, decent in power but without many remarkable features.
If things had merely progressed to this point, then Senior Apprentice Rory's deeds might not have been considered truly legendary, at best just a story with a strong start but a weak finish, somewhat regrettable. However, not long after, relying on this "Rushing Thunder Saber Technique," which many considered unremarkable, he once again displayed astonishing, jaw-dropping strength in the large-scale annual martial arts competition subsequently held by the Outpost, specifically for all younger generation apprentices. He advanced through all rounds, shining brilliantly, and ultimately successfully broke into the top sixteen of all contestants! He was also the only new apprentice who had entered in the same year as him to achieve such an outstanding ranking. This event once again made him the center of attention for the entire Stonefist Outpost.
In various subsequent competitions and practical missions, both large and small, this Senior Apprentice Rory always performed with incomparable bravery and unstoppable momentum, like an unsheathed sharp blade, sweeping away all obstacles. He almost always managed to achieve very high rankings and excellent results, winning back a considerable amount of face and respect for these new apprentices of common origin who were not highly regarded. Especially in the grand annual martial arts competition held last year, he, with his exquisite saber skills and tenacious fighting spirit, secured third place among all younger generation contestants! It should be known that the two winners ranked ahead of him were senior apprentices who had already been cultivating for over a decade. Although nominally they still belonged to the "younger generation" of disciples, their actual ages were mostly close to twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Just the profound depth of their inner energy cultivation alone was far beyond what a new apprentice like Rory, who had only cultivated for a few years, could compare to. Many apprentices who watched that competition privately believed that if Senior Apprentice Rory had possessed the same profound inner energy cultivation as those two winners, then the first place in that competition would have undoubtedly been his for the taking, easily achievable and without any suspense.
Thus, with one astonishingly excellent performance after another, this Senior Apprentice Rory once again successfully attracted the attention and regard of Stonefist Outpost's higher echelons. He was personally named by the Outpost's leadership and began to be frequently dispatched outside the mountain gates to participate in and execute many secret operations organized or participated in by the Outpost, which were of considerable importance and danger. While other new apprentices who had entered in the same year as him could mostly only stay within the Outpost, painstakingly practicing basic martial arts day after day, he had already begun to represent Stonefist Outpost, achieving many meritorious deeds in the vast, unknown, and perilous world outside. It was said that in those regions outside the Outpost, he had already earned a resounding and fearsome nickname—"Lightning Rory"—to describe his saber skills and movements, which were as swift and fierce as lightning. There were even rumors that the Outpost's higher-ups were preparing to make a special exception for him, allowing him to enter the mysterious "Hall of Seven Arts" ahead of schedule to cultivate those more profound and powerful core secret martial arts!
Hearing this, Elara couldn't help but be moved. If everything "The Calculator" Sammy had said was true, then this Senior Apprentice named Rory was truly a very remarkable, strong-willed, and exceptionally gifted individual. That he could achieve such dazzling and glorious accomplishments relying solely on his own unremitting efforts and tenacious struggle, starting from the ordinary background of a common probationary apprentice, made Elara feel a heartfelt admiration and respect for him.
Just as Elara was lost in a myriad of emotions, Charles Blackwood's side, after much dawdling and mutual shirking for most of the day, finally had a somewhat reluctant disciple step forward from the crowd, preparing to enter the field to fight.
This newly entered disciple also seemed to possess considerable martial skill. He slowly drew a peculiar supple sword from his waist, which glinted with a chilling light under the sun. The blade of this supple sword was only about the thickness of an adult's thumb, and its body also appeared exceptionally soft and weak, as if it could be bent at will. Although Elara didn't understand swordsmanship, she could tell that this type of unconventional weapon was clearly not something an ordinary, mediocre person could easily wield and use.
Senior Apprentice Rory, who had been standing in the field with his eyes closed in concentration for a long time, slowly opened his sharp, hawk-like eyes upon sensing someone had approached him. In the depths of his eyes, two almost tangible beams of brilliant light seemed to flash past, filled with a compelling aura.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and let out a thunderous shout, like a sudden clap of thunder in a clear sky! The immense shout made everyone present's ears ring and their heads spin. And his opponent with the supple sword, standing directly opposite him and bearing the brunt of it, was directly shaken by this sudden shout, a look of unconcealable panic and fear immediately appearing on his face.
With that earth-shattering shout, Senior Apprentice Rory's long saber in his hand had already begun to swing and move with the swiftness of a flood dragon emerging from the sea. A dazzling blade light flashed like lightning, followed by a series of exquisitely intricate saber moves, so fast they were bewildering, executed continuously like flowing water and moving clouds. In an instant, that originally ordinary long saber seemed to have transformed into more than a dozen illusory saber shadows, gleaming with cold light and incomparably sharp, forming an impenetrable, fierce net of blades that tightly trapped his opponent with the supple sword in its center, making escape difficult.
However, the opponent with the supple sword was indeed quite alert and composed. Although he had initially been somewhat flustered and his stance thrown into disarray by Senior Apprentice Rory's earth-shattering shout and lightning-fast offensive, he quickly steadied his mind. The seemingly soft and weak supple sword in his hand now, under his skillful control, became unpredictable, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, its moves insidious, tricky, and peculiar, specifically targeting the weak points in Senior Apprentice Rory's defense. For a time, he actually managed to defend himself impeccably with this peculiar sword technique, revealing no obvious openings.
"Who is this person? His sword technique looks so strange!" Elara, seeing this, couldn't help but ask Sammy beside her again.
"Oh, he's Alaric Thorne, the personal disciple of Advisor Hawke, who is responsible for teaching basic swordsmanship in our Outpost. His family's inherited 'Whispering Willow Swordplay' is executed with considerable agility and exquisiteness, and it's also very difficult to deal with!" "The Calculator" Sammy immediately replied.
"Then how does he compare to Senior Apprentice Rory?" Elara continued to press.
"Of course, he couldn't possibly be Senior Apprentice Rory's opponent!" "The Calculator" Sammy said without hesitation upon hearing this, his face full of pride, as if Senior Apprentice Rory's victory was already a foregone conclusion.
"If that's the case, then why doesn't Charles Blackwood send out someone stronger? Don't they have any more powerful experts on their side?" Elara asked, somewhat perplexed.
"Hehe! Junior Sister, you don't know this!" "The Calculator" Sammy's face showed a hint of a gloating smile upon hearing this, and he explained, "This Alaric Thorne is already the most skilled and powerful one among their group, besides Charles Blackwood himself! To put it bluntly, among us new apprentices who entered in the same year as Senior Apprentice Rory, who can truly defeat the unfathomably strong Senior Apprentice Rory? So, no matter who they send up, the result will be the same—a pointless effort, destined to lose!"
Indeed, just as "The Calculator" Sammy had predicted. Although the youth named Alaric Thorne on the field still wielded his "Whispering Willow Swordplay" with agility and grace, without yet showing any obvious confusion or openings, in terms of momentum, he was already completely suppressed by Senior Apprentice Rory's overwhelmingly powerful saber technique, only able to parry with difficulty, with no strength to retaliate. Any discerning observer could see at a glance that his eventual defeat was merely a matter of time, with absolutely no chance of a fluke victory.
Elara watched intently for a while longer, but a new doubt suddenly arose in her mind, leaving her somewhat puzzled.
"There's something I find very strange," Elara said to Sammy beside her, frowning. "Why is it that, both inside and outside this competition area, I haven't seen any senior apprentices older than us present? Even if the Outpost's rules don't allow these senior apprentices to personally participate in contests among us new apprentices, for such a lively event, at least some of them should have come to watch the excitement, or to offer some guidance to us juniors. But now, whether inside or outside the field, I haven't seen even a shadow of an older apprentice. Almost everyone present is a new apprentice like us, only in our teens and having entered just a few years ago. What on earth is going on?" Elara directly voiced this question in her mind without reservation.
After hearing Elara's question, "The Calculator" Sammy's expression suddenly changed. He turned his head and looked Elara up and down again with a very strange and peculiar gaze, which made Elara feel somewhat baffled and also a little uneasy. Could it be that she had unintentionally asked about some taboo, sensitive topic within the Outpost?