The Sword Of The Fire Dragon

Executing the Plan

Ronggo's sly smile vanished in an instant. He had just been thinking of taking advantage of the deaths of five members of the Falcon's Devil sect, but now a direct rebuttal echoed in his ears.

A heavy sigh escaped the wrinkled lips of the old man. If his initial plan was to pit the Falcon's Devil Sect against that giant ape, he would now need to rethink his strategy. It had to be a well-thought-out plan to kill two birds with one stone.

"About those two young warriors, have you ever seen them anywhere else aside from that forest?" Ronggo shifted his sitting position, as his thin frame could no longer endure sitting in the same posture for too long.

"Never, Master. We don’t know who those two young warriors are, but they’ll surely be a major obstacle for you to obtain the sacred sword," replied his tall, burly disciple.

"Then who are they? Are they disciples of that giant ape?" Ronggo asked further.

"Seems unlikely, Master. The two young warriors have completely different fighting styles. Observing their movements, it seems like they both use techniques related to dragons. If I recall correctly, one of them even shouted the name of his technique," answered another disciple, pausing briefly in thought.

"If I'm not mistaken, the technique was called Mighty Dragon Palm," he added.

Ronggo frowned, his already wrinkled forehead now creased even more. As a martial artist who had wandered the martial world for decades, he had indirectly heard of the name of that technique. Although they weren’t contemporaries, he knew well that the technique’s original owner was a legendary martial artist named Diptapraja Kusuma, famously known as the Heavenly Dragon Warrior.

"What's wrong, Master? Have you heard of that technique before?" asked one of his disciples, curious about his master’s sudden change in expression.

Ronggo did not immediately reply. His mind wrestled with the lingering questions that hovered in his thoughts. His gaze turned blankly toward the open door of the small hut, directed outward.

"Could it be that he's still alive? Or does he possess some youth-preserving technique? But hasn’t he been missing for over a hundred years?" Ronggo's heart questioned.

None of Ronggo's disciples dared to disturb the old man’s thoughts further. They knew their master was contemplating something significant.

"Let’s return to the sect!" Ronggo abruptly commanded.

"Does that mean we’re abandoning the hunt, Master?" asked one of the disciples, who had been silent until then.

Ronggo stared at the disciple who had posed the question. "We don’t know who we’re up against. Besides that giant ape, those two young warriors remain a mystery. I’m afraid acting recklessly will lead to a tragic end for us!" he replied.

The five disciples in the small hut were stunned. Their master had never acted this way before. The old man was usually brimming with confidence, even to the point of arrogance.

Indeed, in the martial world, particularly among the righteous sects, Ronggo’s name was known for his arrogance and boastfulness. Despite his sect being small, with fewer than 100 disciples, Ronggo’s cunning mind had placed the Light Sword Sect among the ranks of respected schools.

"We’re not abandoning the hunt, just preparing for the next plan. Don’t worry; I’ll think hard about it," Ronggo added.

A soft sigh escaped the old man’s wrinkled lips before he stood up and walked toward the door to exit the hut. He needed fresh air to clear his troubled mind.

The five disciples exchanged glances, still puzzled by their master’s unusual behavior.

---

Meanwhile, Arya continued training tirelessly to master all the techniques from the King of Dragons manual. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent every moment practicing without wasting any time.

To avoid potential dangers, Arya did not train in his previous location. Instead, he trained close to the community of apes. He realized it was highly likely that other warriors would come seeking the sword Hydra had given him.

Additionally, Sarwana had ordered his people to guard the edge of Panguripan Gorge to monitor the situation. He feared a subsequent attack, knowing they had recently killed warriors from various sects and factions.

On the seventh day of his training, Arya's progress was astonishing. He had mastered and perfected three techniques. Unbeknownst to him, the power of the Sky Dragon Sword within him played a crucial role in his rapid development.

As midday approached, Sarwana could only shake his head in amazement. From atop a tree, the giant ape, alongside Hydra, carefully observed Arya’s training.

"That young man has defied my expectations, Hydra," Sarwana remarked, continuing to watch Arya’s movements. In his heart, he compared Arya's progress to that of his late friend.

"What do you mean?" Hydra asked, puzzled.

"We’ve only been observing him for about seven days, right?" Sarwana replied with a question.

Hydra nodded. "And?"

"You may not have noticed, but he has already mastered and even perfected three techniques in such a short time. The old hermit I once met was right. The genius warrior he prophesied shares the same traits as Arya—in terms of progress," Sarwana explained.

"I’ve thought the same. But you might not realize that part of the Sky Dragon Sword’s power now resides within him," Hydra responded with a slight smile. "I’m certain that power is aiding his rapid progress."

"Ah, that explains it!" Sarwana replied softly, his gaze once again fixed on Arya, who continued his intense training. A few seconds later, a smile spread across Sarwana's face.

---

Back at his sect, Ronggo had spent the past few days devising a plan to achieve his goals. As a righteous sect martial artist, he couldn’t appear too conspicuous in front of other righteous warriors regarding his grand ambitions.

After days of contemplation, Ronggo finally crafted a meticulous plan to pave the way for his ambition. Accompanied by seven disciples, the old man left the sect, each mounted on a horse. Their destination: the Rajawali Iblis Sect, the largest black sect in the south.

If all went smoothly, the journey would take about three days at most. The Rajawali Iblis Sect was located a day’s journey beyond the forest where the recent massacre of warriors had taken place.