Oath

　　Luo Sword Manor was the clan most tightly a.s.sociated with the imperial court. There were four clans that made up the crux of the Central Plain’s military forces: Beihai’s Clear Mirror Palace, Demon Realm Sky Palace, Jiangnan’s Luo Sword Manor and Tang Clan.

　　Sky Palace and Tang Clan focused on work as artisans; however, they adopted a narrow-minded way of operating. It was rare to ever see weapons they produced. Clear Mirror Palace was the biggest group of blacksmiths in the pugilistic world. They produced the majority of the renowned weapons in the North and Central Plain. As for Luo Sword Manor, they were the biggest blacksmith a.s.sociation in Jiangnan. Luo Sword Manor’s fame came from their reputation for producing quality swords for the hundreds of years. During that time, never once did they fall out of favour. Everybody in the martial world hoped to eventually have a sword Luo Sword Manor produced.

　　Things changed approximately a century ago, when the nation was first established. The Founding Emperor followed in the footsteps of others and expanded his lands rapidly. As a consequence, he faced a weapons shortage. Though a courageous man, handling logistics wasn’t his forte. Subsequently, he struggled to think of a solution. Frustrated, he vented on rocks and boulders. Had Hero Shenzhou not stepped in to talk him out of it, he probably would’ve done a lot more damage.

　　The master of Luo Sword Manor at the time sympathised with the people suffering from war. He, therefore, decided to aid and offered to cover the military’s gear requirement. The master ignored the clan elder’s opposition and broke the rule their clan abided by for centuries, which was to not involve themselves with the pugilistic world or imperial court’s affairs.

　　The master of Luo Sword Manor enthusiastically got his military workshop up and running. Together with his clan’s artisans, they burnt the midnight oil to design new gear with two fundamental requisites: high quality and possible to be ma.s.s produced. The fire by Taihu was never extinguished for years, for they were constantly producing gear to resolve the Founding Emperor’s biggest dilemma.

　　The blacksmiths of Luo Sword Manor and their technique were unrivalled, evident from the impeccable quality of the gear they produced. Besides being tested in the workshop, they were also proven to work on the battlefield, saving countless soldiers’ lives when their lives depended on them.

　　Master Luo designed what he termed Heaven and Earth Steel Armour. The “Heaven and Earth” part of the name referred to its clever design that left no openings for weapons to sneak through. The creation put him on the map as a major contributor to the military’s success in battle. To this day, Heaven and Earth Steel Amour still helps keep invaders from Beijiang out.

　　In return for all the merits he contributed, Luo Sword Manor was bestowed the rank of third member of the Seven Champion White Princes and a.s.signed the privilege of providing combat gear to the imperial court’s militaries for the long-term. For generations, they were also asked to reside close to the imperial court and be conferred official ranks higher than Black Robe Brotherhood.