Lin Xiaoyue listened to what Su Bai had to say, a cold smile crossing her charming face.
"Oh?"
"Someone like you has a treasure?"
"Since that's the case, take it out and let me have a look."
Of course Lin Xiaoyue didn't believe Su Bai actually had any treasure, but she was bored with nothing to do right now and wanted to see what kind of nonsense this old man could possibly pull out.
"Senior Sister Lin, when I was young and exploring the mountains, I happened to obtain a fragment of a sword technique manual. It's just a pity my aptitude is ordinary, and I couldn't comprehend it."
"I figure that you are a peerless prodigy whose mastery of sword techniques reaches the profound, so you will definitely be able to tell what origin this manual has."
On the surface, Su Bai spoke respectfully, but in reality, he was digging a trap for her.
Because Su Bai knew that arrogant women like Lin Xiaoyue were like horses that needed to be stroked along the grain—the higher you praised them, the more eagerly they would jump into the pit.
Su Bai was already laughing inwardly; as long as this woman accepted his fragmented manual, he could receive a critical return of ten thousand times!
This woman was still feeling quite pleased with herself right now, completely unaware that Su Bai had already set her up.
"A sword manual fragment? Let me see it."
Lin Xiaoyue's voice was languid, and she felt little interest, but as a sword cultivator, she naturally wouldn't let slip an opportunity to study a sword technique.
"This is..."
Her half-closed eyes suddenly lit up the moment she took the fragment from Su Bai, staring unblinkingly at the diagram.
"It turns out to be... Fire Luan Swordsmanship!"
Lin Xiaoyue's delicate mouth parted slightly. Although she tried her best to control her expression, the shock she felt was clearly written all over her face.
Yet little did she know that as excited as she was, Su Bai was even more ecstatic!
Joy surged wildly in Su Bai's heart.
Holy crap, could this fragment actually be the real deal?
If this triggers a ten thousand-fold critical return, what kind of reward will it give back to me?
"Eldest Miss Lin, what is this Fire Luan Swordsmanship? Is it very powerful?"
Su Bai asked probingly.
"Of course it's powerful!"
Lin Xiaoyue reined in her expression and let out a disdainful snort.
She looked closely at the toothless old man before her with his white hair and beard, feeling that the heavens were truly unfair.
Could this old man's luck really be this good?
He actually managed to obtain even the renowned sword technique from back in the day of the Fire Luan Sword Sovereign!
Comparing oneself to others really made one want to die of frustration!
"This sword technique is far beyond merely powerful. If I had managed to obtain this fragment when I first entered the sect, I'm afraid I would have attained the Dao of the Sword and broken through the Foundation Establishment stage within a year!"
Now, the more Lin Xiaoyue looked at this old man, the more pleasing to the eye he became, and her mood improved vastly.
Casually, she pulled out a Spirit Stone and tossed it to Su Bai.
"You've done quite well. This is a reward from this young miss!"
"Over the next few days, I will be in seclusion to comprehend this. If this fragment can indeed manifest sword stances, I will have other rewards for you!"
"You may withdraw now. Do not disturb me for the next couple of days!"
Growing rather impatient, Lin Xiaoyue stared eagerly at the sword manual fragment, gesturing with her hands.
The expression on her face shifted constantly—sometimes frowning in deep thought, sometimes breaking into a smile—making her look exceptionally animated.
With all her concentration focused on the sword manual diagram, she completely failed to notice that as Su Bai withdrew, he kept his head pulled down low, his body trembling slightly.
"Holy crap, awesome!"
As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, Su Bai couldn't help letting out an excited, low roar, grinning from ear to ear.
Only, because his movements were too vigorous, he threw his lower back out again, forcing him to clutch his waist and lean against the wall all the way back.
Late at night like this, if anyone happened to see him, anyone ignorant of the facts would assume Eldest Miss Lin had abandoned the Dao of the Sword and taken up the secret arts of the Hehuan Sect instead.
The melodious voice of the System rang out in Su Bai's ears.
[Congratulations to the host for a successful gift!]
[Gift given: Fire Luan Swordsmanship Fragment (Heaven-grade)]
[Triggered a ten thousand-fold return: Vermilion Bird Subduing Demon Sword (God-grade)]
With a thought from Su Bai, the complete memories of the Vermilion Bird Subduing Demon Sword flooded into his mind.
This was an ancient sword art, rumored to harness the power of the ancient divine beast, the Vermilion Bird, allowing the wielder to summon the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.
Unbreakable flames imbued every sword stance, capable of cutting down all demons and monsters in the world. It was an exceptionally domineering sword technique.
Most importantly, executing this sword stance did not require a high level of cultivation.
Even in a mortal body, one only needed to expend their own vital blood to ignite the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.
It suited Su Bai's current situation perfectly.
Su Bai returned to his room and took out a long sword with a quaintly styled black scabbard.
Seeing this sword, tears welled up in Su Bai's eyes.
This sword had been given to him decades ago by a female cultivator who had taken a fancy to him.
Back then, he was not even thirty years old, in the prime of his youth and at the peak of his good looks. In the blink of an eye, decades had passed, and Su Bai had already become an old codger.
"Sigh, no use dwelling on the past. Now that I've mastered an ancient sword art, I'll definitely find a way to restore my youth and return to my glory days of seven rounds a night!"
"Damn it all, sword, come to me!"
"No wait, fire, come to me!"
Accompanied by Su Bai's summoning cry, without any scorching heat or astonishing commotion, a tiny spark suddenly appeared at the tip of the sword.
Su Bai stared at the little spark, hesitation in his eyes.
"Is... is this the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire?"
"Come on, bro, are you kidding me? This tiny flicker of fire would struggle to light a cigarette, and this is supposed to be the Vermilion Bird Subduing Demon Sword?"
Figuring that the System wouldn't deceive him, Su Bai pondered for a moment, flicked his wrist, and shot the spark away. But to his astonishment, that tiny speck of fire passed straight through the wall, flying dozens of yards away.
The spark soared through the nocturnal gloom, tracing a bright streak of fire before vanishing in an instant.
Immediately following that, a thunderous roar echoed out.
Rumble!
The sky was suffused with multicolored mists and vapors. Accompanied by a blinding flash of light that illuminated half the firmament, an alarm siren began to wail.
"Oh no, someone is attacking the Mountain-Guarding Array!"
"Even the barrier of the Mountain-Guarding Array has been blasted open—powerful enemies must have struck!"
"Hear my command, all disciples of the Qingyun Sect, assemble to repel the enemy!"
Amidst a succession of majestic voices, the ten great elders of the Qingyun Sect soared from their respective peaks.
Covering a distance of over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye, they arrived riding rainbow light, hovering suspended in mid-air. Their opulent purple robes fluttered in the wind, radiating absolute majesty.
Every single one of the ten elders possessed the cultivation of the Golden Core stage!
This was the prestige of an ancient sect, a millennium-old school!
Leaning on his cane and supporting his aging lower back, Su Bai limped out of his room. Catching sight of such a massive spectacle, he was utterly dumbfounded.
No way!
Just that tiny spark could cause such a massive commotion?
It even burned a hole right through the Mountain-Guarding Array?!
Wasn't this a bit too savage?!
With a bitter smile on his face, leaning on his cane and limping along, Su Bai hurried toward the plaza where everyone was gathering.
He deliberately put on an expression of utter shock, terrified that someone might discover he was the one who had caused such a massive uproar.
This was the crafty side of Su Bai.
For all these years, although he had only ever been a handyman in the Qingyun Sect, his low cultivation was due to poor aptitude, not a lack of brains.
The Cultivation World was fraught with deceit; if anyone found out he possessed such formidable capabilities, countless people would undoubtedly start scheming against him.
An innocent man treasuring a jade ring becomes a target of theft!