At the Mountain-Guarding Array, the Ten Elders landed on the ground, all of them frowning as they stared at the burnt-out hole in the barrier.
"Terrible! Such a huge hole burned right through, and several runes of the array have been completely destroyed. It will probably take at least two and a half years to repair!"
"Where on earth is that scoundrel? He kicks up such a massive fuss and then just vanishes. Is he playing games with us?"
"Everyone must remain vigilant. The culprit is cunning and deceitful. Who knows what sinister plot they are hatching to trick us!"
The Ten Elders spoke one after another, buzzing with discussion.
The disciples had also become like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. They looked at each other, each secretly terrified that the other might be the culprit in disguise, ready to launch a sudden, violent attack.
Just then, a girl in red flew in carrying a sword, gliding across the sky and standing atop a massive black eagle with an utterly imposing air.
Lin Xiaoyue!
Across the entire outer sect, nobody loved showing off quite as much as Lin Xiaoyue.
Yet this woman had the capital to show off.
Aside from her immense wealth, her supreme talent in swordsmanship was also the source of her pride.
"Elder Chen, this barrier appears to have been destroyed from the inside. Could the enemy be lurking right here within the sect?"
Lin Xiaoyue keenly spotted the suspicious point.
"Indeed! That is precisely the case!"
The First Elder observed the traces of damage at the scene closely and confirmed that someone had breached the array from within.
His expression sank like water. If this was truly the case, the situation was even more dangerous: there was a traitor inside the Qingyun Sect, and moreover, this traitor possessed terrifyingly high cultivation!
"The Sect Master has not yet left seclusion. If there is a traitor among us, this person must be in collusion with the Demonic Path!"
"Put the entire sect on high alert! We must root out this scoundrel!"
At that moment, the First Elder suddenly let out a soft exclamation of surprise, pointing at the breach in the barrier and crying out,
"This—this looks like the traces of the Fire Luan Swordsmanship!"
"The north belongs to water, and the water-element barrier on the back side can only be breached with formidable fire arts."
"Furthermore, the marks left on the barrier were clearly inflicted by fire-attribute sword techniques!"
As the First Elder of the Qingyun Sect and a seasoned sword cultivator himself, his judgment could not be wrong.
The remaining elders gathered around. After inspecting the spot, their expressions shifted in unison.
"Ah! Could it be..."
"Could the legend be true?"
"It is said that a thousand years ago, an ancient sword cultivator famed across the world for the Fire Luan Swordsmanship lived in seclusion here. Our sect's founding master came to visit, but failed to meet him."
"Later, seeing that this place was blessed with outstanding people and spiritual energy, our founder established the sect right here."
"I always thought that legend was false, but now it seems..."
The elders chimed in one after another, talking at length without continuing, for their hearts were now filled with surging excitement!
If this legend was true, just how formidable would an old monster who had lived from ten thousand years ago until the present day be?
If they could get on the good side of this senior expert, wouldn't they be able to hitch a ride on a giant wave of fortune?
"First Senior Brother is right! It must be that old Sword Immortal practicing his swordplay at night, which is why he broke open the array!"
"What do you mean 'broke open the array'? Clearly, the old Sword Immortal was purposely giving us a hint! If he had truly attacked, the entire array would have been reduced to ashes—how could it just be a burned hole?"
"Since the old Sword Immortal showed us a trick to let us know of his esteemed presence, we ought to pay our respects with kowtows!"
No one knew which elder came up with the idea, but the whole lot of them dropped to their knees and kowtowed toward the mountain peak where Su Bai lived.
Mingled in the crowd, Su Bai found it secretly amusing.
Weren't these people letting their imaginations run a bit too wild? Some old Sword Immortal, my foot!
At the same time, however, Su Bai was deeply shocked by the power of the Vermilion Bird Subduing Demon Sword.
Merely such a tiny wisp of flame possessed such monstrous might.
If he were to fully master this sword technique, the destructive power would shatter heaven and earth!
Thud, thud, thud.
One person's kowtowing sounds were exceptionally loud.
Lin Xiaoyue's heart was filled with agitation, and the joy on her face was impossible to conceal.
The legend of the Fire Luan Sword Sovereign turned out to be real!
"I actually have such great fortune!"
Lin Xiaoyue could not help fantasizing about her magnificent stroke of luck.
To think that just a moment ago, she had managed to deduce a single sword stance of the Fire Luan Swordsmanship from that tattered remnant map!
Right now, she could practically be considered a successor of the Fire Luan Swordsmanship!
If the ancient Sword Immortal from ten thousand years ago truly existed, then she, Lin Xiaoyue, was bound to be the person most favored by that senior.
Standing to the side, Su Bai held back his laughter as he watched Lin Xiaoyue. How could he not know what was going through this young girl's mind?
He never expected that a casual test of a sword stance would stir up such a massive commotion and lead to this farce.
The crowd dispersed, each returning to their respective rooms.
Only the elders remained, hard at work trying to patch up the damaged array.
They did not dare search the mountains, terrified of displeasing the senior expert.
Back in the courtyard.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Su Bai and suddenly tossed a Storage Bag straight at him.
"You've done well!"
"From that remnant map of yours, I comprehended a sword stance of the Fire Luan Swordsmanship, which has brought me a tremendous stroke of fortune."
"This Storage Bag is the reward I'm giving you."
"I'll give you a few days off; you don't need to come and bring me foot-washing water every day."
"Go back and take another look around the place where you originally found this map. If you can bring back another map, I have other rewards for you!"
Lin Xiaoyue wore a high-and-mighty attitude, casually tossing over a Storage Bag and believing it was more than enough to buy Su Bai off.
Though quick-tempered, she wasn't an idiot; she knew that if she wanted someone to loyally run errands for her, she could never skimp on the rewards.
"Yes, Senior Sister Lin."
Su Bai agreed on the surface while feeling entirely dismissive in his heart.
Just this paltry bit of loot and you want to buy me off? Are you kidding me?
Go back into the deep mountains to look for more maps for you?
At my age, running all the way out there—do I look like I have nothing better to do?
A smile spread across Su Bai's face; he had already hatched a plan.
Since he had completely mastered the Vermilion Bird Subduing Demon Sword, conjuring up sword stances on the level of the Fire Luan Swordsmanship off the top of his head would be an absolute breeze.
He could just scribble a few fake maps, and he was bound to fool this little girl.
When that time came, he would naturally be able to swindle even more goodies out of her hands!
Clutching the Storage Bag, Su Bai returned to his room. When he opened it, his jaw dropped wide open in astonishment!
Over a hundred Spirit Stones.
A Low-Grade Spirit-tier flying sword.
Fifty thousand taels of silver notes.
A dozen talisman papers.
These were all absolute essentials for any cultivator!
He had struck it rich!
Yet when Su Bai peeked into the corner of the Storage Bag, what was that red piece of fabric?
Why did it... look suspiciously like a bodice?