Soon after, Jiàn Wúhén walked out of the main hall and took a deep breath.
"All disciples of the Sword Sect, cease all closed-door cultivation and tasks immediately and head to the Sword Dao Plaza at once. I have an announcement to make."
As his voice echoed across the entire Sword Sect, figures shot up into the sky from every corner of the sect.
With that, Jiàn Wúhén turned to look at Yun Xiaoyao.
"Let's go, Xiaoyao. Let me show you the kind of influence you hold right now."
The next moment, everyone in the main hall vanished.
When they reappeared, they were standing in a spacious plaza.
By this time, roughly a thousand people had already gathered here.
These were all the disciples of the Sword Sect.
Although the number of people in the Sword Sect was extremely small compared to the other major powers, the combat strength of every single Sword Sect disciple was enough to crush the disciples of any other faction.
Though few in number, every one of them was a dragon among men.
At this moment, all the disciples looked toward their Sect Master with burning gazes and extraordinary auras.
What kind of matter could possibly make their Sect Master interrupt their closed-door cultivation just to summon them here?
Looking at the sharp-eyed and formidable Sword Sect disciples below, Yun Xiaoyao could not help letting out a sigh of admiration.
This was what a truly top-tier power looked like.
At that moment, a sharp-eyed disciple noticed Yun Xiaoyao standing beside Jiàn Wúhén.
"Hey, why is that guy standing next to the Sect Master? I've been in the Sword Sect for over a decade, and I've never seen him before."
"Me neither, but for some reason, his face looks a bit familiar. I just can't remember where I've seen him."
"Look at his upright posture and extraordinary aura. With those sword-like brows and star-like eyes, he looks like an unsheathed sharp sword just standing there. He must be a person of great talent!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, yet no one recognized Yun Xiaoyao.
After all, the great battle from back then had taken place long ago, and basically only the older generation had ever laid eyes on Yun Xiaoyao.
Ever since the war ended, he had stayed exclusively within the Qilin Sacred Land without ever stepping outside, so it was completely normal that these young disciples did not recognize him.
Jiàn Wúhén smiled faintly and raised a hand to signal for silence below.
"Actually, the reason I called you all here today is to announce that from now on, our Sword Sect will have two Sword Princes."
"What?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the thousand-plus disciples all let out a simultaneous gasp of astonishment.
Having two Sword Princes was equivalent to a sacred land having two Saint Sons. Not to mention seeing it, they had never even heard of such a thing.
Soon, someone raised a doubt.
"Sect Master, our Sword Sect has never had two Sword Princes at the same time. Is this appropriate?"
Hearing this, Jiàn Wúhén smiled slightly.
"Why wouldn't it be appropriate? What does it mean for our Sword Sect to have two Sword Princes? It means our Sword Sect possesses two top-tier prodigies."
"If other places only have one Saint Son, that just means they are inadequate—it doesn't mean our Sword Sect is."
At these words, everyone nodded, feeling that it indeed made complete sense.
By now, some of the sharper disciples had already realized something was amiss.
"Wait a minute. Look, the Sect Master said he's announcing a second Sword Prince, and the person up there is a newcomer. Could it be that guy?"
The crowd was stunned, then instinctively looked up.
Seeing that they had already guessed it, Jiàn Wúhén no longer hid it and pulled Yun Xiaoyao forward.
"This is the second Sword Prince of our Sword Sect. Do any of you recognize him?"
At this, everyone looked toward Yun Xiaoyao.
The vast majority indicated they did not know him and had never seen him, but a small minority felt they had seen him somewhere before, though they still could not place it.
Jiàn Wúhén chuckled, "Then do you know who Yun Xiaoyao is? The Yun Xiaoyao from the Qilin Sacred Land."
As soon as those words fell, the crowd of disciples erupted into a frenzy.
Who was Yun Xiaoyao? Not only was he the youngest Great Vehicle Stage cultivator, but he was also a genius Sword Cultivator, a Grandmaster of Alchemy, and a Grandmaster of Array Formations.
He had once fought alone against an army of a million cultivators, single-handedly battling over thirty Great Vehicle Stage cultivators without losing the upper hand, and even slaying more than twenty of them.
How could they possibly not recognize such a proud son of heaven?
"It's just a pity that the Qilin Sacred Land are a bunch of ingrates. They completely forgot everything Yun Xiaoyao did for them and kicked him out of the sacred land."
Someone felt a sense of injustice and regret on Yun Xiaoyao's behalf.
"Indeed. If a genius like Yun Xiaoyao were to come to our Sword Sect, we would be overjoyed."
The Sword Sect disciples discussed animatedly, their words filled with deep regret and admiration.
This warmed the heart of Yun Xiaoyao, who was standing high up on the platform.
At that moment, the ones who had previously felt Yun Xiaoyao looked familiar suddenly woke up with a start.
The figure in their minds overlapped perfectly with the Yun Xiaoyao on the platform—they were an exact match.
Combined with Jiàn Wúhén's intentional hints just now, they understood everything in an instant.
"He... he is Yun Xiaoyao!"
A startled cry rang out, causing everyone to pause in surprise.
At first, they didn't believe it.
But when they saw the smiling expressions of their Sect Master and elders, they were completely dumbfounded.
Jiàn Wúhén looked at Yun Xiaoyao and said, "Xiaoyao, go ahead and say hello to everyone."
Yun Xiaoyao nodded and cupped his fists toward the crowd below.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Yun Xiaoyao."
He did not intentionally speak of his past achievements, as there was truly no need.
To his surprise, the moment he finished speaking, earth-shaking cheers erupted from the crowd below.
"Hahaha! I was just feeling regretful over Yun Xiaoyao, and never expected Senior Brother Xiaoyao to have come to our Sword Sect!"
"I was wondering why he looked so much like the portrait on the Qilin Token. Turns out it really is Senior Brother Xiaoyao in the flesh!"
"To be honest, I've admired Yun Xiaoyao for a long time. So, Fellow Daoist Xiaoyao, would you be willing to be my cultivation partner?"
Compared to the male disciples, the cheers from the female disciples were even more enthusiastic.
One had to know that Yun Xiaoyao possessed not only formidable strength, but also looks that fell squarely into the category of a handsome man. Naturally, he had countless female admirers.
One had to ask: which woman's heart would not flutter for a man with both looks and strength?
As for the matter of Yun Xiaoyao becoming the second Sword Prince, once they learned his true identity, the Sword Sect disciples were entirely in favor with both hands and feet.
Faced with everyone's overwhelming enthusiasm, Yun Xiaoyao rubbed his nose, deeply moved.
Seeing the crowd's excitement growing wilder—with some disciples even attempting to rush up the platform—Jiàn Wúhén hurriedly called for a halt.
"Ahem, everyone calm down. Senior Brother Xiaoyao and I still have matters to discuss, so let's disperse for now."
With that, he exchanged a glance with the elders behind him and vanished on the spot.
Understanding the hint, the elders likewise disappeared instantly.
Even though Yun Xiaoyao had already left, people in the plaza were still shouting his name.
***
After leaving the plaza, the group returned to the main hall.
Looking at the dozen or so smiling elders before him, Yun Xiaoyao felt a creeping sense of unease.
"Uh... I wonder what business the esteemed elders have with this junior?"
Jiàn Wúhén chuckled, patting him on the shoulder to signal him to relax.
"Don't be nervous. As our new Sword Prince, shouldn't we old fellows give you a welcome gift?"
"Unless you don't want it, kid? In that case, we suppose that works too."