"Slap!"
No sooner had Pang Long finished speaking than a crisp, sharp sound echoed through the tavern. Mo Yang had struck so quickly that even Pang Long failed to react. Mo Yang was already standing, his face devoid of anger, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Are you threatening me?"
"I heard you have a powerful physique and a forceful, overbearing strength. Is that true?"
Before Mo Yang had even finished speaking, his palm shot up again, landing another blow across Pang Long’s face.
Xu Xin was stunned, staring blankly at Mo Yang.
The entire floor of the tavern fell into an instant, deathly silence. Many patrons, seeing the scene unfold, quickly rose and left, fearful of being caught in the crossfire.
Only the mysterious woman by the window remained completely unaffected. She sat quietly, her expression calm, sipping wine from a cup held in her jade-like fingers with effortless grace.
"You brat, you're looking for death!" Pang Long, who had never expected Mo Yang to dare strike him, snapped out of his shock and flew into a rage. With eyes wide with fury, he lunged at Mo Yang, unleashing a violent, crushing punch.
Yet, that powerful, overbearing blow was caught directly by Mo Yang, who raised his hand to meet it. Mo Yang chuckled, "Is that all you've got?"
Mo Yang twisted his hand sharply. Pang Long let out a roar, his entire body erupting with strength as he struggled to break free. His face was twisted in pain, and his hand trembled violently, as if in a spasm—his wrist had been inches away from being shattered by Mo Yang.
Watching this, Xu Xin was beyond astonished. She had known for a long time that Mo Yang’s cultivation had reached Level 3 Earth Profound Realm, but she had assumed he lacked combat experience and that his true battle prowess would be significantly diminished. This scene shattered her perception in an instant.
This was Pang Long, after all, whose brute strength was unmatched among the four major sects.
Yet, looking at what had just happened, it seemed Mo Yang was even stronger. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
Pang Long endured the searing pain in his wrist, staring daggers at Mo Yang. Only now did he attempt to sense Mo Yang’s cultivation level, only to find he couldn't detect anything at all. This left him feeling suspicious and unsettled; during their clash, he felt as if Mo Yang’s physical strength was more terrifying than his own.
"Mo Yang, the Third Elder instructed us not to stir up trouble!" Xu Xin whispered hurriedly, seeing that Mo Yang looked ready to strike again.
Although Mo Yang kept a smile on his face, the sight of it made her back turn cold.
She then turned to Pang Long and the other Xuan Sect disciples, saying coldly, "If you truly wish to fight here, we will gladly oblige."
Pang Long’s expression was savage, his gaze filled with undisguised killing intent as he glared at Mo Yang. He said in a sinister tone, "You’d better pray for your lives when you return—don't let me run into you on the tournament stage!"
With a heavy, cold snort, the group left in anger.
Though Pang Long was hot-tempered, he was inwardly cautious. He didn't fear Xu Xin, but Mo Yang was an enigma he couldn't decipher.
Watching the Xuan Sect members depart, Mo Yang acted as if nothing had happened, turning back with a smile to call the waiter over to order food.
"Brother Mo Yang, you are so amazing!" Su Feier’s eyes sparkled, her chin resting on her hands as she stared unblinkingly at him.
"Uh... I just had an itch to see the strength of these so-called talents from the four sects. Tsk tsk, they look big and burly, acting all fierce, but in reality, they aren't much," Mo Yang said with indifference.
Xu Xin gave Mo Yang a complex look. Perhaps, in this martial arts tournament, Mo Yang might truly bring the Lingxu Sect a surprise.
"Senior Sister, don't look at me with such admiration. I have many impressive sides—you'll find out eventually!"
Xu Xin was speechless. No matter how she heard it, Mo Yang's words sounded rather improper. Frowning, she couldn't help but say, "Regardless, Pang Long is not easy to deal with. If you meet him on the stage, don't go head-to-head with him!"
At this moment, the mysterious woman at the table behind them rose silently and walked straight toward the tavern exit.
The waiter standing nearby hurried over with a smile. "Kind guest, you haven't paid your bill yet!"
The woman turned back, pointed directly at Mo Yang, and said, "He’s paying."
Mo Yang, who had been keeping an eye on the mysterious woman, was stunned to see her point at him. He was completely baffled.
*What is going on?*
Xu Xin and Su Feier couldn't help but look at Mo Yang. This mysterious woman was actually making Mo Yang pay for her? Could it be that they knew each other?
But Mo Yang clearly didn't know her; this was the first time he had seen her on the way to Xuantian City.
Before Mo Yang could say anything, the mysterious woman had already walked out of the tavern.
"Honestly, tell me, do you know her?" Xu Xin asked, frowning at Mo Yang.
Though she asked, she couldn't wrap her head around it. The woman’s cultivation was terrifyingly high, and she clearly carried the air of a prodigy from a major faction. How could she possibly know Mo Yang?
"Uh... maybe she was just conquered by my heroic display just now!" Mo Yang was at a loss, his mind a total fog.
Xu Xin was speechless and couldn't be bothered to ask further.
After finishing the meal, Mo Yang had no choice but to pay with two bank notes. It wasn't the money he cared about, but why the mysterious woman would do such a thing.
When they left the tavern, it was already dark. They hadn't gone far when Mo Yang suddenly stopped. A voice had reached his ears.
"Leave the city. I have something to discuss with you."
Mo Yang felt sweat prickle on his back. He recognized that voice—it was clearly the mysterious woman.
"Brother Mo Yang, what are you looking at?" Su Feier asked, noticing Mo Yang had stopped and was staring blankly ahead.
"You two go back first. I want to walk around alone," Mo Yang said.
He couldn't fathom why such a powerhouse would target him. A person of that stature wouldn't be interested in his small amount of silver, though perhaps his medicinal pills were another matter. Still, he needed to find out; he knew that against a person of that level, there was no hiding.
"Hmph, don't tell me you're taking this chance to go on a secret rendezvous!" Xu Xin scoffed.
Mo Yang paused, then hurriedly said, "Senior Sister, I’m not crazy. I haven't lived enough yet—I'd run from such a powerhouse if I could!"
"Glad you realize that," Xu Xin said, grabbing Su Feier and walking ahead on her own.
Seeing them move away, Mo Yang slipped quietly toward the city gates. He scanned the area constantly, but saw no sign of the mysterious woman.
***
Only after reaching the area outside the city walls did Mo Yang spot the mysterious woman standing quietly in the distance.
His heart was pounding. He had even made up his mind: if she intended to kill him, he would reveal his secret and hide in the Star Emperor Pagoda immediately. It was his only chance of survival against someone like her.
Mo Yang approached step by step, his senses on high alert.
The mysterious woman slowly turned around, studied him for a moment, and asked, "You practice a technique to conceal your cultivation?"
Mo Yang frowned. Instead of answering, he asked, "Sister, we are strangers. Why have you summoned me?"
"I know you," the mysterious woman replied.
She held out her hand and tossed a scroll at him. Mo Yang unrolled it and froze. It was a portrait, and it was a painting of him.
Most importantly, the ink was dried and aged—it had clearly been drawn quite some time ago, not recently. He could hardly believe it; he had never seen this person before arriving in Xuantian City.
"Your name is Mo Yang," the mysterious woman stated, her expression calm, her voice holding a hint of inquiry.
Mo Yang was completely confused. She was acting as if she were investigating his background. What could she possibly want? She didn't look like someone here to rob his pills.
"Who exactly are you?" Mo Yang countered. Until he knew who she was, he wouldn't admit to anything.
"You are the disciple chosen by Master. I have come specifically to inform you," the woman said. Her words left Mo Yang reeling.
"What?" Mo Yang was stunned on the spot.
*What kind of situation is this?*
Damn it, in all his years, he had never heard of such a thing. He had never met this "Master," he hadn't agreed to become a disciple, and there had been no formal apprenticeship ceremony.
To be made a disciple out of the blue before even meeting the person? Was such a ridiculous thing even possible?
"You are the ninth disciple chosen by Master, and the last one. I am your Sixth Senior Sister," the woman said calmly.
She walked toward him, looked him over carefully, and added, "Other than the Senior Brother, the Master has never personally met any of the disciples. But from today on, regardless of which sect you were in, you are now the Master's ninth disciple."
"And if I refuse?" Mo Yang was still bewildered.
What a joke. Apprenticeship was a serious matter; how could it be handled so flippantly? Although this mysterious woman was incredibly beautiful and possessed deep cultivation—and having such a senior sister wouldn't be a bad thing—the whole situation was just too absurd.
"This is not up to you. Master selects disciples through divination. Since Master has chosen you, you cannot escape."
Mo Yang was speechless. He hadn't known you could be forced into an apprenticeship. He was secretly shocked: all of this was determined by divination? What kind of powerhouse possessed such means? And the mysterious woman before him, the sixth in line, was already this powerful. If this were true, how terrifying must the "Senior Brother" be?
He frowned, thinking for a moment before asking, "That old man... or old woman—is he male or female? What is his cultivation? What sect is this?"
Mo Yang asked a series of questions. He knew absolutely nothing about the sect this woman belonged to.
"I haven't met Master either. You can ask him about his cultivation when you see him," she replied after a pause. "Our sect is called the Xuan Sect."
Mo Yang stared at her blankly, almost thinking he had misheard. What kind of mysterious figure was this master, that even his sixth disciple had never met him?
"What about the other senior brothers and sisters?" Mo Yang asked, still stunned.
"They are scattered across the continent. I haven't met the Senior Brother or the Second Senior Brother either."
The woman’s words almost made Mo Yang spit blood. He didn't know what to say. Did this "Xuan Sect" even have a physical location?
The woman seemed to see through his thoughts. "The sect is a pure land in the mortal world. When the time comes, you will see it naturally. For now, Master has sent all disciples to temper themselves across the continent, searching for their own path of cultivation."
Mo Yang felt his head spinning. If that was the case, what was the point of being an apprentice? It seemed that joining this Xuan Sect meant he wouldn't even see a shadow of the place or learn a single thing. Every cultivator joined a sect to gain powerful techniques and receive guidance from masters to speed up their progress.
"This is what Master told me to give you," the woman said, interrupting his thoughts. When he snapped back to reality, a dusty old manual had been shoved into his hand.
"This technique is extraordinary in power, but extremely difficult to master. How much you comprehend depends on your own talent," the woman said, looking at him with slightly furrowed brows. "Do you have anything else to ask?"
Mo Yang looked at the manual. It was a sword manual called the *God-Slaying Record*. The name was certainly bombastic, but the handwriting on the cover was sloppy—it looked like something a street con artist would use to scam people.
"That's it?" Mo Yang looked up at the woman.
"What more do you want?" she asked, her brow knitting further.
"Since you're making me an apprentice, surely his honorable self should provide a weapon? Or a life-saving secret technique, or a supreme treasure—a little 'meeting gift' wouldn't go amiss, surely? And what about those world-dominating ultimate techniques..."
The woman watched him silently. Once he finished, she said calmly, "No."
"Sixth Senior Sister, right? By your account, we're on the same boat now. Since this is our first meeting, shouldn't you... I don't know, provide a small token?" Mo Yang tucked the manual into his storage ring. If he couldn't refuse, he might as well try to squeeze something out of her.
The woman looked at Mo Yang, a subtle, fleeting smile appearing at the corners of her lips for the first time. Her exquisite face took on an air of charm that left Mo Yang momentarily dazed.
She said, "The meeting gift was already given to you back in the tavern!"
Mo Yang: "..."
Before he could react, the Sixth Senior Sister smirked. With a flick of her hand, she instantly snatched the storage ring from Mo Yang’s pocket. He watched in stunned silence as she pulled out two thick stacks of bank notes, then tossed the empty ring back to him.
"Traveling to find you was a long journey. All my money was spent," she said. Her figure flickered, and she vanished from his sight.
Mo Yang didn't even have time to speak before he heard her faint laughter echoing through the night sky: "Little Junior Brother, practice hard. Perhaps it won't be long before we meet again!"
***
Mo Yang stood there for a long time, the urge to curse rising in him. *What the hell was this?*
He had been made an apprentice against his will, never met the master, failed to swindle a single weapon, and, most importantly, had been robbed of at least two million in silver.
The Sixth Senior Sister had seemed cold, aloof, and unapproachable—he never dreamed she would snatch his bank notes, and so ruthlessly at that.
But he could only swallow his anger; he didn't dare voice it. This "Senior Sister" was clearly trouble, and he was no match for her.
"Damn it, my life is ruined. 'Divination' my foot, you old geezer. When I finally find you, I'll strip you bare!" Mo Yang grumbled.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a slender hand reached out from nowhere, grabbed his ear, and lifted him off the ground. He could smell a faint, delicate fragrance before a demonic, soft laugh sounded by his ear: "Little Junior Brother, show some respect to your Master. And don't have such evil thoughts about your Senior Sister!"
Mo Yang winced in pain, cold sweat trickling down his back, and he nodded hurriedly.
"Good little Junior Brother," the voice teased, and the hand released him.
Mo Yang was on the verge of tears. He didn't dare stay there a moment longer and bolted toward Xuantian City.
After Mo Yang entered the city, the mysterious woman reappeared at the spot where he had been standing. She looked toward the city and murmured to herself, "Level 1 Heaven Profound Realm... no wonder Master wouldn't let me give him the Xuan technique. He seems to be hiding a power within him..."
She smiled, opened her palm, and looked at the two bottles of pills there. "Beauty-preserving pills... the kid is so ignorant, he doesn't even know how to share good things with his Senior Sister..."
...
Back at the inn, Mo Yang locked his door and entered the Star Emperor Pagoda.
He took out the ancient manual. Given how powerful she was, she shouldn't be trying to scam him. But looking at the messy handwriting, it just didn't seem right. Still, he started to flip through it, and his expression gradually changed.
The handwriting might have looked like chaotic scribbles, but as he studied it closely, he realized it contained a powerful Sword Intent.
"Such strong Sword Intent..."
After staring for a moment, his eyes began to sting. When he focused his senses, it felt as if a supreme war sword were thrusting at him. He could clearly perceive a piercing, sharp aura—a bone-chilling coldness.
The manual was thin and the pages were yellowed with age. Mo Yang flipped through it, finding that the sword manual was divided into five levels and contained five styles. The key, however, was in cultivating that peerless, unbeatable Sword Intent.
He closed the book and looked at the title *God-Slaying Record*. He sighed; no wonder she dared to give it such a bold name. From the Sword Intent he had just felt, this technique was truly terrifying.
"Xuan Sect... I wonder what kind of figure that old geezer is..."
Mo Yang muttered to himself, then began to concentrate on his studies. He lacked sufficient techniques, and while he was fine for now, he would need trump cards to face stronger opponents later.
Time flew by, and the night passed in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, Xuantian City was exceptionally lively. The Four Sects Martial Arts Tournament had officially begun, and cultivators from all over the region had gathered to watch.
In the central square of the city, the tournament stage had been prepared. The areas for the four sects were marked out, and numerous spectator stands had been constructed.
The tournament would consist of three rounds. The first round was a true gauntlet, where each win earned a point.
As the heavy sounds of drums filled the air, the tournament officially commenced.
"Mo Yang, Feier, this is your first time participating. Pay close attention and watch the opponents' moves..." the Third Elder warned.
Mo Yang nodded. In truth, he didn't care much about the tournament. After the fights started, he sat with his eyes closed, the mental cultivation of the *God-Slaying Record* playing through his mind as he began to meditate.
As the matches concluded, several Lingxu Sect disciples stepped onto the stage, only to be defeated one after another. The disciples of the other three sects had grown significantly stronger, which made the Third Elder’s expression increasingly grim.
Qi Heng and Xu Xin’s hearts tightened. Long Wu from the Dragon Pool Pavilion had reached Level 3 Earth Profound Realm, and her performance drew gasps of shock from the crowd; she won six consecutive bouts before stepping down.
Next was Qian Wushuang, whose cultivation had also reached Level 3 Earth Profound Realm. Everyone remembered these two geniuses from the Dragon Pool Pavilion; last year they were only at Level 1, but they were now frighteningly strong.
Though Su Feier was only at Level 3 Spirit Awakening Realm, she was lucky; her opponents were of similar level, and she actually won three matches in a row.
By the time the morning passed and they returned to the inn, the Third Elder sighed. "The opponents this year are much stronger than anticipated. But don't put too much pressure on yourselves—just do your best!"
"Long Wu and Qian Wushuang from the Dragon Pool Pavilion must have encountered some fortuitous opportunity to reach Level 3 Earth Profound Realm," Xu Xin said with a worried expression. "Mu Qiu from the Jade Pure Sect hasn't even taken the stage yet. We don't know what level he has reached."