"Wait, young lady!"
Ye Chen's face drained of color. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected this woman to be at the mid Spirit Awakening Realm—even stronger than he was. He immediately began backing away while pleading for mercy.
*Thud!*
But the woman's sword was simply too fast. With a single slash, the blade cleaved straight into his chest, and blood instantly splattered through the air.
"A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! I'm not with them!"
Pale-faced, Ye Chen hurriedly tried to explain.
The woman's voice was cold and forbidding. "You have a wretched look and your eyes shimmer with lust. You hardly seem like a decent person."
*What the hell!*
Ye Chen couldn't help his fury. As the dignified Child of Destiny, destined to become a Human Emperor in the future, to be described this way sent a wave of exasperation surging through him.
"Prepare to die!"
Giving him no chance to catch his breath, the woman flicked the longsword in her hand. Moving like a phantom, she came straight at him to kill.
*Boom!*
This time, Ye Chen refused to hold back. Spiritual energy surged from his body, and ancient runes materialized all around him. This was the technique he had just obtained from Elder Yao—the Immortal Scripture!
Driven by the Immortal Scripture, the wound on his chest began to heal. His flesh wriggled like worms—though the process was agonizingly slow, it at least stemmed the continuous flow of blood.
*Bang!*
With blazing eyes and hair flying, Ye Chen threw a punch to counter the sword strike. His skin looked as though it had been coated in a layer of gold; when it met the blade's edge, it produced a crisp metallic ring. Sparks scattered in every direction, yet the blow failed to inflict even the slightest scratch.
"Oh?"
The woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She had underestimated this fellow. Although Ye Chen was only at the early Spirit Awakening Realm, his vast spiritual power was not a whit inferior to her own mid Spirit Awakening Realm strength.
With a calm expression, Ye Chen did not press the attack. Instead, he offered a faint smile. "Young lady, I told you this was a misunderstanding. I really am not with these bandits. My name is Chen Ye, a wanderer of the jianghu. Seeing you surrounded by them just now, my conscience wouldn't let me stand by, so I came to your rescue."
With that, seemingly to prove himself, he glanced at the half-dead bandit on the ground and let out a sudden, cold snort, delivering a punch.
*Splat!*
Under the oppressive weight of his spiritual pressure, the man was instantly reduced to a pulp of flesh and blood.
"Hmph, mere ants."
Ye Chen smiled with disdain.
Seeing this, the woman finally withdrew her longsword and said coolly, "I am Liu Siyi, a disciple of the Luohua Sect. I apologize for misunderstanding you earlier, young hero."
The Luohua Sect?
Hearing these three names, Ye Chen couldn't help but recall the humiliation inflicted upon him by Chen Yiqing and Cang Lei. Yet he never expected the Luohua Sect to house such an exquisitely beautiful woman, which instantly improved his impression of the sect just a fraction.
"So you're from the Luohua Sect! I've heard tales of your great renown!"
Ye Chen cupped his fists, a warm smile gracing his face. "To tell you the truth, I have long admired the Luohua Sect. For half a lifetime, Chen has drifted like a lone leaf upon the river, blown by wind and rain, constantly wandering. If your esteemed sect is willing to have me, Chen wishes to join your ranks, to dedicate my entire life and burn brightly for the sect."
Liu Siyi blinked her bright eyes, her red lips slightly parted as she was momentarily left speechless. Not only was this man's cultivation formidable, but his shamelessness was quite astounding as well.
Still, as far as Liu Siyi was concerned, this person undoubtedly possessed considerable strength, and he was young enough.
After a moment's thought, Liu Siyi nodded. "If you wish to join the Luohua Sect, you may. But this matter still requires the elders' approval. Come back to the sect with me, and we shall see if the elders are willing to admit you."
"Naturally. I believe I won't let them down."
Ye Chen smiled faintly, though inwardly he felt a twinge of panic. What if that elder turned out to be Chen Yiqing?
***
The Zixia Sect.
Inside the small cottage.
Looking at Chen Yuyao pretending to be asleep, the corners of Lin Xiuyuan's lips curled into a standard villainous smirk.
"Utterly defenseless!"
These Thirty-Six Dongxuan Scatter Techniques were truly remarkable. From initially falling behind during his first swordplay sparring match with Chen Yuyao, to gaining a slight edge with the blessing of the Daoyang Physique, he had now achieved complete victory through the aid of these arts.
Following relentless efforts from daylight through the night, his cultivation had also broken through to the mid Spirit Awakening Realm.
Such a speed was a rarity throughout history!
Lin Xiuyuan felt that if he spent a period in seclusion, breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm within the year would present no great problem.
"Since you refuse to lift the Love Gu, you can bear the full weight of this consequence instead!"
Lin Xiuyuan rose to his feet and left the small wooden cabin.
"Hiss! Has this fellow been eating pills?"
Once the man had gone, Chen Yuyao could no longer hold back. She sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, feeling as though her entire body had fallen apart at the joints.
To be fair, Lin Xiuyuan had been acting very strange today. He had learned so many intolerable maneuvers from goodness knows where, leaving her in an entirely passive position.
"Should I just help him lift the Love Gu?"
For the first time, such a thought crossed Chen Yuyao's mind, because she was genuinely terrified that if things continued this way, she was going to shatter into pieces.
Yet, upon second thought, if she couldn't even endure this mere wind and rain, how could their romance ever hope to stand the test of time?
"I refuse to surrender!"
Chen Yuyao clenched her dainty fists.
...
Outside the cabin.
Lin Xiuyuan felt a stir within his heart. Holding the Tianxue Sword gifted to him by Ye Zhixian, he executed a single upward flourish. A blue rainbow erupted from the ground, soaring straight into the clouds.
Wisps of azure mist coiled around him. Coupled with his striking appearance, he truly looked like a sword immortal descended to the mortal realm, possessing an air that transcended the mundane world.
"True swordsmanship should be a single blade of grass that slashes the sun, moon, and stars."
Recalling a novel he had read in his past life, Lin Xiuyuan plucked a blade of wild grass and flicked his finger. In the distance, a massive tree was instantly sliced clean through the middle.
*This falls far short.*
Perhaps it was because his cultivation was still insufficient, failing to produce the effect of cleaving the sun, moon, and stars.
Still, even with this level of might, he should have a decent chance of victory against the Child of Destiny, right?
Behind him, Su Muzhe had been searching for Lin Xiuyuan when she witnessed this entire scene, her heart instantly gripped by shock and disbelief.
*A single blade of grass slashes the sun, moon, and stars?*
Just how insufferably arrogant can someone be?
An image flashed across her mind: Lin Xiuyuan standing beneath the firmament, facing the countless stars of the heavens, simply waving a blade of wild grass to tear the starry sky asunder and shatter the Great Dao.
Was this his swordsmanship?
This was simply too outrageously boastful!
Even just imagining it made Su Muzhe's soul tremble and goosebumps break out all over her skin.
She never imagined that Lin Xiuyuan was actually a sword cultivator of unfathomable depth! His strength had even reached the mid Spirit Awakening Realm!
Su Muzhe was utterly shaken. She had to remember that just a few days ago, Lin Xiuyuan had only been at the Great Perfection of Chamber Opening.
At that moment, her admiration for Lin Xiuyuan reached absolute levels of worship. She felt that Lin Xiuyuan was the quintessential peerless hidden expert—someone who had seen through the vanity of the mortal world, grown weary of empty fame, and merely wished to work at sunrise, rest at sunset, and watch the human world with a detached smile.
*How laughable!*
She had previously fantasized about threatening him. Seen in this light now, Ye Zhixian and Lin Xiuyuan were a match made in heaven!
Su Muzhe was overcome with deep shame, yet grateful that everything was still in time. Before her relationship with Lin Xiuyuan deteriorated, she would serve him like a devoted dog. No doubt she would gain her own insights down the line and elevate her strength.
Besides, is it humiliating to be a dog to a sword immortal? Not at all! Su Muzhe even felt a faint sense of pride.
"Heh heh heh! Senior Brother Lin is divinely talented and matchless under heaven!"