Chapter Five: As Expected, Another One Appears!

Liu Xiaoxiao, who had remained silent all along, now had a peculiar gleam flickering in her beautiful eyes as she gazed at Long Yun. It could be said that the enmity between Long Yun and the Heart Sword lineage was all sparked by her alone.

Back when Long Yun and Liu Xiaoxiao, along with a few others, participated in the Jade Sword Sect's disciple recruitment trials, it was because Liu Xiaoxiao spoke a few more words to Long Yun that Wang Bing and Liu Pingzhi came to resent him.

The two scions of prestigious families paid no heed to Long Yun, whose clothes were tattered and worn, so they pressed him aggressively. Long Yun, proud by nature, would not yield to them, and even Liu Xiaoxiao was included in his list of unreasonable characters.

At first, Liu Xiaoxiao was merely intrigued by the aura that naturally emanated from Long Yun. Yet, after entering the Jade Sword Sect, Wang Bing and Liu Pingzhi were defeated by Long Yun, and now even Senior Brother Pei Yue had fallen to his hand.

This piqued the interest of the young lady from a distinguished family ever more, and her gaze toward Long Yun grew increasingly ambiguous.

"Impossible! You heretic, what trick did you use to befuddle my mind?" Pei Yue roared, recalling the moment his consciousness stalled, convinced Long Yun must have resorted to some sinister art. Unwilling to accept such a defeat, especially in front of his beloved junior sister, and knowing Long Yun was only at the Condensation stage, Pei Yue felt he could not possibly lose unless some evil technique was at play.

Moreover, in Pei Yue's eyes, none of the Heart Sword lineage were worthy of notice—a bunch of useless disciples. Yet now, he had been bested by one such "useless" fellow, and his pride could not tolerate it.

"Frog in a well! You said yourself, whoever's fist is harder holds the truth. Clearly, my fist is just a bit harder than yours. But I am magnanimous; I won't make things difficult for you. I have only one demand—get out!" Long Yun's eyes narrowed, his tone cool.

Pei Yue felt as if Long Yun had slapped him hard across the face. His eyes burned red, full of indignation.

The sixteen disciples of the Heart Sword lineage were utterly stunned. Never before had they tasted victory. In that instant, their spirits soared; they straightened their backs with pride.

"I'll say it again—get out!" Long Yun's expression chilled, causing Wang Bing and Liu Pingzhi's faces to pale.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared before them. He placed a hand on Pei Yue's shoulder, a gentle smile curling at his lips. True Qi flowed through his arm into Pei Yue, instantly calming his turbulent emotions.

Long Yun's brows furrowed slightly. The newcomer's cultivation had reached the fifth stage of the Postnatal Eight Realms: the Gathering Spirit stage. At such a level, Long Yun stood no chance.

"So, you're the one asking my junior brother to leave?" As soon as the newcomer landed, he spoke, a flash of brilliance in his gaze.

Before Long Yun could reply, Yuan Chen stepped forward to shield him, saying calmly, "Quan Guanxin, do you intend to bully the weak with your strength?"

Quan Guanxin, fifth disciple of the Human Sword lineage, also a seeded disciple, possessed a Four Aperture Condensation cultivation. Not quite a prodigy, but considered of superior talent, he was favored by Elder Duan Tianyi of the Human Sword lineage and had achieved the fifth stage, Gathering Spirit.

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Quan Guanxin laughed heartily. "Yuan Chen, by your logic, if I challenge you, that wouldn't be bullying the weak, would it?"

Yuan Chen was stunned, unprepared for such a retort, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Very well! Since you've only been in the sect for a year, even if I defeat you now, others would mock me. I'll give you a month—after that, I'll come to challenge you!" Quan Guanxin glanced at Long Yun, his eyes flickering.

Yuan Chen was about to speak, but Long Yun replied calmly, "A month from now, I await your arrival. But let this be the last time. As I said before, I have no time to accept one challenge after another from your Human Sword lineage. You are the last!"

Quan Guanxin sneered, "Rest assured, I will be the last!" With that, he turned and left with Pei Yue and the others.

Liu Xiaoxiao turned back, giving Long Yun a radiant smile, a smile imbued with a subtle emotion that made Long Yun smirk inwardly.

This woman was not simple.

"Junior brother, Quan Guanxin is a Gathering Spirit stage expert. How could you agree so rashly to his challenge?" Yuan Chen asked as the others departed.

Long Yun chuckled, "Don't worry, senior brother. With Master supporting me, what is there to fear? If things go awry, I’ll just admit defeat!"

Yuan Chen was surprised to hear such words. While he was still stunned, Xue Renqi’s short, stout figure emerged slowly from the side chamber.

Xue Renqi himself was at the Bone Transformation stage. As an elder of the lineage, his cultivation was lower than disciples of other branches, which was a sad truth, but also the present reality of the Heart Sword lineage—something he could not change.

"Master!" The Heart Sword disciples greeted Xue Renqi as he arrived.

His gaze fell on Long Yun, and he smiled, "Excellent. You’ve broken through to the Condensation stage so quickly. Long Yun, you have not disappointed me."

Long Yun nodded, but said nothing.

"Master, junior brother has seven apertures open in his Condensation!" Chen Jie suddenly spoke from the side.

At his words, everyone was thunderstruck, including Xue Renqi. Seven Aperture Condensation—a legendary prodigy, one in a million.

"Long Yun!" Xue Renqi’s voice trembled, unsure how to question further.

Long Yun nodded in affirmation, causing Xue Renqi to gasp. In the history of the Jade Sword Sect, there had never been a genius with Seven Aperture Condensation. Long Yun, the disciple in whom he placed all his hopes, had not let him down.

"Long Yun, come with me," Xue Renqi finally calmed his emotions and spoke.

Long Yun nodded, knowing where Xue Renqi intended to take him.

Behind the Heart Sword lineage’s main courtyard lay a solitary ancestral hall. The Sword Stone was kept within, and over the years, the hall had fallen into ruin.

The roof was overgrown with thatch; the yard was thick with weeds, broken walls and tiles scattered about, desolate in the extreme.

Long Yun stood behind Xue Renqi, surveying the wreckage with a soft sigh. The Sword Stone's decline had caused the Jade Sword Sect to lose interest, leading to its current state.

"Three thousand years have worn the Sword Shrine into ruin. To preserve even this much is the blessing of our ancestors. Come in, Long Yun," Xue Renqi sighed, stepping first into the shrine.

Long Yun followed closely. As the inherited Sword Stone of the Heart Sword lineage, it was so near, yet he could not sense the sharp sword energy. Clearly, the damage to the Sword Stone was immense.

The shrine was not grand, but spacious, a testament to the Heart Sword lineage’s glorious past.

At the center stood a massive, pitch-black stone, over a yard tall. The dark stone was dull, as ordinary as any black rock, seemingly unremarkable.

Atop the stone, a terrifying blade mark cut deep, as if to split the Sword Stone entirely, reaching almost halfway down.

"It must be this scar that wounded the Sword Stone’s essence, leaving it gravely injured, unable to sense the will infused by disciples, and unable to transmit the supreme sword arts," Long Yun thought to himself.

Xue Renqi traced the immense scar on the Sword Stone, sorrow flickering in his eyes. "This blade mark was left by the Demon Lord of the Monster Domain three thousand years ago. His intent was to destroy the Sword Stone, but for reasons unknown, he failed. Yet even so, the Sword Stone suffered an indelible wound, and after three millennia of decay, our Heart Sword lineage has withered so."

Long Yun nodded inwardly. Indeed, the demons of the Monster Domain bore deep hatred toward the Jade Sword Sect, attesting to its former power.

But no matter how mighty a sect, it cannot resist the erosion of time. Now, the Jade Sword Sect has fallen to the ranks of the lowest minor sects, far removed from its former glory.

"Our lineage is called Heart Sword because, as the name implies, we wield the sword with our heart, with our intent," Xue Renqi's face grew solemn. "Long Yun, place your hand upon the Sword Stone and attune yourself to the sword heart."