...

Still in shock, Third Master Hao rubbed his eyes hard.

He had to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

The exalted Grand Elder of the Danling Sect would merely offer a nod even when meeting his own Sect Leader, yet here he was, bowing to a mere boy as a junior would. ’Did I see that right?’

But after rubbing his eyes, the scene remained unchanged.

Swallowing hard, Third Master Hao turned to slip away.

It was obvious this boy had an extraordinary background. If he didn’t leave now, the moment the Grand Elder came up, a single word would be all it took. He would have to obediently offer up his face for the boy to slap.

However, just as he was about to flee, Third Master Hao overheard a conversation.

Shan Dan was saying, "Young Master Lin, this old man has been waiting for you for several days."

’Young Master Lin... been waiting for several days... Could it be...?’ Third Master Hao’s expression darkened.

"Old man, what are you waiting for me for? Don’t tell me you have... *that* kind of hobby," came the voice of Young Master Lin.

Shan Dan laughed. "Bah, get out of here. This old man wanted to be here when you arrived to keep an eye on you. Otherwise, all of our sect’s Alchemy Masters might just follow you to the Heaven-Stepping Sect."

BOOM!

Third Master Hao’s mind reeled. So this was the brat who’d killed his two elder brothers—the one he hated to the very bone, Lin Hao!

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes before vanishing. Third Master Hao quickly retreated.

He had to find that faction.

He had been hesitant before. After all, what that faction wanted was of immense importance. But now, he had been forced into a corner.

Lin Hao held great importance in the Grand Elder’s heart, and even the Sect Leader would side with Shan Dan on this matter. After treating Lin Hao the way he had, Third Master Hao could already imagine what awaited him.

’Get what that faction wants, use them to kill Lin Hao... and with my status as an Alchemy Master, my position in their sect would only be higher than it is in the Danling Sect, never lower!’

In that instant, Third Master Hao made his decision.

Up on the stairs, Shan Dan confirmed that Lin Hao wasn’t angry and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He personally escorted Lin Hao and Meng Qing. The three of them, along with one tortoise, once again stepped through the main gates of the Danling Sect.

At the entrance, Third Master Hao was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Hao didn’t ask, and of course, Master Shan Dan wasn’t foolish enough to bring it up himself.

He played dumb, pretending not to know a thing.

With Master Shan Dan personally escorting them, Lin Hao, Meng Qing, and the tortoise passed through one gate after another. The disciples at each gate bowed respectfully, then invariably stole a glance at Lin Hao and his companion.

Some were simply captivated by Meng Qing’s peerless grace, while others were trying to guess Lin Hao’s identity.

After all, the Danling Sect had received many important figures these past few days. Even when the Prefectural Lords from the empire’s various prefectures arrived, the sect would only send a single elder to greet them. Only when a major figure from one of the empire’s Five Great Divine Sects arrived would the Grand Elder and the Sect Leader personally come out to welcome them.

Lin Hao and his companion were clearly not from the Five Great Divine Sects, as people from those sects always traveled with great pomp and circumstance that was recognizable at a glance.

Just what was this young man’s identity?

Some couldn’t figure it out, but the more astute disciples had already vaguely guessed Lin Hao’s identity.

After that, the way they looked at Lin Hao changed completely.

Their gazes held both adoration and awe.

After all, Lin Hao was only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet any one of the things he had accomplished was enough to shake the heavens and the earth.

"The Sect Assembly starts tomorrow. Forgive me for inconveniencing you today, my young friend." Shan Dan led the pair to a residential compound, personally opening the door to a small courtyard inside as he spoke with a smile.

Behind him, two disciples of the Danling Sect wore expressions of utter shock.

For this Sect Assembly, two of the Five Great Divine Sects had come: the Misty Palace and the Proud Moon Divine Sect.

This residential compound contained a total of three small courtyards. The other two were occupied by people from those two great powers.

Although they had guessed Lin Hao’s identity, they still found it unbelievable that the Grand Elder would arrange for him to stay here.

Didn’t this indirectly mean that, in the sect’s eyes, the Heaven-Stepping Sect that Lin Hao represented was now on par with the Five Great Divine Sects?

The Heaven-Stepping Sect had been delisted from the five great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture, yet now the Grand Elder was treating them like this. It was simply inconceivable.

"The Sect Leader is quite curious about you. He was going to welcome you personally, but he is currently in a private discussion with the people from the Five Great Divine Sects, so it’s not convenient. Please forgive him."

The Grand Elder spoke again, nearly causing the two disciples behind him to faint from shock.

"I also have matters to attend to, so I can’t accompany you further. If you need anything, just tell them," Master Shan Dan said with a laugh, introducing the two disciples behind him to Lin Hao and Meng Qing.

Lin Hao smiled and declined Shan Dan’s kind offer. "You go ahead and get to your business. There’s no need to go to such trouble. We don’t need anyone to look after us."

"But..." Shan Dan started to say more.

But Meng Qing just smiled, took off her cloak, and said, "Senior, the Young Master will be fine with me taking care of him."

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed through Shan Dan’s eyes.

Whether in terms of disposition or appearance, Meng Qing was in no way inferior to the disciples of the Misty Palace, who were renowned for their beauty among the Five Great Divine Sects. He had originally thought she was Lin Hao’s beautiful confidante.

Now that Meng Qing had spoken, Shan Dan realized that this woman of world-toppling beauty was actually Lin Hao’s maidservant.

Behind him, the two disciples’ eyes and mouths went wide, and they stared at Lin Hao with pure adoration.

’Awesome! He’s so damn awesome!’

"Hm? Young lady, you look quite similar to a disciple from the Misty Palace," Shan Dan said suddenly, looking at Meng Qing after his initial surprise.

Hearing this, Meng Qing became instantly excited. "Senior, where is she?" she asked.

"They should have gone to the Ice and Fire Pool to bathe," Shan Dan replied with a smile.

Obtain a wondrous pill on the Wind and Cloud Platform, and cleanse your fair skin in the Ice and Fire Pool.

The Danling Sect’s Ice and Fire Pool was famous far and wide. No woman who came to the sect could resist its temptation.

"How do I get to the Ice and Fire Pool? Please, Senior, tell me!" Now that she was at the Danling Sect, Meng Qing couldn’t wait another moment.

Shan Dan looked troubled. "I’m afraid you won’t be able to get in. The Palace Master of the Misty Palace has placed a restriction around the Ice and Fire Pool. You see, there are many, many Martial Artists who try to peep on the Misty Palace disciples. There are always some who are audacious in their lust."

"I see. Thank you, Senior." Although Meng Qing was disappointed, she still smiled and thanked Shan Dan.

"Don’t mention it. I’ll take my leave now." Shan Dan cupped his fists toward Lin Hao, then nodded to Meng Qing before leaving with the two disciples.

"Just wait a little longer, Meng Qing. It’s not like they can bathe for the entire day," Lin Hao said with a comforting smile, seeing her spirits were low.

At the sight of Lin Hao, a rosy blush suddenly appeared on Meng Qing’s face. She lowered her head and hummed in agreement.

"Young Master, I’ll go get you some water," Meng Qing said, already walking away.

Lin Hao froze for a moment, then scratched his head in embarrassment. He wanted to apologize, but in the end, he didn’t say a word.

The small courtyard was very quiet. After washing up, Lin Hao sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

He was now aware of the strange phenomena that occurred when he cultivated, so he didn’t dare to practice out in the open.

However, this didn’t stop Lin Hao from mentally practicing various martial techniques and exploring the ultimate mysteries of the Ninth Layer of the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill.

By simulating techniques in his sea of consciousness before actually practicing them, he could achieve twice the results with half the effort.

At this moment, Lin Hao was practicing a set of Swordsmanship techniques in his sea of consciousness.

Ever since witnessing Lord Lingdi’s abilities at the Heaven-Stepping Sect, Lin Hao’s yearning for mastery in Swordsmanship had reached new heights.

A single cry of "Sword, come!" and a slash that could make one an immortal—what an effortlessly cool display of power it was.

From then on, Lin Hao had specifically searched for Swordsmanship techniques in the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s Scripture Pavilion, only to be disappointed to find that there were very, very few.

Therefore, he could only study Lord Lingdi’s "one sword to ascend as an immortal" technique within his mind.

But the technique was incredibly profound. After studying it for a long time, Lin Hao had only managed to scratch the surface.

He had thought it was a hopeless endeavor in this lifetime, but the appearance of Chu Tiandu made him ecstatic.

Within Chu Tiandu’s memories were several sets of Swordsmanship, but they were all profound and unfathomable.

Lin Hao had been trying to comprehend them, but to no avail.

It was still the same now.

At this moment, the Swordsmanship that Lin Hao was practicing in his sea of consciousness was, surprisingly, the very same style Zuo Yi had used in Cyan Forest Town.

Back at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, Lin Hao had already been able to replicate martial techniques. Now that his cultivation had surpassed the Ninth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, his ability to replicate techniques was even more terrifying.

In his mind’s eye, Lin Hao’s body moved like a roaming dragon, his sword like Jing Hong...

After a long, long time, Lin Hao suddenly opened his eyes.

Meng Qing, who had been bored out of her mind, heard the movement and turned to look, a flash of joy crossing her face.

Lin Hao stood up, his brow furrowed.

"Ten years to sharpen a sword and slay Evil Demons; one slash sends its cold light across forty prefectures."

"A hundred years to nurture Sword Intent; one slash to cleave the floating clouds."

Lin Hao picked up the Evil-Slaying Sword and murmured to himself.

"The first move is the pinnacle of Sword Qi. The second move is Sword Intent. The sword has momentum, the sword has a spirit, the sword has a soul... this Swordsmanship has at least three more moves."

Lin Hao had completely deduced the first two moves, but he wasn’t satisfied with just that. He wanted to extrapolate the moves that followed.

He stood with the sword in his arms, his eyes tightly shut, and entered a state of profound clarity.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside.

"You can’t go through! This is a restricted area of the Danling Sect!"

"Get lost!"

The shout was like a clap of thunder.

Lin Hao’s body trembled, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His mind had been in a state of clarity, deducing the Swordsmanship. The shout had disrupted him, causing his True Essence to go awry.

"Young Master..." Meng Qing cried out, rushing to support Lin Hao.

Lin Hao shook his head. "I’m fine."

Then, he circulated an Imperial Art to heal his internal injuries.

He had just completed one full cycle when the commotion reached the outside of his small courtyard.

"The VIP area? As if he’s worthy!" an enraged voice shouted.

"Young Master Lin is an honored guest of our sect! Besides, people from the Five Great Divine Sects are staying right next door! You are too outrageous!"

"Trying to use the Five Great Divine Sects to intimidate us? This is a private matter between our Mingjian Manor and Lin Hao. Don’t tell me they’re going to interfere?" The voice was extremely aggressive.

Inside the room, Lin Hao frowned. ’They’re here for me.’

"Meng Qing, you stay in the room. I’ll be right back." Lin Hao smiled at Meng Qing, then slid the door open and stepped out.

As soon as he stepped outside, Lin Hao saw two people.

A middle-aged man and a young man.

The young man was none other than the Young Manor Master of Mingjian Manor, Zuo Yi.

Without needing an introduction from Zuo Yi, the middle-aged man’s gaze locked onto Lin Hao’s right hand.

"The Evil-Slayer! You are Lin Hao?" The middle-aged man’s grip on his longsword tightened abruptly.

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted. "Do people from Mingjian Manor only know how to state the obvious?"

"Hand over the Evil-Slaying Sword, and the grudge between Mingjian Manor and you will be settled," Zuo Yi said before the middle-aged man could reply. He stared at the Evil-Slaying Sword, a flash of pain in his eyes.

"Young Master..."

The middle-aged man began to speak but was stopped by a gesture from Zuo Yi.

"And what if I say no?"

"Courting death!" The two-word reply that came back at Lin Hao was filled with killing intent.

Before the middle-aged man’s voice had faded, the longsword in his hand was already unsheathed.

A streak of light slashed toward Lin Hao.