SHIING!

With a light ring, Lin Hao held the Evil-Slaying Sword horizontally, drawing it three inches from its scabbard.

The middle-aged man’s longsword pulsed with a brilliant glow. Seeing this, he retracted the glow.

The next moment, the tip of his longsword struck the body of the Evil-Slaying Sword dead center.

Lin Hao felt a powerful wave of Sword Intent wash over him, and his body shot backward.

When Lin Hao stabilized himself, he saw the middle-aged man looking at him with a cold smirk.

Lin Hao looked down to see his clothes covered in no fewer than ten cuts, all of the same length.

’This man’s Sword Intent is terrifying!’

"If I had used my full strength just now, those ten cuts wouldn’t be on your clothes," the middle-aged man said arrogantly, a smile on his face.

Lin Hao didn’t reply, his expression grave.

This man’s Swordsmanship was formidable; his control over his Sword Qi had reached the peak of perfection.

"You are unworthy of wielding the Evil-Slaying Sword! Hand it over obediently," the man said again, seeing Lin Hao’s expression.

Lin Hao took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his sword.

The man’s strength was immense, but since he had comprehended the first two forms of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill, this was the perfect opportunity to test them.

Seeing Lin Hao’s action, killing intent flooded the middle-aged man’s eyes.

In his eyes, Lin Hao simply didn’t know when to back down.

He had shown mercy just now to make Lin Hao understand the gap between them and voluntarily return the Evil-Slaying Sword.

But now Lin Hao was gripping his sword hilt, clearly intending to fight a futile battle. If he showed any more leniency and word got out, people would think that Mingjian Manor was afraid of Lin Hao, afraid of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

’Mingjian Manor’s reputation cannot be tarnished!’

At this thought, the man resolved to kill him.

But just then, a voice called out from a distance, "Stop!"

The owner of the voice was incredibly fast. Before the sound of the word had faded, he was already there.

"Ah, so the people from Mingjian Manor have arrived. I’ll arrange your accommodations right away."

The newcomer was Shan Dan. He acted as if he didn’t see the tense, hostile atmosphere and spoke to the middle-aged man with a smile.

The man looked at Shan Dan’s Daoist robes, his expression softening slightly. He nodded and said, "So you’re an elder of the Danling Sect."

"Shan Dan, Grand Elder of the Danling Sect," Shan Dan introduced himself.

He could tell that this middle-aged man had an extraordinary bearing; his status in Mingjian Manor was likely quite high.

"Sword Nine. I have the humble position of being the last among my master’s sword attendants," the middle-aged man replied.

Shan Dan’s eyes widened, a flash of shock passing through them.

The Manor Master of Mingjian Manor, Zuo Wuque, had nine great sword attendants. Although they were servants in name, every single one of them was a master of Swordsmanship.

"So you’re one of Manor Master Zuo’s sword attendants. Forgive my disrespect. This way, please. We’ve already prepared rooms for you." Lin Hao stood no chance against Sword Nine, so Shan Dan could only do his best to get him to leave.

"First, I need to retrieve something that belongs to the manor," Sword Nine said, his eyes fixed solely on Lin Hao.

Hearing this, Shan Dan’s face turned cold. "My Danling Sect’s assembly is about to begin. Even if Zuo Wuque himself were here, he would have to show me some respect!"

Sword Nine’s brow twitched. He never expected an elder of the Danling Sect to turn hostile so quickly over a boy like Lin Hao.

But he also understood that Shan Dan was speaking the truth. The Danling Sect was as renowned as Mingjian Manor, and a Grand Elder did indeed have the standing to speak with a Manor Master as an equal.

"A precious sword personally forged by the Manor Master is in his hands. As a sword attendant, I cannot stand by and do nothing. I see he is only at the Blood Coagulation Realm Peak. As long as he can withstand one strike from me at thirty percent of my power, I will no longer interfere in this matter."

Backing down so easily wasn’t Sword Nine’s style either. Staring at Lin Hao, he laid out his terms.

"If I’m not mistaken, this must be the Young Manor Master of Mingjian Manor. Why don’t you ask him?" Shan Dan said, looking toward Zuo Yi.

He wasn’t sure about the cultivation level of Mingjian Manor’s sword attendants. He said this, of course, to test the waters.

The result of his probing made Shan Dan’s heart sink.

He only heard Zuo Yi say, "Sword Nine’s decision is my decision."

His words were filled with immense confidence.

In fact, Zuo Yi was indeed very confident. As the Young Manor Master, he was naturally the clearest about Sword Nine’s cultivation.

Although Sword Nine was the weakest of the nine sword attendants, a strike with thirty percent of his power was enough to be fatal to an Elemental Realm Martial Artist.

As for Lin Hao, Zuo Yi had gained a more detailed understanding of him over the past two days.

Lin Hao’s greatest strengths were his speed and his physical body. As for his Swordsmanship, it was absolutely amateur-level.

In Zuo Yi’s mind, Sword Nine only needed to use twenty percent of his power to secure victory against Lin Hao.

Now that Sword Nine had offered to use thirty percent, Zuo Yi naturally had no objections.

Not only did he have no objections, but to cut off any retreat for Lin Hao, Zuo Yi added, "When Sword Nine strikes with thirty percent of his power, his strength will be equivalent to yours, so you don’t need to worry about it being unfair."

"Since you’re all so confident, I’ll play along." While Shan Dan was still hesitating, Lin Hao had already casually agreed.

Sword Nine was very strong. If he attacked with his full power, Lin Hao would have no choice but to retreat. But since he had actually said he would only use power equivalent to the Blood Coagulation Realm Peak, Lin Hao had no reason not to accept the challenge.

Ever since reaching the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, Lin Hao had never feared anyone in a fight.

He had won with his spear techniques, with his speed, and with his fist techniques, but never with his Swordsmanship.

Now that he had the chance, Lin Hao was eager for a battle of Swordsmanship.

"You’ve got guts!" Sword Nine was also surprised that Lin Hao had agreed so readily and couldn’t help but praise him.

At this point, Shan Dan knew he couldn’t stop it and could only stand aside.

"I will only use one strike. Be careful!"

With his sword in hand, Sword Nine’s aura changed abruptly.

His entire being became like a drawn sword, radiating a sharp, exposed edge.

Then, the longsword in his hand suddenly thrust forward.

Compared to his initial strike, this one couldn’t even be considered a sword technique.

It was like a three-year-old child striking with a sword—not only was the movement incredibly slow, but it was also weak and powerless.

Master Shan Dan was stunned for a moment, then his face filled with worry.

Although he didn’t understand the Sword Dao, he had a vague feeling that this strike was extraordinary.

’Can Lin Hao dodge it?’

’I’m afraid not.’

In fact, his guess was completely correct.

As soon as Sword Nine struck, Lin Hao immediately felt a pressure even greater than before.

The strike seemed slow, but the direction its tip pointed had already sealed off all his escape routes.

Lin Hao was certain that if he moved even an inch, the sword would suddenly accelerate, no matter which direction he fled.

This strike contained endless variations, achieving a similar wondrous effect to the Evil-slaying Sword Skill, albeit through a different method.

The only difference was that the first form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill, "Sword Forms Ten Thousand," first manifested ten thousand forms before returning to one. Sword Nine’s strike, however, did the exact opposite.

Lin Hao didn’t move, but he already had a way to break the technique.

CLANG!

The Evil-Slaying Sword left its scabbard. With a flick of his wrist, Lin Hao thrust his own sword forward...

Zuo Yi had been staring at Lin Hao the whole time. Seeing his action, a contemptuous smile appeared on his face.

’Does he really think Sword Nine’s attack is just an ordinary strike? To so recklessly meet it with his own sword... you’ll learn your lesson soon enough!’

Zuo Yi could almost see the miserable sight of Lin Hao covered in blood, and a wave of pleasure washed over his face.

But in the next instant, the smile about to spread across Zuo Yi’s face froze, replaced by boundless shock.

The tip of the Evil-Slaying Sword trembled, then suddenly erupted with an incomparably brilliant light as Sword Qi filled the air!

That was clearly the first form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill!

’The Evil-slaying Sword Skill is an unteachable secret of Mingjian Manor, passed down only to the future Manor Master. Never mind a sword attendant, even my own brother isn’t qualified to learn it. How did Lin Hao learn it?’

But then, he was struck as if by lightning.

’I used this move in Cyan Forest Town!’

’Does that mean Lin Hao learned it from me?’

Zuo Yi’s eyes widened abruptly, his shock beyond measure.

He, who was considered a genius of the Sword Dao in Mingjian Manor, had only been permitted to study the Evil-slaying Sword Skill after mastering several other sets of Swordsmanship.

And for this first form, it had taken him a full year just to learn its physical movements.

After that, it took another two years for him to imbue the form with its spiritual essence.

But now, Lin Hao had seen it only once and had actually replicated the first form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill!

Although it lacked the spiritual essence, this was still terrifying.

’Thank goodness he hasn’t grasped the true marrow of the first form, nor has he learned the second!’ Zuo Yi thought, a wave of relief washing over him after the shock.

Meanwhile, Sword Nine, who was fighting Lin Hao, was equally shocked.

As a sword attendant, he naturally recognized the Evil-slaying Sword Skill. More importantly, he knew that within Mingjian Manor, it was only taught to the future Manor Master.

For Lin Hao to suddenly use this form, the shock in his heart was no less than Zuo Yi’s.

But shock was one thing; Sword Nine still took action.

With a flick of his wrist, his longsword vibrated an uncountable number of times in an instant.

The air filled with afterimages.

Although he had practiced it in his sea of consciousness, this was the first time Lin Hao had actually executed "Sword Forms Ten Thousand," so he was naturally unfamiliar with it.

Before long, his form was broken.

And Sword Nine’s promise to use only one strike had long since become a joke.

But Sword Nine seemed completely oblivious to this.

With Lin Hao’s move broken, Sword Nine certainly wouldn’t let this golden opportunity slip by.

His longsword transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for Lin Hao.

A flash of annoyance crossed Lin Hao’s eyes, but he felt no fear.

He had discovered that although Sword Nine had gone back on his word, he was still not using his full strength.

Under these circumstances, he had a fighting chance.

Without a second thought, Lin Hao moved his wrist and unleashed the second form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill: Immortal from Beyond the Heavens.

The Evil-Slaying Sword shot toward the sky, its Sword Qi soaring.

An invisible Sword Qi enveloped the space above Sword Nine’s head.

The longsword in Sword Nine’s hand began to hum, threatening to fly out of his control.

Horrified, Sword Nine increased his power by another ten percent.

He had just regained control of his longsword when the Evil-Slaying Sword was already slicing through the air, descending upon his head like a thunderbolt.

At this moment, the Evil-Slaying Sword’s edge was fully revealed, vowing to annihilate everything in its path.

The longsword in Sword Nine’s hand roared once more.

Gritting his teeth, Sword Nine increased his power by another ten percent and raised his longsword to meet the descending Evil-Slaying Sword.

CLANG!

Tip met tip!

The next moment, a soft crack was heard.

Zuo Yi looked over and saw Sword Nine’s longsword begin to crack. Then it shattered inch by inch until it completely disintegrated.

In the duel between Lin Hao and Sword Nine, Sword Nine was utterly defeated!

"No, this is impossible!" Lin Hao had actually stolen two forms of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill and shattered Sword Nine’s longsword! Zuo Yi couldn’t believe what he was seeing and cried out in shock.

Sword Nine stood there, dazed, holding a bare hilt.

But Zuo Yi’s cry suddenly snapped him out of it. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he lunged for the Evil-Slaying Sword...