Zuo Wuque had spent ten years forging the Evil-Slaying Sword. It held great significance for Mingjian Manor and absolutely could not be allowed to fall into another’s hands.

Therefore, Sword Nine did not hesitate to break his promise and make a move.

He lunged with incredible speed, and just as he was about to seize the Evil-Slaying Sword, a smile spread across his face.

’As long as I get my hands on the Evil-Slaying Sword,’ he thought, ’it will be worth the infamy.’

But in the next instant, his hand grasped at empty air.

Lin Hao had only to extend his hand, and the Evil-Slaying Sword transformed into a streak of light, instantly returning to its scabbard.

Sword Nine was stunned, but he immediately lunged for Lin Hao again.

But halfway there, his path was blocked.

The one who stopped him was, of course, Shan Dan.

"Sword Nine, you’re breaking your promise! Are you not afraid of dragging Mingjian Manor’s name through the mud?" Shan Dan demanded coldly, blocking his path.

Just a moment ago, Sword Nine had said he would only use thirty percent of his power for a single strike. And what happened? He not only used more than thirty percent of his power, but he also unleashed countless strikes.

But even then, he still failed to gain any advantage over Lin Hao.

Now, he was even resorting to snatching the sword. Shan Dan was uncharacteristically furious.

"If we don’t retrieve the Evil-Slaying Sword, *that’s* when Mingjian Manor’s reputation will be ruined!" Sword Nine retorted, unafraid of Shan Dan.

As one of Zuo Wuque’s sword attendants, he was arrogant and proud, feeling almost no fear toward Shan Dan at all.

"I suspect your Young Manor Master is also here for my sect’s pills. If you make another move, don’t blame me for being inhospitable and showing you off the mountain." Shan Dan’s words were a blatant threat.

Sword Nine flew into a rage. "You!"

"Sword Nine, return! The Nine Sword Attendants of Mingjian Manor haven’t made an appearance in a long time. It’s time for them to come out and stretch their legs," Zuo Yi said.

Sword Nine froze, then his expression turned to one of elation. He cupped his fist, turned, and left without another word.

The meaning behind Zuo Yi’s words was perfectly clear: Sword Nine had been defeated, but Mingjian Manor still had the other eight sword attendants.

Sword Nine could not act, but they could.

"Lin Hao is an honored guest of our sect, Young Manor Master. Are you trying to make an enemy of the Danling Sect?!" Shan Dan’s expression was incredibly grim.

Zuo Yi, however, replied unhurriedly, "Elder, rest assured. Mingjian Manor does not bully the weak. When they attack, their cultivation will be suppressed to the Blood Coagulation Realm Peak. I don’t believe Young Master Lin will refuse."

’He had already devised a countermeasure and was certain Lin Hao would agree.’

Sure enough, Lin Hao nodded. "The master of Mingjian Manor is known as the Southern Border Sword God. I am very interested in seeing his Nine Sword Attendants for myself."

"Rest assured, they will not disappoint you!" Zuo Yi’s face remained impassive, but his tone radiated immense confidence.

As Sword Nine himself had said, he was merely the lowest-ranked of the Nine Sword Attendants. The other eight were each more skilled in swordsmanship than the last. They all had brilliant combat records, and every one of them possessed the ability to defeat opponents of a higher realm.

’Zuo Yi refused to believe that Lin Hao could create a miracle with just two copied sword techniques.’

’In his mind, Lin Hao was already a dead man.’

’Anyone who could replicate the moves of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill absolutely could not be allowed to live.’

"Elder, farewell. We shall meet again at the sect assembly tomorrow." Zuo Yi cupped his fist and departed with a swagger.

Although the young man was arrogant, Shan Dan had lived for many years and wasn’t about to get angry with a junior. He simply let him go.

The moment Zuo Yi’s figure vanished, Shan Dan immediately turned to Lin Hao, his face etched with concern.

"You shouldn’t have agreed to that! Zuo Wuque’s sword attendants are terrifying! That Sword Nine you just faced is definitely the weakest among them!"

"They are the sword attendants of the Southern Border Sword God; naturally, I wouldn’t dare underestimate them. But the path of martial arts is about scaling one peak after another until you finally reach the very top," Lin Hao replied.

The worried look on Shan Dan’s face didn’t fade. "That may be true, but you don’t understand how terrifying those sword attendants are. Zuo Wuque vanished from the world for twenty years. Ten years ago, a sect that believed he had already perished launched a full-scale invasion of Mingjian Manor. In the end, the Nine Sword Attendants took action and slaughtered the entire sect!"

Surprise flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Having grown up in the isolated War Dragon City, he was out of the loop and had never heard this story.

"That sect’s Sect Leader was at the Peak of the Elemental Realm at the time. They also had four elders at the Elemental Realm and several thousand disciples," Shan Dan added.

Hearing this, Lin Hao couldn’t help but tense up.

That sect’s strength was comparable to the Heaven-Stepping Sect, yet they were wiped out by the Nine Sword Attendants.

One could only imagine the power of those Nine Sword Attendants.

But after his initial shock, Lin Hao simply smiled and said calmly, "In that case, I’m even more eager to meet them. They’ve been famous for a long time; they can’t afford to lose, but I can."

"That brat just now was trying to kill you!" Shan Dan said gravely.

Lin Hao’s lips curved into a smile. "Many people have wanted my life, but I’m still alive and well."

Shan Dan’s eyes widened slightly as he recalled Lin Hao’s recent deeds.

’Could he really perform a miracle?’

An absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Shan Dan’s mind.

"Master Shan Dan, thank you for your trouble. The sect assembly is about to convene, so please go and attend to your duties. You don’t need to worry about me."

The Danling Sect’s assembly was tomorrow, and the entire sect was surely buzzing with activity. Lin Hao felt quite apologetic that Master Shan Dan had made a special trip just for him.

"Very well, I am indeed quite busy." Shan Dan nodded. He turned to leave, but then stopped and said to Lin Hao, "Oh, right, I might have to trouble you again tonight. After the Sect Leader’s private discussion with the visitor from the Divine Sect, he may wish to discuss something with you."

Lin Hao nodded.

’It must be about the pills,’ he figured.

"Get some rest." Seeing Lin Hao agree, Master Shan Dan took his leave.

Lin Hao collected himself, then closed his eyes and began replaying his fight with Sword Nine in his mind’s eye.

After a long moment, Lin Hao finally opened his eyes.

Then, he pushed the door open and went inside.

"Young Master, are you alright?" The moment Lin Hao stepped inside, Meng Qing asked with concern, looking him up and down.

Lin Hao had told her not to leave the room, so naturally, she hadn’t.

"What could happen to him? That kid’s as cunning as they come," the Turtle Egg drawled, lying lazily on the floor.

"Get lost!" Every time Lin Hao heard the Turtle Egg speak, he couldn’t help but remember all the Spirit Grass he had seen when he first found it. And then he would kick it.

Unfortunately, the Turtle Egg’s shell was so thick that Lin Hao’s kick was no more than a tickle to it.

"Alright, kid, you’ve kicked me, you’ve let off your steam. Can you find me something to eat? This divine turtle is starving to death."

Lin Hao replied irritably, "Find it yourself."

"I’d love to, but you won’t let me."

"Then starve!"

"Young Master, are you hungry? I can go heat up the food for you."

It was almost dusk. A Danling Sect disciple had brought food at noon, but Lin Hao had been in a state of meditation, so Meng Qing hadn’t disturbed him.

Now, hearing the Turtle Egg’s words, she quickly made the offer.

"Ah, it’s so nice to be waited on by a pretty lady. It makes me miss my Ling Meng."

Meng Qing’s face immediately turned red.

Lin Hao kicked the turtle again, then turned to Meng Qing and shook his head. "Meng Qing, you should eat."

Meng Qing shook her head as well.

"What’s wrong? Is the food not to your taste? What do you like? I can ask them to prepare something else for you."

"Hey, kid, I just called you cunning, how’d you get so dense all of a sudden? This girl just spent her time muttering ’Young Master, please be alright’ a hundred times, and ’Little sister, why aren’t you back yet?’ another ninety-nine times."

The Turtle Egg said, perfectly mimicking Meng Qing’s worried tone.

Meng Qing’s face instantly turned bright red.

Lin Hao froze, only then remembering that no one had returned to the small courtyard next to theirs.

"Meng Qing, hurry and eat. When you’re finished, I’ll take you to find her within the Danling Sect."

Meng Qing’s head snapped up, her face full of delight.

Just then, the Turtle Egg threw cold water on her excitement. "The Danling Sect is huge. You think you can find her?"

The joy on Meng Qing’s face vanished.

Lin Hao snapped, "Shut up!"

"I was about to tell you where she is, but since you told me to shut up, I guess I won’t."

Hearing this, Lin Hao finally remembered what the Turtle Egg had said when they first met: that it knew everything that had happened within a hundred-li radius in the last several thousand years.

A hundred-li radius was an immense area, so Lin Hao had just assumed it was boasting. But now, hearing its claim again, he decided to trust it, just this once.

"Tell me where she is. If you can’t, I’ll make turtle soup out of you!"

"I’m not telling. Beat me to death, I’m still not telling! I’m a turtle of principle!"

"Are you going to tell me or not!"

"I’m not telling. Beat me to death, I’m still not telling! I’m a turtle of principle!"

"Divine Turtle, I beg you, please tell him," Meng Qing pleaded.

"Alright, for a pretty lady like you, I’ll tell him. She’s practicing swordsmanship with her senior martial sister right now."

Meng Qing was overjoyed. "Thank you, Divine Turtle! Please trouble yourself to lead us to her."

"You can’t go. Your cultivation is too low; you’d be discovered immediately. If they think you’re spying on their sword practice, it’ll be huge trouble. They might even try to hunt you down," the Turtle Egg said, shaking its head and rejecting her request to come along.

Although Meng Qing’s cultivation was not high, she had enough common sense to know that the Turtle Egg was right.

"Don’t worry, Meng Qing. I’ll bring her back," Lin Hao quickly promised, seeing her force a smile.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Lin Hao just smiled.

The Turtle Egg shrank until it was small enough for Lin Hao to place on his shoulder, and then he walked out the door...

The Danling Sect was vast. Following the Turtle Egg’s directions whispered in his ear, Lin Hao walked at a steady pace for half an hour. As the sky darkened and the crowds thinned, he noticed waves of sweet fragrance wafting past him.

"Turtle Egg, why are there suddenly so many women? Did we go the wrong way?" Lin Hao finally asked after being sized up by numerous passing women.

"The disciples of the Misty Palace are women, aren’t they? How could we be lost? We’re almost there."

Lin Hao remained skeptical.

Before long, the Turtle Egg guided him to a fork in the road.

"To the left. Be careful, they’re right up ahead."

Lin Hao strode forward and, before long, heard the clang of swords.

He stopped and deliberately made a noise.

Just as the Turtle Egg had said, spying on another sect’s training was a dishonorable act.

"Who’s there?!" The instant he made the sound, a sharp voice called out.

Before Lin Hao could even speak, the air filled with flying sand and rolling stones as countless rocks were sliced apart by Sword Qi.

"Holy crap, I’m outta here! You hold them off!" the Turtle Egg shrieked dramatically before vanishing without a trace.

Lin Hao’s face went pale.

’That Turtle Egg was definitely doing this on purpose to get back at him.’