Uncle Fu walked by Ling Xiao’s side, no different from the dedicated butlers of any noble family. Though his back was slightly stooped, his tailcoat was immaculate. A closer look revealed not a single wrinkle, a stark contrast to his aged face.

The campus was serene at night, so quiet you could hear a leaf fall. Ling Xiao was on his way to see Shangguan Yutong. He believed Teacher Shangguan might offer some guidance. It was something of a whim, but regardless, he had come out and was on his way to find her.

Over the past two days, the medicinal herbs located by His Majesty the King had begun to arrive in a steady, secret stream. Of course, accomplishing such a feat was far easier for the ruler of an Empire than for anyone else. A few of the herbs made Ling Xiao ecstatic. They were legendary ingredients from the Cultivation Realm, herbs that hadn’t been seen in thousands of years, and now they had all been tracked down.

Ling Xiao believed that with such dense Spiritual Qi, supplemented by Top-Grade Elixirs, his strength could absolutely be restored to its former Mid-Golden Core Stage! ’When that time comes,’ he thought, ’I’ll even be confident enough to defeat a master from the Sword Sect!’

Uncle Fu’s stooped body suddenly straightened, his eyes locked on the adjacent woods. At the same moment, Ling Xiao also stopped. A bizarre, cackling laugh echoed from the trees, and a slender, masked figure dressed in black emerged.

"My, you’re perceptive!" The man in black spoke, his voice ancient yet tinged with a mocking tone as he looked at Ling Xiao. "Hand over your sword technique, and I’ll spare your life!"

Ling Xiao, however, ignored the man in black. His gaze remained fixed on the woods. Many of the trees in the Imperial Academy were hundreds of years old, making the forest incredibly dense. It was difficult to spot someone hiding within even during the day, let alone at night.

Ling Xiao shifted his feet slightly, widening his stance. He called into the forest, "Since you’re already here, why not come out together?"

A bewitching, middle-aged beauty emerged, swaying her hips. She smiled nonchalantly. "Well now, you’re no ordinary little fellow, are you? To think you could sense my presence..."

"Xie Xiaoyan... must I invite you out personally?" Ling Xiao didn’t spare the middle-aged beauty or the masked old man a single glance. His eyes remained fixed on the depths of the forest as he spoke, his voice flat and detached.

Within the woods, there was only the whisper of a faint breeze and the rustling of leaves.

Ling Xiao scoffed. ’My departed namesake,’ he thought, ’can you see this? The woman you loved so dearly has betrayed you in the end!’

Ling Xiao wasn’t stupid, just inexperienced in certain matters. How could he not realize by now that Xie Xiaoyan’s overtures were meant to lull him into a false sense of security? He sneered inwardly. ’Luckily, I’m not the Ling Xiao of the past. Otherwise, I might have fallen for your act and handed over the sword technique right then and there!’

The middle-aged beauty didn’t spare Uncle Fu a glance, clearly angered that Ling Xiao was ignoring her. "Little fellow, what nonsense are you shouting! What’s this about a Xie Xiaoyan or Zhang Xiaoyan? The fact that you found me proves you have some skill. Now, there are two paths before you. One is to join us. The other is death! Choose for yourself. Hehehe!"

Ling Xiao gave a cold, dismissive smile. "I don’t like dealing with people who hide who they are. Besides, I have a very keen sense of smell. I can pick up the scent of a Magical Beast from miles away."

"You... You dare call me a Magical Beast!" The middle-aged beauty had always prided herself on her looks; in her youth, she’d had countless suitors. When had she ever been insulted like this, and by a boy who was barely a man?

"Junior Sister, if he’s not going to be cooperative, let’s just kill him. Why waste our breath!" As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted from the old man in black. He stared menacingly at Ling Xiao. "Kid, make it quick. Hand over all your sword and cultivation techniques. If I’m pleased, I might let you live. Otherwise..."

"Hmph!"

Uncle Fu, standing beside Ling Xiao, let out a sudden, cold snort directed at the man in black. The old man spat out a mouthful of blood, staring in horror at the decrepit old butler he had completely ignored. A storm raged in his heart. ’Who is this old man? Just how profound is his cultivation?’ He had managed to find the precise pause in his speech, the snort striking like a blow and sending the meridians in his body into chaos. Terror filled the old man’s eyes.

"You... you’re a Demon Sword Master!"

The middle-aged beauty, who had been completely unfazed until now, finally paled. She looked at Uncle Fu, her expression grave. "May I ask who Senior is? I am an Outer Sect Hall Master from the Baihua Sect. I hope Senior will find it in his heart to be lenient."

"What a joke. Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me?" Uncle Fu straightened his back, unleashing an unstoppable wave of killing intent. "You came here to harm the Young Master, and you expect me to let you go? Girl, you must be dreaming!"

The middle-aged beauty’s face went white. She shouted toward the woods, "Fine, we admit defeat! We’re leaving!" With that, she and the old man in black prepared to depart.

CRACK! CRACK!

The two sounds were followed by a pair of miserable cries, a mixture of shock and fury.

"Ignoring an old man like me is one thing, but did you really think you could just announce your departure and leave?" Uncle Fu scoffed. "Things are never that simple!"

Ling Xiao paid the two no mind. He’d known from the start that the middle-aged woman and the old man in black were at the level of third or fourth-tier Demon Swordsmen. Among ordinary people, they were indeed masters among masters. But in front of a Demon Sword Master, even two more of them would be no threat at all.

Ling Xiao couldn’t help but marvel to himself. ’A premonition from one of the Immortal Families can predict fortune and disaster for centuries, even millennia. And my own whim as a Cultivator has actually allowed me to resolve a lingering attachment. "Every sip and every peck is preordained." It seems this supreme law hasn’t changed at all, even across time and space!’