Before Ling Xiao even opened his eyes, he awoke to the sound of wagon wheels rolling over a flat, bluestone road.

This bluestone road was a major thoroughfare running north to south through the Empire. It had been built centuries ago when the Lanyue Empire was first founded, commissioned by His Majesty the King, who had even personally participated in its construction.

The other members of Ling Xiao’s group weren’t so lucky. They followed behind the carriage on foot, but since the carriage wasn’t moving very fast, they weren’t far behind.

Nearly every student gazed at the carriage ahead with expressions full of respect. They didn’t understand the "momentum" of the Sword Dao, much less Sword Intent, but they knew one thing for certain: Ling Xiao had saved Teacher Shangguan at her most perilous moment! He had saved her from humiliation and preserved the reputation of the Imperial Academy.

Although some people still disliked Ling Xiao, no one could deny that he had earned everyone’s respect in this incident.

Long Xiang walked among the group with a complicated expression. The girls who had once looked at him with adoration now rarely spared him a glance. Long Xiang even felt as if the other students were looking at him with contempt. This infuriated him. In his eyes, as a Great Sword Master, Ling Xiao’s final move had been nothing but a lucky fluke!

’Night Owl was already exhausted. Anyone could have beaten him at that point!’ Long Xiang thought stubbornly. He regretted not making a move himself. ’Otherwise, how could that waste of space Ling Xiao have had a chance to show off?’

Unfortunately for him, he was the only one who thought so. The teachers from the other Imperial Academy teams present had all seen that there was something extraordinary about Ling Xiao’s footwork. Although they were Great Sword Masters and didn’t understand Sword Intent, they knew that Ling Xiao’s ability to easily approach a Tier Three Demon Swordsmen like Night Owl and make him unable to even hold his sword was clearly no fluke.

People are just that pragmatic. When faced with someone inferior, they feel an unsolicited sense of superiority. When faced with someone superior, they feel a hint of jealousy. But when they encounter someone so far beyond them they could never hope to catch up, a sense of awe and reverence is born.

For example, the students now looked at Teacher Shangguan with that same reverence. Although Shangguan Yutong had lost to Night Owl, her stunning Seven-Color Sword Qi and her obvious power as a Demon Swordsmen had shocked many of them, transforming their admiration for her into something bordering on fanatical.

A joyous look appeared on Xiao Lin’s usually calm face. He had benefited greatly from yesterday’s battle. First, watching the fight between Shangguan Yutong and Night Owl—a duel between Demon Swordsmen was a rare sight—had been incredibly enlightening, not just for him but for the students as well.

More importantly, under the pressure of Ling Xiao’s aura, he had broken through his bottleneck, successfully opening the Jiuwei acupoint and becoming a Mad Sword Master! Once one became a Mad Sword Master, the realm of Demon Swordsmen was within reach! How could he not be ecstatic? He was especially filled with gratitude toward that student, Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao knew he was in an extremely luxurious carriage; the surface beneath him was incredibly soft. Had he been lying in a normal carriage, the bumps would have woken him long ago. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Yisha’s pretty face, a face that looked charming whether pouting or smiling.

"Ling Xiao-gege, you—you’re awake! This is wonderful!" Yisha’s beautiful eyes held a trace of shyness, but mostly, they shone with joy.

Just then, the carriage door opened, and a man dressed in black with a deadpan expression said to Ling Xiao, "Master, you’re awake!"

Ling Xiao weakly lifted his head. Seeing this guy with a long face, looking like someone owed him money, he realized it was Night Owl. He rolled his eyes. "When did I ever agree to take you as my disciple?" he retorted, though he was thinking, ’With your level of talent, you’d be an embarrassment even as my grand-disciple on Shushan!’

’But for now... having a Tier Three Demon Swordsmen as a disciple... doesn’t seem too bad, actually!’

Night Owl was actually furious. When he’d learned the truth that day, he had almost lost control and killed the kid while he was unconscious. He was a dignified Tier Three Demon Swordsmen, with a decent reputation in the Imperial Capital’s Adventurer Realm. To think he’d been so scared by a little brat at the Sword Master level that he couldn’t even hold his sword! If it weren’t for exhausting all his energy fighting Shangguan Yutong, if it weren’t for his own men being so stupid... how could this brat have ever snuck up behind him?

However, Shangguan Yutong had immediately moved to protect Ling Xiao, leaving him no opportunity to strike. More importantly, it was Ling Xiao’s words that had completely extinguished any thought Night Owl had of making him an enemy.

Sword Intent! That was fucking Sword Intent! Something that, according to legend, only a Sword Saint could comprehend. Yet this boy had mastered it. What did that imply? The boy must have a Sword Saint for a master! At that thought, Night Owl lost every last shred of courage to kill Ling Xiao. ’Kill the disciple of a potential Sword Saint? Now *that* would be insane!’ And Night Owl was not only not a madman, he was a smart one. Smart people tended to think things through, always striving to maximize their own benefit.

’Siding with this young noble,’ he thought, ’I’ll definitely gain more than I lose!’

Night Owl had always considered himself an opportunist—and to be a great opportunist, one needed to be bold and adaptable, knowing when to bow and when to strike.

’So what if the boy is just a Sword Master? What if he were only a Sword Attendant?’

’As long as I can comprehend Sword Intent, who in this Empire will be my match? I’ll be able to walk unchallenged across the entire continent!’

’By then, who wouldn’t be filled with admiration at the mere mention of the name Night Owl!’

What he hadn’t expected was that this boy was also a Celestial Vein Master. Of course, by the time Night Owl found that out, he had already been calling himself Ling Xiao’s disciple for a long time. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"You’re the one who said you’d teach me to comprehend Sword Intent if I swore allegiance to you," Night Owl said. He was a very persistent man; once he set his mind on something, it was difficult to change. If not for that persistence, how could he have gone from being a poor kid to creating the position he held today?

"Oh." Ling Xiao’s mouth twitched. ’I only said that because I was afraid you’d run me through with your sword in a fit of rage,’ he thought. ’Sword Intent... what do you think Sword Intent is? Even if I were willing to teach you, do you think you could actually learn it?’

Night Owl, of course, also understood that his young master wouldn’t teach him without a sufficient show of sincerity. But having been a boss for so long, he had no idea how to serve someone. He asked stiffly, "Master, are you hungry?"

Inside the carriage, Yisha bit her lower lip. If she didn’t know this man possessed the formidable power of a Tier Three Demon Swordsmen, she would have been tempted to kick him right out. ’Can’t you read the room at all?’ she fumed silently. ’Don’t you realize you shouldn’t be here right now?’

Thankfully, Night Owl finally sensed Yisha’s murderous gaze. He flinched, backed out of the carriage, and said sullenly, "If you need anything, Master, just give your disciple an order!"

Ling Xiao rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. ’What a useless disciple!’ he thought. ’He asks if I’m hungry and then just bails.’ Fortunately, Yisha took out some pastries and said softly, "You must be hungry, Ling Xiao-gege. Here are some pastries. I... I’ll go tell Teacher Shangguan and the others that... that you’re awake!" While Ling Xiao had been asleep, it hadn’t felt like much, but now that he was awake, the atmosphere in the small, confined space of the carriage with her had become a little charged.

As she spoke, a blush crept up Yisha’s cheeks. Flustered, she quickly opened the carriage door and jumped down.