The four experts from the Black Shadow Sect felt an intense chill enveloping the backs of their necks.The pools of blood on the hall floor seemed to transform into a sea of death, ready to swallow them whole.Seeing Xiao Chen slowly advance with the blackish-red aura once again swirling around his palm, the mental defenses of these elite fighters finally collapsed completely.“Wait ... Wait a moment, you can’t kill us!” one of them shouted with a severely trembling voice, ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest.The man forced himself onto his knees and crawled backward until his back pressed against a cracked pillar in the hall.“We four are merely lackeys carrying out orders from the sect! Please spare our lives!” The second practitioner chimed in as he kowtowed on the blood-soaked floor, his deathly pale face touching the red pool without caring about his dignity anymore.“We swear that we will never set foot in Red Mountain City again. All of the Blood Wolf Gang’s wealth—all

Xiao Chen’s footsteps along the stone path within the Sky Sword Academy complex felt light.The atmosphere of the academy welcomed him with the rustling of wind carrying the scent of pine leaves. A scent that had once felt so familiar now instead gave him a strange feeling after two years without setting foot in this place.Many things had changed during his absence. The buildings of the outer courtyard disciples’ pavilion appeared more magnificent, and several stone bridges that had once been cracked had now been repaired with polished white stone carvings.However, these physical changes were nothing compared to the social dynamics that had developed among the disciples.When Xiao Chen crossed the central courtyard, whispers and curious gazes began turning toward him. The dull gray hood covering half of his face had indeed succeeded in concealing his true identity from the crowd.However, the faint cold aura emanating from Xiao Chen’s body caused several senior disciples to frown su

Seeing Elder Gong appear, Guan Yu, who had still been wearing an annoyed expression, immediately became cheerful. The little girl turned around and trotted toward the elder, then tugged playfully at the sleeve of his robe.“Grandpa Gong! Look who finally showed up!” Guan Yu exclaimed, pointing her chin proudly toward Xiao Chen.Elder Gong glanced briefly at Xiao Chen, then turned his attention back to Guan Yu, who now appeared much more excited.The little girl gave a small snort before glancing at Xiao Chen again.“Let him organize all the scrolls scattered across this table as punishment for leaving without saying goodbye!” Guan Yu continued without waiting for an answer.After saying that, Guan Yu immediately walked away from the room with cheerful steps. The satisfaction on her face was difficult to hide, as if she had just completed some great mission.Xiao Chen could only shake his head at her behavior.Two years had passed, yet Guan Yu was still exactly the same as before.Elde

Upon arriving at the Black Shadow Sect, Meng Qianyue did not waste any time.She immediately headed toward the main meeting hall, where the elders and high-ranking members of the sect had already gathered to await the results of her investigation.The doors of the hall opened.Meng Qianyue stepped inside calmly, then stopped several steps in front of the row of seats occupied by the elders.Elder Qiao—Qiao Ye—who was seated in the main position, immediately directed his gaze toward her. “What were the results of your investigation?”Meng Qianyue cupped her hands before her chest.“My report is simple, Elder. After inspecting the ruins of the Blood Wolf Gang’s headquarters on North Hill in Red Mountain City, I discovered that the deaths of the gang members and the four envoys from the Black Shadow Sect were most likely related to the use of the Death Blood Palm Technique.”The atmosphere in the hall immediately became more serious.Meng Qianyue continued without changing her expression

After Xiao Chen returned to his seat in the back row, Instructor Han Wei took a slow breath and shifted his gaze back toward all the disciples sitting cross-legged before him.The atmosphere in the class courtyard, which had briefly been filled with whispers, gradually became quiet again.Dozens of pairs of eyes from the outer courtyard disciples were now focused on the stone platform, waiting for the official lesson to begin. Although Xiao Chen’s identity token inspection had caused some surprise, Han Wei had no intention of wasting time explaining something that was none of his concern.“Today, we will once again dissect the most fundamental essence of sword mastery.”Han Wei’s voice echoed firmly, breaking the silence of the morning. He raised a wooden sword in his hand, then slowly swung it through the air.Swoosh!A faint rush of wind could be heard from the simple movement.“Many of you are too obsessed with beautiful forms, high-level techniques, or showing off your powerful Qi