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Even though the four Li brothers had diligently practiced swordsmanship for twenty years, their minds long since tempered to be as cold and resilient as a fine sword, they couldn’t help but tremble. Looking at Wang Xiu’s sincere, tear-filled face, they were struck by a fervent sense of recognition and pride. A deep feeling of kinship toward the young man before them blossomed in their hearts.
I can’t believe it. To think Junior Brother Wang Xiu holds such an ardent admiration for our Sword Sect. It’s truly moving.
This was especially true for Li Zuoyue. He had two great passions in life: practicing the sword and drinking wine. Therefore, Wang Xiu’s poem, *The Drunken Sword Immortal*, spoke directly to his soul, making his blood boil with excitement.
That’s it! That’s exactly it! This is the kind of verse I’ve always wanted to recite after drinking, but I never read enough to compose poetry myself. All I could ever manage was a dry, "Good wine, good wine." From now on, I must memorize this poem. It’ll be my grand entrance line when I’m riding my flying sword across the heavens, slaying demons and devils. Just imagine it: demons are ravaging the land, and from a thousand miles away, the sound of poetry echoes through the skies. I arrive on my sword, reciting the verse as I eliminate evil and save the common folk. Wherever my divine sword points, demons will fall in terror, none able to withstand a single exchange! By the time I finish the poem, all the demons will be vanquished, and I’ll make a suave exit on the final line. Thinking of that image... it’s the ultimate way to show off! To write such bold and carefree lines, Junior Brother Wang Xiu must possess a heart of pure sword intent. His passion for the Sword Dao must be unparalleled. Junior Brother Wang... a true kindred spirit! Why didn’t we meet him sooner!
For a moment, Li Zuoyue, Li Longhao, and Li Longyou felt the urge to immediately become sworn brothers with Wang Xiu. Even the laziest and most aloof of them, Li Longji, felt his fondness for Wang Xiu skyrocket. He wanted nothing more than to ask the junior brother if he’d like to sleep under the sun together sometime. Of course, he meant it in a purely platonic, just-basking-and-napping sort of way.
"Junior Brother Wang," Li Zuoyue said earnestly, "You saved Xiao Hao, Xiao Ji, and Xiao You, which is a great kindness to me as well. If you want to learn swordsmanship, I will teach you.
"I’m not just boasting. The legacy of our Tianzhu Peak Sword Sect is among the strongest of all supreme arts, not just in Nanzhou, but in the entire Cultivation World. When it comes to offensive power, it is second to none!
"The *Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture* that I cultivate is especially profound. It uses the twenty-four solar terms as its foundation, manifesting them within twenty-four flying swords to form its own sword array. Once mastered, unleashing it is like having twenty-four Sword Cultivators attacking in unison, their sword qi sweeping away all opposition.
"If I can bring it to the state of perfection, the twenty-four swords will merge into one, making me invincible among my peers.
"I could even slay Demons and Gods!"
[Someone’s extravagant boasting has triggered a critical hit, reaching the System’s peak threshold. Congratulations, Host. You have gained Mana +288 and Mana Quality +288.]
[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the ’Immortal Demonslaying Slash’ Complete Experience Card!]
Feeling the surge of mana within him, Wang Xiu’s smile grew even wider. "Senior Brother Zuoyue, your *Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture* is incredibly powerful! It has swept through countless prodigies in Nanzhou. I have long admired your great reputation. I firmly believe that with time, you will cultivate the scripture to the realm of perfection. When that day comes, the title of Nanzhou’s number one sword prodigy will belong to none other than you, Senior Brother Li!"
What a good brother! Such a smooth talker!
Looking at Wang Xiu’s face, filled with ’sincerity’ and ’admiration’, Li Zuoyue found himself liking this disciple—who only spoke the truth—more and more. He felt they were cut from the same cloth.
"Junior Brother!" Li Zuoyue declared, thumping his chest. "There might be some friction between your master and mine, but that’s a grudge from the previous generation. I felt an instant kinship with you, Junior Brother; we’re very close. If you don’t mind, just call me ’Big Brother’ like Xiao Hao and the others do! From now on, if anyone in Nanzhou dares to cause you trouble or bully you, just mention my name. If they still don’t show respect, send me a message. I’ll bring the brothers from the Sword Sect, and we’ll go teach them a lesson. I guarantee we’ll make a scene and have your back!"
Tears welled in Wang Xiu’s eyes. "Big Brother!"
Li Zuoyue’s own eyes brimmed with tears. "Little Brother!"
"Big Brother Zuoyue!"
"My good brother, Xiu!"
"I’m so touched, I’m really, really touched!"
"Say no more! It’s all in the wine!"
Time slipped by as Wang Xiu and the four Li brothers talked and drank. What began as polite gratitude soon evolved into calling each other brothers and lamenting that they hadn’t met sooner. They came close to performing a blood oath with a slaughtered chicken and yellow paper to formalize their bond.
Everything went exceedingly smoothly.
Of course, during this time, and with a little guidance from Wang Xiu, the four Li brothers, slightly tipsy, did quite a bit of boasting. This, in turn, caused Wang Xiu’s mana to rise steadily. By the time they had finished three jars of fine wine, his cultivation level had firmly reached the peak of the Fourth-Heaven Layer, with the Fifth-Heaven Layer not far off.
It was also worth mentioning that during their chat, the Li brothers shared several recent rumors.
Having spent the last several days recovering in the Alchemy Sect, unable to cultivate or go on missions, the three younger Li brothers had little to do but gossip with other disciples.
For instance, they mentioned that the little princess of the Thunder Sect, Ji Zidian, had entered seclusion to awaken the Thunder Dao Holy Body. If she succeeded, not only would her cultivation level soar, but her innate talent for cultivation would be completely reforged. At that point, she would very likely become the Thunder Sect’s strongest prodigy in a millennium, leading the sect to a new resurgence and once again raising the ’Bane of Demons’ banner to awe all of Nanzhou!
They also said that during this critical period of Ji Zidian’s awakening, the head of the Thunder Sect, Ji Yan, had suddenly vanished. His whereabouts were unknown; he hadn’t even left a letter, and all attempts to send him a message failed. While his sons in the Ji Family celebrated this turn of events, they couldn’t help but worry about their little sister’s awakening. One by one, they began returning to the Thunder Sect to act as her protectors. It was said that while these ’Ji brats’ stood guard for their sister, they were also condemning their unreliable father and discussing whether they should seize the opportunity to oust him. After all, the eldest son, Ji Kunpeng, was now over eight hundred years old. His cultivation had already reached the seventh layer of the Emergence Stage, and his combat prowess was said to be unmatched. With his brothers’ help, it wasn’t impossible for them to overthrow their deadbeat dad. Freedom, democracy, and the liberation of the Thunder Sect!
A truly grand display of filial piety!
Another piece of news was that the once-in-eight-hundred-year omen of the Baleful Star’s Vigil was nearing. When it arrived, the Yin Sha Qi between heaven and earth would surge dramatically. Demons would rise as the Dao weakened, and monsters and ghosts everywhere were already stirring restlessly.
But an age of great chaos is also an age of great contention. To deal with the impending pandemonium, the Ancient Sanctuary of Nanzhou was set to reopen. Eight hundred years ago, the last time the Ancient Sanctuary opened, it produced peerless geniuses like Zhuo Canglang, Luo Binglan, and Dugu Qingqian, all of whom had since reached the Saint Manifestation Realm. Now, with the new opening of the Ancient Sanctuary, all Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands of Nanzhou had been spurred into action, fighting both openly and in the shadows for a greater share of admission slots. As a result, the entire situation in Nanzhou had become rife with dark undercurrents, dangerously unpredictable.
Finally, they mentioned that within the territory of the Sanqing Immortal Sect in Lujiang Prefecture, a member of the Demon Race had recently appeared. Yes, not a Demon Cultivator, but a genuine member of the Demon Race—an incredibly beautiful demon girl. However, her behavior was extremely suspicious and bizarre. She constantly muttered about wanting to become ’the strongest, most wicked, and most evil Great Demon God.’ Yet the things she actually did made countless people unsure whether to laugh or cry.