The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.
Jiang Yifan’s fingers had already pressed against his sword hilt, but Zhu Yinxi gently pushed them down with his jade flute.
Feng Qingping chuckled softly. "Sect Leader Zhao might not be aware, but our Five Elements Dao Sect’s Five Elements Sword Scripture is also an ancient inheritance. The fact that my seventh junior brother was able to achieve a Natural Sword Physique is precisely thanks to our sect's deep foundation."
"Oh?" Zhao Wufeng raised an eyebrow. "Then it seems I have been ill-informed."
Li Nanzhu timely presented a plate of spirit fruit. "Please, Sect Leader Zhao. These are spirit fruits produced specially by our sect; they are of great benefit to a sword cultivator for nourishing their meridians."
Zhao Wufeng merely nodded slightly, showing no intention of tasting them.
Taking advantage of the gap, Mu Wenyan took over the conversation. "Speaking of which, Sword Heart Sect’s Seven-Star Sword Array is famous throughout the cultivation world. I wonder if Sect Leader Zhao could offer us some guidance on it?"
Led astray by the topic, Zhao Wufeng unconsciously spoke a few more words about the essentials of the sword array. By the time he realized it, half a cup of tea’s time had already passed.
"Cough..." Zhao Wufeng gave a light cough and looked back at Duan Xianxing. "Young Friend Duan, I see that your swordplay is proficient and your foundation is solid, it's just that..." He said meaningfully, "The cultivation of the sword dao ultimately requires the right soil."
Duan Xianxing frowned. "What does Sect Leader Zhao mean by that?"
"My Sword Heart Sect was established through the sword dao," Zhao Wufeng stated plainly. "We house a thousand volumes of ancient sword manuals and possess the Sword Mound secret realm. If Young Friend Duan comes, you can enter directly under my tutelage. Every month, you will receive a hundred high-grade spirit stones, a bottle of foundation-nurturing pills, and you may contemplate the sword tablet at any time."
Duan Xianxing suddenly stood up, knocking over his tea cup. "I won't—"
"Seventh Junior Brother!" Feng Qingping grabbed his shoulder, her spiritual energy flaring slightly from her fingertips. It wasn't a silence spell, but a Cleansing Heart Sutra. However, the coldness in her eyes became increasingly apparent.
Young Friend Duan.
What a nice way to call him.
This was a direct attempt to completely separate Duan Xianxing from the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Zhu Yinxi spoke up at this moment. "Sect Leader Zhao is too kind; our seventh junior brother is overwhelmed by such favor. It’s just..." He gently stroked his jade flute. "The cultivation systems of the Five Elements Dao Sect and the Sword Heart Sect are quite different, so I’m afraid..."
"Martial Nephew Zhu worries too much," Zhao Wufeng smiled. "The sword dao is universal. With Young Friend Duan's talent, switching to our sect's cultivation methods will certainly yield twice the results with half the effort."
Li Nanzhu stepped forward timely, speaking with a smile, "The Sword Mound that Sect Leader Zhao mentioned... is that the secret realm that houses famous ancient swords?"
"Indeed." Zhao Wufeng nodded. "With Young Friend Duan's talent, he might even gain the recognition of a famous sword."
Li Nanzhu feigned deep thought. "That does sound very tempting... but Seventh Senior Brother is doing very well here. Master treats him like a son, and we senior brothers and sisters all take good care of him..."
Zhao Wufeng hurried to say, "If it's about cultivation resources, my Sword Heart Sect can also provide two sword attendants specifically for Young Friend Duan. Every month, I will personally provide five additional bottles of foundation-nurturing pills—"
"The Sect Leader has misunderstood." Li Nanzhu smiled sweetly. "What I meant was, why don't we wait until after the Sect Competition ends and let Seventh Senior Brother consider it carefully? After all, the competition is still ongoing..."
Zhao Wufeng had a sudden realization and had a great impression of this polite young girl. "Young Friend Li is right. I was too impatient." He looked at Duan Xianxing. "Young Friend Duan, you can take your time to consider. The doors of the Sword Heart Sect are always open to you."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "Or, after the competition is over, you are welcome to visit the Sword Heart Sect at any time."
Duan Xianxing’s face was flushed red, but Mu Wenyan had just cast a silence spell on him, so he was currently unable to speak.
Before leaving, Zhao Wufeng glanced at Li Nanzhu again and sighed, "If Junior Brother Ling Xiao hadn't acted so radically back then, perhaps Young Friend Li would also be in my Sword Heart Sect..."
After seeing off Zhao Wufeng, the silence spell on Duan Xianxing was released, and he immediately exploded. "Little Junior Sister! How could I possibly—"
Li Nanzhu gave a sly smile. "Don't be in a hurry, Seventh Senior Brother. Wasn't I just helping you gather information?"
Mu Wenyan said thoughtfully, "Little Junior Sister did the right thing. Since we are on Sword Heart Sect territory and Master is currently away, it's not wise for us to reject him directly."
"I don't think Zhao Wufeng was all that sincere." Jiang Yifan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Coming to poach someone without even bringing a gift, relying entirely on his mouth. It's obvious he didn't actually hold much expectation."
"Exactly!" Duan Xianxing grumbled. "Does he not know how poor I am? He could have at least given me something!"
"Don't worry, Seventh Senior Brother," Li Nanzhu's eyes were startlingly bright. "The conditions Zhao Wufeng offered aren't important at all! What's important is the Sword Mound itself!"
Duan Xianxing was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't forget that the top ten can enter the Sword Mound to try and gain the recognition of a spirit sword." Li Nanzhu smiled slightly.
Feng Qingping, who had been listening silently, suddenly sat up straight. "Are you saying..."
"Exactly!" Li Nanzhu slapped the table excitedly. "Seventh Senior Brother could have entered the Sword Mound purely on his own strength anyway!"
Zhu Yinxi gently stroked his jade flute. "But the Sword Heart Sect will surely be on high guard..."
"That’s why we have to act!" Li Nanzhu smiled slyly. "Now Zhao Wufeng thinks Seventh Senior Brother is considering his invitation. When the time comes to enter the Sword Mound, they will let their guard down instead!"
Mu Wenyan said thoughtfully, "The rules of the Sword Mound allow disciples to take away famous swords that have recognized them as their master..."
"With Seventh Senior Brother’s Natural Sword Physique," Li Nanzhu’s eyes sparkled, "he might be able to attract several spirit swords to recognize him!"
Feng Weilan leaned against the soft couch and said softly, "That is also where the problem lies. If it's just one sword, it’s fine, but if there are multiple spirit swords, I’m afraid they might temporarily go back on their word."
"So, if Seventh Senior Brother is a disciple that the Sword Heart Sect has already set their sights on..."
Feng Qingping finished the thought. "They won't stop him from bringing the swords out!"
Zhu Yinxi stroked his jade flute. "Once we're out of the Sword Mound and Master is there..."
"We can just find an excuse and slip away!" Duan Xianxing finally understood. He picked up Li Nanzhu and spun her around. "Little Junior Sister, you're too smart!"
"Seventh Senior Brother, let me go... you're choking me!"
"Sorry, I got too excited!" Duan Xianxing hurriedly let go, but the silly grin on his face didn't disappear.
"So we need to make two preparations," Mu Wenyan pondered. "First is to have Seventh Junior Brother act as if he’s truly considering joining the Sword Heart Sect. Second is..."
"We must make sure Master appears there at that time!" Feng Qingping added.
Li Nanzhu supplemented, "And the most important point—Seventh Senior Brother needs to learn how to play for both teams!"
Everyone: ???
"I mean, on the surface, he'll deal with Zhao Wufeng," Li Nanzhu explained, "but privately, he's still a member of our Five Elements Dao Sect!"
Duan Xianxing patted his chest. "I'm good at that!"
Zhu Yinxi chuckled. "True, Seventh Junior Brother is best at playing dumb."
"However..." Mu Wenyan frowned. "The Sword Heart Sect will definitely send someone to monitor him."
Li Nanzhu gave a mysterious smile. "That's why we need a perfect excuse—for example, Seventh Senior Brother needs to 'inspect' the Sword Heart Sect's cultivation environment!"
"Brilliant!" Feng Qingping clapped. "That way, Seventh Junior Brother can move around the Sword Heart Sect's territory legitimately and even use the opportunity to gather information!"
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