"When exactly is it?" Wang Xiu asked.

"The first of next month!" Xiao Qingyu said.

Wang Xiu frowned. "Isn't that only half a month from now? That's cutting it close. Was the Immortal Sect's notice sent late?"

Xiao Qingyu gave him a sidelong glance. "For such an important matter, why would we need a notice from the Immortal Sect? The leaders of each branch were informed long ago, and the disciples started preparing half a year in advance. This is especially true for the highly anticipated True Inheritors. For the past few months, they've been in secluded cultivation under their branch leaders' personal guidance, getting special treatment! It only just occurred to me... your situation is unique, so I thought I'd come and let you know. Just as I thought, you were completely unaware!"

The branch leaders were notified?

Wang Xiu's mouth twitched as he subconsciously glanced toward the back of the mountain.

Wonderful.

No one from their Spirit Turtle Peak ever attended the high-level meetings. No wonder the news was so slow to arrive. If Xiao Qingyu hadn't run over to remind him, Wang Xiu probably wouldn't have received the news until right before the Ancient Sanctuary was set to open.

How exhausting!

Wang Xiu shook his head inwardly but forced a smile. "So that's how it is. Senior Sister, you truly are the best to me. I'm so grateful I can hardly put it into words!"

Xiao Qingyu's lovely eyes narrowed. "Grateful with just words?"

"Er..."

Wang Xiu's eyes darted about for a moment. Suddenly, they lit up as he looked at Xiao Qingyu's Little White Tiger. "Oh dear, Senior Sister, why does your Soul Pet look so listless? It must have consumed too many impure souls, causing its soul body to become impure and clogged... Let me help you clear it up! I guarantee its fur will be glossy and its presence majestic afterward!"

Xiao Qingyu watched Wang Xiu work his magic on her white tiger without protesting. Instead, she took another Jade Slip from her robes and handed it to him. "This contains some basic information about the upcoming opening of the Ancient Sanctuary... It's not exhaustive, but it should be of some help to you!"

Oh?

Wang Xiu's eyes brightened. He took the Jade Slip and, without a second thought, pressed it to his forehead. A milky fragrance immediately drifted to his nose.

A wealth of information flooded his mind. Just as Xiao Qingyu had said, the Jade Slip contained only basic information about the Ancient Sanctuary. However, it was still quite detailed—certainly far more comprehensive than the fragmented rumors he'd heard. In just a few moments, Wang Xiu formed a concrete understanding of the Ancient Sanctuary, and a sense of reassurance settled in his heart.

To repay Xiao Qingyu, he put even more effort into cleansing her Little White Tiger.

Soon, thanks to Wang Xiu's efforts, the once-languid white tiger Soul Pet was brimming with energy. Its fur was glossy, and its eyes darted about, seeming far more intelligent than before.

"All done!" Wang Xiu clapped his hands and handed the Soul Pet back, not forgetting to add a compliment. "Only such a beautiful Little White Tiger is worthy of a breathtaking beauty like you, Senior Sister Xiao!"

Xiao Qingyu covered her mouth and giggled. "You're such a smooth-talker."

As she took the Soul Pet back, she discovered a small bell had appeared on the Little White Tiger's neck. It was engraved with tiny runes. To her surprise, it was a Low-grade spiritual artifact.

Wang Xiu suddenly exclaimed in mock surprise, "Yikes, this bell! How did it end up with you, Senior Sister? It seems this treasure has a spirit and has chosen its own master. You and this bell are fated to be together! Well then... I suppose I have no choice but to help you fulfill this destiny! Please, accept it!"

Seeing Wang Xiu spin such a blatant lie with a straight face, Xiao Qingyu couldn't help but be amused.

"You and your silver tongue," she said. "It's getting sharper by the day. If you were let loose, I can't imagine how many young women you'd have wrapped around your little finger!"

「Meanwhile, in the Secret Realm Sword Valley of the Sword Sect.」

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The hum of swords was like a tidal wave. Tens of thousands of strands of sword qi surged forward, coalescing in the void into a tornado of sword qi capable of destroying heaven and earth. The surrounding void seemed to tremble.

A young man with a sword box on his back stood atop a solitary rock. He gazed at the overwhelming tornado of sword qi, his eyes thick with battle intent.

"Awakening of Insects!"

"Grain Full!"

"Summer Solstice!"

"Autumn Equinox!"

"..."

His hand seals changed with blinding speed. With every name he uttered, a sharp glint of light shot out from the sword box on his back. In the blink of an eye, twenty swords were out. Countless sword shadows instantly converged into rivers of sword qi, weaving a great net in the void that held the terrifying tornado a few dozen feet at bay.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The sword qi tornado grew more terrifying, its power swelling. The sword net formed by the twenty swords began to tremble violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

The young man's robes whipped about in the wind. The faint bloody scratches on his face only added to his wild, unrestrained, and carefree aura.

A sharp light glinted in his eyes as his hand seals abruptly changed. He formed a sword with his fingers and pointed it toward the sword box.

WHIRRR!

The sword box trembled violently. An unimaginably terrifying Sword Intent began to radiate from the young man's body. From the void, there seemed to come the crisp sound of something shattering, as if some unseen shackle had just been broken.

"Pure Brightness—"

"Unsheathe!"

CLANG!

A sword hummed, and an incomparably brilliant beam of light shot toward the sky. The Sword Intent permeating the heavens and earth surged, multiplying several times over. The sword net, which had been on the verge of collapse, instantly solidified. It then condensed into a Divine Sword that seemed to stretch from the heavens to the earth before slashing downward.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Heaven and earth shook. Under this single strike, the sword qi tornado completely disintegrated, breaking apart into countless fragments of sword qi. A hissing, scraping sound filled the valley as countless new sword marks were carved into the ground, the stones, and the cliff faces.

WHOOSH!

The wind kicked up dust and sand, gathering it on a high ledge. There stood Dugu Qingqian, dressed in a black robe with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression impassive.

A flash of excitement crossed Li Zuoyue's eyes. "Master, I did it! I drew the twenty-first sword!"

Several months ago in Limitless City, he had only been able to draw the twentieth sword with the help of Qin Guangling's Mountain and River Hundred Battles Song. For the past two months, he had been constantly contemplating the Sword Immortal's sword dance that he had witnessed that day in Phoenix Perch Building.

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