“Oh? Are you interested in the Dao Sword Palace?” Zhou Lan asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Tian Ping shrugged, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression. “I might be a bit interested in it,” he said, though the eagerness in his eyes betrayed him.
Zhou Lan chuckled softly, catching the flicker of excitement in his gaze. “With your sword skills, getting in would be no problem for you. The Dao Sword Palace is known to only accept those with true potential in the way of the sword. My father already used his connections to secure my entry,” she said, her voice tinged with a mix of pride and gratitude.
Tian Ping raised an eyebrow. “Connections, huh? So it's not just about skill?”
“Oh, it is,” Zhou Lan replied, her tone serious now. “My father's influence got me a recommendation, but I still have to pass the entrance exams. A month from now, the sect will hold the trials. There are three stages: the first tests your willpower and determination; the second examines your mastery of sword techniques; and the third is a trial of combat strength.”
She paused, her gaze turning distant for a moment as if recalling past stories. “The Dao Sword Palace doesn't just look for power—it seeks those who can truly understand the sword, those who can feel its spirit and draw out its full potential.”
Zhou Lan then added, her tone slightly more serious, “Even though the Dao Sword Palace is a place of great prestige, it’s still only a sub-sect of the Sovereign Sword Sect, one of the most powerful sects on the continent. Its influence is immense, and it's said that true masters of the sword come from there.”
She continued, her eyes lighting up with a mix of awe and ambition, “The Dao Sword Palace has the Seven Sword Heavens: Thunder Blade Heaven, Slither Blade Heaven, Sound Blade Heaven, Chilling Blade Heaven, Iron Blade Heaven, and Slaughter Blade Heaven. Each Heaven practices a different form of the Dao of Sword. It’s a place where each sword path is unique and pushed to its ultimate potential.”
Tian Ping absorbed the information, nodding thoughtfully. “I think I get the full picture now,” he said, smiling slightly at Zhou Lan.
Zhou Lan’s confidence seemed to waver for a moment as she turned her head away, her face tinged with a shade of red. "W-well, good, because the main road is just up ahead," she stammered, trying to regain her composure.
But...
Something felt off.
The air around them seemed to thicken, the light of the forest dimming. Tian Ping’s chest tightened. He could feel it—danger, creeping closer with every heartbeat...
But... it wasn’t targeting him.
His eyes sharpened, instincts kicking in. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
He shoved Zhou Lan aside and quickly drew his sword to block the incoming attack. A dark red sword slash hurtled toward him with terrifying speed. Tian Ping's mind raced. He had to act fast. "SIMPLE SWORD PIERCE!" he shouted.
BOOM!
The impact was fierce. Tian Ping managed to block the attack, but the force sent him flying backward, crashing into a huge boulder at the side of the main road.
“TIAN!!!” Zhou Lan's scream pierced the air as she saw him slam into the boulder, tears streaming from her eyes as she lay on the ground.
"Oh? I didn't think a little Dantian realm cultivator could block an attack from me," a tall, skinny man in a black robe sneered as he stepped out of the shadows, his pale face twisted in a cruel smile. He held a sword lazily in his left hand, looking down on them with disdain.
Zhou Lan, still crying hysterically, trembled at his words. "Y-you're so annoying!" she yelled in desperation. "If you're here to kill me, then just do it already!"
The man smirked, raising his sword with a sinister grin. "Don't worry, little girl. I came to kill you anyway, so let me finish the job."
But then—
"HEY, YOU SKINNY BASTARD!" Tian Ping's voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a storm's roar. The air around him swirled violently as he pushed himself up from the boulder, blood trickling down his face but his eyes blazing with determination. "If you want to kill her..."
He raised his sword, the winds intensifying around him, his aura growing more menacing by the second.
"YOU'LL HAVE TO GET THROUGH ME FIRST."
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