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Although Si Ming sympathized with those who were killed by the Beast King Anye, he was unwilling to risk his life to fight him until he possessed sufficient strength. His life was precious too!

To expect him to risk his life with just a "trivial request"? That's a joke!

To be even more selfish, the Heavenly Martial Alliance's base is in the Western Martial World, while the Beast King Anye's activities have always been in the Eastern Martial World. No matter how much trouble he causes, he can't harm Si Ming's friends. He has no obligation to confront this King of Monsters. Protecting the Eastern Martial World is the responsibility of the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect, not the Heavenly Martial Alliance.

As if sensing Si Ming's thoughts, Wan Yebai said, "My request is not to ask you, Alliance Leader, to fight the Beast King Anye to the death. I am quite confident that I can help you defeat or even kill the Beast King Anye."

"Oh, what method?"

"Our sect has never had a powerhouse like the Alliance Leader, yet we have been able to slay the Beast King Anye multiple times. This is all thanks to our three Law Treasure: divine weapons, sword formations, and Swordsmanship. In particular, our sect's signature martial art, the 'Evil-Slaying Sword Technique,' can unleash several times its power against Monster Race, allowing us to overcome the strong with the weak."

Wan Yebai took out a secret manual made of special material from his robes and handed it to Si Ming, saying, "This is the 'Evil-Slaying Sword Technique.' The Alliance Leader's own strength is enough to rival the Beast King Anye. With this sword Swordsmanship and our sect's Monster-Slaying Sword, the chances of victory can be increased by 30%. As for the sword formation, it's meaningless. I never thought there would be a strong person in the world who could fight the King of Monsters alone."

Si Ming glanced at the martial arts manual in front of him. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. The name of the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect came from this martial art, which was enough to prove the value of this Swordsmanship. Moreover, according to the high monk of Glazed Temple, the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique came from the Mystic Sect of the Divine Continent of the Central Land. Before the Divine Continent of the Central Land was closed off, the Mystic Sect was known as the number one martial arts holy land in the world. In particular, this "world" refers to all the heavens and myriad realms, not local tyrants like the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect or Glazed Temple.

But if you take something, you have to work for it. It seems a bit unworthy to risk your life against a strong person for a Swordsmanship. It's not like Si Ming hasn't learned Higher Vehicle Swordsmanship before. In terms of power alone, "Nuclear Divine Fist" is also a peerless skill and may not necessarily lose to "Evil-Slaying Sword Technique". Si Ming is not a swordsman who wholeheartedly pursues the way of the sword and has no special faith in Swordsmanship.

"Please allow me a few days to consider this. Sect Master, please retract your Swordsmanship."

Si Ming ultimately chose to decline.

However, Wan Yebai did not take back the manual. Instead, he forcibly stuffed it into Si Ming's hands, saying, "Alliance Leader, you misunderstand. Dealing with the Beast King Anye was merely my request. Whether you like it or not, this sword Swordsmanship will be given to you."

"How can this be? I cannot accept a reward without merit. The 'Evil-Slaying Sword Technique' is your sect's most treasured manual. How can I possibly accept it?"

"The Alliance Leader led his men to rescue all the disciples of our sect; this is clearly a great act of kindness. How can you say he has done nothing?"

Wan Yebai shook his head, then said solemnly, "Our sect's founder's original intention was to eliminate the Monster Race and restore peace and order to the world. Beyond that, fame and power are all meaningless. If we can achieve our initial goal of 'slaying evil,' our sect is willing to pay any price!"

Chapter 555 Forced to Show Off

Since the other party had put it that way, Si Ming could no longer refuse. Besides, he wasn't the type to be coy. Even though he vaguely guessed that the sect leader of the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect hadn't given up on asking him to deal with the Beast King Anye, he didn't care too much. At worst, it would just be a battle. Punishing evil and promoting good, and acting on behalf of Heaven, was something he should do.

The current Si Ming is not the same person he was when he fought against the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King. In the past, he needed to rely on formations, the Sacred Sword, and the Hongdou possessed by Si Jingyu to barely defeat the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King. Now, he can hold his own against the Beast King Anye on his own, and with the help of the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique, his chances of winning are even greater.

Even if he couldn't win, escaping wouldn't be difficult. Dangerous as it may be, it wouldn't be enough to make Si Ming afraid. His previous refusal was simply because he thought it was too much trouble and didn't want to make promises lightly before he was confident.

"I'll accept your kind offer, Sect Master, but I won't take the manual with me. I'll stay here for a few days and return it after I've learned it."

Si Ming said this, and thought this, but Wan Yebai interpreted the same words as Si Ming wanting to repay kindness and protecting the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect through this vulnerable period to prevent it from being coveted by evil people. After all, the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique is the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect's most Higher Vehicle martial art, which is unfathomable and extremely profound. How could it be learned in "a few days"? Even the peerless genius who learned it the fastest in the history of the Sword Sect took a full twelve years.

Of course, when that peerless genius first came into contact with the "Evil-Slaying Sword Technique," he could only be considered a second-rate martial artist. Due to insufficient cultivation, he was unable to fully grasp the mysteries of the Swordsmanship technique. This problem was only resolved when he advanced to the level of Grandmaster.

Leader Sima himself possesses profound cultivation, so he is not subject to such limitations. Moreover, he is well-versed in the profound principles of martial arts, and his understanding of martial arts is far beyond that of any newcomer to the martial arts world. It is rumored that he can help others break through their martial arts bottlenecks with just a casual word of guidance. It is not hard to guess that he will learn the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique much faster than that sect genius, perhaps in just three or four months.

With this three or four-month transition period, the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect will have enough time to catch its breath and at least be able to recall all the experts who are on missions outside to the sect.

"Then please trouble the Alliance Leader and your friend to stay here for the time being. If you encounter any bottlenecks in your Swordsmanship practice, I am always willing to share my insights."

"Then I'll keep you in suspense."

After settling Si Ming and his group in, Wan Yebai turned back to dealing with sect affairs: treating the wounded, providing compensation for the deceased, and formulating the sect's future course of action... He was busy until dawn the next day, finally able to take a short break.

During the break, the young sect leader Wan Ziqiu, asked softly, "Father, I heard you gave the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique to that leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance?"

"What, do you have a problem with that? Do you think our sect's secret techniques shouldn't be revealed to outsiders?" Wan Yebai retorted.

"This... I have no objection to passing it on to Alliance Leader Sima himself. He has done us a great favor, saving thousands of lives in our sect. It's not unreasonable to repay him with our sect's ultimate technique. But Father, you should make a three-point agreement with him: he must not pass on the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique to others. You must know that the Heavenly Martial Alliance he created claims to publicly share all martial arts in the world, giving everyone the opportunity to learn Higher Vehicle martial arts. If he includes the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique in the martial arts exchange list, wouldn't our Evil-Slaying Sword School become a member of the Heavenly Martial Alliance?"

Wan Yebai gave his only son a deep look, sighed, and said, "After yesterday's ordeal, I thought you had matured a lot and I was ready to entrust the sect's affairs to you. But now it seems you're still too green."

In the past, Wan Ziqiu might have lost his temper upon hearing these words, but having narrowly escaped Ghost Gate and experienced the annihilation of his sect, his temperament had matured considerably. Compared to yesterday's calamity, this criticism was nothing. He humbly asked, "Please enlighten me, Father."

"Although we only met for half a day, Alliance Leader Sima is not very cunning. Of course, he may also be too cunning. In any case, judging from his outward appearance, he is undoubtedly a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. With this kind of person, you either trust him completely or don't trust him at all. In short, you should treat him with sincerity and not do the kind of thing that you can't be too wary of.

Take the matter of giving him the Swordsmanship for example. If I were to propose three conditions, he would definitely refuse immediately and ignore me completely. It's clear that he doesn't really crave the sect's "Evil-Slaying Sword Technique," which is probably due to his confidence in his own martial arts.

Conversely, if I say nothing now and don't mention any conditions, he will not only protect the Swordsmanship from being leaked, but will also take the initiative to deal with the Beast King Anye, because his principle of conduct is "If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect." If you act like you're the Laozi in the world or that asking for his help is doing him a favor, you will either become his enemy or be avoided at all costs.

Wan Ziqiu pondered for a moment, "So, they only respond to gentle persuasion, right?"

"That makes sense, but it's not entirely true. Even if someone is a 'soft' (innocent) offering, it has to suit their taste. Consider someone who can build an organization like the Heavenly Martial Alliance from scratch—they're not so easily manipulated. Don't befriend them with ulterior motives; they'll see through you. If you can't do that, it's better to keep your distance and not force yourself on them; that will only earn you contempt."

Wan Ziqiu nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for your instruction, Father."

After the topic was over, the atmosphere quickly cooled down. The two were not the kind of father and son who could joke and scold each other at will; in fact, they were more like master and apprentice than father and son.

Unable to find any other topics to discuss, and utterly exhausted, Wan Ziqiu was about to take his leave when Wan Yebai suddenly asked, "Ziqiu, if one day I were possessed by the Beast King Anye, could you bring yourself to kill me?"

Why do you say that, Father?

"Never mind the reasons, just tell me if you can do it. I'm not testing your filial piety, so don't hold back."

"This... please forgive my lack of steadfastness in my faith."

Wan Yebai sighed and waved his hand, saying, "You can go now."

"Father?"

"In the end, you can only be a ruler who maintains the status quo; you cannot inherit the sect's mission of 'exterminating evil.'"

Wan Ziqiu clenched his fists, asking unwillingly, "Does Father still think I'm inferior to my sister?"

Wan Yebai did not answer, but said, "Actually, our sect's founder once had the idea of making the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique public so that everyone in the world could practice it and thus be fearless of the threat of the Monster Race. However, he was concerned that doing so would also allow the Monster Race to understand the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique. If they were to find a way to break it and lose its restraining effect, it would be putting the cart before the horse. Therefore, he did not put it into action."

"Our patriarch was selfless and impartial; such virtues are beyond the reach of later generations."

"What's the point of spouting such sycophantic platitudes!" Wan Yebai rebuked. "Do you genuinely admire him and want to learn from the spirit of the patriarch, or are you just offering a few words of praise without truly taking it to heart, and even thinking the patriarch's actions were a bit foolish?"