Now back to Ao Yue. Li Yibai gripped the Azure Spirit Sword. The blade trembled slightly, emitting a hum like a sleeping beast being awakened. His eyes narrowed, and his divine sense surged into the sword like a tide. A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, shooting out a dazzling light as if he intended to see straight through Ao Yue. "Just as I thought! This... this is my Senior Brother Jingyuan's sword embryo!"
Ao Yue's heart jolted, and he thought, This is bad. That old man really came for the sword embryo! On the surface, however, he remained calm and feigned confusion. "Sword embryo? This disciple has no idea what Elder is talking about."
Li Yibai took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart before saying slowly, "Senior Brother Jingyuan was my Eldest Senior Brother, a heaven-gifted genius unmatched in the sword path. Unfortunately... he died young. His lifelong wish was to forge an unparalleled sword, and this sword embryo was refined through all his effort and blood, sweat, and tears."
Ao Yue sneered inwardly. Jingyuan? Who knows whether you made that up. Yet he respectfully said, "I see. This disciple truly failed to recognize Mount Tai. I had no idea this sword had such an extraordinary origin."
Li Yibai stared at Ao Yue, his gaze burning. "Since you don't know the sword's origin, how did you obtain it?"
Ao Yue's eyes shifted as an idea came to him. With a sorrowful expression, he said, "To be honest, my parents died when I was young, leaving me to wander the streets. One day, while taking shelter from the rain in a ruined temple, I happened to meet a dying old man. He gave this sword to me and instructed me to take good care of