Found the Mole!

Clang!

Lin Xue gave a sword cry, opening the final act!

Lin Xue had also learned Sword-Wielding Combat Arts. In fact, every generation of the Lin Family had produced tragic heroes who devoted themselves to studying Sword-Wielding Combat Arts. Although they could not be considered first-rate across Radiance, in their little corner of Morning Wind District, the "Lin Family Sword Arts" was still a famous banner that commanded respect.

The moment Le Yu crossed blades with her, he fully sensed the sinister danger hidden within Lin Xue's swordplay. If Gao Jin's Sword-Wielding Combat Arts were an official, rigid, wide-open King's Aura sword, then Lin Xue's Sword-Wielding Combat Arts was the sword of a warlord, combining open schemes with hidden plots!

Beneath one sword light lay another, flickering within the sheath sword!

Lin Xue's right-hand sword attacked with fierce speed, while the sword in her left hand remained hidden, ready to strike. Yet it gave Le Yu an immense sense of danger. Six-tenths of his strength went toward meeting her attacks, while four-tenths of his mind stayed alert! Compared with Gao Jin's unstoppable Sheath Sword Light, Lin Xue's sheathed sword was like a gun with the safety off and the trigger held down. Every cell in Le Yu's body trembled in warning, yet this lethal shot remained aimed without being fired!

When was a Sword-Wielding Martial Artist at their most dangerous? Always when her sword sheath was building power!

That was the Lin Family Sword Arts—upright and honorable, yet sinister and impossible to predict! Le Yu only knew a little about it from Qian Yuliu's memories. Although Qian Yuliu had never formally fought Lin Jinyao, their occasional sparring sessions had still given him a deep understanding of the Lin Family Sword Arts' unique nature.

Because combat arts were publicly available technical knowledge, interest groups centered on "technology," such as sects, could not naturally arise in this country. At most, there were martial arts hall schools—exchange clubs resembling "traditional culture preservation associations." After all, everyone knew that the best way to learn combat arts was to enter a military academy. One could obtain the best combat arts education at the lowest cost, so nobody would casually seek out another person as a master.

Although traditional master-disciple relationships were uncommon, passing knowledge down through bloodlines was routine. If parents achieved insights in combat arts, they would naturally pass them on to their children. The children would then improve upon them, and the process would continue from generation to generation. Who knew? Perhaps one day, the Yan Jing Royal Academy would take notice, and a family's insights would transform into a new technique that the entire country had to learn.

In this world, few martial artists kept their little insights hidden. Instead, at the combat arts exchange conferences held every few years, they did everything they could to display the results of their cultivation and attract the Royal Academy's attention to their improved combat arts. If selected, they would not only bring honor to their ancestors and have their names recorded forever in the Yan Jing Combat Arts Hall, but might even get the chance to teach at the Royal Academy. That was a genuine benefit—people would fight tooth and nail for it.

As for hiding one's insights in hopes of making one's own family illustrious forever, that was wishful thinking. If you refused to upload your research papers, did you think nobody else would? Even if no one uploaded anything, the Royal Academy gathered a host of civilian martial arts fanatics year-round. They fought all day and studied all night, constantly advancing and optimizing the combat arts system.

You hid your insights today, making your family's combat arts 0.5 stronger than everyone else's. Then tomorrow, the Royal Academy released an update, raising the average level of combat arts by 1.5. The insights you had researched would instantly become worthless.

After centuries of policy advancement, the idea of "daring to innovate and gladly offering it to the nation" had long been engraved in every martial artist's heart. Thus, every family had its own heavily modified combat arts. Only a tiny minority of these were overall slightly stronger than the official combat arts. More often, they sacrificed an advantage in one area to strengthen another.

The Lin Family Sword Arts was like that. From childhood, Lin Family descendants had to sleep and train while hugging a sword, using the growth of their minds during childhood to nurture both sword and sheath. They also devoted most of their energy to cultivating the technique Light Condensation in Sheath. In the end, they developed this heavily modified combat art with exceptionally powerful Sheath Sword Light.

Its advantages went without saying, but its drawbacks were equally obvious. Not only did it raise the threshold and time required to learn it, but more importantly, if the sword and sheath nurtured from childhood were damaged or broken, all the time spent cultivating them in the past would go to waste.

In a sense, this was merely a crooked path that relied on external objects. That was why the Lin Family Sword Arts had stopped at Star Engraving Prefecture in Morning Wind District and had been unable to enter the stage of history.

However, although the Lin Family Sword Arts was riddled with flaws, when it was truly Le Yu's turn to face it, he still dared not underestimate its edge!

That was right. If Lin Xue did not have that sword she had nurtured since childhood, Le Yu could have slapped her silly with one hand. But the problem was that she did have it. It was like facing someone one or two levels below him who nonetheless had one more major piece of equipment—and that equipment was a burst-damage item with a single use!

To Le Yu, Lin Xue's Sheath Sword Light was no less dangerous than Death's Finger. Even if being stabbed would not kill him as long as it did not hit a vital point, serious injury was unavoidable. That was why he fought with such caution.

Sword-Wielding Combat Arts to Heaven and Descend to Earth!

Lin Xue's sword light suddenly split in two, attacking Le Yu from above and below at the same time. The real sword was hidden within the sword light, making it impossible for Le Yu to determine instantly which side Lin Xue was truly attacking.

But it did not matter!

Biting Combat Arts Bite Cosmic Chant!

Le Yu struck the sword light with both hands in the posture of Wild Bite, then drew a great circle with the momentum. No matter which direction Lin Xue's real sword attacked from, it would be caught and bitten by the explosive light of his Cosmic Chant!

Then—

Flood Exhalation!

Le Yu suddenly closed in, pushing forward with both palms. Explosive light blossomed, as though he intended to pursue the attack and decide the victor!

Yet at that very moment, Le Yu abruptly retreated a great distance. Flood Exhalation continued, but it was not used to pursue the attack. Instead, it protected him. In an instant, a vast expanse of white appeared before him, and the surrounding light twisted violently. The onlookers felt as though the light around them had dimmed.

Clang!

Lin Xue's longsword tore through the curtain of light and calmly pointed at Le Yu. The mouth of the sheath in her hand shimmered faintly with golden light. Clearly, the sheath light was fully charged and overflowing, ready to erupt at any moment!

I didn't bait it out... Le Yu's heart sank slightly.

All the power of the Lin Family Sword Arts lay in the first Sheath Sword Light. Before the sheathed sword was released, everyone feared it. Once it was released, the game was over—if it could not win, then it would certainly lose.

As long as Lin Xue consumed her sword-intent gauge and unleashed that first Sheath Sword Light, she would pose no further threat to Le Yu. He could make her assume whatever position he wanted, and she would have to do so—the position of someone being thoroughly beaten.

Thus, Le Yu's fierce close-range attack just now had been intended to make Lin Xue feel immense danger and bait out her Sheath Sword Light. He had not expected her to be so steady. If he had really followed through with that attack, Lin Xue could have flown from this street entrance all the way to the far end of the street.

Yin Yinyin's judgment that Le Yu could defeat the Lin Family's avengers was quite reliable. Gao Jin aside—he had simply offered himself up. Xia Lingo was a hidden Qian Yuliu fanatic who had spent years secretly obsessing over him, so Yin Yinyin could hardly be blamed. As for Lin Xue, the strongest avenger on the surface, she only had one move that could threaten Le Yu.

Even though Le Yu was injured and his stamina had been greatly depleted, as long as he fought steadily, defeating Lin Xue was not difficult. Just now, Le Yu had merely been testing her. If he could bait out her Sheath Sword Light, he could end the grudge match ahead of schedule.

But was Lin Xue really the mole? If she was not, did that mean Yin Yinyin's guess about the mole was wrong? If she was, what trump card did she have?

Many thoughts flashed through Le Yu's mind, but in the end, only one remained: defeat her!

Cut off Lin Jinyao's disciples and children from joining White Night!

Lin Jinyao was already dead. There was no need for his disciples and children to follow in his footsteps and sacrifice themselves for that damnable White Night. If they could not even defeat a mere Qian Yuliu, they should stop thinking about bearing responsibility for the fate of the world. They should go home, study for a few more years, and preserve themselves for a time when they could be useful!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Claws and swords clashed, unleashing booming explosions. Explosive light burst forth, stinging the eyes of those nearby. Many watching martial artists realized that Qian Yuliu, who had just been forced back by Lin Xue's sword net, had suddenly become reckless and was instead driving Lin Xue back step by step!

"Even the Lin Family Sword Arts is becoming a stepping stone for Qian Yuliu..."

"Isn't he afraid of the Sheath Sword Light?"

"Qian Yuliu failed to bait out the sheath light just now. Now it's Lin Xue's turn to hesitate to use her killing move!"

Without the Sheath Sword Light, Lin Xue was no match for Le Yu. In pure exchanges of explosive light, Le Yu's Wild Bite and Flood Exhalation could easily tear apart Lin Xue's sword light. After only a few exchanges, Lin Xue's situation had already become perilous. If Le Yu had not occasionally used feints to evade, Lin Xue would have already been defeated!

Still not using it? Still suspecting that I'm baiting you...? Then let's make it real!

Le Yu slapped apart the sword light Lin Xue sent toward him, then suddenly closed in and thrust forward with both palms, seemingly about to use Flood Exhalation. Just when everyone thought this was another attempt to bait out her move, he genuinely pressed his palms against Lin Xue's chest and released his force!

Lin Xue was knocked backward by the powerful impact. Her organs churned and her blood surged violently. Before she could spit out a mouthful of injured blood, Le Yu's killing move was already right before her eyes!

Biting Combat Arts Bite!

Le Yu reached for Lin Xue's neck with one hand. Explosive light shattered the air, and force broke the sound barrier. This grab was powerful enough to split stone, cleave iron, shatter bones, and break gold!

As long as Lin Xue continued retreating, the Flood Exhalation that Le Yu had charged with his left hand for a long time would follow through and send her flying into the crowd, declaring victory in this grudge match!

No matter who the mole was, everything would end here!

Yet—

Lin Xue did not retreat!

She bit through her lip, using the pain to clear her mind and steady her body, then thrust the sword sheath toward Le Yu with her other hand!

When Le Yu's hand seized Lin Xue's neck, Lin Xue's sword sheath had also pressed against Le Yu's chest!

A shuddering sensation, as though he were about to be pierced through, made Le Yu's scalp go numb. Lin Xue's sheath light was ready to erupt. Le Yu could neither evade nor block it!

But your neck is in my hand too, Lin Xue!

Yet when Le Yu saw the calmness in Lin Xue's eyes, he realized that he had been wrong from the very beginning.

Lin Xue was not the mole.

Nor was Lin Xue like Tono Yanzhi, certain that she could defeat Qian Yuliu.

From the start, she had come to die together with Qian Yuliu.

That was why she had neither dodged nor used her sheath light against Le Yu's probing feints.

Only when Le Yu truly went all out could Lin Xue create a perfect opportunity that left him no way to evade—even though this opportunity required her death as the price.

So what should he do next?

Kill Lin Xue?

Suffer serious injuries?

Or should Le Yu spare Lin Xue's life, then possess her after he died and begin a brand-new life as a beautiful girl who had successfully taken revenge?

A thousand words condensed in Le Yu's mind into one curse:

Lin Jinyao, Qian Yuliu, you two dead bastards should have gone to hell long ago. Why the hell do I have to clean up after you?

In the time it took to speak, Le Yu dispersed all the strength in his right hand. With his left, he unleashed a tidal wave of explosive Flood Exhalation, slamming it heavily into Lin Xue's abdomen!

At the same time, the hand holding the sword sheath suddenly trembled slightly. The light overflowing from the sheath's mouth abruptly vanished. After being struck by Le Yu's palm, Lin Xue's weapon flew directly from her hand, and she collapsed to the ground with a cry.

It was over.

Lin Xue had not released her sheath light, and Le Yu had not killed her. This grudge match had ended with the most perfect conclusion.

Le Yu exhaled heavily and relaxed his entire body, thinking that he would have to take the day off and visit the Medical Officer Department for a massage. He glanced at Lin Xue, who lay on the ground with a deathly pale face, then walked over to pull her up.

Suddenly, a piercing sword cry exploded, followed by a heart-wrenching roar: "Qian Yuliu, don't you dare kill my niece!"

Le Yu slapped the sword light apart and cursed, "Lin Xue'en, get lost!"

The one who had suddenly attacked Le Yu was Lin Jinyao's younger brother, Lin Xue'en. Sword light whirled around him as he attacked Le Yu, saying sorrowfully, "You've already won the grudge match, and the Lin Family's ancestral residence is yours too. Why are you still trying to wipe us out completely?"

"I didn't!"

Lin Xue'en's combat arts realm was even lower than Lin Xue's. After exchanging several blows with him, Le Yu had grown rather impatient. He directly used Cosmic Chant to knock away his longsword, then followed with a heavy Flood Exhalation, intending only to force him back!

Yet Lin Xue'en did not retreat or evade. He spun his longsword into a flourish, then swung it back at Le Yu!

Damn it, does everyone in the Lin Family love dying together?

But who do you think you are? Are you worthy of a key? How many keys are you worthy of?

Le Yu was certain that his Flood Exhalation would blast Lin Xue'en several meters away before the longsword could land. Since Lin Xue'en insisted on refusing to appreciate his kindness, Le Yu decided to stop holding back!

At that very instant, a heavy chill pierced through Le Yu's entire body.

Intense fear, an intense premonition, and an intense sense of danger flooded through Le Yu's Spiritual Induction, contaminating every corner of his body! Every cell protested, demanding that he dodge immediately, leave at once—faster, quicker, now!

In an instant, Le Yu realized the reason for his fear—

Someone in the distance was aiming a sniper gun at him!

P.S.: "I have one ticket. It can hasten updates, trigger all-nighters, change genders, add a harem, pure love, a love triangle, a campus setting, hot-blooded action, hegemony, fantasy, science fiction, and feel-good writing."

"What kind of ticket is it?"

"A recommendation ticket."