Wait Sword!

A vast surge of power burst from Lin Qingfeng!

His cultivation suddenly soared once again, in a way Su Ling'er couldn't begin to understand!

[Next quest unlocking.]

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Having completed the quest, Lin Qingfeng was already ecstatic. Any semblance of an expert's bearing or a grandmaster's composure had been flung far beyond the heavens.

Your Dao Lord has done it again! Hahahaha!

His laughter echoed through the Sword Mound, growing more and more unrestrained and smug.

But to Su Ling'er, it sounded no different from a victory declaration by a demon god from the deepest pits of hell.

She watched helplessly as Lin Qingfeng's cultivation soared once again, without the slightest warning.

This time, there had been no sudden enlightenment, no heavenly treasures, and he hadn't even swallowed a pill. He hadn't revealed that sinister demonic contract from before, either.

He had simply taken her on a stroll around the place and told her a string of stories that sounded completely made up.

And then...

He'd broken through?!

What was going on?!

Could the Sword Mound... also be some kind of Evil Cultivator formation?

Had he brought her here to use her, a new disciple, to activate some kind of evil formation inside the Sword Mound?!

Had every word he'd said and every step she'd taken been part of some ritual?

But why her, of all people?

What was so special about her?

Could it be...

Because she'd just received a reward from the Dao Seeking Ladder?

Judging by the other disciples, it seemed no one had ever climbed a hundred steps...

Could reaching the hundredth step have fulfilled some requirement for their ritual?

Or perhaps, just as Senior Disciple Brother and the others had plotted, this was all preparation for sacrificing her blood to forge a sword?

Su Ling'er's face turned deathly pale.

Fighting the urge to turn and run, she asked in a trembling voice:

"Se... Senior Disciple Brother, what... what happened to you?

Did you have a sudden enlightenment?

How... how did you suddenly...?"

Lin Qingfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his joy.

He glanced at the next quest, which was activating. There should be enough time.

What would the next quest be?

Never mind. The most important thing now was to act out the scene he'd planned with Junior Disciple Brother Zhan, with his junior sister in tow!

So he struck that breezy, composed pose again, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Indeed. Your senior brother has, quite by accident, broken through again.

With talent like mine, breaking through is as easy as eating or drinking. It's hardly worth mentioning.

It's a shame that, with talent like yours, if you don't practice... sigh! It would be a pearl lost in the dust."

Su Ling'er knew exactly what he was getting at.

Wasn't he trying to bring up the Sword Refining Art again?

Wasn't he implying that someone as hopelessly untalented as her couldn't break through as easily as he could, so she had to practice the Sword Refining Art?

And what kind of talent was so incredible that you could break through just by walking around, and then call it "hardly worth mentioning"?

Yeah, right!

His skin was so thick even the sect's protective formation couldn't pierce it!

But this only confirmed her suspicions.

In the stories she'd read, only demonic fiends who spent their days devouring souls and spirits would describe cultivation gained so suddenly as an "ordinary matter."

Just as Su Ling'er's thoughts had drifted to whether the formation beneath her feet would drain her dry, an overwhelmingly domineering aura descended from the sky!

"Lin Qingfeng! Come out and face your death!"

The newcomer let out a thunderous shout, hurtling down with an unstoppable presence!

With a deafening crash, he slammed into the open space in the Sword Mound, sending dust billowing into the air.

When the dust cleared, a burly figure stood there proudly. An enormous sword, completely out of proportion with his build, was strapped to his back, and a menacing aura radiated from him.

It was Junior Disciple Brother Zhan. He'd arrived!

Before the words had even faded, the greatsword rang as it was drawn, its cry like a dragon's roar!

He seemed unwilling to give Lin Qingfeng any chance to react. His figure blurred, and he brought the greatsword crashing down at Lin Qingfeng's head!

"Look out!"

Su Ling'er shouted instinctively, but her thoughts raced even faster.

What was going on?

Had Senior Disciple Brother's enemy come looking for him?

Well, he'd casually killed two fellow disciples as soon as he entered the sect. It made sense that he had countless enemies here.

And this guy hadn't even bothered to announce himself. He'd launched a killing blow right away. No wonder this was an Evil Sect full of demonic fiends!

There was no mistaking the killing intent in that greatsword!

She still couldn't understand how a Demonic Sect with such vicious infighting had survived this long.

But in the Righteous Path, no one would dare strike to kill during a spar—not even an outer disciple, let alone an inner disciple.

The sect had spent resources raising every disciple. Even outer disciples could run errands and do chores, and serve the inner disciples with massages and back rubs.

The higher-ups would never tolerate pointless infighting. Yet here, it seemed to be the norm.

Facing this sudden attack, Lin Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back.

He even struck an even more dashing pose. Watching the oncoming sword light, he sank his breath into his dantian and shouted in that direction:

"Wait!"

???

Su Ling'er's mind was instantly flooded with question marks.

What was going on?

The guy was about to cleave your head open, and you told him to "wait"?

Was he really going to listen and just stop?!

Last time, in the Monster Locking Tower, that monster was about to smash me to death, and you shouted "Stop";

Now someone's about to chop you to death, and you're shouting "Wait"?!

Did you think you had to shout at your opponent in a life-or-death moment just to prove you were there?

It's over, it's over. Senior Disciple Brother's about to be cleaved in half by a fellow disciple!

Will that Evil Cultivator kill me too?

At least Senior Disciple Brother might still protect me before he turns me completely into the "sword" in his hands...

But once he's dead, I'll probably die here the very next moment!

And yet, when the disciple carrying the greatsword heard that shout, he actually... halted his attack!

The enormous blade stopped dead, just three inches above Lin Qingfeng's head!

"Senior Disciple Brother, what's up?"

Su Ling'er: "???"

She was even more dumbfounded!

No, why did you actually stop?

Are Evil Cultivators really that obedient?

Before the words had even faded, everything changed!

With a sudden pfft, a streak of ghostly light shot out of the Sword Mound behind the disciple, moving at incredible speed!

It came from behind, yet arrived first. The streak drew a straight black line through the air, ignoring distance and protective aura alike, and pierced straight through his chest!

A clean shot through the heart!

Warm droplets of blood splattered across Su Ling'er's face. She froze.

Slowly, she raised a hand and touched her cheek. It was warm and sticky.

Then she looked down at her hands and clothes. They were all spattered with bright red blood.

Her mind went blank.

What had happened?

He'd killed him... just like that?

The guy had actually stopped when he heard "Wait," so why had he gone and killed him anyway?

How... despicable!

The disciple with the hole through his chest wore a look of disbelief. He lowered his head to stare at the ancient sword in his chest, then glanced at Lin Qingfeng, who remained as calm as ever.

"Damn..."

Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Lin Qingfeng! You sneaky old bastard! Since when did you have a 'Wait Sword' in addition to your 'Stop Sword'?!"

Spitting blood, he struggled to form a hand seal. A glimmer of light fell upon the ancient sword.

"Damn, the ancient sword from the Sword Mound acknowledged you as its master, too?! I'm so jealous, I could die! I'm eating lemons over here!"

Su Ling'er: "..."

The confusion clouding her mind instantly cleared, and all her earlier questions fell into place.

"Stop"...

"Wait"...

In the Monster Locking Tower, he'd shouted "Stop." The monster's attack hadn't stopped, but she'd still been saved.

In front of the Sword Mound, he'd shouted "Wait." The disciple's attack had been forcibly halted, and then he'd been pierced through the heart by a sword.

So "Stop" hadn't been telling someone to stop, and "Wait" hadn't been telling someone to wait!

He hadn't been ordering anyone to do anything. They were... the names of magic treasures!

The names of the divine swords in his hands!

Su Ling'er looked at the ancient sword still embedded in Junior Disciple Brother Zhan, blood dripping from its blade.

He'd concealed all his killing intent within words that sounded like pleas for restraint, then struck the instant his opponent hesitated!

Despicable!

This was exactly how Evil Cultivators of the demonic path operated!

Senior Disciple Brother... was truly terrifying!

But another thought occurred to her.

That trick did seem pretty useful...

Should she name her own magic treasure "Wait" someday?

Or "Stop"?

Or maybe... "Senior, hear me out"?

Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng kept giving Junior Disciple Brother Zhan, who was still going on about lemons, meaningful looks while sending him a private message.

[Lin Qingfeng: At least hurry up and say your lines before you die!]