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The black-clad youth who had just stepped through the door turned at the sound. His dark, gloomy eyes seemed to hold a deep pool of water, ready to swallow him whole at any moment.

He Zhizhou very unheroically flinched.

Then he stiffened his back in a show of composure, pulled a small, black-handled knife from his robes, and forced a stiff smile. "This is the He Family's ancestral treasure, the Devil-Breaking Blade. If it comes into contact with the blood of the Devil Race, it will ring out clearly."

He glanced at the lines supplied by the system. "I've been watching you for a long time. I even dream about the demonic energy around you, Junior Brother Pei. Do you want to know what a wondrous sight it'll be when this sinks into your body and tastes your blood...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he whipped out the knife and stabbed at Pei Ji's fair wrist.

This was He Zhizhou's mission.

As the heir to a clan of demon slayers, he had to sense the demonic energy and stab Pei Ji with the Devil-Breaking Blade. According to the plot provided by the system, the demonic energy was lurking inside Pei Ji at that very moment and couldn't be detected at all. So he would have to admit defeat in a sorry state, then leave, unwillingly.

Simple as could be, all in one smooth motion—

Fine. He Zhizhou took those last few words back.

The gist of the plan was right, but Pei Ji wasn't a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. He was a vicious, solitary wolf! You damn system! You set him up!

Before the Devil-Breaking Blade could even leave its sheath, Pei Ji seized his hand and twisted it hard.

He Zhizhou sucked in a sharp breath as the pain nearly wrenched his bones out of place. The knife fell from his hand and hit the ground with a crisp clang.

"If you want to lay a hand on me, you'd better have the skill to back it up."

The black-clad youth smiled coldly, though there wasn't the slightest trace of amusement in his eyes. They were like a bitter winter, frost and snow stretching to the horizon. His tone was mocking, his words unhurried. "Senior Brother He, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

He Zhizhou wanted to cry.

He had died in a car accident in his previous life. To live again, he had accepted the Whetstone Mission. Back then, he'd been young and full of enthusiasm, thinking, Isn't it just about toughening up a poor little thing? It's practically like raising a son.

But Pei Ji was no child of his.

That brat was scarier than the ghosts of his ancestors. Going head-to-head with him was worse than death.

And yet he still had to follow the system's script, arching an eyebrow with wicked, devil-may-care swagger. "Is that so? Today, I'll see for myself!"

—System, was it really necessary to put extra emphasis on those four words, "wicked, devil-may-care swagger"? Was it?!

While He Zhizhou and Pei Ji grappled, the sect leader and the elders had gathered in Qingxiao Hall on Taixuan Peak.

The trials for the Xiaochong Mountain Secret Realm had come to an end. After assessing the disciples' spiritual power and swordsmanship, the Xuanxu Sect needed to select a dozen or so of the best to represent the sect in the secret realm.

It was time to make their choices.

Tian Xianzi sat at his ease. "My little apprentices all performed well. Take your time choosing. I'm giving them all my votes."

Shi Jingyi glared at him. "Don't be ridiculous."

Li Wangsheng, one of the elders, spent his days traveling through the mountains and rivers and was nowhere to be found. His direct disciple, Qin Shu, had come to cast his vote in his stead.

Faced with so many elders, Qin Shu showed not a trace of nervousness. Instead, she spoke casually, her voice low. "Speaking of Elder Tianxian's disciples... Senior Brother He seems to be competing with Pei Ji."

Tian Xianzi raised an eyebrow. "He Zhizhou? With that sorry excuse for a personality, he'd actually seek someone out for a competition?"

"After sword practice, I passed by Pei Ji's courtyard and saw Senior Brother He with him."

Qin Shu replied gravely, "Senior Brother was holding a long, thick, black cylindrical object. He waved it around while muttering to himself that today he'd make Pei Ji submit to him no matter what."

Tian Xianzi nearly spat out his tea. "What? What did you say? A long, thick what?"

"Junior Brother, don't get the wrong idea."

Ji Yunkai's expression tightened slightly. He tried to force a certain unseemly thought out of his mind and spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Did you see anything else besides that object?"

"Senior Brother He blocked Pei Ji at the entrance."

Qin Shu tried to remember. "He said not to move around, or he'd get hurt."

The elders' faces went pale.

"He also said he'd been watching Pei Ji for a long time and dreamed about him every night. This time, he could finally bring that thing to him. He said he wondered what a wondrous sight it would be if it went into Pei Ji's body and drew blood—and then I left."

The elders' faces turned from pale to ashen.

Qin Shu, righteous to her core, asked without a hint of hesitation, "Uncle-Master, I've never seen that object before. Is it a magical artifact? Why would Senior Brother He want to use one to conquer Pei Ji? How would he conquer him? And why would it be a wondrous sight after it drew blood?"

The elders...

"Enough, Xiao Shu!"

Shi Jingyi couldn't bear to hear any more. She stepped forward and covered Qin Shu's mouth, pulling her into her arms as if shielding her from harm. "Forget what you saw! You poor thing!"

Qin Shu: ?

"Hold on, hold on. That can't be right."

Tian Xianzi drained his hot tea in one gulp. "He Zhizhou and I are close friends. I know his character. He would never do something like that."

"Whether it's true or not, one look into the Heaven-Peering Mirror will tell us."

Shi Jingyi gently stroked Qin Shu's head. "Xiao Shu has already been harmed. If Pei Ji is also..."

Sect Leader Ji Yunkai fell silent for a while, then nodded.

The Heaven-Peering Mirror was one of the Xuanxu Sword Sect's magical artifacts. It could show everything happening in every corner of the sect's territory. Now that they had activated it, the image shifted straight to the front of Pei Ji's room.

Everyone present sucked in a breath at the same time.

He Zhizhou lay in disarray at the doorway, while Pei Ji stood beside him, his expression cold as he turned to leave.

The former had clearly been beaten. He struggled to his feet, bracing himself against the door, but his expression was vicious. "You're lucky this time... Don't let me catch you again, or you'll be sorry!"

Shi Jingyi gritted her teeth and covered Qin Shu's ears.

There was going to be a next time?!

When Pei Ji ignored him, he shouted indignantly, "You're nothing but a wild bastard from the mountains. Even if I can't deal with you, I have the entire He Family behind me!"