Testing the Sword

The Qin Family Council Hall.

As soon as the four elders left, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

A dozen or so Qin Family disciples surged forward and surrounded the four of them, their expressions hostile.

Seeing this, Xi Mei nervously ducked behind Shen Zhou.

A Dai and San Mazi also stiffened, feeling terribly uneasy.

Shen Zhou, however, only gave a cold smile and thought, Looks like I won't have to wait for those elders to reach a decision. I can use these guys to cut ties with the Qin Family right now.

After what had happened earlier, it wasn't hard for him to guess what they wanted.

Sure enough, someone soon picked a fight.

As Qin Mingyue's younger brother, Qin Mingshu had cared more than the other clan members about who had drawn their ancestor's Divine Weapon ever since he learned it had been pulled free. Now, facing Shen Zhou, he made no effort to hide his contempt. "You've got no strength, no talent, no skill, no connections... And a nobody like you thinks he can marry my sister? What a pipe dream. If you know what's good for you, leave on your own right now. Otherwise, I'll have to throw you out!"

The other Qin Family disciples said nothing, but every one of them wore an expression of contempt and mockery toward Shen Zhou.

Shen Zhou wasn't even annoyed. He only smiled wryly and said, "You're right. The Qin Family is a second-rate clan, and who knows, maybe you'll become a third-rate one in the future. A clan like yours, already in decline and struggling, whose young members don't know how to work hard and improve but only know how to act arrogant and conceited? I really wouldn't dare 'marry above my station' by joining you.

"Since you look down on me too, then that's perfect. We can go our separate ways.

"Goodbye!"

With that, Shen Zhou took the Three Little Ones and turned to leave, without the slightest hesitation.

Qin Mingshu was stunned.

He hadn't expected to drive Shen Zhou off so easily with a few taunts.

Wasn't the guy supposed to kneel and kowtow, begging to cling to the Qin Family?

But someone quickly came to their senses and hurried to stop Shen Zhou. "Wait... You can leave, but leave our ancestor's Divine Weapon behind."

At that, Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow.

He didn't care whether he married Qin Mingyue.

He didn't care whether the Qin Family welcomed him.

But giving back the Taixuan Sword... No way!

Shen Zhou looked at the other man and asked, "I drew the sword with my own ability. Why should I leave it with you?"

"But that's my family's ancestral Divine Weapon. You have no right to take it!"

"I drew the sword, so now it's mine. I have no right to it? Then do you?"

"You..."

The man was at a loss for words, then flew into a rage out of humiliation. "Whatever you say, the sword belongs to the Qin Family. You must leave it behind, or you won't be stepping out of the Qin Family's gates!"

Swish, swish, swish!

More than ten Qin Family disciples immediately stepped forward in unison, putting pressure on Shen Zhou.

They were clearly planning to use force!

Seeing this, Shen Zhou only smiled wider. He reached out, and the Taixuan Sword appeared out of thin air in his right hand. The corner of his mouth lifted. "That's more like it. It's so much easier when you don't bother with reason. Truth be told, I'm not all that fond of reasoning either.

"The sword's right here.

"If you've got what it takes, come and take it!"

With that, Shen Zhou put the Three Little Ones behind him, then gave his wrist a light flick. The blade rang like a dragon deep in its abyss, trembling without pause.

At the same time, an unruly, fearless aura spread from him.

If you don't like it, come at me!

That was Shen Zhou's attitude.

Feeling the change in his aura, many of the Qin Family disciples glanced at him, but their attention was soon drawn back to the Taixuan Sword.

A Divine Weapon...

A hidden treasure...

The Divine King Inheritance...

Thinking of the rumors surrounding their ancestor's Divine Weapon, the Qin Family youths couldn't help growing excited.

Then a young disciple named Qin Zhong was the first to lose patience. He charged forward and shouted, "You brat, you dare act so arrogantly in the Qin Family? I'll teach you how to behave today. Take this!"

As he spoke, Qin Zhong's vital energy erupted. He unleashed the full power of the Coagulation Ninth Realm, his might far surpassing that of many martial arts hall masters in White Sheep County who had practiced for twenty or thirty years.

But that little bit of skill was nowhere near enough to threaten Shen Zhou.

"You think you can teach me how to behave? You're not up to the task. Get lost!"

With a shout, Shen Zhou swung the long sword in his hand. A violent torrent of Sword Qi burst from the blade, streaking through the air like a rainbow before striking Qin Zhong.

Before Qin Zhong could even get close, his sword had been broken and he was already injured. Spraying blood, he flew back through the air. The whole exchange had taken no more than the blink of an eye.

The Qin Family members' expressions changed.

Qin Zhong, a Coagulation Ninth Realm cultivator, couldn't withstand even one move?

Wasn't that guy named Shen Zhou supposed to have not a trace of vital energy? How could he still unleash Sword Qi?

As they wondered, someone looked again at the Taixuan Sword in Shen Zhou's hand. He immediately realized what was going on, and his pupils contracted.

"That guy may not have a trace of vital energy, but he's holding the Taixuan Sword!"

"Could that last strike have been the Taixuan Sword's power?"

"The ancestor's Divine Weapon can give someone who knows nothing about martial arts such incredible strength in an instant? That's downright heaven-defying!"

In this situation, the Qin Family disciples thought and reacted just like the people who had tried to snatch the sword at the arena earlier.

After seeing Shen Zhou defeat Qin Zhong with the Divine Sword's power, their first thought wasn't how dangerous Shen Zhou was. Instead, they wondered, If someone who knows nothing about martial arts can be this powerful with the Taixuan Sword, what could I do if I got my hands on it?

As the saying goes, greed makes people foolish, and desire turns them into idiots.

The Qin Family's young disciples had been bewitched by the Taixuan Sword's heaven-defying power and couldn't pull themselves away.

In the next moment, three more young men leaped forward, pointing their swords at Shen Zhou as they shouted, "How dare you attack someone in the Qin Family? You're asking to die!"

"Enough talk. Take him down!"

"Hand over the sword!"

As they spoke, all three unleashed their vital energy and attacked Shen Zhou together, every move aimed at killing him.

Shen Zhou's eyes narrowed, and the tip of his sword rose once more. "You're pushing your luck. Fine, don't blame me for holding nothing back!"

Boom...

"What? The Taixuan Sword can actually give someone who knows nothing about martial arts such strength in an instant?"

As the battle raged in the front hall, the four elders, who had been secretly watching from the rear hall, were also shocked by the power Shen Zhou had just displayed.

Qin Changfeng and Qin Yihu had seen it before, back at the arena, but it was the first time the First Elder, Qin Changlin, and the Fourth Elder, Qin Suyun, had witnessed it.

Qin Changlin was visibly moved, his eyes shining. "As expected of our ancestor's Divine Weapon!"

Qin Suyun immediately urged him, "Eldest Brother, the Taixuan Sword has such power. Now I believe even more in the prophecy left by our ancestors: 'When the Taixuan Sword appears, the Qin Family will rise again.'

"This concerns the revival of our Qin Family. I believe we must take the sword back!"

Qin Yihu agreed. "Fourth Sister is right. This sword is already so powerful in the hands of a kid who can't even practice martial arts. If our great-aunt, who's at the Celestial Firmament Realm, could use it, why would we fear the five great families—the Yang, Xu, Chu, Wu, and Lin?"

Qin Changlin had already calmed down from his earlier excitement. After hearing them out, he didn't make a decision right away. Instead, he paused in thought, then looked at the Second Elder, Qin Changfeng. "Second Brother, what do you think?"

Qin Changfeng considered it for a moment. "Third Brother and Fourth Sister make a good point, but that depends on one thing: anyone can use the sword once we get it back. If it only recognizes the person who drew it, then what's the point of taking it back?"

"Uh..."

Qin Yihu fell silent.

Qin Changlin also furrowed his brow slightly.

The sword choosing its wielder—that was the real headache.

Qin Suyun's eyes narrowed slightly, then she made a decisive call. "This is too important. No matter what, we should take the sword back and try. If it doesn't work, we can deal with that kid afterward."

Qin Changfeng frowned. "You want to use him afterward? Aren't you worried he might refuse to cooperate by then?"

Qin Suyun scoffed. "A nobody like him, with nothing to his name—our Qin Family's willing to make use of him, and that's his good fortune. Would he really dare refuse to cooperate?"

Qin Changfeng glanced toward the battle in the Council Hall, then said with concern, "I'm afraid that may not be the case..."

Violent Sword Qi rampaged through the Council Hall, battering everything around it until it lay in pieces.

In no time at all, Shen Zhou and the Three Little Ones were the only ones still standing. Every Qin Family disciple lay on the ground, injured and groaning.

Even Qin Mingyue, who had silently watched from the sidelines, was now kneeling on one knee, leaning on her sword. Her face was pale, and blood kept dripping from the corner of her mouth.

She looked up at Shen Zhou, her emotions tangled, and gritted her teeth. "Why? Why couldn't I be the one to draw our ancestor's Divine Weapon? Why?!"

Qin Mingyue had never felt so unwilling to accept something before.

She had devoted herself to martial arts since childhood, vowing to climb to the very peak. Her talent wasn't exceptional, and being a woman brought many difficulties, but none of that had ever shaken her resolve to grow stronger.

For more than a decade, she had worked tirelessly until she finally became the leader of the Qin Family's younger generation. In terms of strength, she was no less impressive than Xu Baxia had been at the same age.

And yet just now, a boy who knew nothing about martial arts had knocked her flat with a single move, using nothing but a Divine Weapon. All the effort she had put in over the years had become a joke.

Along with the blow came a deep sense of envy and jealousy.

Why couldn't she be the one to wield such a Divine Weapon?

She was a member of the Qin Family, and the most outstanding person of her generation. Why hadn't the ancestral Divine Weapon chosen her when she drew it?

If the sword were in my hands, reaching the peak of martial arts would be easy—just a matter of time!

Qin Mingyue stared at Shen Zhou and suddenly clenched her fists. A hint of madness emanated from her.

That aura made Shen Zhou look at her twice, but that was all.

After looking away from Qin Mingyue, Shen Zhou glanced around at the fallen Qin Family disciples and said calmly, "Looks like you don't have what it takes to take the Taixuan Sword back."

He was just about to leave when a deep, rough voice sounded behind him. "Wait. I'd like to give it a try too."

Shen Zhou turned around. Qin Yihu had emerged from the rear hall, his expression solemn and his eyes bright, striding forward with an imposing air.