I Want to "Test the Waters"

Not long after.

The Earthen Training Ground.

Shen Zhou threw punches over and over, getting used to his body and strength after his breakthrough.

Dongfang Pangpang kept sighing beside him. "I thought breaking through one realm in a month was already impressive. I never imagined you'd break through two realms in a month, going from the Blood Coagulation Fourth Realm to the Coagulation Sixth Realm. And your Golden Body Art even broke through to the second layer, the Stone Skin Realm.

Be honest with me. What kind of monster are you?"

Shen Zhou shot him a glance and didn't bother answering.

The reason he could break through so quickly, of course, was his second Entry, Daily Enlightenment, combined with the Wild Desolate Art.

Daily Enlightenment let him cultivate anything at great speed, and even when he used it just to practice his forms, he was in excellent condition.

The Wild Desolate Art could refine essence into qi. As long as his body could take it, he could keep replenishing himself with food, refining the essence, and nourishing his body in return, repeating the cycle.

Add in medicinal baths and all the precious herbs and monster-beast meat the Qin Family had sent for him to use as he pleased, and that was how Shen Zhou had achieved such astonishing cultivation speed.

For that reason, Shen Zhou was no longer so resistant to becoming the Qin Family's head.

After all, it was hard to refuse when you'd eaten their food and taken their gifts.

Just as he finished his punches, Qin Mingyue came over gracefully with a tea tray. When she reached the two of them, she smiled gently. "I've just brewed some fine Golden Silk Tea. It'll help regulate your qi and blood. Give it a try."

Come to think of it, ever since they returned from the North Mountain Mine, Qin Mingyue had been treating Shen Zhou better and better.

She washed his clothes and cooked for him during the day, brought him tea and water, and made his bed and cared for him at night. She looked after every detail of his daily life, tending to him with the utmost care.

Dongfang Pangpang had teased him more than once, saying Qin Mingyue was just like Shen Zhou's little wife now—gentle and obedient, practically a different person from the cold woman she'd been when they first met.

After Qin Mingyue had poured the tea, gathered her things, and left, Dongfang Pangpang couldn't help teasing him again. "Shen Zhou, your little wife treats you so well. When are you two getting married?"

Shen Zhou was taken aback. "I never said I was going to marry her."

Dongfang Pangpang looked confused. "I remember that when the Qin Family held the challenge to draw the sword, they promised that whoever drew it would receive the Qin Family's full support and cultivation, and would also get to marry the Qin Family's pearl. Are they trying to go back on their word? No, that doesn't make sense. If the Qin Family wanted to renege, they wouldn't have had Qin Mingyue follow you, much less made you head of the family."

"Don't overthink it," Shen Zhou said. "I'm the one who doesn't want to."

Dongfang Pangpang was surprised. "You don't want to? Why?"

"It's hard to explain," Shen Zhou said. "Just think of it as me not being interested in her."

Dongfang Pangpang was dumbfounded.

What? The most beautiful woman in Flying Bird City, and someone actually wasn't interested in her?

If it had been anyone else, he'd have thought that person was crazy.

But when it came to Shen Zhou, for some inexplicable reason, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

Sometimes Shen Zhou's way of thinking and the things he came up with were genuinely hard to understand.

Dongfang Pangpang shook his head, then asked, "If you're not interested in her, why does she follow you around and treat you so well?"

At that, Shen Zhou looked in the direction Qin Mingyue had gone, his face full of puzzlement. "Right? Why do you think she does? Surely she isn't after my looks?"

Dongfang Pangpang looked Shen Zhou up and down with scorn, then gave him the finger. "Bah! Shameless!"

Shen Zhou smiled.

Then he slowly narrowed his eyes as he watched the direction Qin Mingyue had gone.

Actually, ever since the incident on Martial Hall Street, Shen Zhou had suspected there was a reason Qin Mingyue had approached him. But a series of events had gotten in the way.

After that, he'd been busy cultivating and hadn't had time to concern himself with Qin Mingyue.

Lately, though, Qin Mingyue had been paying more and more attention to him, to the point that even the people around him had started noticing something was off. Shen Zhou couldn't help but take the matter seriously again.

Looks like it's time to "test the waters"!

A glint passed through Shen Zhou's eyes. It seemed he already had a plan.

That afternoon.

The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Shen Zhou wore plain clothes, his hair tied up in a bun with a hairpin. He was exercising in the Training Ground, practicing his swordplay with the Taixuan Sword. Before long, Dongfang Pangpang came over.

Watching the Taixuan Sword in Shen Zhou's hand, Dongfang Pangpang was itching to try it. He shamelessly sidled over and said, "Shen Zhou, when I first came to Flying Bird City, you'd already drawn this sword, which was a shame. Otherwise, with my talent, maybe I could've made the Taixuan Sword recognize me as its master.

How about letting me give it a try?"

Dongfang Pangpang had asked Shen Zhou to let him try the sword many times before, but Shen Zhou had always refused. After everything that had happened at the mine, though, they'd grown much closer. Seeing how badly the man wanted to try it, Shen Zhou smiled, then waved a hand and tossed him the Taixuan Sword. "Sure. I'm tired of practicing anyway. I'll lie down for a bit. Go ahead and try it."

With that, Shen Zhou returned to the big tree beside the Training Ground and stretched out on a lounge chair.

Dongfang Pangpang caught the sword, beaming, then gripped it and swung it around.

After a couple of swings, Dongfang Pangpang looked disappointed. "Why isn't anything happening?"

Unwilling to give up, he tried all sorts of things—channeling his energy, even dripping blood on it—but nothing made the Taixuan Sword react.

In the end, Dongfang Pangpang gave up. "Forget it. Maybe this sword really isn't suited for me."

Dongfang Pangpang turned to return the sword, but when he looked over, he saw that Shen Zhou had fallen asleep in the lounge chair. He seemed truly exhausted; a faint snore escaped him as he slept.

Dongfang Pangpang shook his head helplessly. "This guy cultivates so hard every day that I thought he was made of iron. I never realized he could get tired, too."

With that, he leaned the sword against Shen Zhou's lounge chair and said, "Shen Zhou, I've left your sword here. I'm heading off."

Shen Zhou gave a half-awake response, then drifted off again.

Dongfang Pangpang didn't think much of it and turned to leave.

For a while, Shen Zhou was the only person in the Training Ground. The area around him was exceptionally quiet.

Not long afterward, a figure appeared with a plate of pastries.

Qin Mingyue!

When she reached the tree and saw Shen Zhou resting, Qin Mingyue was about to wake him. But just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly noticed the iron sword beside the lounge chair, black as a charred poker.

In an instant, Qin Mingyue froze.

The words she'd been about to say caught in her throat, and in the end, she swallowed them.

The Taixuan Sword!

The ancestor's Divine Weapon!

Qin Mingyue's expression changed dramatically.

After Shen Zhou had defeated her with a single sword strike at the Qin Family, she had been unable to accept it.

Why?

Why, as a Qin Family descendant, couldn't she earn the recognition of the ancestor's Divine Weapon?

Why could an outsider wield the ancestor's Divine Weapon and gain such powerful, heaven-defying strength?

So, at the time, a bold idea had taken root in her mind.

She would steal the sword!

That was why she later told her great-aunt she was willing to follow Shen Zhou.

That was why she later obeyed all of Shen Zhou's arrangements.

That was why she had swallowed her pride and willingly served Shen Zhou, tending to his daily needs like a maid.

All of it had been to get close to him, observe him, and then seize the sword when the opportunity arose.

When she saw Shen Zhou training his body and circulating his energy every day, yet never practicing swordsmanship, she had suspected that perhaps he hadn't yet earned the Sword Spirit's full recognition. Otherwise, why wouldn't the Sword Spirit pass down the ancestor's cultivation method, the Taixuan Sword Scripture?

And why would he choose to train his body instead of taking the easier path?

As long as the Sword Spirit hadn't fully recognized Shen Zhou, she still had a chance.

For this, she had even paid a tremendous price to obtain an Ancient Cultivation Secret Art from a thousand years ago. It could help her awaken the Sword Spirit.

Once she could communicate with the Sword Spirit, Qin Mingyue believed that, thanks to her Qin Family bloodline, she would surely earn the Taixuan Sword's choice and recognition.

At the very least, Shen Zhou would no longer be the only choice.

And the prerequisite for all of this was that she first get her hands on the Taixuan Sword.

Now, the Taixuan Sword was right in front of her!

Qin Mingyue reached out without thinking.

Then she hesitated.

A woman's sixth sense told her this was a trap, a test set by Shen Zhou.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Shen Zhou had always kept the sword inside his body. Why would he leave it lying out so carelessly?

Yet, as she gazed at the Taixuan Sword within arm's reach, she feared that if she let this chance slip by, she might never again have such a good opportunity to get close to it.

Whatever. Even if it's a trap, I'll accept it. As long as I can get the Taixuan Sword, as long as I can earn the Sword Spirit's recognition, then nothing else will matter.

Qin Mingyue made up her mind and grabbed the Taixuan Sword.

With the sword in hand, Qin Mingyue felt a little excited, but she quickly calmed herself. Without delay, she pricked her finger to bind it to her.

She tried to use the power of her bloodline to awaken the Sword Spirit, while also testing once more whether she was the Taixuan Sword's chosen one.

The blood dripped onto the sword, but the latter didn't react at all.

"So it really won't work?"

"Then I'll have to use the secret art to awaken the Sword Spirit!"

Qin Mingyue didn't give herself time to feel disappointed. She brought her hand down, cutting into her palm, and let the blood gush freely.

At that moment, Qin Mingyue was so calm and decisive that it was frightening.

Then she rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.

As she formed one profound, complicated, and strange seal after another, the blood on her hand seemed to come alive. It slithered toward the Taixuan Sword of its own accord, gradually forming a blood-red talisman on the blade.

The atmosphere turned eerie and uncanny.

"Congeal!"

At last, Qin Mingyue gave a low cry. The talisman on the Taixuan Sword seemed to awaken, and suddenly blazed with light.

The Taixuan Sword shook violently and let out a ringing hum.

It was as if someone had suddenly doused a sleeping person with a basin of cold water.

An angry little-girl voice came from inside the blade. "Damn it! Why'd you wake me up, you awful person? You... Huh? Who are you?"

Qin Mingyue's eyes lit up. "It worked! The Sword Spirit is awake!"

Just as she was celebrating, another voice suddenly came from behind her, and her expression changed at once.

"So you really were after the Taixuan Sword!"