A Sword Hanging Over the Sword Cultivator's Head

After Zhao Hong and her companions departed, Yu Xiu chewed on a name.

'Du Xin!'

A member of the Zhiyan Society.

Beyond that, he had learned another piece of news from the four of them.

The legendary figures who had been the talk of the Outer Court until his ears grew calloused—Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yundu—had already completed the accumulation required for promotion to the Main Sect. It stood to reason that they would be heading there within these next two days.

The reputation of these three was immense; they had achieved the Flawless and Qi Circulation stages within a single year to enter the Inner Court.

In another year, they had mastered the third stage of Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea.

A year after that, they reached the fourth stage, the Life Spring, and now they had even entered the first of the Four Great Passes, having already fulfilled the merit requirements for promotion to the Main Sect.

Their fame, which had already resonated throughout both the Inner and Outer Courts, had only grown further. It was simply that Yu Xiu had paid no mind to external affairs; otherwise, he would surely have heard people speaking of them.

'Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, Zhang Yundu!' Yu Xiu pondered for a moment, but since he had no prior dealings with them, he gave it no further thought.

As for the claim that these three possessed astonishing potential and cultivated at a rapid pace?

To Yu Xiu, it was actually quite ordinary.

It had taken those three two years to master the third stage of Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea, and the fourth, the Life Spring, whereas he had completed them in less than two months—a full year and ten months faster than them.

From here on out, the gap between the three of them and Yu Xiu would only continue to widen.

Without dwelling on these three renowned figures, Yu Xiu immediately made a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Elsewhere.

Zhao Hong and her group had made a round of the Internal Affairs Hall, but they truly could not find any suitable missions; even those with low risk had already been claimed by others.

Helpless, they had just returned to the Bamboo Cottage when they saw Du Xin, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"Junior Sister Zhao." Du Xin's smile was amiable. "I heard the four of you wanted to join the society?"

He stepped forward proactively. "After making the rounds, have you felt the sincerity of our Zhiyan Society?

"You are all great talents capable of entering the Inner Court in three years; surely, you will one day be like Senior Brother Zhu Wenjiu and his companions, ascending to the Main Sect.

"But before that, you must realize how difficult cultivation in the Inner Court truly is!

"The Qi Sea and Life Spring are not comparable to the Flawless and Qi Circulation stages of the Ascending Dragon realm. Everyone needs contribution points, everyone needs resources to cultivate. We veteran disciples are also short on contribution points!"

He sighed. "Our brothers in the society had good intentions in taking you out to slay demons and eliminate evil; you should be understanding about the distribution of contribution points!"

Shan Yu, who was tall and broad, was a straightforward man of few words, but at this moment, he couldn't help but speak up: "If taking us on missions requires a share of our contribution points, why didn't you state that clearly from the beginning instead of going back on your word halfway through, waiting until we had spent those points before coming to demand them?

"I think you just wanted to trick the four of us into joining the Zhiyan Society!"

By the end of his sentence, Shan Yu was no longer being polite.

He could not tolerate being saddled with a mountain of debt for no reason.

"You..." Accused to his face by Shan Yu, Du Xin was instantly stung with shame and anger. Since the matter regarding Fang Jiming could not be spoken of, he simply stopped suppressing his temper, pointed at Shan Yu, and scolded: "You don't know what's good for you. You'll suffer for this sooner or later."

It was true that the four of them had potential, but potential was not the same as strength. Moreover, their potential had not yet reached a level that made him overly wary.

If it had been someone like Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, or Zhang Yundu, he would naturally have had to swallow his teeth and bear it.

But they were not!

And then there was that Yu Xiu. He didn't know what kind of dog-shit luck that guy had to escape from Fang Jiming's hands. Not only that, but Fang Jiming and his group had all died in Guiping County of Donghe Prefecture!

As a result, he hadn't even received the benefits he was promised, and instead, he had to worry about the matter leaking and being implicated himself!

'Bad luck!' he cursed inwardly. Seeing that Shan Yu and Liu Qingchuan were still glaring at him, he sneered: "What, do you two brats, only at the first level of the Qi Sea and with your fur not even grown yet, want to try your hands against me?"

"It is unwise to fall out with Du Xin right now. Let's wait until our cultivation exceeds his, then we can settle the score," Zhao Hong hurriedly transmitted her voice, persuading Shan Yu and Liu Qingchuan, who were on the verge of losing control.

"Hmph, I figured you didn't have the guts." Du Xin let out a cold snort, though his gaze had turned icy.

Just then, two streaks of Sword Qi struck, one from the left and one from the right, piercing straight through Du Xin's knees and causing his legs to go weak, forcing him to his knees instantly.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he roared: "You dare to act in the Inner Court? Are you not afraid of a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than two figures approached at a leisurely pace. Before they even arrived, the dark red robes of the Law Enforcement Hall were already reflected in Du Xin's eyes.

'Law Enforcement disciples!'

'It's over!'

Cold sweat poured down Du Xin's forehead.

He heard the two Law Enforcement disciples speak coldly: "Du Xin, your crimes have been exposed."

As the words fell, one of them didn't even give Du Xin a chance to speak, directly sealing his mouth and dragging him away like a dead dog.

The other Law Enforcement disciple looked at Zhao Hong and her companions. "The four of you, though not guilty, were a bit too greedy. If not for Senior Brother Yu's heaven-defying talent, even if you were ignorant of the truth, you would still have had to take a trip to our Law Enforcement Hall."

"What is going on?" The four of them were bewildered.

What crime had Du Xin committed?

Who was this Senior Brother Yu?

And why would they have had to go to the Law Enforcement Hall?

A whirlwind of confusion exploded in the minds of the four, yet because they knew so little, they could make no sense of it at all.

But they were still gripped by lingering fear!

"Even if they are from the Law Enforcement Hall, they shouldn't slander us without cause..." Liu Qingchuan was still somewhat resentful.

Before he could finish, Zhao Hong covered his mouth: "Watch your tongue!"

Those were Law Enforcement brothers, people from Dragon-Slaying Peak!

They held the power of the sect's laws; they were a sword hanging over the heads of every disciple in the Qingwei Sword Sect!

If it could be said that the sword cultivators of the Qingwei Sword Sect were like their blades—sharp, piercing, and capable of cutting through metal!

Then the people of Dragon-Slaying Peak were the sovereigns of the sword, their sword intent surging to the heavens; even if an elder committed a crime, they would still have their heads taken by those from Dragon-Slaying Peak!

"Can the people of Dragon-Slaying Peak cover the sky with one hand?" Liu Qingchuan muttered, his voice lower, yet still defiant.

"Of course they cannot cover the sky with one hand, but that is the most unique peak in the sect. It is rumored to be under the direct control of the Grand Elder. Even if a disciple from Tianque Peak, where the Sect Master resides, commits a crime, Dragon-Slaying Peak will still apprehend them—let alone the likes of us!"

Zhao Hong sighed, her expression shifting several times: "Furthermore, I suspect that the people from the Law Enforcement Hall may not have been wrong to target the four of us!"

"What do you mean?" Shan Yu frowned.

"You must still remember Fang Jibai breaking through his realm using evil arts. So, what about his brother, Fang Jiming?"

"Du Xin committed offenses, took us out on missions several times, and even hinted that we should call for Yu Xiu..."

At this point, Zhao Hong gave a bitter smile: "Tell me, if that Senior Brother Yu is indeed Yu Xiu, doesn't everything suddenly align?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Shan Yu, Liu Qingchuan, and even the previously silent Xu Rou all suddenly widened their eyes.

"Yu Xiu?!"

"The Yu Xiu who entered the Inner Court with us?!"

"Perhaps... we have all underestimated him!" Zhao Hong sighed softly!