Give It Back to Me

Cultivators had to take theory and history classes too.

Theory classes mainly broke down those obscure, difficult Daoist theories and explained them in detail.

History classes mainly covered the Human Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Demon World, as well as the history of the Sword Sect.

Ning Ke had none of the original owner's memories, so he found the history lessons here quite fascinating.

The elder said that the three realms had once been connected, and the continent had truly been in chaos back then.

Torrential rains, thunder, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions-the Human Clan and the Demon Clan had lived in utter misery, and such an environment had been a paradise for breeding demons.

Demons had roamed between heaven and earth, possessing powerful members of the Demon Clan and exceptionally gifted humans, slaughtering and devouring other living beings.

Eventually, Heaven's Way had manifested, suppressing the great demons underground and deep beneath the seas, then separating the three realms and imprisoning most of the demons in the Demon World.

Only then had the Human Clan and the Demon Clan gained a chance to breathe, slowly developing over ten thousand years to reach their present state.

But after ten thousand years, the barriers were growing weaker by the day, and faint signs of renewed chaos had begun to emerge across the three realms.

That was why, as disciples of a great sect, they had to work even harder at their cultivation to protect their people.

Humans cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy through their spirit roots. Everyone had spirit roots; their talent was determined by how pure those roots were.

Those with great talent were selected by what had once been the Five Great Sects and were now the Four Great Sects.

Those with lesser talent joined smaller sects.

Each great sect governed ten cities.

After the Flowing Cloud Sect was destroyed, its ten cities had temporarily been divided among the Four Great Sects, with each taking charge of a few.

The sects protected the cities by driving out demonic beasts and demons, while the cities paid tribute to the sects.

Under such a system, the Sword Sect should never have been this poor.

Unfortunately, the Sword Sect churned out bleeding hearts.

The Sword Sect taught that the higher one's cultivation, the heavier the burden on one's shoulders.

Cultivators from other sects charged hefty fees to rid cities of demonic beasts and demons. The Sword Sect, however, asked for very little in return, and sometimes charged almost nothing when the common people were too poor.

Even of the tribute, the Sword Sect only accepted enough to cover its basic expenses.

For everything else, the disciples had to enter Secret Realms and scrounge up resources themselves.

No wonder so few people wanted to join the Sword Sect...

At that thought, Ning Ke glanced at Lou Yunxiao, who sat upright beside him, listening attentively, and asked quietly, "Senior Brother, why did you choose to come to the Sword Sect after what happened to the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

His question stirred Lou Yunxiao's memories.

The boy thought for a moment, then said, "My mother once told me that if anything ever happened to our sect, I should come to the Sword Sect and seek out Sect Master Gao."

Ning Ke had only asked casually, but Lou Yunxiao's answer raised a few questions in his mind.

Why did it sound as though Lou Yunxiao's mother had known the Flowing Cloud Sect would be wiped out?

But if she had foreseen its destruction, why hadn't she fled beforehand, or called on the other sects to help them fight the original owner when he came to annihilate them?

Yet without the original owner's memories, Ning Ke had no idea what had actually happened that day.

Forget it. No point thinking about it.

His goal was to get home anyway. Everything else had nothing to do with him.

The disciples noticed how close Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao were, and their reactions varied.

After class, someone warned Ning Ke, "Senior Brother, Lou Yunxiao has Demonic Aura in him. You must be careful around him. Don't let him hurt you."

Ning Ke was handsome and highly talented, as well as wealthy and kind. Since joining the sect, he had won over countless admirers.

So he knew the disciples meant well by warning him.

He replied, "We sword cultivators cultivate the heart. If our Dao hearts are steadfast, we won't harm our own people, even with Demonic Aura inside us. I trust our eldest senior brother."

"But..." The disciple looked ashamed at his words, yet still said, "The cultivators recorded in the history books who were consumed by Demonic Aura all became monsters who killed without blinking."

"He's different." Ning Ke's expression grew serious. He patted the disciple's shoulder and said, "Lou Yunxiao is different from everyone else."

Seeing this, the disciple sighed and left.

He was still thinking that Senior Brother A Ke was simply too kindhearted.

"Senior Brother!" After finishing the conversation, Ning Ke looked up and saw Lou Yunxiao standing a short distance away, quietly "watching" him.

Dressed in the simple robes of a direct disciple, he stood among a group of his peers, his back as straight as ever, cool and composed.

With the silk band covering his eyes, Ning Ke couldn't make out his expression.

He jogged over to Lou Yunxiao and saw the boy's lips move as he hesitated. "You..."

After a pause, Lou Yunxiao finally asked:

"You said earlier that you wanted me to be your opponent."

"So, shall we have a match?"

He had actually overheard Ning Ke's conversation with the disciple.

In the half day since coming out, he had already begun to sense how the disciples felt about Ning Ke.

Everyone liked this junior brother very much.

He, on the other hand, seemed to be a threat to his junior brother, someone everyone feared.

But A Ke had said he trusted him.

A Ke had said he was different from everyone else.

He wanted to ask why, but held himself back in the end.

In the future, he wanted to prove through his actions that A Ke's trust in him hadn't been misplaced.

"Sure." Ning Ke was itching for a fight.

It was also a good chance to see whether Lou Yunxiao had improved since leaving the Demon Abyss.

He drew the longsword from his back and told Lou Yunxiao, "Just don't go easy on me because I'm young, Senior Brother. I want a proper, all-out fight."

This tail of his was at the Golden Core stage, just like Lou Yunxiao.

Now, a rematch would truly be a contest of skill.

"I never underestimate any of my opponents." Lou Yunxiao drew his longsword as well, and his entire bearing changed. The biting chill of his ice spirit root instantly spilled out.

The temperature throughout the Arena dropped.

Ning Ke licked his lips, fighting spirit surging in his foxlike eyes. "Then get ready, Senior Brother."

He charged with his sword raised, blazing spiritual energy rushing straight at Lou Yunxiao's face!

The silk band covering Lou Yunxiao's eyes fluttered in the wind as he raised his sword to meet Ning Ke's.

Sparks flew as their blades clashed.

Lou Yunxiao couldn't see, yet he caught every one of Ning Ke's attacks with precision.

His feet barely moved, but their steps traced the faint shape of a circle, defending against Ning Ke's moves without leaving a single opening!

Ning Ke narrowed his eyes.

Damn, this kid had improved so much!

Back in the Demon Abyss, Lou Yunxiao had only just embarked on dual cultivation of Dao and Demon.

Now, after more than half a year of reflection and contemplation inside the Demon-Sealing Pagoda, he had begun to find his own Dao.

It resembled the modern Taiji Method, balancing yin and yang and turning defense into offense, leaving Ning Ke unable to find a flaw!

Damn! No wonder he was the male lead with top-tier comprehension!

Ning Ke no longer had his previous overwhelming strength. After several hundred exchanges, he saw that he was about to lose and decided to cheat.

It was a good chance to tease Lou Yunxiao, too.

He reached out, grabbed the silk band over the boy's eyes, and pulled it off!

Grinning cheekily, he said, "Senior Brother, I surrender! But I managed to grab this! At least I didn't lose too badly!"

But his answer was Lou Yunxiao's abruptly changed expression and a fierce sword edge brimming with killing intent!

Ning Ke froze. The longsword hovered before his neck, its sharp sword energy slicing his skin, a thin line of blood winding from the wound.

Lou Yunxiao's open eyes were unfocused, yet utterly cold.

He said, "Give me back the silk band."