Hawk Faction

The Heavenly Sword was rather speechless at Lianshan Xin's fury.

"I know your lineage needs to take part in the struggle for the throne, but at least get me some evidence. Otherwise, if you get yourself into trouble, I won't protect you."

Lianshan Xin's eyes lit up at those words.

He had always known how to seize on the key point.

From the Heavenly Sword's warning, Lianshan Xin heard only one thing:

As long as you have evidence, I'll protect you.

So Lianshan Xin grew excited. "Rest assured, sir. I guarantee there'll be evidence."

The Heavenly Sword was not particularly reassured. "I want evidence piled solid as a mountain. The kind you had against the Qu Family."

The Chosen of Heaven lineage needed to dance on its own grave. The Heavenly Sword's lineage did not.

The Heavenly Sword had had good reason to blind the princess back then. He had no particular fondness for making enemies of the imperial family.

Lianshan Xin nodded repeatedly. "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The Heavenly Sword: "..."

He kept feeling that his guidance had gone astray.

"Sir, may your student venture to ask your esteemed name, so that I may pray for your well-being every day?"

Not knowing his direct superior's name even now was a serious problem.

People from Shandong had always known to follow their leaders.

The Heavenly Sword was his highest-ranking leader in Jiangzhou.

He had to learn everything he could about his leader, especially his preferences.

Yet when Lianshan Xin had asked Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin for the Heavenly Sword's name, neither of them had known.

The Heavenly Sword gazed silently at Lianshan Xin, suddenly giving him an ominous feeling.

Only after staring until Lianshan Xin felt uncomfortable all over did the Heavenly Sword slowly speak. "That question is indeed rather presumptuous."

This time, Lianshan Xin genuinely failed to understand. "Your student doesn't understand."

"My origins were a little humbler than yours. I herded cattle in the countryside as a child."

Lianshan Xin was sincerely convinced. "Humble origins are no disgrace. To rise from a cowherd to one of the Nine Heavens, sir-you truly are your student's role model."

He meant it.

Anyone could tell how vast the difference in difficulty was between becoming the Heavenly Sword as the Jiangzhou Governor's son and becoming the Heavenly Sword as a cowherd.

At that moment, Lianshan Xin gained an entirely new understanding of the Heavenly Sword's talent.

In his eyes, Qi Shiyun was already a genius among geniuses, yet she came from a military family and had only placed third.

The Heavenly Sword had started as a cowherd, topped the Hidden Dragon Ranking, swept through nineteen provinces, and truly defeated every peer of his generation.

A true man should be like this.

After a pause, Lianshan Xin added, "My father actually herded sheep in the countryside as a child too. Looking at you, sir, is like looking at my father."

The Heavenly Sword said bluntly, "I wouldn't dare take one of you Chosen of Heaven lunatics as my son. Don't go claiming kinship."

Lianshan Xin felt a little disappointed.

Heavenly Sword, you've missed a fine opportunity to become my adoptive father.

"I wasn't as destitute as you imagine. I was rather lucky. When I was six, I came across two martial artists fighting while I was herding cattle. They ended up mortally wounding each other, and before they died, they passed their sword arts on to me. I couldn't even read at the time, but fortunately, there were illustrations. I practiced from the pictures for two days, and somehow entered the body tempering realm."

Lianshan Xin did not want to speak.

The gap in talent was often even greater than the gap between fathers.

That, too, was something you were born with. If you did not have it at birth, you were unlikely to acquire it later.

The Heavenly Sword's life story was pure protagonist material.

But Lianshan Xin noticed that the Heavenly Sword was changing the subject.

"So what exactly is your name, sir?"

"Zhang A-Niu."

"Pfft."

"Is it that funny?"

Lianshan Xin quickly suppressed his smile and began changing the subject himself. "Sir, if Third-Place Qi breaks through, can she become number one on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"

Zhang A-Niu gave Lianshan Xin a warning look, then cooperated with the change of subject. "The Hidden Dragon Ranking only lists experts below the domain realm. Once Shiyun breaks through, she'll enter the domain realm and condense her own martial domain. From then on, she'll no longer be a hidden dragon, but one that has soared into the heavens. Her next step will be to strive for Great Grandmaster."

In other words, to strive for Zhang A-Niu's realm.

"Third-Place Qi is progressing that quickly?"

Zhang A-Niu nodded slightly. "Indeed. The domain realm at twenty-four, with a chance at a Dharma Form before thirty. Only a little worse than I was back then."

Lianshan Xin: "???"

Would it kill you not to show off?

But when his leader wanted to show off, Lianshan Xin could only cooperate and play the straight man. "At what age did you enter the domain realm, sir?"

The corner of Zhang A-Niu's mouth curled upward. "Twenty-three."

Lianshan Xin sighed in admiration. "Even working so hard, Third-Place Qi can only catch sight of your retreating back."

"That's good enough. Countless people in this world can't even see my back."

Zhang A-Niu was telling the truth.

Yet ever since learning that the Heavenly Sword's name was Zhang A-Niu, Lianshan Xin felt that his aura as a mighty expert had automatically diminished by thirty percent.

When making your way in the world, your name really mattered.

Thank goodness for that divine physician who changed Father's name from Lianshan Tiezhu to Lianshan Jingcheng.

Lianshan Xin split his attention between two thoughts. "It seems a princess's eyes are worth less than a twenty-three-year-old domain realm expert."

Zhang A-Niu shook his head. "Wrong. They're worth less than a domain realm expert who beat an entire generation into submission before turning twenty-three. Before strength, achievements in battle, and talent, bloodline will yield. And you need all three."

"Your student has learned his lesson."

You had to do something that shook the world before you could establish your value as someone worth winning over.

As it happened, that was exactly what Lianshan Xin had always thought.

The problem was that Zhang A-Niu had only taken the princess's eyes.

He had taken the princess's life.

So he had to work harder.

"As long as you understand... hmm?"

Zhang A-Niu suddenly glanced at Lianshan Xin again.

"How did you stabilize your qi condensation realm so quickly?"

Lianshan Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

He had thought Zhang A-Niu had noticed he was about to break through the qi condensation realm.

During his secluded cultivation at home earlier, he had already mastered the Dragon-Slaying True Intent within him.

He had drawn ninety percent of its sharpness back into his body, leaving only ten percent emanating outward to intimidate those too blind to know better.

Surely, no matter how powerful the Heavenly Sword was, he couldn't have the same X-ray vision cheat I did.

"Your disciple has solid foundations. It's hardly strange that I stabilized my realm, is it?" Lianshan Xin boasted.

Zhang A-Niu could barely muster a retort. "Eighteen years without breaking through the body tempering realm-your foundations really are solid. I only stayed in the body tempering realm for a month. I'm nowhere near your level."

"Your student takes his leave."

Lianshan Xin did not want to play the straight man anymore.

Zhang A-Niu was far too full of swagger for his liking.

"Wait. There's one more thing to tell you."

Lianshan Xin stopped.

There was something inscrutable in Zhang A-Niu's voice. "News of my failure has reached the Divine Capital. The Imperial Court is furious, and so are the Nine Heavens. So they'll be sending more people to support me."

Lianshan Xin did not quite understand what that had to do with him.

"Most of those coming are like Shiyun: young masters or prospective young masters of their respective lineages. They have two things in common. First, they're young. Second, they're hot-blooded. Lianshan Xin, you may not have much time left."