“Taiping, words alone are no proof. Care to test your swordsmanship?”

Xu Ziyan suddenly placed an unsheathed sword before her, smiling at Xu Taiping.

“Here?”

Xu Taiping glanced around.

Since the competition had ended, most disciples had descended to meet their fellow sect brothers, leaving only a few scattered disciples waiting around.

“You just need to draw the sword. I’ll use some strength to control the sword within, so we can gauge the current level of your sword flying technique.”

Xu Ziyan nodded with a smile.

“Taiping, you should give it a try.”

Zhao Linglong also looked on with anticipation.

Xu Taiping nodded immediately.

Truth be told, he was quite curious himself about how his sword flying technique compared to the other disciples.

“Senior Sister Ziyann, I’m ready to draw the sword.”

Xu Taiping stood up in front of Xu Ziyan.

“Come on, even if you can’t pull it out, it’s no big deal…”

“Whoosh!!~”

Before Xu Ziyan could finish speaking, the long sword broke free from her True Qi’s restraint and shot out of its sheath.

“Clang!”

To the astonishment of all, the long sword, controlled by Xu Taiping’s sword flying technique, began to whirl around him with a series of sword cries, maintaining a distance of two to three feet from his body even as it flew swiftly.

After circling four or five times, feeling the increasing number of gazes upon him, Xu Taiping raised his sword finger and pointed at Xu Ziyan’s scabbard.

“Swish!”

Guided by his spirit, the long sword returned precisely to Xu Ziyan’s scabbard.

Zhao Linglong and Xu Ziyan were left speechless at this sight.

“Senior Sister Linglong, Senior Sister Ziyann, what do you think?”

After resheathing the sword, Xu Taiping eagerly awaited their evaluation.

“Taiping, have you really only practiced for half a month?”

Xu Ziyan looked at him skeptically.

“I can vouch for that!” Zhao Linglong joyfully linked arms with Xu Taiping, “Brother Taiping only started practicing swordsmanship after completing his sect mission, it’s barely been a month!”

“Then congratulations are in order for Seventh Peak, for discovering another sword cultivation prodigy.”

Xu Ziyan said with a wry smile.

This scene was observed by a little old man sitting in a corner of the Cloud Pavilion.

He took a swig of wine and began to grumble to himself:

“A prodigy, my foot!”

“Isn’t it all thanks to my good teaching?”

“Of all my disciples, you are the most, most, most dull-witted!”

“It took you half a month to learn half-baked skills; if this gets out, I, the old man, will probably be laughed at by those old immortals!”

His voice wasn’t quiet, but there seemed to be a restriction around him, so Xu Taiping and the others didn’t hear a thing.

Back to Xu Taiping.

Hearing Xu Ziyan’s words, he felt a bit embarrassed and fiddled with his fingers.

“Senior Sister flatters me. I think it’s all thanks to Elder Sansan’s teaching. I’ve never felt this way while learning other techniques.”

He was speaking the truth.

The characters Elder Sansan had carved on the wooden boards, though rough at first glance, were easy to understand upon closer inspection, saving Xu Taiping from many detours.

The old man in the corner, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but smile broadly.

He took another gulp of wine and chuckled:

“You’re a bit slow, kid, but at least you have some self-awareness. For that, I’ll add another three thousand characters for you to copy tomorrow!”

The poems he had Xu Taiping copy were meticulously crafted; not a single stroke was superfluous, each one carefully considered.

The same was true for the previous sword marks; the thickness and depth of each mark were calculated so that Xu Taiping could improve so rapidly.

However, Xu Taiping’s cultivation was too shallow to notice this.

“Although your current sword flying technique is only at the basic level, it’s sufficient for the fourth round of the competition.”

Xu Ziyan spoke again from beside the Cloud Pavilion railing.

“Alright, there’s still half a month left. I’ll spend more time practicing.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

“That’s right, with half a month left, Taiping, continue to practice diligently with Elder Sansan. Perhaps you can be of great help during the fourth round of the competition!”

Zhao Linglong said with hope.

“If I can be of help, that would be great.”

Xu Taiping nodded again.

Today’s competition, especially the dejected looks from Senior Sister Jiang Zhi and the second and third Senior Brothers at the end, had deeply moved him.

“May I ask if Xu Taiping of Seventh Peak is present here?”

Just as the group was about to descend to meet Senior Brother Qingxiao and the others, a scholarly young man dressed as a literati stepped onto the floor.

Hearing this, everyone, including Xu Taiping, turned to look.

“Who might you be?”

Xu Taiping looked at the young man with some confusion.

“I am a disciple of Fifth Peak, Du Qianjiang.”

The scholarly young man gave Xu Taiping a faint smile, then asked:

“Brother, are you Xu Taiping of Seventh Peak?”

“That’s me.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

Upon confirming that the person before him was indeed Xu Taiping, Du Qianjiang’s face lit up with joy.

“Some days ago, thanks to you, Taiping, for visiting my Junior Sister Liu Zijin. Otherwise, that silly girl might still be starving herself.”

Du Qianjiang stepped forward and earnestly thanked Xu Taiping.

“Brother Du, you’re too kind. I didn’t do much; it was Junior Sister Zijin who came to her senses.”

Xu Taiping shook his head.

“Regardless, you did lend Zijin a hand.”

Du Qianjiang shook his head with a smile and handed a finely crafted wooden box to Xu Taiping:

“This Evil-Dispelling Talisman was personally drawn by our Peak Master and is quite effective against malevolent spirits. The Peak Master specifically asked me to present it to you, Brother Taiping.”

Seeing the talisman personally drawn by the Fifth Peak’s Master, Zhao Linglong and Xu Ziyan both showed expressions of shock and envy.

Among the Seven Peaks, Fifth Peak was renowned for its talismanic arts.

And the talismans of Fifth Peak’s Master were considered a unique treasure of the Qingxuan Sect, not something that could be bought even with ten thousand merit points.

“Brother Du, I really haven’t done much to deserve such a generous gift.”

Xu Taiping did not reach out to take it.

To accept such a gift would obligate him, and he dared not accept it lightly.

“Brother Taiping, please take it.”

Du Qianjiang insisted, pushing the wooden box into Xu Taiping’s arms.

“In six days, Junior Sister Zijin will be sent down the mountain. If you’re free, come to Fifth Peak’s Cloud Platform to see her off. She doesn’t have many friends in Qingxuan, and if someone could be there to send her off, I’m sure she would feel better.”

Du Qianjiang sighed.

After saying this, he also gave Xu Taiping a token that would allow him to enter Fifth Peak.

“If I’m free, I will go.”

Seeing no way to refuse, Xu Taiping accepted the talisman and agreed.

“Good.”

Du Qianjiang patted Xu Taiping’s shoulder with a smile and then turned and left without another word.

…

As they descended the stairs.

Xu Taiping briefly explained to Xu Ziyan how he had come to know Liu Zijin.

“That Lu surname deserves a thousand cuts!”

Zhao Linglong couldn’t help but curse indignantly after hearing the story.

“Indeed, he deserves it.”

Even the usually composed Xu Ziyan was visibly angry.

“Even though his father and the sect leader are protecting him now, such a person will surely be punished by heaven!”

Zhao Linglong clenched her fist tightly.

“Taiping, what do you think?”

She suddenly turned to look at Xu Taiping, who had been silent.

“It will happen.”

Xu Taiping nodded earnestly.

At the same time, he sent a telepathic message to Baiyu inside the gourd:

“Tonight, we’ll scout one last time. In six days, we take action.”