“On the day of the competition, although we won against the First Peak of the Seven Peaks, we were all severely drained. In the next round, we lost to the Second Peak. After that, my old illness relapsed, and you and I were both sent to the Hundred Grass Hall.”

In a sickroom of the Hundred Grass Hall, Senior Sister Jiang Zhi briefly recounted to Xu Taiping, who had just gotten out of bed, the events that unfolded after he had lost consciousness that day.

Xu Taiping nodded, his gaze returning to the patrolling mirror placed before him.

In the mirror, Zhao Linglong was supporting Second Senior Brother Qingxiao as they descended from the arena on the Sword Platform, while behind them, Yan Bing, the top disciple of the First Peak, was being carried away by Jin Hezhi and Huang Qi, his fate unknown.

“Second Senior Brother really went through a lot.”

Seeing Qingxiao’s robe stained red in the mirror, Xu Taiping clenched his fists tightly, the desire to rapidly increase his cultivation growing even stronger in his heart.

The scene in the mirror was from the final match of the Seven Peaks competition, “Asking Sword Qingxuan.”

This “Asking Sword Qingxuan” was the only match in the Seven Peaks competition where disciples were allowed to fight to the death.

He had woken up just as the match between Second Senior Brother Qingxiao and Yan Bing was drawing to a close.

Fortunately, he had witnessed Qingxiao Senior Brother securing the victory of the Qingxuan Sword Championship.

However, the victory had been a brutal one. Xu Taiping could see with his own eyes that Qingxiao had suffered twenty or thirty wounds, not to mention the unseen internal injuries.

“Yes, we were lucky to have Qingxiao. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have won a single match this time… cough cough cough…”

Senior Sister Jiang Zhi sighed and then began to cough incessantly.

“Senior Sister, you should rest. I’m alright now.”

Xu Taiping turned to look at Senior Sister Jiang Zhi, urging her.

“That’s good.”

Jiang Zhi gave a faint smile and nodded.

Even with her serious illness, her smile still felt like a breath of spring.

But no sooner had Jiang Zhi stood up than she suddenly collapsed to the ground with a “thud.”

“Senior Sister!”

Xu Taiping hurriedly went to help Jiang Zhi up.

At this moment, Jiang Zhi had already lost consciousness.

With no other choice, he had to place her on his own sickbed for now.

“Taiping, I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

Just then, Baiyu’s voice transmitted to him from inside the gourd.

“Did Fairy Lingyue give you something before she fell asleep?”

Xu Taiping asked.

When he had just woken up, Baiyu had transmitted a message to him, informing him that Fairy Lingyue had entered a deep sleep within the Earth Fruit.

This was one of the reasons why he felt so much had happened in these three days.

According to Baiyu, Fairy Lingyue had to act hastily because she sensed that bamboo shoots had sprouted from the Earth Fruit in the courtyard, and delaying would waste a bamboo plant.

Xu Taiping wasn’t too surprised by this.

When he had broken through to the Opening Realm before, Fairy Lingyue had already fallen into a premature sleep to help him deal with an extraterritorial demon, leaving him a letter at that time.

“That’s right.”

Baiyu responded and then continued:

“Fairy Lingyue left you two letters inside the gourd. The one with a circle drawn on the envelope is to be opened immediately upon waking, and the other with a cross is for later.”

“I’ll go call the doctor first, then I’ll read it.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

With Senior Sister in a coma, he needed to call the doctor from the Hundred Grass Hall quickly.

“No, Fairy Lingyue insisted you read it immediately; there can be no delay.”

Baiyu emphasized sternly.

“You don’t know, it’s the first time I’ve heard her speak with such severity.”

It added another sentence.

Hearing this, Xu Taiping stopped in his tracks.

If Fairy Lingyue said so, it must be something important.

“I’ll read it now.”

Without another word, Xu Taiping took out the letter from the gourd.

Upon opening the envelope, he saw an ordinary piece of paper and a folded Talisman Scroll.

“Why would Fairy Lingyue leave me a Talisman Scroll?”

A bad premonition tightened Xu Taiping’s heart.

He then unfolded the paper.

The first sentence on the paper made his scalp tingle—

“Taiping, I’m injured. It was the Red-Haired Demon Blade who hurt me.”

Xu Taiping stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.

Fairy Lingyue injured?

By the Red-Haired Demon Blade?

His mind plunged into brief chaos.

But soon, he calmed his emotions and continued reading:

“Don’t worry, I’m not in grave danger, but I had to enter the Earth Fruit ahead of time.”

“The matter I need to tell you is extremely important; you must remember it well.”

“First, if you’re opening this letter in the Hundred Grass Hall, hold onto the Talisman Scroll I gave you tightly, because the Red-Haired Demon Blade is in the Hundred Grass Hall.”

“Next, quickly close the door. I left another talisman seal on your door that can block the Red-Haired Demon Blade. It’s been several days, and the seal’s power has weakened. Closing the door now will make it more effective.”

Upon reading this, Xu Taiping hurriedly closed the door.

He then continued to read.

“The full details of this matter, as well as what has happened during the days you were unconscious, are all written in the other letter. There’s no need to rush to know. For now, you only need to know one thing about the Red-Haired Demon Blade: I miscalculated. It’s far stronger than either of us imagined, and it’s targeting you.”

“Bang, bang, bang!”

Just then, someone knocked on the door, startling Xu Taiping.

“Junior Brother Taiping, are you awake? It’s your Fourth Senior Brother.”

A man’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“Fourth… Fourth Senior Brother?”

Xu Taiping frowned.

Indeed, Senior Sister had mentioned earlier that Fourth Senior Brother had woken up two days ago and said he would come to see him.

But as he wondered whether to open the door, his eyes caught a line on the paper—

“If you encounter your Fourth Senior Brother knocking, do not open the door, do not open the door, do not open the door!”

As if foreseeing this very moment, the paper repeated “do not open the door” three times.

With goosebumps all over, Xu Taiping quickly retreated into the room and ignored the knocking and calling from outside, his eyes swiftly scanning the letter—

“Your Fourth Senior Brother is not just wounded by the Demon Blade; he has become a puppet of the Demon Blade. The reason the Demon Blade is after you is closely related to him, so do not open the door at all costs.”

“Your situation is extremely dangerous. You must do exactly as I say below. Only then can we temporarily seal the Demon Blade and secure a sliver of hope for you and everyone at the Seven Peaks!”