Chapter 1936: Arrest

Within the sect, there were surely countless cultivation techniques. It wouldn't be hard to gather a thousand, even several thousand... It was precisely because of such resources that countless cultivators aspired to join.

With his talent and understanding of swordsmanship, entering the inner sect of Lingyun Sword Sect shouldn't be difficult. But... there was no free lunch in the world. Joining a sect and enjoying better resource allocation inevitably meant being bound by the sect's rules.

Ordinary matters might be tolerable, but if it conflicted with finding Luo Ruoxi, it would go against his original intention.

"What if... Shan Xiaotian joins the sect, and I enter as his attendant..."

His eyes lit up.

Lingyun Sword Sect was here recruiting outer disciples and menial disciples... Regular outer disciples could be accompanied by several attendants. If Shan Xiaotian succeeded, he could easily blend in.

Once inside the sect, he could adapt to circumstances to find what he needed, and obtain resources through his disciple's hands. As the man behind the scenes, he wouldn't be constrained by the rules.

"That's settled!"

After deliberating, this was the most prudent approach. Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and left the Divine Communication Hall.

As he made his decision, Elder Lu Yun and the others in the room also reached theirs.

"We'll head to Xuanjiang City now... Even on the fastest flying sacred beast, we won't arrive until afternoon. The selection starts today, so we'll get there around afternoon. Jiang He, don't wait for us. Start the selection at dawn and find this Tianya—we must not miss him!"

Elder Lu Yun instructed.

"Yes!" Huo Jianghe quickly nodded.

Recruiting such a remarkable genius into the sect was far better than recruiting dozens or even hundreds of ordinary talents. Missing him and letting another sect snatch him up... would surely result in punishment upon return.

"Alright, let's hurry!"

Whoosh!

Everyone vanished from the Divine Communication Hall at once.

...

Back in his room, Zhang Xuan took out the newly purchased storage ring and the inferior-grade Immortal Origin Pill.

The pill was silvery-white, containing rich and pure mercury spiritual energy. Inhaling a trace made his muscles twitch and meridians tremble.

Knowing it would greatly aid his recovery, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate and swallowed the pill.

As the Immortal Origin Pill entered his body, a warm current immediately filled his limbs and bones. The pure mercury spiritual energy gradually transformed into even purer true qi.

As he cultivated, Zhang Xuan found that the true qi condensed from mercury spiritual energy was more powerful, and the attacks he unleashed were more vigorous.

If all the true qi in his dantian were restored, the total amount wouldn't increase. If before there were ten thousand strands, now there were still ten thousand... but the power of each strand had changed, and his combat strength had greatly increased!

No wonder any strong person from the Upper Firmament was extremely powerful, requiring every means to barely win. Mercury spiritual energy not only improved their physique but also tempered true qi more effectively.

He cultivated continuously. After an unknown time, the power of the Immortal Origin Pill was completely exhausted. Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened his eyes.

The spiritual energy stored in the inferior-grade Immortal Origin Pill, though abundant, still hadn't fully restored him.

"It seems I need another one..."

He rubbed his brow, looking helpless.

Just to restore his strength required two Immortal Origin Pills, costing two hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins... How much would he need to break through?

Cultivation was indeed a bottomless pit; no amount of income was enough!

He looked outside; it was already dawn. He stepped out and saw Shan Xiaotian still practicing sword moves, one after another.

Having not rested all night, he showed no fatigue. Instead, his surging power had stabilized. His eyes were sharp, and the true qi in his body was fully under control, without any awkwardness.

"Not bad!"

One glance told Zhang Xuan that the other had followed his instructions diligently, without any laziness.

Making him practice swords all night wasn't punishment. Breaking through six major levels at once meant his body and reactions couldn't keep up. Without settling, his combat strength wouldn't increase much.

By continuously practicing the same move dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times, and constantly sensing the flow of true qi, he naturally gained finer control and greater ease.

Clearly, his goal was achieved.

After a night of tempering, Shan Xiaotian had fully adapted to the Great Sage Third Layer, the state of Inspiration.

"Master!"

Hearing the door open, Shan Xiaotian quickly turned and knelt again, sincerely convinced.

Feeling the changes in his body, he understood his master's intention.

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to help him up, Zhang Xuan felt a tremor in his mind. A golden book abruptly appeared.

Having accepted him as a disciple and taught him techniques, only now was he truly convinced, with no second thoughts.

"So it can form a Heavenly Book here too!"

He had thought it might not work in the Upper Firmament, but it succeeded.

With this, he had a trump card for survival—under the Heavenly Way, no one could resist.

"How is the sword technique I taught you? Show me!"

In high spirits, he looked over with a smile.

Yesterday, he had taught the 'Throwing Sword' move he created in the Divine Communication Hall. He wondered how far the other had progressed overnight.

"Yes!"

Standing up, Shan Xiaotian stepped forward, shook his longsword, and shot it straight out.

Swoosh!

Though not as fast as Zhang Xuan's, it was still like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, it pierced into a tree trunk not far away. With a boom, the tree exploded, branches and leaves flying, leaving a huge hole.

"Not bad, you've already entered the gate. To become stronger, you need to study your opponent's weaknesses in battle. Once you can spot the flaws in their moves at a glance, this sword technique will be truly mastered, and you'll be hard to beat at the same level!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Though simple, this Throwing Sword move followed the trajectory of the Heavenly Way and was extremely powerful. As long as you found the opponent's weakness, almost no one could block it.

That was why even experts like Huo Jianghe and Xue Qian had no way to counter it.

"Yes!"

Shan Xiaotian was filled with excitement.

Through practice, he knew how powerful this move was. Compared to it, the techniques he had learned before were insignificant.

"Alright, I'll teach you some other sword techniques. Stones from other hills can polish jade; multiple techniques complement each other for faster progress..."

Nodding, Zhang Xuan was about to teach some basic swordsmanship when he heard a commotion outside. Then, with a creak, the door was pushed open, and over a dozen armored soldiers strode in.

"Who is the owner of this residence?"

The leading guard, a young man around thirty, had a cultivation of Ancient Saint First Layer, Bloodline Continuation.

"I am." Recognizing the soldiers as from the city lord's mansion, Shan Xiaotian frowned and stepped forward.

"Men, arrest him!"

Raising his brow, the young man waved his hand.

Clatter!

Two soldiers immediately rushed forward, weapons gleaming coldly, faces murderous.

"I advise you not to resist. Otherwise, resisting arrest is punishable by immediate execution!"

A guard sneered, taking out iron chains to shackle Shan Xiaotian.

"What crime have I committed? Why are you arresting me?" Caught off guard, Shan Xiaotian couldn't help asking.

"Last night, the city patrol discovered the bandit leader Cao Cheng leading mountain bandits into the city to meet with someone, plotting mischief. Fifty elite soldiers were sent to surround them, but all were killed by the bandits. After a morning of investigation, we found that the city lord's elite disappeared near this residence. Therefore, I suspect you colluded with the bandits to massacre the soldiers!"

The young leader said coldly.

"Colluding with bandits? Nonsense..." Shan Xiaotian was stunned, then furious.

Last night, if not for his master, he might have been killed by the bandits. Colluding? What a joke!

If anyone colluded, it should be the other party!

"I knew you wouldn't admit it... Men, bring the evidence!" The young leader waved.

Clatter!

Several guards stepped forward and tossed down what they carried.

It was a pile of weapons and bloodstained armor.

"These were dug up near your residence. There are bandit weapons and city lord's armor, clearly indicating a battle took place here, and someone deliberately hid the evidence... What do you have to say?"

The young leader snorted.

"This..." Shan Xiaotian was taken aback.

His master had disposed of these things yesterday. How could they still be here?

"These are indeed the bandits' weapons, and those clothes too. I was robbed by them last time I shipped goods; I wouldn't mistake them!"

"Yes, those are bandit items, and the armor is from the city lord's mansion. I recognize them too..."

"Colluding with bandits... a heinous crime!"

"We must interrogate him thoroughly to find out their purpose. If they succeed, countless people in the city will suffer..."

"The Shan family was so heroic, but now it's fallen so low. The only descendant, not only unable to cultivate but also colluding with bandits, truly disgraces the ancestors' glory!"

...

Before Shan Xiaotian could explain, a crowd of notable figures from the city surged behind the soldiers.

Merchants, tavern owners, teahouse owners, herbalists... the owner of Hongyan Trading Company was among them.

They had all suffered from bandit raids in their businesses and had the most say.

"Anything else to say?"

With their confirmation, the young leader waved again: "Take him to the city lord's mansion for thorough interrogation!"

Clatter!

The soldiers with chains approached.

"A trumped-up charge..."

Filled with anger, Shan Xiaotian was about to say more when his expression shifted: "Fine, I'll go with you to the city lord's mansion. I hope you can clear my name. Truth cannot be falsified, and falsehood cannot be made true."

"Let's go!"

Seeing he didn't resist, the young leader showed a hint of disappointment, then looked around: "Colluding with bandits undermines stability and involves many parties. All of you have suffered under Cao Cheng's persecution. Therefore, I hope you will come to the city lord's mansion to testify... to ensure fairness and justice. Rest assured, the city lord's mansion will not show favoritism just because of an engagement."

"Alright!"

Everyone nodded in unison.