"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps there are some unparalleled geniuses in the Heavenly Sword Sect who haven't shown their faces yet?"

"Even if there were, I would never make a contract with anyone."

“I understand what Senior Brother is thinking. This Protector Contract is not much different from the Daoist Couple Contract. In order to avoid trouble in the future, we really can’t make such a hasty decision.”

"That's not the case at all. Do you think everyone is like you and Xiu Qiyu?"

Oh no, he's getting angry and embarrassed.

“What you say is very true, Senior Brother. With your abilities, you certainly don’t need an extra protector. When are you leaving, Senior Brother? I’ll come to see you off.”

"Three days later."

"Alright, Senior Brother, please rest well. We'll head back now."

"You can leave now. Xiu Qiyu and Ye Liusha, stay here."

Why?

"I did this naturally for their own good."

"Alright then, you three, don't fight each other. I'm right next door."

"Don't worry, I'm willing but unable right now, and I won't easily get into a fight with anyone."

After returning home, Ye Xiruo began refining pills, but stopped after refining about ten batches. She stood up and put away the green energy.

Before I leave, I need to resolve the issue of my seventh brother becoming an apprentice.

She was also very curious about this Heavenly Sword Peak, so she decided to go and meet the mysterious Heavenly Sword disciples.

Without disturbing the three people next door, Ye Xiruo changed into a drab gray sword robe and set off. Clearly, she didn't know where Heavenly Sword Peak was, but that didn't stop her from finding it.

"Thank you very much. Consider this bottle of Nourishing Essence Pill as your reward."

"Thank you very much."

This is Tianjian Peak, a very ordinary little mountain. A clear stream flows slowly below, with beautiful pebbles, aquatic plants, and small fish clearly visible in the water.

There are no markers outside Tianjian Peak, as if it were just a small mountain that had long been forgotten.

Ye Xiruo stepped inside. Even though Tianjian Peak had fallen into ruin over the past thousand years, it still had a reason to move people's hearts, namely the inheritance of Tianjian. How could this place be so desolate?

Ye Xiruo looked at the broken stone tablet at her feet, where the faint traces of the Heavenly Sword could still be seen.

Tianjian Peak was once so glorious, and now it is so desolate.

After Ye Xi cleared away all the weeds outside the stone tablet and cleaned the two characters "Tianjian" (Heavenly Sword), he continued forward.

Before your eyes is a long, dilapidated stone staircase, its steps incomplete and covered with mottled ancient marks—some deep sword wounds, some knife wounds, and others simply the traces of time. It appears both ruined and desolate.

It's clear that no one has been here for a long time; the steps are covered in dust and fallen leaves.

Just as Ye Xiruo was about to burn all the fallen leaves, she suddenly heard the sound of sweeping.

"Who are you?" Ye Xiruo gripped the sword in her hand tightly in an instant.

"Who are you? Why do you trespass on Heavenly Sword Peak?"

The old man wore a robe of indeterminate color, and his white hair was neatly combed to the point of being almost perfectly straight. In the shadows, his face was obscured, and the broom in his hand made a "shush-shush" sound on the ground.

"This junior is new to the Heavenly Sword Sect and wishes to become a disciple of Master Zhang Hua."

"You should leave."

"Why? Please take me to see Master Zhang."

"Tianjian Peak is closed. You should leave here immediately."

It's closed. What does that mean?

"This is not my reason for leaving."

Why have you come?

"Naturally, we came for the supreme Heavenly Sword."

"If you have no sword in your heart, how can you practice swordsmanship?"

"I've heard that Master Zhang Hua has a total of six disciples. Why can't I be the seventh?"

As soon as Ye Xiruo finished speaking, she felt a sharp sword aura sweeping towards her. Instinctively, she swung her sword to block the broom in front of her.

Ye Xiruo was surprised by the sudden and merciless attack from the old sweeper, unaware that this was a tradition and custom of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and it was the same no matter who came.

Faced with the deadly broom strikes, Ye Xiruo gritted her teeth and fought back. She had never seen such swordsmanship before. It was magnificent and imposing, like the blazing sun. The sheer power of it made Ye Xiruo breathless, and her swordsmanship completely lost its rhythm.

After a dozen or so moves, Ye Xiruo was completely at a disadvantage, and was nearly seriously injured several times by being suppressed by a broom.

With a clang, the sword in Ye Xiruo's hand flew out and stuck directly into the grass and trees beside the stone steps.

"You lost, now get out of here."

Ye Xiruo looked down at her empty hands, which were still trembling. Indeed, compared to a true swordsman, she was nothing.

Can you tell me why?

"You don't have a sword heart, so you won't find the answer you're looking for here."

"I haven't lost yet."

"I only used three-tenths of my strength."

Ye Xiruo was startled. What? Just who was this old man sweeping the floor? With only a third of his skill, she had no chance to fight back.

"So what?"

Ye Xiruo's figure suddenly became ethereal, and an exquisitely beautiful purplish-blue lotus flower appeared in her hand. The lotus flower seemed both real and illusory, filled with an indescribable allure, which Ye Xiruo then tossed directly at the person sweeping the floor.

A vast and powerful spiritual force erupted in an instant, firmly locking onto the person sweeping the floor. No matter what his reaction was, he could not escape her eyes.

Jue Chen's pupils contracted sharply. What? This girl was serious! This palm-sized lotus contained explosive energy. Before the broom in his hand even touched that broom, it had already been burned to nothingness.

Jue Chen's figure flashed several afterimages on the ground as he tried to dodge Qing Lian Tian's attack, but unfortunately, Qing Lian Tian was faster than him.

Ye Xiruo's spiritual power also transformed into a small dagger, which fiercely rushed towards Jue Chen's head. This attack was enough to seriously injure him, leaving him with no power to fight back.

Unexpectedly, the dagger formed from Ye Xiruo's spiritual power was blocked, as was Qinglian Tian. XX erected a protective shield, composed entirely of countless sword energies, which directly shredded Ye Xiruo's spiritual power into countless fragments.

Ye Xiruo naturally suffered a backlash as well, her face turning pale instantly.

"Xiaoqing, burn this tortoise shell for me." She refused to believe she couldn't defeat this powerful person.

Under Ye Xiruo's control, the small and delicate lotus flower instantly transformed into a giant lotus flower two meters tall, radiating terrifying energy. Although the sword lights were sharp, the protective shield began to slowly thin under the burning of the Azure Lotus Heaven.

"I don't want to hurt you. Take me to see Master Zhang Hua."