For the next ten days or so, Shen Yunhao seemed to vanish into thin air, disappearing completely from the sight of Qiuye Manor in Wanren City. The vine and snake on his wrist also disappeared without a trace.

This sudden "disappearance" caught some eyes that were watching from the shadows off guard.

In a secluded dark room somewhere in Wanren City.

The light was dim, with only a single eerie green lamp flickering, casting distorted shadows on the walls. The air was stagnant, carrying a musty and chilling atmosphere.

A figure shrouded in a black cloak, exuding an aura of unease, knelt on one knee, head bowed low. His voice carried a barely perceptible tension. "...Reporting to Young Master, there is no trace of Shen Yunhao within Autumn Leaf Manor. Only Ning Yuyao, Guan Yingying, Ma Tianyu, and that mortal Pang Shun'an remain in Frost Maple Courtyard. Our subordinates have searched extensively throughout the city, but found no leads. We heard... he seems to have had some urgent business and left Wanren City!"

Deep in the shadows, Pan Mingzhe sat upright on a carved wooden chair, toying with a warm, white jade crane-shaped pendant in his hand, his fingertips caressing the crane's beak, his face still bearing that gentle, warm smile that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

However, the smile appeared somewhat eerie under the dim green light.

"Leaving on business? Vanished into thin air?"

Pan Mingzhe's voice was deep and had a peculiar rhythm, like jade beads falling onto a plate, yet it caused the kneeling man in black to tremble almost imperceptibly.

His tone was unreadable, yet it seemed to chill the air in the dark room.

A fine layer of cold sweat beaded on the man in black's forehead: "I...I'm incompetent! We haven't found any trace of him inside or outside the manor; he's probably already left!"

The man pondered for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly, the sound particularly clear in the silent, dark room. "How interesting... Have you noticed something?"

"Young master? You mean... he already knows someone is watching him?"

Pan Mingzhe lowered his head and stroked the jade pendant in his hand, murmuring to himself.

"In the end, it was an oversight... The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect's intelligence network is far more flexible than I imagined..."

"The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect? Young Master, you mean... the Holy Maiden of Ten Thousand Poisons is here too?"

Pan Mingzhe did not reply. The jade pendant between his fingers stopped spinning, and the gentle smile on his lips deepened, but his eyes were like a bottomless pool of cold water. "Since the rats like to hide in secret corners... then... let's lure them out with some bait that they can't resist."

His gaze, slowly and with a chillingly amused look, fell upon a simple list presented by the man in black.

To be precise, it came down to the three characters "Pang Shunan".

"Go." Pan Mingzhe waved his hand, his voice returning to its previous calm. "Just keep an eye on things. Now... is not the time to make a move!"

"Yes!" The man in black was relieved and quickly retreated as if he had blended into the shadows.

Only the dim green light remained, illuminating the man's sinister smile.

"A mortal? Not bad..."

...

Time flies, and before we know it, it's already early May.

With the Kendo Tournament about to begin, Wanren City is in complete uproar.

Sword cultivators from all corners of the world flocked to this steel city like rivers flowing into the sea.

The long street was teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder.

The restaurants and inns were packed with countless weary sword cultivators, and the entire city seemed to have become a giant furnace, filled with excitement, anticipation, ambition, and restlessness.

Registration for the Kendo Tournament officially closed on May 3rd.

Three days later, a huge announcement issued by the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion spread like thunder throughout the city, igniting the passion of all sword cultivators!

The first stage of the Kendo Tournament will officially begin this afternoon at Cangren Mountain, 100 miles south of Wanren City!

The sword cultivators, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed out of the city, some on horseback and others directly on their swords, heading straight for Cangren Mountain, a hundred miles away.

And so, shortly after the announcement was made, ten thousand swords rang out outside Wanren City!

Countless streaks of light, like a meteor shower flowing against the current, shot up from every corner, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, and converged into a mighty torrent, roaring towards the Azure Blade Mountain in the south!

The sword light was like a rainbow, blotting out the sky and the sun. This scene was probably a once-in-a-century spectacle, and it was incredibly magnificent!

...

Cangren Mountain, the summit of its main peak.

This place has long been transformed into a huge platform capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.

At this moment, the platform is packed with people, a sea of ​​black heads, a cacophony of voices!

At a cursory glance, there are tens of thousands!

This is a microcosm of the turbulent times in the Nine Provinces, where all the sword prodigies under the age of fifty gather.

The Azure Sky Sword Pavilion is holding this sword tournament, and apart from being fifty years old and paying fifty spirit stones, there are basically no other requirements.

Even if we don't achieve anything by then, it's still a worthwhile investment of just fifty spirit stones.

Therefore, a considerable number of people came to participate. Among the tens of thousands of people on the mountaintop, nearly half were participants in the Kendo Tournament.

Those who came to watch the spectacle were all unwilling to miss this once-in-a-century sight for the righteous immortal sects.

Meanwhile, on the edge of the platform, near the cliff, stands a magnificent high platform.

On the high platform, there were few people, but they exuded a terrifying pressure that was enough to suppress the entire world!

At the very front, standing in the center, was a man dressed in a simple gray robe, with a thin face and white hair and beard, who at first glance looked like an old farmer from the countryside.

However, when he stood with his hands behind his back and calmly swept his gaze over the hundreds of thousands of people below, the entire noisy mountaintop fell silent instantly!

It was as if an invisible giant sword was hanging overhead, making one tremble with fear and unable to muster the slightest will to resist.

Because this person is none other than Ouyang Jingfeng, the current head of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion.

His cultivation has reached the peak of the late stage of the Void Realm, and he is only half a step away from the legendary Void Realm.

Besides being the master of the Sword Pavilion, he has another identity... the head of the seven great sword saints of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion, the Heavenly Peak Sword Saint!

As everyone knows, among the high-ranking members of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion, there are seven Sword Saints, all of whom are at the peak of the Void Realm, representing the strongest combat force of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion besides the Grand Void Ancestor!

This is also the core reason why the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion can compete with the Tai Xuan Dao Sect, the number one sect of the righteous path. In terms of high-level combat power alone, the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion is not weaker than the Tai Xuan Dao Sect, and may even be stronger!

Three people stood side by side on either side of Ouyang Jingfeng, about half a step behind him.

The first one on the left is a tall and burly man, who is like an iron tower. His face is as resolute as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, and his eyes are full of sharp light. There is a faint sound of wind and thunder surging around him.

He carried a sheathless giant sword on his back. The sword was broad, ancient, and heavy, giving people a sense of oppressive power that could split mountains.

This is Lei Jun Sword Saint, ranked fourth among the seven great sword saints of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion!