At that moment, time seemed to freeze!
Ye Xuan's expression was serious, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. The strength of the woman behind him exceeded his expectations. If he hadn't turned around just now, he might have been able to fight her, but because of that turn, he lost the initiative, leaving him in an awkward position.
After a brief pause, the blade at his neck suddenly disappeared.
Ye Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
He didn't leave immediately but turned back around. By then, the woman had already dressed.
She was wearing a black gown with mountain and water patterns. Her figure was slender, a black silk ribbon tied around her waist, accentuating her delicate frame. Her eyes were like calm water, but carried a hint of coldness, as though she could see through everything.
Beautiful.
That was Ye Xuan's first impression and first thought.
Recalling the scene he had just witnessed, Ye Xuan suddenly felt a bit flustered.
Though Ye Xuan had never been intimate with a woman, it didn't mean he wasn't a man. He was, after all, a normal man with normal desires.
The woman walked slowly towards him, staring at him, making Ye Xuan feel uneasy.
Ye Xuan met her gaze, his eyes filled only with disdain!
As if seeing her body had been some kind of great humiliation...
Jiang Country wasn't particularly open, and women valued their purity. Ye Xuan knew this. He acted like this to hopefully avoid trouble—after all, he was technically at fault here.
But he also felt aggrieved. Who would have known someone was there? And this woman bathing in broad daylight... Still, she was truly beautiful. If he could have looked a little longer, he wouldn't really have minded!
That thought had barely crossed his mind before Ye Xuan startled himself—was he really thinking about looking longer?
Just then, the woman spoke, her voice icy and her eyes holding a hint of murderous intent, "Who are you?"
Ye Xuan quickly composed himself, "Ye Xuan, a new student."
After speaking, he took several steps back. It didn't look like he was trying to flee, but more like he was trying to keep his distance from her... There was even a faint trace of disgust in his eyes.
Noticing his actions, the woman frowned slightly, "Am I really that repulsive?"
Ye Xuan glanced at her but didn't say anything, taking two more steps back—which said it all.
The woman looked him over and shook her head, "You're not bad-looking, but you're bent... How do men even do it with each other?"
Ye Xuan: "..."
Seeing that he didn't answer, the woman didn't press further. She gave him a pitying look and then turned to walk towards her room.
Seeing her leave, Ye Xuan let out a sigh of relief. This matter had finally been brushed over!
He quickly left the courtyard and found two nearby rooms. After tidying them up, he took a walk around the back mountain. By the time he returned, he was carrying some game meat.
Ye Xuan was very adept at surviving in the wild, having once fed himself and his sister by hunting game.
Ye Xuan returned to the Canglan Hall, where Ye Ling had already cleaned up the hall.
Seeing him, Ye Ling ran over with a sweet smile, "Brother."
Ye Xuan gently ruffled her hair, "Are you tired?"
Ye Ling shook her head, "Not tired at all!"
Ye Xuan smiled, "Go clean up those tables, and I'll cook."
Hearing this, Ye Ling's eyes lit up with excitement.
Cooking!
She loved her brother's cooking. It was so good that even the Ye family's professional chefs couldn't compare.
Half an hour later, in Canglan Hall, Ye Xuan and his sister sat at a worn table. On the table were four or five small dishes, their fragrance wafting through the air.
The siblings exchanged a smile, just about to eat when a figure approached—the old man. He reeked of alcohol, and his clothes looked as though they hadn't been washed in years.
Without any courtesy, the old man sat down at the head of the table. Just as he was about to dig in, another person arrived.
Seeing who it was, Ye Xuan's eyelid twitched—it was the woman from earlier!
The woman sat down on the old man's left. She glanced at the dishes, then looked at Ye Xuan, "Did you make this for me?"
Ye Xuan: "..."
Ye Ling blinked, glancing between Ye Xuan and the woman...
Without saying anything else, the woman picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of mushroom, and put it in her mouth. After a while, she nodded, "Not bad."
Upon hearing this, the old man also took a piece of mushroom. Chewing it, he looked at Ye Xuan and nodded, "Good. From now on, you're in charge of the food at Canglan Academy!"
Ye Xuan's face twitched—he felt like punching something!
Ye Ling tilted her head, looking at the old man, "But my brother is a student!"
The old man glanced at Ye Ling, "Cooking is also cultivation."
Ye Ling: "..."
Ye Xuan couldn't stand it anymore, "Senior..."
"Call me Principal," the old man corrected, "Principal Ji."
Ye Xuan nodded, "Principal Ji, shouldn't we hire some workers for such a big academy?"
The old man shot back, "Are you paying?"
"Uh..."
Ye Xuan was stunned for a moment, then said, "Isn't that your responsibility?"
Principal Ji shook his head, "No money. I can barely afford my wine!"
Ye Xuan: "..."
The woman said nothing, only eating—and eating fast, like she hadn't eaten in days. Soon, the dishes were all gone.
The woman licked her chopsticks, then looked at Ye Xuan, "More?"
Ye Xuan: "..."
Ye Ling put down her chopsticks, "There's more that hasn't been cooked yet. I'll go clean it."
With that, she ran off to the back of the hall.
Ye Xuan asked seriously, "Is this place safe?"
The old man nodded, "Safe."
Ye Xuan hesitated before asking again, "Principal Ji, since this is an academy, there should be places to study, right?"
"No," the old man replied bluntly, "Self-study."
Ye Xuan: "..."
"The Martial Hall," the woman suddenly said, still licking her chopsticks.
The old man looked at Ye Xuan, "There's a Martial Hall in the back mountain, with some notes on martial arts left by former students. As for techniques, if you're lucky, you might find one or two."
Ye Xuan sighed, "I'll go cook."
With that, he turned and left.
Only the woman and the old man remained at the table.
The woman put down her chopsticks, "Where did you find him?"
The old man took a swig of wine, "Picked up after Cangmu Academy discarded him."
The woman was silent for a moment before asking, "Why him?"
"He has potential," the old man replied.
The woman said calmly, "I'm enough by myself."
The old man's hand trembled slightly. After a moment, he took another drink, then said softly, "An Zhi, you bear too much."
The woman replied softly, "It is my fate, and my responsibility."
She turned to look outside the hall, "Though they are dead, their souls are imprisoned within their bodies. Until I bring them back, they will never find peace... My brothers... my father..."
The old man closed his eyes slowly, "You are the last bloodline of the Ji family."
The woman smiled faintly, "All the more reason not to shirk my duty."
The old man shook his head, "Those two... In Jiang Country, perhaps only An Lanxiu can suppress them..."
The woman stood up, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
With that, she walked towards the entrance of the hall. As she reached the door, she stopped, smiling, "At worst, there will just be one more corpse along the Cang Mountain path."
With those words, she disappeared.
Only the sound of the old man drinking remained in the hall.
Night fell.
After Ye Ling fell asleep, Ye Xuan entered the Boundless Prison Tower.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ye Xuan asked, "Senior, am I considered a great sword cultivator?"
"Yes," the mysterious woman replied.
"Why?" Ye Xuan was puzzled—he still couldn't produce sword energy.
"What you lack now is realm. Once you reach the Qi Condensation Realm and condense the Qi in your body, with your current foundation and understanding of the sword, you can manifest sword energy anytime," the mysterious woman explained.
Ye Xuan asked seriously, "What about my battle intent?"
"Do you understand martial arts?" the mysterious woman asked.
Ye Xuan shook his head.
"You have prematurely comprehended battle intent without having a complete martial path, so you are not truly a martial master yet. To become one, your battle intent must take form. Right now, you lack that capability. What you need to do is build up a foundation in martial knowledge. And, of course, do not neglect your swordsmanship. Also, it's time to begin your search for a spirit sword," the mysterious woman continued.
A spirit sword!
Ye Xuan smiled bitterly. Where would he find a spirit sword?
Buy one?
He couldn't afford it!
That was a big problem!
After a moment, Ye Xuan began cultivating. Besides practicing with his sword, he also trained in hand-to-hand combat. The only martial skill he knew was Fist Break. With battle intent added, he found its power had changed significantly!
With battle intent, the grade of Fist Break was at least low-tier Profound Rank.
Only now did Ye Xuan truly realize the fearsome nature of battle intent. If he could comprehend sword intent, the power of his strikes would be even more terrifying!
The night passed, and early the next morning, Ye Xuan suddenly rushed down the mountain.
The old man had told him that a woman surnamed An was looking for him at the foot of the mountain.
Soon, Ye Xuan arrived at the foot of the mountain. Near the stone tablet, he saw a woman in white—spotless, breathtakingly beautiful.
An Lanxiu!
Ye Xuan walked up to her, smiling, "Miss An!"
An Lanxiu nodded and was about to speak when a roguish-looking man approached, carrying a black iron staff and swaggering as he walked. The moment he saw An Lanxiu, his eyes lit up, "Beautiful... a beautiful woman!"
Ye Xuan suddenly stepped in front of An Lanxiu, glancing at the man, "I'm also quite handsome! You can look at me for free!"
The man: "..."