However, even a sword like this was still contaminated by the stench of blood when it fell into Bei Shitian’s hands.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue never stopped any disciple from leaving Sinking Sword Peak to gain experience all over the world and train themselves or to do what they wanted to do.

　　He liked to let his disciples develop freely and find their own ways of living.

　　Bei Shitian was one of the people who went out the most often, but every time he disappeared for a period of time, when he next appeared in front of everyone again, the stench of blood and murderous intent on Lianlian would be even deeper without exception.

　　No one asked Bei Shitian what he did, but everyone knew that he certainly didn’t do anything good.

　　Everyone in Sinking Sword Peak cultivated the sword path. Even though some of them were like Hai Kuanglang, only cultivating the sword on the side, it was still enough for them to see at a glance that Bei Shitian’s Lianlian had lost more and more of her original aspiration. In the end, Lianlian changed from a silvery white to a light bloody crimson. After seeing this, Esteemed Lan Yue sighed, “Lianlian is no longer suitable for you.”

　　Bei Shitian bit his lip and hugged Lianlian. “When I find a suitable sword, I will return this Lianlian to Master.”

　　Later, Bei Shitian found a sword whose entire body was pitch-black from somewhere and named it “Killing God”. It was thick, heavy, and cold, with a kind of vicissitude that was hard to ignore.

　　And that Lianlian seemed to have been forgotten by Esteemed Lan Yue, who never mentioned it again. Bei Shitian naturally wouldn’t return it voluntarily either–

　　For sword cultivators, the sword was an existence even more intimate than their parents or spouse. Even if Bei Shitian had heavy murderous intent, he still couldn’t bear to part with the Lianlian that had accompanied him for many years.

　　People didn’t want to associate with those stained with the stench of blood. In the long run, combined with some things that happened, Wan Yitong had completely fallen out with Bei Shitian.

　　To be exact, it should only be falling out on Wan Yitong’s side.

　　Bei Shitian never talked much. He always kept silent and tried to weaken his sense of existence, acting as if he wasn’t there. However, his sense of existence couldn’t actually be so easily weakened.

　　“Here we are.” Zhan Fengting looked up at the Taoist temple in front of him, “This is the place where Master often stays at. If he’s not on the divination platform, then you can find him in this Radiance Pavilion.”

　　When they arrived, Wan Yitong, who was still speaking ill of Bei Shitian, went silent.

　　The line of people came in quietly side by side, standing in front of the white-robed Daoist.

　　Yan Tianhen couldn’t contain his curiosity. He looked up at Esteemed Lan Yue. Suddenly, his heart was cold. He felt sorrowful, lonely, and desolate, as if there was no purpose to living. He seemed to see his extremely miserable life, Lin Zhan’s death, and Lin Xuanzhi being carried back, seriously injured

　　No, none of these were important; they were nothing compared to the loneliness of all ages.

　　That kind of sorrow was enough to make living worse than death, and a desolation so miserable that it made one wish they’d never been born on this world.

　　“Don’t stare at any magic weapon in the room for a long time.” An empty voice sounded beside his ear, a cool finger lightly touching Yan Tianhen’s forehead. Immediately, his spirit returned to him, his consciousness bright and clear. That sense of despondency also dissipated without a trace.

　　A man of indiscernible age appeared in front of Yan Tianhen.

　　Looking at his grave and stern face, one could feel that he kept his 20-year-old appearance, but looking at his bearing and unique feeling, one would feel that he was like a senior in his 100s.

　　Once a cultivator reached Foundation Stage, they could keep their appearance unchanged. It would be difficult to tell his age by looking at his appearance.

　　At first glance, this man was different.

　　Before Yan Tianhen could recover his senses, Esteemed Lan Yue took down a pendant originally hanging on his chest.

　　Yan Tianhen suddenly realized that it was because of this compass-like pendant which he had seen first that he had fallen into that dreadful state.

　　“Master.” Zhan Fengting and the rest saluted Esteemed Lan Yue.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue nodded and said to Lin Xuanzhi, “Back then, you said that if I wanted you to come to Sinking Sword Peak, I must let you bring your brother along and climb the mountain together; otherwise, you would not come.”

　　Hearing this, Wan Yitong raised his brow and looked at Lin Xuanzhi, pondering something.

　　“That’s right.” Lin Xuanzhi replied.

　　“Now, I’ve already given Yan Tianhen this opportunity to enter the sect.” Esteemed Lan Yue said lightly. “But I can’t accept him under my door.”

　　Yan Tianhen gently opened his mouth without saying anything, but his heart was thinking, this Peak Master of Sinking Sword Peak really doesn’t give people face, saying it so straightforwardly. He wasn’t tactful at all.

　　Fortunately, he was open-minded and didn’t like to argue with others. Otherwise, he would have drawn small circles behind his back, cursing him.

　　Lin Xuanzhi looked at Yan Tianhen and his heart sank. He replied, “Esteemed One, please give me a reason. Esteemed One should know that the condition I put forward at the beginning was that I wanted to be with my younger brother. I need to take care of him personally to be at ease.”

　　Wan Yitong smiled. “I’m afraid that your Didi is already 13 or 14 years old. If he’s placed in a mortal household, he would have already married a wife. He has both hands and feet and isn’t stupid. He also has the protection of a brother like you, who has the troublesome title of one of Profound Sky’s Four Swords to boot — oh right, now it’s five swords, but that doesn’t matter. Anyhow, it will soon become four swords again. In any case, no one in the entire Profound Sky Sect dares to bully him. In reality, whether or not he comes to Sinking Sword Peak and whether or not you can take care of him are entirely separate matters.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes drooped. “If one day you have a younger brother, you won’t think so.”

　　He knew all the reasons, but Lin Xuanzhi still hoped that Yan Tianhen could be within his sight.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue’s expression remained unchanged. His pair of eyes, as calm as ancient times, swept over Yan Tianhen, giving the latter the feeling that Esteemed Lan Yue had seen through to the bottom of his heart at a glance.

　　Yan Tianhen couldn’t help shivering and tightened the little fist in his sleeve.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue withdrew his gaze. “I truly have no fated affinity with him. My principle when accepting disciples is that the person must have a fated affinity with me. As for the two paths he’s currently cultivating, I cannot teach him anything, no matter which one it is. If he has to stay, it is not impossible, but it will not be good for him.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s heart suddenly thumped.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue saw that Yan Tianhen had cultivated two paths, but the two he was referring to would not necessarily be an elemental path and an alchemist path, but he should be referring to an alchemist path and a demonic path!

　　Although Esteemed Lan Yue did not specialize in the sword path or the elemental path, a teacher didn’t necessarily have to be a peerless master in these aspects. Esteemed Lan Yue was a master who could teach others how to master the sword and elemental paths.

　　He was erudite and knowledgeable, known as “omniscient” to others. He had countless high-level magic treasures and secret manuals. How could he not be able to find one or two alchemists or elemental path techniques suitable for Ah Hen?

　　However, Esteemed Lan Yue clearly said that he couldn’t teach Ah Hen.

　　There was no fate between them.

　　Lin Xuanzhi and Esteemed Lan Yue looked at each other.

　　The whole aura in the room unconsciously changed; there was no sound in the room, and the other three disciples held their breath involuntarily.

　　Wan Yitong saw Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes and immediately shivered — this gaze, how come it looked so similar to Master’s gaze when he was about to get angry?

　　But Master was an old fellow who had lived for a hundred years. This Lin Xuanzhi wasn’t even as old as Wan Yitong!

　　Just when Wan Yitong was taken aback by Lin Xuanzhi due to his confusion, Lin Xuanzhi spoke.

　　“May I talk to Esteemed One alone?”

　　“Sooner or later, I will talk to you alone,” Esteemed Lan Yue shook his head, “but not now.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi smiled slightly as he tilted his head. “Is it possible that Esteemed One wants me to come here and take my Didi back down the mountain home?”

　　His words contained traces of a threat.

　　Zhan Fengting frowned slightly. “Xuanzhi, don’t get worked up. If you have something to say, just say it.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi lightly responded, “I am not worked up; I’m merely stating the facts.”

　　For a moment, the atmosphere was a little stiff. Yan Tianhen quickly tugged Lin Xuanzhi’s hand and motioned for him not to say more.

　　Yan Tianhen took a deep breath, secretly encouraged himself, and stepped forward, standing in front of Esteemed Lan Yue. He summoned up his courage to say, “Esteemed One, since I have entered the mountain together with my Dage and passed through the inner gate, I think Esteemed One also has an idea of where I should go. Why don’t Esteemed One first tell us who I should cultivate under.”

　　Esteemed Lan Yue looked at Yan Tianhen’s scarred face, his gaze softening. “Naturally, I have already arranged your destination, and it is the most suitable place for you.”

　　Having said that, he said to Lin Xuanzhi, “You’re older than your brother, but you’re still not as steady as him.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, once I encounter something to do with Yan Tianhen, my heart will feel like it’s being seized, thrown into chaos because I care so much. How could I be steady?

　　Of course, there was also Yan Tianhen’s reluctance to let Lin Xuanzhi be too stiff with his future master as soon as they arrived, so he was willing to compromise.

　　Yan Tianhen smiled, “Since Esteemed One said so, I am relieved.”

　　He blinked at Lin Xuanzhi. “Dage, I believe that Esteemed One will not find a scary place for me.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s mood was complicated. He raised his hand and knocked Yan Tianhen on the head. “Are you a fool?”

　　Yan Tianhen laughed and touched his head. “Actually, I don’t really want to be together with my Dage all the time. First, Dage loathes letting me experience any hardship and will also feel distressed when watching. Second…don’t people say that ‘distance produces beauty’? If we’re too close to each other and sees the same face every day, then perhaps before long, Dage will get tired of me and think that I am not good-looking.”

　　Before Lin Xuanzhi could open his mouth, Hai Kuanglang facepalmed, laughing, “Youngest Martial Brother, this Didi of yours is such a wonderful person, so interesting! Master, why don’t you not send this little one to others and just let him directly become my disciple? This is also a happy thing for everyone!”

　　Esteemed Lan Yue swept a light glance over Hai Kuanglang. “With your second-rate level, you still want to teach disciples?”

　　Hai Kuanglang touched his nose slightly awkwardly, “At least my spiritual root is also of the water affinity, which is pretty similar to the wood affinity.”

　　Water was close to wood, so there was always something in common between the two.

　　Esteemed Lan Yue spoke, “Indeed, you have a water attribute, but do you know how to plant spiritual herbs and plants, nurture their growth, identify hundreds of herbs, and pick and refine them?”

　　Hai Kuanglang’s head felt as though it would explode. He repeatedly waved his arms. “Master, I was wrong. I will never casually have any ideas about other people again.”

　　Zhan Fengting couldn’t help laughing.

　　“It’s good that you understand.” Esteemed Lan Yue faintly said.

　　Hai Kuanglang, “…”

　　Lin Xuanzhi, however, was not in the mood to joke with them. He was worried about Yan Tianhen’s destination, so he asked with a frown, “Where does Esteemed One want my brother to study at?”

　　Esteemed Lan Yue looked at Lin Xuanzhi, “Yan Tianhen is an alchemist. Originally, I wanted him to study under the Peak Master of Hundred Refinement Peak, but now, the problem is that he is not a simple alchemist, so according to his attributes, only one person in the entire Profound Sky Sect can teach him.”

　　“Who?”

　　“Broken Sword Peak’s Esteemed Huai Yu.”

　　Upon hearing Broken Sword Peak, Lin Xuanzhi’s expression seemed to darken in an instant, but when he heard “Esteemed Huai Yu”, he suddenly raised his eyebrows in surprise. This Esteemed Huai Yu could be regarded as a powerful character in the whole Profound Sky Sect. Although the person himself resided in Broken Sword Peak, he actually was the sitting Second Elder of Hundred Refinement Peak. He was only classified as being part of Broken Sword Peak because this Esteemed Huai Yu took a fancy to a plot of land on Broken Sword Peak and shamelessly cried and robbed day and night, insisting on occupying this piece of land to grow cabbages and radishes.

　　__