"The Inner Yard is over there."

Xu Xiaoshou pointed in the direction of the Inner Yard with his back facing the man.

​​

There were three paths at the corner of the small forest. One lead to his own yard, and another one led to the Outer Yard. It was a straight path that led right to the Chuyun Platform, where the Windcloud Competition took place.

The third path led to Goose Lake. By following this path, one could enter the Inner Yard and reach the Spiritual Library Division after turning a corner.

"Why do you want to go to the Inner Yard? Do you intend to steal books there?" Xu Xiaoshou asked curiously.

This man was wrapped from head to toe, and only his eyes were visible. He indeed looked like a thief, or even a robber.

However, if he was a thief, he wouldn't have come here so recklessly without knowing how to get around the place.

"This isn't something you should know," the masked man sternly replied.

"I'm just curious."

"But curiosity killed the cat."

"Oh, you go ahead then," Xu Xiaoshou said casually.

The masked man asked through gritted teeth, "So, can you get off of me now?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry."

As a matter of fact, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare to get off his body; but it definitely wasn't a good idea to continue riding him. At least, he didn't want to get brought along while this man stole; otherwise, he'd become the man's accomplice.

He forcefully bumped his stomach against the man's back and a powerful counterforce made the two of them bounce in opposite directions, instantly separating them by dozens of meters.

Xu Xiaoshou dashed forward with his head lowered for a long while, but he found there was no commotion behind him and couldn't help but feel surprised.

He turned his head and saw the masked man pull himself up with difficulty by leaning against a tree trunk from a pool of water on the forest path.

Xu Xiaoshou, "…"

"You're so weak," he thought. "How can you have the courage to be a thief?

"Did you really come here from outside of the Spirit Palace?

"I suspect that you're playing me."

The masked man didn't pay Xu Xiaoshou any attention. It seemed that in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, the only reason for his existence was to ask his ordinary inquiries.

Yet, after walking toward the Inner Yard for a while, the masked man discovered that Xu Xiaoshou kept on peeking at him clandestinely while curled up underneath the white jade railing, like a thief stealing a bell with his ears covered.

"…"

The man halted in his tracks and said with a sigh, "You fought pretty well earlier; but your sword style was a bit off. You should fix that as soon as possible."

With arched eyebrows, Xu Xiaoshou realized that his man had witnessed the process of him killing those two men.

The thought of killing the man to shut him up once again crossed his mind, but the problem was whether he could beat the man or not.

This man was way too weird!

"My sword style was the idea of one of my genius friends. You're too clueless to understand it," said Xu Xiaoshou in an attempt to test the man.

"Your path has been trodden by too many people before you." The masked man didn't stay around and walked straight away.

Xu Xiaoshou felt disturbed as he gazed at the man's receding back.

"Is he trying to trick me?" he thought.

"Or, has somebody already tried the path of the pure sword will fighting style he's pursuing right now?

"It's impossible!

"I've merely used the 'blade-draw technique.' How did this man find out about his style?

"His sword will is so weak. How dare he criticize others!

"It's preposterous!"

"My style was the idea of a genius!" shouted Xu Xiaoshou furiously.

The masked man didn't respond.

"Ridiculed, passive point, +1."

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists and shouted again, "Ten Sections of the Finger Sword!"

He expected the man to twist his body or halt in his tracks, but he did none of these things.

Xu Xiaoshou watched the man disappear at the end of the path.

"I guessed wrong?" he wondered, but wasn't so sure.

The sword technique the man had used earlier to injure him had looked a lot like the Finger Blessed with Sword Will.

Yet, that was rather impossible, because he'd just seen the sword technique of Heavenly Horse Traversing in the Sky in the Spiritual Library Division not long ago, so how would someone have started using it already?

"My mind must've been playing tricks on me..."

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, trying to shake off such a ridiculous idea, then decided to leave the place.

What the man was intending to steal or how he would do it had nothing to do with him as long he didn't expose the matter of him killing someone, Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself.

Judging by the man's temperament, he probably wouldn't tell anyone about the incident.

On the other hand, no one would believe a thief who'd snuck into the Spirit Palace on a rainy night anyway, even if he did tell them that he'd killed someone.

Xu Xiaoshou thought the man was quite eccentric and that he might get involved in some kind of serious trouble, so he had no intention of having himself implicated.

"I'd better go back to sleep!

"I hope he doesn't reappear…

"Bah! Shut up!"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped himself on the face and decided to leave after turning around, but he halted in his tracks.

He saw the masked man come back from the end of the path, and he looked rather uneasy as he was running.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around without a second thought and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Because he'd spotted a group of law enforcers from the Spiritual Law Division right on the man's heels.

"It's truly too convenient!"

There was no way the law enforcers could've discovered the masked man so quickly. The only explanation was that the sound of his fighting earlier was so loud that they'd been drawn by it.

Though the assassination of him had occurred before he'd killed the assassins, he had nonetheless killed someone. As such, Xu Xiaoshou felt quite nervous.

"Hi!"

A shadow swept by and blocked Xu Xiaoshou.

It was the masked man!

How did he move so fast?! Maybe he was playing him.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't stop his momentum in time and bumped into the masked man, but the man wasn't knocked flying away. Instead, the man took the opportunity to lift Xu Xiaoshou up and hold him around his waist.

"I'm not going to kill you, but I need you to stage a show. I'll let you go after I get out of the Spirit Palace." The hoarse voice, which sounded like grating sandpaper, rang out again.

"I would be a fool to believe you," he thought.

He struggled to get free, but the man unexpectedly pointed one of his fingers at his waist. The formidable sword energy instantly assaulted the interior of his body, breaking his inner energy into pieces.

"Hmm?" he thought. "He's actually quite outstanding since he has such a powerful energy."

The masked man noticed something and made the sword energy more scattered and frequent, passing through Xu Xiaoshou's flesh like a great many tiny razors. As a result, even the recovery power of "Eternal Vitality" was suppressed.

"Attacked, passive point, +1."

"Attacked, passive point, +1."

"…"

The information bar came back to life from its downtime and started to work at once.

"Poof!" Xu Xiaoshou spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and lost complete control of his body.

His expression darkened. Had he fallen into the tiger's den after just getting out of the dragon's den?

The man was indeed playing him. The control power of the sword will was too formidable, and was many times more so than his own.

Xu Xiaoshou was almost in tears. Why did he always meet opponents of the elder status?

Elder Sang was an exception because he was nevertheless a friend. Even though Xu Xiaoshou was often tormented by Elder Sang, their encounters always brought some benefits for him at the same time.

Judging by his cultivation of the sword will, this masked man, who'd come out of nowhere, was as powerful as any other masters.

"Let go of me."

"No."

Xu Xiaoshou was startled. This situation felt familiar. Did that mean good luck took turns?

"If you let go of me, I'll help you get out of the Spirit Palace," Xu Xiaoshou genuinely promised.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you!"

Xu Xiaoshou: "…"

It was so frustrating!

Yet, he could do nothing about it.

Xu Xiaoshou held his breath. In fact, the pain in his body was tolerable, as he was used to it. However, his body was being restrained by the masked man. He couldn't move an inch. It was all he could do to move his mouth.

Xu Xiaoshou continued tricking the man. "I tell you that you'd better put me down because I know many people. Do you know Qiao Qianzhi, the Elder of the Spiritual Affairs Division…

"No, you don't know him? It's okay that you don't know him. But what about Xiao Qixiu? He's the Chief Elder of the Spiritual Law Division…

"You haven't heard of him? What about Elder Sang…"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly calmed down and realized that he was using the same threatening words as those used by the villains after they were captured. What he was doing was no different than courting death!

Unexpectedly, the masked man paused when he heard Elder Sang's name mentioned. "Did he come back?"

"Who?" Xu Xiaoshou responded quickly after a jolt.

"Elder Sang!"

"I don't know him," Xu Xiaoshou calmly answered.

The masked man: "…"

"Cursed, passive point, +1."