“Ninth’s head? How are you going to do that?” Li Qiye chuckled after hearing this.

“With the saber in my hand.” Wavesplitter said with absolute confidence and determination.

“You overestimate yourself if you think you can kill him.” Li Qiye shook his head.

“You!” Wavesplitter angrily glared at Li Qiye. This was an insult to both his ability and conviction.

“Once again, I’m merely telling the truth.” Li Qiye calmly responded: “How does your cultivation compare to Ninth? Your innate talent? The obsession with the dao? Your lineage? Your dao heart? You are inferior in every regard.”

He paused for a bit and stared at the youth: “He can easily take your head but he’ll think that it’s a waste of time.”

Wavesplitter became frozen, unable to vent. The words seemed to be stuck in his throat because Li Qiye was right.

Ninth’s current achievements were predicated on the guy’s talent. His sword dao comprehension and obsession exceeded his peers.

No one else in the world was more obsessed with the sword than Ninth. As for Wavesplitter, he cultivated the saber dao but didn’t reach the same extreme level.

In terms of background, his Wavespitter Clan’s art was definitely top-notch. Alas, it was inferior to Sword God Sacred Ground’s thirteen variations. This was a technique that took down a dao lord.

No need to say more about power. Ninth managed to kill his father, Wavesplitter Sovereign, who used to be one of the Six Sect Masters.

Li Qiye’s harsh truth pricked his heart like a knife and made him feel vulnerable.

He wanted to avenge his father so he left his home for training. Now, he felt despair after listening to Li Qiye. There was no point in becoming angry when the guy merely stated the truth.

“There is another path for you.” Li Qiye said.

“What path?” Wavesplitter asked.

“I am still recruiting so join and work for me.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Hmph, I don’t want to rely on someone else, I will use my own power to kill Ninth!” Wavesplitter said.

He had heard rumors of Li Qiye using a grand formation back at the Tang’s pain to suppress Ninth. Moreover, Li Qiye could get a more powerful cultivator to kill Ninth as well.

It’s just that Wavesplitter didn’t want someone else to obtain revenge for him. Only by killing Ninth himself would he find meaning and solace.

“I didn’t say I will kill Ninth for you. Plead loyalty and I will show you the right path.” Li Qiye said.

“My clan will never become servants to anyone, I stand proud and high under heaven!” Wavespitter took a deep breath and said.

“As you wish.” Li Qiye shrugged: “I’m just bored and appreciate your talent.”

Wavesplitter snorted and left for good this time. Li Qiye didn’t call him back and went with the flow. Wavesplitter had the right to make his own choices.

Li Qiye went on and reached the largest city in Tortoise Monarch Island. The plaque on top of the gate had two characters, Tortoise City.

He saw people from all over the world visiting the city despite the notorious fame of Cloud Dream Lake and the bandits.

However, the bandits in this city were completely different. They weren’t brutes living in the wild. Tortoise City resembled the other great cities in Sword Continent. It was peaceful as well and served as the largest trading market in the lake.

There were thousands and thousands of inhabitants and visitors. Numerous trades happened every day.

This prosperity stemmed from the rule of the tortoise monarch. Dark Dragon Island couldn’t come close in this regard. The latter was only a lair for bandits and relied on crimes for subsistence.

“Looks habitable enough, not completely wretched. I suppose this land isn’t left to waste.” Li Qiye said.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that the city didn’t have villains and murderers around. However, regardless of their reason for being here, these villains chose to stay as law-abiding citizens.

The city had tightly-packed buildings and pavilions. In front of them were merchants setting up stalls.

Loud shouts and normal life made people forget that this place was part of the dangerous Cloud Dream Lake.

Li Qiye picked a wine shop and went upstairs for a drink. He sat near the window and watched the passengers below.

In the distant past, this place used to be a mysterious kingdom until the great calamity. At the very least, Tortoise City bore some semblance to its golden age, albeit very little.

“This is decent enough.” Li Qiye smiled.

This was a smile of mercy. He decided to spare it after seeing the city’s lifestyle. If it was a lair of bandits, he would have taken it down just like Dark Dragon Island.

He eventually noticed a particular person walking on the street - an old yet vigorous daoist. However, no one could say a nice thing about his robe due to patches everywhere.

He held a sword and looked around repeatedly, seemingly looking for something or someone.

Behind him was a rather beautiful lady. Her presence stole everyone’s attention and brightened their day.

She wore a violet dress and possessed an elegant aura. She had gentle features and a pair of eyes brimming with spirit energy.

Sword energies pulsed around her but didn’t alarm or harm anyone. The rhythm of the dao moved with her. Her hair was rather interesting, primarily jet black with the occasional snow-white strands. This was aesthetically pleasing on top of making her unique.