Yunzhou City, outskirts.
A carriage from Yizhou was moving slowly along the road.
Inside, several men burst into laughter from time to time, as if something great had happened and they couldn’t contain their joy.
They were the ones who had failed to trick Chi Ming, yet had managed to steal away the Chi Ming Saber.
“Big brother, I’m not exaggerating—though I’m not a professional blacksmith, I’d say this saber is at least of Earth Grade quality at the very least!”
“As long as we enter Yunzhou City and auction it off at a trading house, we’ll make a fortune!”
“Good! It’s a pity we missed that beautiful girl, but once we have money, won’t women come to us as much as we want?”
“But come to think of it, that girl didn’t chase after us even though we took her saber?”
“She looked like a rookie who just started wandering the martial world, clueless about everything. She probably just picked up the saber by luck. If she knew its value, how could she use it to pay for a carriage ride?”
“Haha! Makes sense! We’re really lucky!”
In this world, the ranking of weapons and Magical Weapons is divided from highest to lowest into Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang.
Each grade is further divided into Lower, Middle, Upper, Absolute, and Sacred.
Heaven Grade weapons are rare in the world, possessed only by top experts listed at the forefront of the Heroes Ranking and the Blacklist of Evildoers.
Even super experts at the Grandmasters level mostly use Earth Grade weapons; ordinary cultivators often wield Huang or Xuan Grade weapons.
Only those from prestigious families, exceptionally talented, and highly valued young heroes are gifted Earth Grade weapons.
The reason is simple: in a world where cultivation resources are seized through struggle, possessing a powerful weapon without the strength to protect it is like carrying a time bomb—anyone with bad intentions might target you.
Kill for treasure.
Therefore, these people on the carriage never considered keeping such a ‘good blade’ for themselves.
They weren’t strong enough to protect it.
To avoid disaster, it was best to sell it off quickly.
With so many cultivators attending the Recruitment Assembly, there would surely be plenty willing to spend big money on such a saber.
Besides, Yunzhou was a place where righteous sects gathered.
They weren’t worried about Demonic Cultivators or bandits robbing them on the way.
However—
Just as they were preparing to relax and wait to enter the city, the carriage suddenly jerked to a stop.
The abrupt halt nearly threw them out of the cabin.
Annoyed, they shouted at the driver, “What are you doing? Can’t you drive properly?”
“S-Someone is blocking the road up ahead…”
The driver replied nervously.
“What!?”
“Y-You go out and take a look!”
“Ah? Why me?”
“Hurry up and stop wasting time!”
“Fine…”
The younger man who had recognized the good blade cautiously poked his head out and looked ahead.
Indeed, someone stood in the middle of the road.
He was a tall, refined man with a sword at his waist and a gentle smile on his face.
Though the young man didn’t recognize him, the slender, starlight-bright sword at the man’s waist instantly drew his attention.
“Star River Sword… Could you be the ‘Smiling Swordsman’ Li Ruobai!?”
“What!? Li Ruobai!?”
“One of Yunzhou Top Ten Young Experts!?”
The others in the carriage were all stunned by the words, jumping out to face Li Ruobai head-on.
“Oh? You know my name?”
Li Ruobai smiled, eyes narrowed as he looked them over.
“Judging by your appearance, you’re not Demonic Cultivators, are you?”
“Of course not!”
“We’re Scattered Cultivators preparing to participate in the Recruitment Assembly. We’ve long heard of Senior Li’s great name. To meet Senior Li today is our utmost honor!”
“Senior Li is truly elegant, a dragon among men!”
Faced with their flattery, Li Ruobai remained indifferent.
His gaze stayed fixed on the saber belonging to Chi Ming.
“I’m only twenty-five this year, younger than you all. I’m not a senior.”
He quickly retracted his gaze, waved his hand, and stepped aside.
“If you’re not Demonic Cultivators, then continue on your way.”
“Is Senior Li personally inspecting outsiders?”
Li Ruobai nodded.
“My master said the scale of this year’s Recruitment Assembly might be much larger than before. So our Xingyue Alliance has the responsibility to ensure its safety and prevent Demonic Cultivators from sneaking into Yunzhou.”
As Li Ruobai said, though Yunzhou was a place where Demonic Cultivators dared not tread lightly, this year’s unprecedented Recruitment Assembly attracted countless Scattered Cultivators.
It was possible some bold Demonic Cultivators might try to take advantage of the chaos.
“If that’s the case, does every road leading to Yunzhou City have Xingyue Alliance members guarding it?”
“With the Xingyue Alliance on watch, there’s no need to worry about Demonic Cultivators sneaking into Yunzhou!”
They felt completely reassured.
With Li Ruobai stationed here, it meant Demonic Cultivators would never get past him—any trying to enter Yunzhou City would be intercepted by the Xingyue Alliance.
“Senior Li, then we’ll take our leave!”
“Senior Li, thank you for your hard work!”
The group boarded the carriage once more, preparing to set off again.
They poked their heads out to wave goodbye to Li Ruobai.
Li Ruobai also waved back in ‘farewell.’
As the carriage slowly passed by Li Ruobai.
He drew the Star River Sword at his waist with a smile, slicing through the air in a dazzling arc like a star river.
Immediately, a mighty sword aura erupted from him, spreading out in all directions.
In an instant, the carriage was torn to pieces.
The driver, horses, and those within were all shredded by the sword qi.
Li Ruobai sheathed the Star River Sword, walked slowly to the pile of corpses, and retrieved the Chi Ming Saber.
“A few worthless Scattered Cultivators, daring to participate in the Recruitment Assembly?”
His open eyes were filled with contempt and disgust for the men he had just killed.
But when his gaze landed on the saber, a deep smile appeared on his lips.
“Offering this saber to the Xingyue Alliance is probably the greatest contribution you’ve ever made in your lives.”
With that, Li Ruobai caressed the long saber tenderly.
“Ah… my beauty… It must have been miserable to be in the hands of such garbage. From now on, I’ll treat you well. Don’t worry, Xinghe won’t get jealous…”
Li Ruobai muttered to himself, his figure gradually fading away.
The pile of corpses also dissipated into white smoke before vanishing completely.
As if nothing had ever happened here.
That single sword of Li Ruobai’s—
Murder, looting, corpse destruction, all in one seamless, silent motion.
And just as Li Ruobai disappeared into the distance—
From behind, the sound of another carriage approaching could be heard.