Chapter 53: The Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven

“Knock, knock, knock—”

A crisp knocking sound echoed through the small courtyard, shattering the quiet of the afternoon.

Sect Leader Bai stood with his hands behind his back outside the courtyard gate, waiting patiently for a response from within—knowing the person inside as he did, he realized it was entirely possible she might not answer at all.

Fortunately, he finally received a reply.

“Come in, Xiao Bai.”

The voice was as lazy as ever, as if there were nothing left in the world that could stir her interest.

Sect Leader Bai let out a soft breath and pushed the gate open to enter the courtyard.

Before he could even step through the main entrance, the mahogany door swung open of its own accord.

Glancing past the spacious and comfortable parlor, Sect Leader Bai finally spotted the girl.

He had waited at the peak of Tianquan Peak for three days without seeing her, and now he had finally found her in the home of the Tianquan Peak Master!

“I pay my respects to the Supreme Elder.”

Walking into the room, Sect Leader Bai bowed slightly, greeting Lord Tiansi with a respectful gesture.

“Mm.” Tiansi spoke indifferently, her eyes never leaving the artbook in her hands.

It seemed she was at an exciting part.

But fortunately, Granny Ji, who stood beside Tiansi, was perceptive enough to step forward, guide Sect Leader Bai to a nearby seat, and pour him a cup of tea.

“Please enjoy your tea, Sect Leader.”

Granny Ji said with polite deference before retreating behind Tiansi to await further instructions.

As for the person she was waiting on…

Pat!

Lord Tiansi wearily closed the artbook and tossed it carelessly onto the side table.

Her languid gaze lifted, sweeping over Sect Leader Bai with nonchalant intent.

“Xiao Bai, you have grown old.”

“Heh, heh, heh. It has been twenty years since I last saw you, Supreme Elder. It is only natural that I would age.”

Sect Leader Bai smiled faintly, making no effort to hide the streak of white at his temples.

“It is just that matters have been far too busy lately. Ever since you awakened this time, I have not had the opportunity to come see you in person. Please, Supreme Elder, offer me your understanding.”

“No matter.”

Lord Tiansi waved her hand dismissively; she did not care about such things. Yet, after tilting her head in thought for a moment, she spoke to the Sect Leader once more.

“I shall call you Old Bai from now on.”

“Whatever pleases the Supreme Elder is fine.”

Sect Leader Bai cupped his hands in a salute, a hint of helplessness appearing in his choice of words.

Twenty years ago, he was “Xiao Bai” in the Supreme Elder’s eyes.

Twenty years later, he had become “Old Bai,” yet their Supreme Elder remained as young as she had always been.

‘Perhaps this is just fate.’

Sect Leader Bai offered a helpless smile.

As they spoke, his eyes caught a glimpse of the artbook beside Tiansi: Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Lotus.

Judging by the way the man and woman on the cover were leaning against each other, it appeared to be some sort of romance novel.

Adding to that the pile of artbooks he could not ignore in the study when he first entered…

“It seems you have acquired new hobbies, Supreme Elder.”

Sect Leader Bai chuckled, though he did not reproach her.

“Those are Nan Xi’s books.”

Lord Tiansi did not blush or falter, naturally shifting all responsibility onto Nan Xi.

“Hahaha, I see. So these are all part of Peak Master Nan Xi’s collection. It seems Peak Master Nan Xi is a man of great literary depth; he truly impresses me.”

Sect Leader Bai laughed, not daring to expose Tiansi’s lie.

As the Sect Leader of the Tianhe Sect, how could he not know what those extra “artbook” entries in the Tianquan Peak budget were all about?

But since the Supreme Elder had spoken, and since she had borrowed Nan Xi’s name, it was not his place to say anything more.

However…

“You seem quite fond of Peak Master Nan Xi, Supreme Elder.”

“Yes, he is quite special.”

“Special… is he?” Sect Leader Bai was thoughtful, a sense of realization touching his lips. “Perhaps that is true.”

“Hm?”

Facing Tiansi’s confusion, Sect Leader Bai bowed slightly and spoke to her in a slow, measured tone.

“In the years you have spent in slumber, Supreme Elder, this continent has not been without its heroes. Especially in the Songshi Continent of the Central Plains, five genius Sword Cultivators have risen to prominence. Their fame has shaken the Central Plains, and their futures are limitless. Thus, the world refers to them collectively as the [Five Swords of the World]!”

“Oh.”

Tiansi replied nonchalantly, not keeping a single word of the Sect Leader’s speech to heart.

Seeing that his words had failed to pique her interest, Sect Leader Bai hurried to add:

“You may not know this, Supreme Elder, but these five genius Sword Cultivators all utilize legendary Heaven-grade Spirit Swords!”

“And then?”

“Er…”

Sect Leader Bai was left speechless. After a long moment, he let out a deflated sigh.

“Peak Master Nan Xi truly exceeds my expectations… I can faintly sense a power within him that does not belong to his age, a presence I have only ever heard of in connection with the Five Swords of the World.”

“Even if he is not among the Five Swords of the World, I fear he is a personage capable of rivaling them.”

“Therefore, I hope you will keep a close eye on Peak Master Nan Xi, Supreme Elder. If you could keep him at the Tianhe Sect, that would be for the best.”

Faced with the Sect Leader’s heartfelt plea, Lord Tiansi seemed to finally be listening, nodding in agreement.

“I will keep an eye on him.”

“That is good. After all, he might just be one of the legendary Five Swords of the World…”

“What Five Swords of the World?”

Lord Tiansi tilted her head slightly, completely out of the loop.

Sect Leader Bai froze, the breath he had just exhaled hitching in his chest.

Did she only hear the part about keeping Nan Xi, while completely ignoring everything about the Five Swords of the World?!

“Supreme Elder, what are you doing!”

Sect Leader Bai lamented to himself.

Faced with the Sect Leader’s pained expression, Lord Tiansi merely frowned slightly and spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Because Nan Xi bought me artbooks.”

……

A thousand miles away, in Daye City.

The genius Sword Cultivator, who was the subject of the heated discussion between Tiansi and Sect Leader Bai, was strolling lazily through the school grounds.

Behind him, Xia Xia was following closely with small, quick steps, the admiration in her eyes growing ever more fervent.

‘Master is so amazing!’

The two people who had been so fierce just a moment ago couldn’t even last three rounds against Master.

When would she be as strong as him?

However…

Whenever she asked Master about his cultivation level, he always said it was “enough, just enough.”

He never gave a straight answer.

Seeing this, though, it seemed it would take a very long time for her to catch up to his pace. But one day, she would… hehehe.

Thump!

A crisp flick landed on Xia Xia’s forehead. She clutched her small head, looking tearfully at Nan Xi, who had turned around.

“Why did you flick me again, Master…”

“I saw you over there with that silly grin on your face; it surely wasn’t anything good.”

“But, what if you flick me stupid?” Xia Xia complained, puffing out her cheeks in protest.

“That’s true…” Nan Xi crossed his arms, seemingly giving the question real thought. “It seems I shouldn’t hit you that hard in the future.”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

Xia Xia was thrilled that Master had finally listened to her.

But the next second, Nan Xi’s words made Xia Xia shiver.

“You’re already stupid enough. If I hit you too much and accidentally open up your meridians one day, that would be bad. It’s hard to bully people who are too smart.”

“Master is bullying me again!”

Xia Xia chased after Nan Xi, getting ready to pounce on his back and bite his shoulder.

But with a clever backward step, Nan Xi easily dodged her.

Immediately, wind gathered beneath his feet, and his Heaven-grade Spirit Sword materialized underneath him.

It transformed into his tool for flight, carrying Nan Xi directly toward the Martial Arts Field.

Who would have guessed?

This mysterious genius Sword Cultivator could have such a childish side.

Behind him, only a light, airy sentence remained in the air:

“I’m not carrying you for the rest of the way; run there yourself.”