The person Li Guanqi sought was none other than Song Zhi’ang, who now worked among the outer sect’s service ranks. With the Daxia Sword Sect’s numbers swelling, not every disciple could enter the inner sect. The selection standards had grown stricter than ever.0

Smoke drifted over the mountainside dwellings of the outer sect, carrying the scent of cooked food. Li Guanqi closed his eyes for a moment to sense his surroundings, then appeared outside one of the doors.0

The room was hazy with steam. A woman in a pale-blue dress with rolled-up sleeves moved gracefully, carrying...0