Amidst the tense standoff between the two sects, the first to speak was the master of the Bamboo Sword Sect.

“Who are you, and what is your purpose in invading my Bamboo Sword Sect?” The beautiful woman, with her silver hair and cold gray eyes, stared at Tian Zhu without emotion. However, there was an added trace of chill in her tone, revealing her clear displeasure at the visitors.

“We are from the Infinite Dao Sect. We came to your sect with only one purpose, but how we proceed depends on you.” Tian Zhu, his face expressionless, looked at her with indifference, his voice sounding ethereal.

The woman showed little reaction. She simply stared in silence, waiting for him to continue.

Aotian found the dialogue fascinating. Who would have thought that the first sect leader he’d encounter would be just as emotionless as the persona he had created for Tian Zhu.

“Our sect requires copies of all techniques, spells, and inheritances in your possession. If your sect has committed no wrongdoing, we will trade for a fair value. Otherwise… we will take them by force.” Tian Zhu spoke as if it were nothing, locking eyes with her.

“Audacious!! You’re seeking death!!” One of the Bamboo Sword Sect elders, an elderly man with white hair, gritted his teeth in rage and slapped his waist, causing five flying swords to emerge and spin smoothly around his body.

Aotian was basically demanding the foundation of their sect. Such behavior was an open humiliation.

“Since you’re at it, why not ask for our spiritual vein too!” Another voice rose, ironic and furious.

It was another elder, a middle-aged man with red hair, who conjured fiery swords as he clenched his teeth in fury.

Several other Bamboo Sword Sect elders also summoned artifacts and spells — nearly all sword-related — angry and ready for battle.

The Bamboo Sword Sect leader’s expression also turned darker. She had been the sect leader for nearly a hundred years, and this was the greatest humiliation she and her sect had ever faced.

“Sect leader! Give the order to attack!” The red-haired elder shouted again, clearly the most impulsive of them all.

Jian Huiyin, leader of the Bamboo Sword Sect, gently raised her hand, and her commanding presence was enough to immediately silence the elders of her sect. As a result, complete silence fell on both sides of the barrier — though the other side had already been quiet.

Her gaze examined the leader of the opposing group, who wore black robes. Then it shifted to the three figures behind him, clad in purple.

Behind Tian Zhu stood Bao Hui, Lie Zheng, and the new Sword Pavilion elder, Feng Zhen, respectively.

[Name: Fēng Zhēn (Meaning: True Blade)

Title: Elder of the Sword Pavilion

Cultivation: 7th level of Foundation Establishment (1 Major Realm above the Host)

Position Skill: Sword Intent Synthesis

Position Bonus: Combat Beyond the Frontier (Power increased by 3x)]

Aotian had changed his mind halfway through and decided to bring combat-focused internal elders with Tian Zhu — in this case, Lie Zheng and Feng Zhen.

Additionally, to maximize gains from the Bamboo Sword Sect, he converted two external elders to the Sword Pavilion. Their stats were as follows:

[Title: External Elder (Sword Pavilion)

Cultivation: 1st level of Foundation Establishment (Host Realm [Disabled])

Position Skill: Sword Heart

Affiliation Skill: Combat Affinity

Position Bonus: Sword Intent Copy (4 times per day)]

Smiling inwardly at their stats, Aotian turned his attention back to the battlefield.

The Bamboo Sword Sect leader, Jian Huiyin, then looked at the nine red-robed elders standing behind the front four.

Although her face remained cold and expressionless, inwardly, she was much more solemn. Even though she could sense the enemy leader’s cultivation at the Golden Core level, and the others at Foundation Establishment, she couldn’t pinpoint any of their exact stages.

That made her extremely cautious. She might have appeared indifferent, but she was far from foolish. On the contrary, she was an intelligent woman who had led a powerful sect for a century.

“Our sect has neither committed nor encouraged any crime or wickedness under my leadership these past hundred years. A trade is not out of the question, but it depends on your terms and your strength.” She stated coldly, showing no emotion in her eyes, but opening a wide margin for negotiation.

“Sect leader! What are you doing!! We can’t surrender!” The red-haired elder looked at her, incredulous.

“Leader, our techniques are our foundation! What will others think if they hear we handed them over under threat?” The white-haired elder — who was in fact the Bamboo Sword Sect’s Grand Elder — also exclaimed in shock.

“Silence!” She commanded coldly, and her Golden Core pressure silenced them immediately.

Aotian was slightly surprised by her calm response and willingness to negotiate.

In truth, he had been ready for battle from the beginning. He didn’t plan to act unjustly if the sect wasn’t evil. But aside from seeking techniques and spells, he also wanted to fight, to train in real combat, and try to copy some sword intents that might exist there.

That’s why he hadn’t been subtle from the start — he released his avatars’ auras without restraint, alerting the entire Bamboo Sword Sect.

So her composed attitude went beyond his expectations, considering the provocation they had suffered.

And according to Lie Zheng’s lie-detection ability, who stood beside Tian Zhu, she was telling the truth.

In other words, the Bamboo Sword Sect was not an evil sect. That didn’t mean all its members were good people, but at least it proved that the sins of a few shouldn’t be pinned on the whole, and that the sect didn’t deserve to be destroyed for isolated actions.

Considering that Aotian hadn’t heard anything negative about them in the region, he decided he would still pursue his goals—but would try not to harm that sect in the process.

Tian Zhu narrowed his eyes at the woman.

“I believe what you said. So our sect won’t act irrationally. What do you propose?” He nodded and asked calmly.

Aotian didn’t believe it would be that easy, so he wasn’t too concerned about the possibility of no battle or the failure of his plans.

Jian Huiyin, in truth, wasn’t being cowardly.

She realized that on the other side there were twelve people in the Foundation Establishment realm, and they could hide their cultivation even from her — a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage, already at the peak of the 3rd level — which meant they were far from ordinary.

Meanwhile, on her side, there were only ten Foundation Establishment elders in her sect, five in the early stage, four in the middle stage, and the grand elder, who had reached the 8th level and never progressed beyond that.

She wouldn’t be foolish enough to assume the attackers acted without certainty of success. Throwing her elders to death unnecessarily wasn’t an option. She wasn’t a coward, but as sect leader, she couldn’t act on impulse. She had responsibilities and burdens to bear.

She decided to play it safe — for the sake of her sect.

“Let’s have a one-on-one battle, you and me. If you defeat me, we can negotiate the price of our techniques,” Jian Huiyin said calmly, raising her chin slightly, unintentionally revealing more of her beautiful white neck.

Tian Zhu merely blinked calmly.

“And if I lose?”

He couldn’t help but ask. Aotian was curious.

But Jian Huiyin didn’t answer. She simply stared at him coldly in silence.

Aotian understood the unspoken message.

If he lost, she would do everything in her power to kill him and not let the tiger return to the mountain.

“Very well… but let’s make this more interesting.”

Tian Zhu nodded and agreed.

Even though he was at a disadvantage in this deal — since even if he won, he would still have to pay for the techniques — he didn’t resent it. After all, he was the irrational one here, not her.

Still, Aotian wanted to tweak the bet to better meet his goals.

Jian Huiyin showed no reaction on her beautiful indifferent face at Tian Zhu’s words. She said nothing and simply waited.

“If you defeat me, you win. But if you lose, I want there to be a second round, where our elders compete. If your sect gets more victories, you win — even if you lose to me.” Tian Zhu said, surprising all the members of the Bamboo Sword Sect.

This time, even the indifferent Jian Huiyin couldn’t stop her brows from furrowing slightly. She didn’t understand why the enemy wanted to give her an advantage, and that irritated her — not knowing what the enemy was planning made her feel vulnerable.

She hesitated on whether she should accept this suspicious advantage and stared at Tian Zhu’s emotionless face, looking for clues — but found none. Then she glanced at the other men behind him, but again found no helpful hints.

Clenching her fists within her sleeves, uncertain, she finally nodded in agreement.

This second round was based on the premise that he would win, so as long as she won, she didn’t have to worry about it. And if she lost, maybe having a second chance wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Very well, I accept.”

Jian Huiyin said calmly, but her eyes held a growing sharp and fierce light.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep