In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Inside the Ruyi Chain Restaurant, an old man and a young man were telling stories on the stage, and the audience below was listening intently.

"A surge of sword energy soared into the sky, as if it had pierced through the heavens."

puff!

The people below burst into laughter at the old man's comical remarks.

The news of the divine sword's emergence had already spread throughout the martial arts world, so they naturally understood what the old man was talking about, and their expressions immediately showed curiosity.

"It is said that this divine sword was forged by the Mo family patriarch a thousand years ago."

However, due to its special material, even after a thousand years of forging, it still could not be made into a usable object. Disappointed, the Mo family patriarch threw the divine sword into the sword pool and ignored it.

But sometimes, the flowers you plant with care may not bloom, while the willows you plant without intention may thrive!

This discarded sword, forged in the earth's fire for a thousand years and absorbing the essence of ten thousand swords from the sword pool, gradually took shape and became the supreme divine sword we know today!

Thump! Thump! Thump...

The old man of the heavens knew the origin of the divine sword, so he raved about it in all sorts of flowery language.

From the Mo family patriarch obtaining the rare material, to its century-long refinement and millennium-long forging, to the final divine weapon choosing its master and its sword energy soaring into the sky, the story is captivating, and the audience below listened with great interest.

They didn't believe the old man's words were true; they were just watching for the spectacle.

"The old man is still as virile as ever; the stories he tells make one want to drink three hundred cups of wine in one go!"

"Brother, your body can't handle drinking anymore."

Besides, Grandpa's stories are all made up. Don't use Grandpa as an excuse if you want to drink!

A clear, melodious voice drifted from a private room on the second floor of the restaurant.

However, it was a pretty young woman in her early twenties who was earnestly advising a middle-aged scholar in his forties or fifties that drinking was bad for his health, and the young woman looked worried.

"Make it all up? I doubt it!"

Xiao Hong, you also followed your senior in those days, making a living by telling stories. Did you ever see your senior fabricate accusations out of thin air?

Li Xunhuan looked at Sun Xiaohong, a strange smile in his eyes.

Ten years ago, as the saying goes, "a daughter is no longer under her father's control once she grows up," and Sun Xiaohong left the side of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets.

A young boy has joined the Heavenly Mystery Elder's side, replacing Sun Xiaohong. Now, ten years have passed, and they rarely see the Heavenly Mystery Elder anymore.

"Indeed not, but with the divine sword appearing, wouldn't Grandpa's words cause a conflict between the Zhang family and the Mo family?"

"Hehe, just as the old man said:"

The most precious things in the world belong to those with virtue.

Since the Mohists were not destined to possess the divine sword, it was fate that the Zhang family obtained it.

Moreover, with the Zhang family possessing the divine sword, which power in the entire land would dare to target them? This would prevent a bloodbath from erupting.

However, if the Mohists were to obtain the divine sword, they would be guilty of possessing a treasure without being guilty of any wrongdoing.

Especially now, the Mohist school's situation is extremely precarious. Once they obtain the divine sword, the entire world will vie for it, and even their previous glimmer of hope will be gone.

"Brother's analysis is timely. This divine sword is more harmful than beneficial to the Mo family at this time."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaohong suddenly understood.

With the emergence of the divine sword, if the Mo family dares to show their faces, they will be doomed even without the Zhang family's intervention.

Then Sun Xiaohong's gaze fell on the handsome young man beside the Heavenly Mystery Elder, her eyes showing a kind expression.

By all accounts, he could be considered her younger brother.

This was brought from outside by the Heavenly Mystery Elder years ago. His surname is Yan and his given name is Ping An!

After she left the old man of the heavens, the young man accompanied him for ten years, traveling the world, just like she had done back then, enduring wind and rain, which was quite a hardship.

However, Li Xunhuan raised an eyebrow when he looked at the young man beside the Heavenly Mystery Elder.

From the very beginning, the boy gave Li Xunhuan an extremely mysterious feeling.

If the Heavenly Mystery Elder's realm is unfathomable, having already reached the level of a Grandmaster, then the boy's presence to him felt no different from that of an ordinary person.

If it weren't for the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets by his side, Li Xunhuan wouldn't have paid any attention to this ordinary young man.

But is it really ordinary?

His extraordinary and gentle demeanor alone made him stand out from the crowd.

How could such a person be ordinary? Moreover, it's possible to deceive his perception.

This is truly unfathomable!

He could see the abyss behind the old man of heavenly secrets, but to the young man, it was like a layer of mist obscuring his true face.

"Xiao Hong, what do you know about this younger brother?"

"I don't know how much it is either. Grandpa brought it back from outside one day. What's wrong, brother?"

Sun Xiaohong noticed Li Xunhuan's unusual behavior and immediately became serious.

"It's nothing, it's just that your younger brother is no ordinary person, his strength..."

Suddenly, Li Xunhuan stopped speaking and remained silent.

Just now, a terrifying killing intent enveloped him, and in that instant, it made his whole body feel cold.

At the same time, the old man Tianji and Zhang Sheng, who were telling stories, couldn't help but glance at the direction of the cycle.

Fortunately, Yi Zheng Shenren knew Li Xunhuan's identity; otherwise, it would have been more than just a warning.

Although Li Xunhuan wields the Little Li Flying Dagger with unerring accuracy, his true strength is no match for Shangguan Jin Hong, especially since he is not even at the peerless realm yet.

It wasn't that Li Xunhuan lacked talent, but rather that he himself was unambitious and spent his days drinking heavily, leaving him no time for cultivation.

After all, Li Xunhuan had been famous for many years and had long since reached the point of perfect harmony between man and sword.

Otherwise, Li Xunhuan, at fifty years old at this time, would at least be half a step into the peerless realm, even if he had not yet reached the peerless realm.

···

"Greetings, senior!"

"Humph!"

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets glared at Li Xunhuan with great displeasure, clearly disliking him.

Even though Li Xunhuan was considered by the world to be a man of great literary talent and romantic flair, with legendary stories, and even though the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets had previously held him in high regard.

But the other party was a man who was nearly fifty years old, while his granddaughter was twenty years younger.

The old ox eating tender grass made Tianji Laoren wish he could just knock Li Xunhuan to death with a stick.

"Grandpa, after all these years, you still can't let go!!"

"Grandpa can't let it go? You're the one who can't let it go."

The old man Tianji was also helpless about his granddaughter, but then he looked at Zhang Sheng.

The murderous intent just now clearly showed that Zhang Sheng's identity had been exposed, and this had happened several times before. After all, Li Xunhuan wasn't the only clever person in the world.

However, none of Yin Zheng's ruthless subordinates survived.

Even though the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets prides himself on being upright, he cannot command the Divine Ninja of Yizheng, especially since the Divine Ninja of Yizheng prioritizes Zhang Sheng's safety.

"Don't worry, senior. Sister Xiaohong is your granddaughter, and Little Li Flying Dagger is a renowned hero in the martial arts world. I trust him."

"That's good!"

As soon as Zhang Sheng spoke, the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets knew that Yi Zheng Shenren would not attack Li Xunhuan and Sun Xiaohong.

Instead, Li Xunhuan, seeing the change in Tianji Laoren's expression, couldn't help but ask curiously:

"May I ask who you are, young master?"

As expected, the young man brought by the Heavenly Mystery Elder was no ordinary person; even after ten years of getting along, he remained so cautious and prudent.

It's likely that the name Yan Ping'an is fake.

"My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Sheng!"

"Zhang Sheng? Zhang... Zhang Sheng!"

Suddenly, Sun Xiaohong and Li Xunhuan looked at Zhang Sheng in disbelief, their eyes filled with horror.

"That's right, just as you imagined. It's a mix of truth and falsehood. The 'I' on the surface is just a stand-in that my father found."

Hiss...

Li Xunhuan immediately sensed that the Zhang family's grand scheme was far from simple.

Unexpectedly, the Zhang family bloodline on the surface was just a stand-in, while the real Zhang family bloodline of three generations had been wandering the world for ten years!

Thinking back to the sudden killing intent just now, it must have been from a master at least at the peerless level, and he hadn't even noticed the other party's presence from beginning to end. Only the Zhang family would have such a method.

"senior!"

Li Xunhuan looked at the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, never expecting that the old man had taken on such a huge trap.

But thinking about it, there are only a handful of people in the martial arts world who can be valued by the Zhang family.

Even his elder brother, Master Long of Xingyun Manor, was merely a 'propagandist' among the Zhang family's subordinate forces, responsible for spreading the Zhang family's positive energy and correcting the Zhang family's reputation in the martial arts world and throughout the Nine Provinces!

"I see, no wonder the old man knew about the divine sword!"

"Hahaha, I not only know about the Divine Sword, but I have also seen it. Young Yan, show them what it's like."

Aside from the issue of identity, the relationship between the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets and Zhang Sheng was extremely harmonious (Li Nuo's).

Zhang Sheng did not refuse and took out the fire poker he had brought before.

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is famous throughout the martial arts world for his Heavenly Secret Staff. Those who do not know him might mistake it for Zhang Sheng's 'Heavenly Secret Staff'.

As Zhang Sheng circulated his true qi, the rust on the fire poker gradually disappeared, transforming into a scabbard made of meteorite iron, revealing the true form of the divine sword.

This is···

Seeing this, Li Xunhuan and Sun Xiaohong no longer doubted the authenticity of the divine sword.

Unexpectedly, the divine sword 'Self-Concealment' is actually in the form of a fire poker, and this legendary peerless divine sword has indeed been passed down to Zhang Sheng.

"Actually, there are two divine swords. One is the Pure Yang Sword, which was forged over a hundred years and tempered by fire over a thousand years. The other is the Burning Heart Sword, which my father forged with heavenly fire using meteorite iron from the same source. The two swords are 99% similar and are used to deceive the world!"

Even divine swords can be fake?

Unexpectedly, not only can people be substituted, but even divine swords can be replaced, which can be described as reaching the ultimate level.

"Meteorite iron from the same source? Could it be that the Mohist school still possesses meteorite iron from back then?"

"I don't know about that; my father found it."

However, this divine sword was forged over a hundred years by the Mo family patriarch, and the efforts of several generations failed to produce a finished product. Perhaps the Mo family has long forgotten about it.

Even his father used celestial fire to forge this divine weapon.

Chapter 688 All good things must come to an end; a fledgling eagle spreads its wings.

Forged by Heavenly Fire?

Although Li Xunhuan didn't know what Heavenly Fire was, he knew that the Mo family had been unable to forge a weapon even after a hundred years, while the Zhang family could forge a high-quality replica with Heavenly Fire in a short time, which showed the power of Heavenly Fire.

The quality of that high-quality replica is also extremely high, otherwise it would likely have been exposed immediately.

"What my brother said, isn't the Zhang family just trying to create a substitute so that a master of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill can later impart his skills to them?"

Sun Xiaohong noticed another thing, which was the initiation of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill.

No one doubted that Zhang Sheng was an imposter; it was Zhang Sheng who, at the tender age of eight, received the opportunity to receive the empowerment.

Who in the world could obtain such an opportunity?

"That's right. Back then, my father had Zen Master Juexin bestow the Wedding Dress Divine Skill upon his substitute, Miyamoto Musashi!"

But Miyamoto Musashi was a stand-in ninja handpicked by his father from among hundreds, possessing exceptional talent, and therefore was worthy of the Zhang family's investment.

At this time, he was only eighteen years old, yet he was already a half-step Grandmaster.

And I might as well tell you, sister, that I was also empowered back then. However, my father sealed the empowerment power within me. When I came of age, the empowerment power combined with the power I am currently cultivating, and I was able to directly advance to the Grandmaster realm!

Moreover, this power has been accumulating within my body for ten years. Although I cannot utilize it, it has actually assimilated with the true qi within me, and it is unknowingly growing stronger and purer!