The servants and guards were shocked—this was the first time Bai Zihan had ever gone against his sister and won.
Not only that, his ability to twist the truth with such ease, turning black into white, was so terrifying that they couldn’t help but shudder.
Once again, they realized—going against Bai Zihan was no different from courting death.
Even if you were the victim, even if you were wronged or even killed unjustly, Bai Zihan could twist the narrative and make you the villain instead.
Bai Xueqing kept her gaze fixed on Bai Zihan until he disappeared from sight.
She found that her brother had changed.
Same arrogance, same temperament. But something was different about the way he handled the situation.
Still, she didn’t dwell on it for long.
Right now, she had more pressing matters to attend to. She needed to prepare for her departure to the Heaven Sword Sect.
Initially, she could afford to take her time, ensuring that the Heaven Sword Sect disciples were comfortable during their stay.
But after what had happened, she was certain they would want to leave as soon as possible.
***
Meanwhile, Bai Zihan wasn’t thinking much about what had transpired.
To him, this was just another consequence of his past actions catching up to him—except the other party had no idea who they were messing with.
[Ding! System Notification!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated Shen Liang!]
[You have earned 1000 Points!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated Yun Qingmei!]
[You have earned 1000 Points!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated Fei Ling!]
[You have earned 1000 Points!]
…
(As expected!)
As long as he completely defeated someone in some form, the System would recognize it as a victory.
Considering that almost every disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect had a higher cultivation realm than him, it was no surprise that he was rewarded with so many points.
Bai Zihan let out a low chuckle.
“Not bad. Not bad at all!”
Shen Liang was nothing more than a minor villain, existing solely to elevate others.
Except this time, it wasn’t a protagonist who benefited—it was him.
“Anyway, let’s get back to business.”
Bai Zihan didn’t spare another thought for Shen Liang or what he might do next.
The only advantage Shen Liang had over him was his greater talent and higher cultivation level.
Apart from that, there was nothing he could do to retaliate.
His only backing was the Heaven Sword Sect, and given that I am Bai Xueqing’s brother, they would do anything to me.
Between Shen Liang and Bai Xueqing, the Heaven Sword Sect would undoubtedly value the latter far more.
Not to mention, the Bai Clan wasn’t an existence they could easily afford to offend.
Moreover, Bai Zihan was certain that in the coming days, he would easily surpass Shen Liang in terms of cultivation as well.
With that in mind, Bai Zihan made his way to the private training hall.
****
The private training hall was reserved exclusively for direct members of the Bai Clan.
The vast room was lined with reinforced stone walls engraved with complex formations to prevent damage from training accidents.
At its center, a large jade formation disc radiated a soft glow—the Gravity Training Array, designed to increase the user’s body weight to temper their physique.
On one side, racks of weapons lined the walls, ranging from simple iron swords to high-quality spirit weapons that radiated an oppressive aura.
Rows of training dummies, reinforced with protective talismans, stood like silent sentinels, waiting to be struck.
And at the farthest end of the hall, a massive mural of a Bai Clan ancestor wielding a sword was etched into the wall—a testament to the generations of martial refinement within the Bai Clan.
Today, Bai Zihan will take his first step toward mastering one of those techniques.
He wasted no time.
Settling onto a jade meditation platform at the center of the room, he reached into his storage ring.
[Martial Arts Enlightenment Card]
Without hesitation, he activated it.
[Martial Arts Enlightenment Card (Active) – 1 Hour Remaining!]
A strange sensation washed over him.
His mind became sharper, clearer, as if a fog had been lifted.
Suddenly, he could see the essence of martial arts more vividly than ever before.
“Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword… Let’s begin!”
What he wanted to practice today was the Bai Clan’s strongest Martial Art—the Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword.
One of the three Heaven-Grade techniques of the Bai Clan, and it was considered one of the most powerful in the Heaven Desolate Empire.
Even within the Bai Clan, it was strictly restricted when passing down to the next generation.
Only those who made great contributions or were acknowledged as geniuses could learn it.
As the next clan leader, Bai Zihan had been required to learn it.
He was granted access to it the moment he broke through to the Qi Refining Stage.
But in the past, Bai Zihan had never cared to practice it.
With System Interface obstructing the demonstrations shown by his father, all he could do was struggle through half-baked attempts at practice.
Perhaps, if he had been a true genius, he might have figured something out by just reading Martial Art.
But as a third-rate villain? He had no such luck.
He had given up on Martial Arts altogether.
But this time, things were different.
He could clearly sense that his comprehension of the Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword had improved drastically.
He reached for a lightweight longsword from the weapons rack, its blade shimmering under the spirit lamps’ dim glow.
Stepping into the center of the room, he prepared to begin.
First Form: Flickering Shadow Step!
Bai Zihan dashed forward, his footwork light yet erratic, moving in sudden, unpredictable bursts.
The essence of this technique was misdirection—moving just fast enough to create afterimages, confusing his opponent’s perception of his actual position.
At first, his movements were unrefined.
But with the Enlightenment Card’s effect, he quickly adjusted.
His afterimages became clearer. His steps became faster!
Within fifteen minutes, he could leave behind three distinct afterimages.
Bai Zihan smirked.
“Not bad!”
But he wasn’t done.
He shifted into the Second Form.
Second Form: Phantom Light Strike!
This form was the true heart of the Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword.
It revolved around delivering a single, unpredictable strike from an untraceable angle.
The moment Bai Zihan moved, his shadow split into three, making it nearly impossible to tell from which direction his real sword was coming.
He slashed at a training dummy.
SHING!
A deep gash appeared across the dummy’s torso.
If this had been a real opponent, they wouldn’t have known what hit them.
He refined his execution, blending fake slashes with real strikes.
Within twenty-five minutes, he felt like he could properly utilize the Phantom Light Strike.
But now, it was time for the Third Form.
Third Form: Nine Shadows Flowing Light!
This was the technique’s true killing move.
It combined the Flickering Shadow Step and Phantom Light Strike, allowing Bai Zihan to unleash multiple slashes in the blink of an eye.
He took a deep breath, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword.
Then—
BOOM!
Bai Zihan exploded forward, his body flickering like a mirage.
His sword blurred as he struck once, twice, four times—by the time he stopped, the training dummy behind him collapsed into pieces, sliced apart from multiple angles.
Bai Zihan exhaled slowly, lowering his sword.
One hour was up!