The massive gate across the arena groaned as it opened—
And out stepped a black-scaled serpent nearly ten meters long, its body coiled like a spring, tongue flicking out as it tasted the air.
Its eyes locked onto Lin Xuan in an instant.
A Venomfang Shadow Serpent.
Fast. Agile. Deadly.
A nightmare for any cultivator below the Golden Core stage.
One bite was all it took to immobilize anyone under that level.
Lin Xuan was seriously unlucky—he’d gotten one of the strongest spirit beasts as his opponent.
Though judging from his face, he didn’t seem to care much.
He had only one goal—and no matter the opponent, he was determined to win.
The serpent lunged, its fangs gleaming with venom, ready to tear him apart in one bite.
And then—
Shing!
A flash of silver.
A blade appeared in Lin Xuan’s hand like lightning, humming with a cold, sharp edge. The air around it seemed to tremble.
A Profound-Grade sword!
The same level as the one Yan Xiu had used.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Wait… is that… a Profound-Grade weapon?!”
“No way! How the hell does a handyman have one of those?!”
“Is he hiding some secret background?”
…
Shock spread fast, especially among those who had been looking down on Lin Xuan.
Profound-Grade Artifacts were something they, with all their so-called noble backgrounds, didn’t even have.
But Lin Xuan did. How?
That was the question on everyone’s mind.
On the arena floor, the black serpent hissed again and darted forward, its massive body slamming toward Lin Xuan like a battering ram.
But Lin Xuan didn’t move. He stayed calm.
Until the very last moment—
He moved.
Swish!
A shadow flickered.
No, not a shadow—many.
Multiple afterimages burst from Lin Xuan’s body like a mirage, each one brandishing a blade.
One slash became ten.
Ten became a hundred.
“Thousand Shadows Sword!”
A storm of phantom blades engulfed the serpent mid-charge, the flurry so fast even the spectators couldn’t track which strikes were real.
Blood sprayed.
Hisssss!
The serpent reeled back, screeching in agony, lacerated from head to tail.
It twisted, confused, panicking, striking at illusions that vanished before it could even react.
Someone in the stands stood up, eyes wide as they recognized the technique.
“Wait a minute… that sword technique—”
“Isn’t that… the Thousand Shadows Sword Technique?!”
“Impossible! That’s a secret technique of the Bai Clan!”
“Yeah! A Profound-Grade Sword Technique of Bai Clan! How the hell does he know it?!”
The name alone sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The Thousand Shadows Sword Technique—an infamous sword style developed by a legendary Bai Clan ancestor.
It emphasized unpredictability, overwhelming speed, and mental pressure.
Most who faced it didn’t even realize they were dead until it was too late.
But what truly shocked everyone wasn’t just the technique.
It was what it meant.
Lin Xuan was using the Bai Clan’s technique… and wielding a Profound-Grade sword.
A Martial Art Technique that only a direct member—or someone incredibly trusted of Bai Clan—would ever have access to.
“How… how the hell does a handyman of the Heaven Sword Sect know the Bai Clan’s sword technique?”
“I heard Bai Zihan made him his personal servant—but didn’t they say that Bai Zihan treated him like crap?”
“Don’t tell me… Bai Zihan taught him?”
“No way! Bai Zihan wouldn’t even look at someone like that, let alone hand out treasures!”
“Then… he stole it?”
“Even more ridiculous!”
…
The shock wasn’t dying down anytime soon.
But the truth was simple.
This technique was given to him—by Bai Zihan—as a gift for reaching the Core Condensation Stage, alongside pills and the sword.
Bai Zihan himself hadn’t bothered learning the Thousand Shadows Sword. He had access to much more powerful techniques.
But he did know it.
So, he gave it to Lin Xuan without much thought.
Lin Xuan mastered it instantly with his insane learning talent.
If Bai Jian ever saw this, he’d probably cough blood on the spot.
He had once boasted about mastering it in three months and took pride in it.
Lin Xuan had taken just one day to do so.
There was no rule-breaking here either.
As Bai Zihan’s personal servant, Lin Xuan technically belonged to the Bai Clan, and thus had every right to learn their techniques.
It wasn’t like the Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword, which was strictly exclusive.
And after seeing Lin Xuan’s potential, even those opposing elders of Bai Zihan wouldn’t dare complain.
Back on the arena—
The serpent was on its last legs.
It screamed again and launched a final, desperate charge, pushing through its injuries.
Poison dripped from its fangs. Its eyes were wild, bloodshot.
But Lin Xuan’s expression didn’t change.
His footwork flowed—light, untouchable.
Another flicker. Another illusion.
And then—
“Thousand Shadows Sword—Final Bloom!”
The world blurred.
For one breath, Lin Xuan seemed to vanish entirely, leaving only a whirlwind of silver streaks spinning in the air.
A second later, he reappeared behind the serpent.
His sword was already sheathed.
The serpent froze.
Then—
THUMP!
Its body split diagonally in two.
Dead. Instant kill.
Silence.
Everyone just stared. Stared at the handyman who was supposed to fail. The nobody.
The guy they’d been mocking since the first trial.
He turned slowly, walking off the field without a scratch.
No smirk. No arrogance.
Just cold, terrifying calm.
On the jade platform, an elder finally muttered, “…Pass.”
Even the elders looked shaken by Lin Xuan’s display.
The disciples who had passed earlier only scraped by—dodging, surviving, doing just enough to escape or render the spirit beast harmless.
No one had finished off a spirit beast with such ruthless efficiency—let alone in less than a minute.
Cheers didn’t erupt.
Everyone was still processing what they’d just seen.
This wasn’t some desperate handyman clinging to life.
This was a swordsman.
A real one.
One who held a Profound-Grade sword.
One who wielded a Profound-Grade sword art from one of the top clans in the empire.
Someone dangerous.
“Who the hell… is this guy really? A handyman wouldn’t have those things.”
“Did Bai Zihan give him those things?”
“Even if he did—why?”
“Was the rumor that Bai Zihan treated his servant badly wrong? If getting Profund-Grade Artifact and Martial Art is bad then I also want to be treated that bad.”
“Damn! Is Bai Zihan looking for another servant? I am totally willing to be one.”
…
Many in the crowd—especially those who’d heard the rumors about Bai Zihan abusing Lin Xuan—were starting to catch on.
Turns out, the gossip floating around the Heaven Sword Sect was complete bullshit.
Because really, how else do you explain everything Lin Xuan just pulled off?
Even an idiot could see the connection—his insane growth, his technique, that Profound-Grade sword—it all pointed back to Bai Zihan, the one who took him in as a personal servant.