Ming Jing stormed into the inn with a squad of Peerless City martial artists.
But when they burst inside, Alex was nowhere to be found.
"What's going on? Didn't you say not even a fly could slip out of this inn!?" After searching the inn top to bottom and finding no trace of Alex, Ming Jing snapped at the lookout, her face burning with anger.
"This… this can't be…" The man tasked with watching the inn looked baffled, stunned in disbelief.
All four sentries had kept a tight watch, and they swore no one had left.
Tch…
Ming Jing didn't waste time grilling him. She pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky. A blazing light erupted above Peerless City, instantly rousing every master in the city.
Even Dugu Yifang scrambled to dress. This was Peerless City's highest alert.
For Peerless City, the Peerless Sword wasn't just a divine weapon—it was the heart and soul of the city.
It was also a key to the unmatched Love in a Fallen City sword technique. With the Peerless Yin Sword stolen, every resource had to be mobilized to reclaim it.
Peerless City's control was ironclad. Once Ming Jing's signal flared, martial artists swarmed the streets.
The city gates slammed shut. After a quick briefing, hounds were unleashed to sniff out Alex's trail.
But high above in the night sky, Alex stood atop his White Dragon Sword, gazing down at the bustling martial artists and baying hounds, a grin tugging at his lips.
Sure, his strength didn't rank him among Storm Riders' top dogs, but with his flight and invisibility abilities, Peerless City couldn't hold him.
These folks were chasing shadows.
As for how Dugu Yifang would deal with Ming Jing over the lost Peerless Sword? That wasn't Alex's problem.
Soaring on his sword, Alex glided through the air, pondering his next move.
Head back to the World Alliance? Peerless City would likely keep the theft of the Peerless Yin Sword under wraps, so he didn't have to worry about Xiongba coveting his prize. But failing Xiongba's mission might land him in hot water if he returned.
If he wasn't rushing back to the World Alliance, where should he go next?
Buzz!
Just as Alex mulled over his options, the White Dragon Sword beneath his feet quivered and broke free of his control.
Caught off guard, Alex plummeted from the blade.
Not just the White Dragon Sword—the Peerless Sword slipped from its sheath, too, and both weapons plunged to the ground.
Though Alex loved the flair of sword-flight—it felt like living his sword immortal fantasy—he always wore chain mail as a backup.
With the swords out of his grip, Alex used his Magneto's ability to control the chain mail, steadying himself mid-air before drifting to the ground.
The White Dragon Sword and Peerless Sword stood lodged in a courtyard below. Landing, Alex stared at them, baffled. Why had his swords gone haywire? What was happening? Could someone else in the Storm Riders plane wield Magneto's ability like him?
As confusion swirled, a spark of realization hit Alex, the scene feeling eerily familiar.
Boom!
As if confirming his hunch, a blinding sword light shot skyward from a nearby house, blazing in the dark night.
The White Dragon Sword and Peerless Sword, stuck in the ground, tilted toward the house, their hilts angled as if in reverence.
A verse flashed through Alex's mind: "The mystic blade, unmatched in ancient times, draws all swords to bow and worship it as divine…"
This was the sword master's ode to Wuming's Heavenly Sword realm from the Storm Riders series. The scene before him was a dead ringer.
After a while, the radiant sword light from the house faded, and silence returned.
The door creaked open on its own, and a deep, magnetic voice called out: "You're a guest, please come in."
Hearing the invitation, Alex hesitated. He could guess who was inside—the martial world's legend, Wuming!
Only Wuming's Heavenly Sword could sway other blades like this.
His sword's influence had disrupted Alex's flight, nearly sending him crashing.
Truth be told, Alex was itching to meet the near-mythic figure. The original story painted Wuming as a peerless master.
But while he could hold his own against types like Xiongba, facing Wuming was another story. If Wuming wanted him dead, self-preservation would be a long shot.
After surviving three years in the apocalypse, Alex's instinct was to steer clear of such risky encounters.
Yet, after a moment's thought, he didn't bolt. Instead, he took a step toward the house.
For one, he was dying to see what the near-godlike Wuming was like. For another, if Wuming meant to harm him, running wouldn't make much difference…
As Alex entered, the room's candlelight flickered, revealing a lean silhouette.
The dim glow obscured Wuming's face.
Dressed in a simple green robe with a plain cloth belt, Wuming stood with hands clasped behind him. His unassuming attire couldn't mask his commanding presence, demanding respect.
"Young man, your swordplay is still green, yet you ride a blade through the sky? Quite the marvel…" Wuming stepped toward Alex, his eyes gleaming in the low light as he spoke.
"Junior Alex, greetings to Senior Wuming!" Alex cupped his hands in a respectful salute.
It wasn't shocking that Wuming, a Heavenly Sword master, could see through his novice swordsmanship at a glance.
But sensing him flying on a sword? That caught Alex off guard.
Then again, while Storm Riders was a martial world, it often veered into fantasy.
In the original tale, when the Celestial Blade was forged, Wuming sensed it from thousands of miles away, and every sword in his armory unsheathed itself in awe.
It tracked that he'd notice Alex soaring overhead.
Still, the martial world—Jiansheng included—had hunted Wuming for years with no luck, and Alex just stumbled into him?
It struck Alex as almost comical. If his life were a novel, this kind of luck was pure protagonist material, right?