Li Zhexian followed the maid who had delivered the invitation into the Ye Estate.
They walked through covered corridors and over water pavilions, around artificial hills and along streams, until they arrived at a secluded, elegant garden.
"Young Master Zhexian, please wait here. The Clan Master will be with you shortly."
"Mm."
Li Zhexian stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the scenery with interest.
The garden was refined and picturesque, and the true centerpiece was undoubtedly the begonia blossoms.
Clusters of pale pink and white flowers weighed down the branches. The pond reflected drifting clouds, and koi rippled the light on the water's surface.
Weathered Taihu stones, eroded by time into honeycomb-like hollows, were dotted with scattered fallen petals.
Just as Li Zhexian was admiring the view—
Suddenly, heavy and swift footsteps echoed behind him.
He turned sharply.
Two burly men with similar appearances were charging straight at him, wrapped in an aura of fierce aggression.
They didn't speak a word as their Spirit Power exploded outward.
In an instant, flower petals whirled, pond water surged, and a chilling killing intent swept through the tranquil garden.
The sudden ambush caught Li Zhexian slightly off guard, and he leapt back instinctively.
"I was invited here—no grudge, no enmity—and they attack me the moment I arrive?"
"These two are at least Spirit Elders—over Rank 40!"
Even as that thought flickered through his mind—
The two men roared in unison.
Black-purple vines bristling with sharp thorns surged wildly from the ground in front of them.
At the same time, two purple Spirit Rings rose beneath their feet.
"Fourth Spirit Ability — Ghost Vine Net!" ×2
Vines as thick as a grown man's waist twisted and tangled madly.
In the blink of an eye, they wove into a vast black net that blotted out the sky, descending upon Li Zhexian with suffocating pressure.
Whoosh—!
The vine cage instantly swallowed his figure whole.
Seeing this, the two brawny men sneered and shook their heads.
"That's it?"
"So this is the famous 'Sword Wine'? What a letdown."
"And they sent us brothers just to test him?"
"Can't even withstand a single move…"
But before they could finish gloating—
A sharp sword light burst out of nowhere, so blinding that both men reflexively squinted.
Then they saw—
Their vine cage had been silently sliced in half, revealing the white-robed youth within.
"Im… Impossible?!"
Their faces twisted in disbelief.
Li Zhexian stood calmly, Qinglian Sword in hand. The blade gleamed like warm jade.
With a flick of his wrist—
Zheng—!
A clear, crisp sword cry rang through the garden.
Twelve green lotus patterns bloomed instantly along the spine of the blade.
A chilling sword intent filled the air, and the temperature plummeted.
The two brothers felt a bone-deep sense of death grip their hearts. Hair stood on end. They shouted in panic:
"Sword Wine, please show mercy!"
"We're advisors to the Ye Clan! The Clan Master sent us to test your strength!"
"Your strength is acknowledged! Please, stop!"
"Test me?"
Li Zhexian's voice dripped with cold amusement.
No one saw how he moved his sword.
A razor-thin green line shimmered into existence—barely perceptible—like a slit carved through space itself.
The two men were chilled to their core and instinctively poured all their Spirit Power into defense.
Their black vines coiled wildly like giant serpents, rapidly forming a dense wall of thorns in front of them.
But—
That seemingly impregnable wall of vines—
Was cleanly severed the moment it touched the green line, as if it were nothing more than rotted paper.
At the cut, a faint emerald glow lingered. Thin strands of sharp aura clung to the severed edges,
disrupting the vines' regenerative properties completely.
And the sword light didn't stop there.
It fanned outward in a sweeping arc of formless sharpness.
Pfft—
Pfft—
Pfft—
Within thirty paces, everything caught in the arc—branches, shrubs, even a corner of a rockery—was sliced cleanly in half.
Falling begonia petals hadn't yet touched the ground before the residual sword qi shredded them into a mist of blood-tinged crimson,
mixing mid-air with the beads of blood spurting from the two Spirit Elders' waists—
coalescing into a haunting red fog.
—
On the stone-tiled floor—
The two brothers lay severed at the waist, wailing in agony amidst a spreading pool of blood.
Li Zhexian's sharp brows were even colder than his sword.
"You wanted to test me?"
"Did I give you permission?"
"If you dare test me, then be prepared to die."
He had devoted himself to the sword path.
Now that his blade had touched the realm of extremesharpness, it was not something to be tested at will.
Without sparing a glance at the fading auras of the two men,
Li Zhexian raised his Clear Spring Wine Gourd,
and took a long drink.
Buzz—!
Buzz—!
The Qinglian Sword in his hand pulsed with cold light like a living thing.
Around the blade, visible ripples distorted the air—as if the space itself couldn't withstand its sharpness.
Li Zhexian swept his gaze across the blood-soaked ruin of a once-beautiful garden and said icily:
"So this… is how the Ye Clan treats their guests?"
—
Just then—
A set of light, measured footsteps echoed down the stone path leading into the garden.
Li Zhexian narrowed his eyes and looked toward the source.
Two slender figures approached with almost identical steps.
The one in front was a woman dressed in a dark purple gown that flowed to her ankles.
She held her hands folded before her abdomen, posture elegant and composed.
Her face was dignified and beautiful, but utterly expressionless. Her gaze was calm and still as water, as though the blood around her meant nothing.
Half a step behind her walked a blue-haired girl.
Li Zhexian's eyes sharpened at the sight—
It was the girl he'd briefly encountered at the Great Spirit Arena: the current inheritor of the Nine-Heart Begonia, Ye Lingling.
Today, she wore no veil, revealing a delicate, pale face—so fair it amplified her ethereal, fragile aura.
She wore a plain white gown, cinched at the waist with a purple ribbon, emphasizing her slender, almost fragile figure.
She exuded both grace and distance—so much that it made one's heart ache at the sight.
If he had to describe her—
One thought suddenly surfaced in Li Zhexian's mind:
"She's like a withered begonia bloom."
—
Within a few breaths, the Ye clan mother and daughter stepped into the blood-drenched garden.
Under Li Zhexian's astonished gaze—
The Ye mother moved with light steps, treading over the cracked bluestone slabs.
Where her skirt brushed, tiny green sprouts actually emerged from the cracks.
Behind her, an enormous, translucent Nine-Heart Begonia blossomed in full splendor.
Pink petals fell like rain, and emerald waves of vitality surged from the severed parts of the flowers and plants cut by the sword qi. Withered branches visibly burst with countless plump flower buds.
—
In an instant, the grim and bloody garden returned to its beautiful state, even more vibrant than before. Only the two brothers lying in pools of blood seemed somewhat out of place.
The matriarch raised her slender hand.
Droplets of fragrant, glowing nectar fell from the begonia's core.
Amidst the squelching sounds of regenerating flesh, shattered spines rejoined with the speed of bamboo shoots breaking ground.
Within just ten seconds—
The two near-death men knelt before the matriarch, faces flushed with gratitude.
"Thank you, Clan Master, for saving our lives!"
But the matriarch's amethyst eyes remained fixed on Li Zhexian.
Her voice, cool like snowmelt streams—cold but not harsh, soft but never cloying—flowed smoothly:
"Step back."
"Yes, ma'am."
The two men retreated, casting fearful glances at Li Zhexian before disappearing.
—
Only Li Zhexian and the mother-daughter pair remained in the garden.
Before he could speak, the matriarch said softly:
"My subordinates were rash in their test and disturbed you, Young Master Zhexian. I ask for your forgiveness."
Li Zhexian raised a brow in surprise.
This aloof, distant-seeming woman—the head of the Ye Clan—was being… courteous?
His anger cooled slightly, though the irritation of being attacked without warning still lingered.
He didn't bother with pleasantries and cupped his hands, getting straight to the point:
"I doubt the Ye Clan Master invited me here just to demonstrate the healing powers of the Nine-Heart Begonia."
"If there's something you want—please, speak plainly."
The matriarch fell silent for a moment.
Her pale violet eyes, which seemed to see through everything, locked onto him.
Then her lips parted gently.
"You said the Nine-Heart Begonia is miraculous."
"So tell me… in your eyes, how does it compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
Li Zhexian's brows furrowed, but he said nothing.
The matriarch's gaze deepened, her voice still tranquil—but now carrying a subtle weight, as though the words themselves bore destiny.
"Young Master Zhexian, have you ever heard of..."
"The Heavenly Healing Holy Sacred dispute?"