This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 155 My Conditions

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Ling Feiyuan’s eyes flashed with cold light. The sword energy around the two of them surged like a tide, but Ling Feiyuan’s sword technique, which condensed qi, seemed to have encountered its natural enemy and could not harm Xiao Xingchen at all. All the sword energy disappeared without a trace.

This bizarre phenomenon astonished Xiao Xingchen. He felt as if he had discovered a shocking secret: becoming an immortal through swordplay seemed to be the nemesis of other sword immortals.

Because the battle sword originates from the will to fight, this is tantamount to severing the foundation of all sword immortals. In other words, the battle sword completely plundered Ling Feiyuan's sword energy.

“You are special; your sword is completely different from ours.”

The sword energy dissipated abruptly, and Ling Feiyuan's body froze. Silence returned to the room, and the two, like long-lost friends, carefully examined each other.

"You may already have some capital,"

Xiao Xingchen shrugged.

"Since I've come to find you, I naturally have what you've been dreaming of. You've been biding your time until now, and the Ling family army has been scattered like sand, waiting for the right moment to soar to the top. But this path is wrong. If the Ling family army could really change the world, how could your family have been destroyed? Do you think you can accomplish what your father failed to do with your current remnants?"

"You seem to know everything about the Ling family. Who exactly are you?"

“I am Xiao Xingchen, also known as Xiao Jianren. You are free to investigate my past. I had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of this world, but fate has not been able to let me go. You know my current situation. I need someone to do some shady things for me in the shadows, and you happen to be the best candidate. So I've come. Name your terms, and I will definitely meet them. This is cooperation, and also a transaction.”

Seeing Ling Feiyuan remain silent, Xiao Xingchen understood that this matter could not be resolved overnight.

Putting yourself in his shoes, if someone suddenly said those words to him, he probably wouldn't believe them easily.

“You can think it over carefully. You have three days. I will come back in three days. But before that, you can listen to what I can offer you before making a decision.”

"Go ahead and say it."

"Ling Feiyuan's pen fell lightly like a butterfly. As his pen fell, Xiao Xingchen keenly sensed that the murderous aura surrounding the house slowly receded like a tide."

Clearly, the area outside was already surrounded by a dense crowd, waiting only for his command.

Xiao Xingchen paid no attention to any of this, because this was precisely the hidden force he valued. They were highly trained, like a disciplined army, and could achieve perfect coordination with just a glance or a gesture. Such a force would undoubtedly be a great asset in any endeavor, making things twice as efficient with half the effort.

Of course, he was already prepared to pay a price to obtain this power.

"The first thing I can give you is to find the murderer who killed your entire clan."

"Who is it? Who is the murderer?" Ling Feiyuan's body trembled violently. Clearly, at this moment, he had not yet connected the mastermind behind the murder with the Xiao family.

"The Xiao family, a family of sword immortals. Although I don't have evidence yet, this matter is definitely related to the Xiao family. In the future, I will give you a clear explanation."

Even if you are a member of the Xiao family?

"Who said I'm a member of the Xiao family?"

"Could it be...?" Ling Feiyuan's eyes were filled with suspicion, as if countless questions and mysteries were hidden deep within them.

"No, Xiao Xingchen isn't, and neither is Xiao Jianren, so you don't need to worry about me protecting the Xiao family. This is the first thing I'm giving you: find the culprit. What do you think?"

Ling Feiyuan nodded, and then spoke.

"And the second one?"

"Soon, I will be bestowed the title of Prince of the Mountain, becoming a sharp blade in the Martial Emperor's hand against the Xiao family. The Xiao family is at the height of its power in Nanling, with immense influence. You alone cannot possibly contend with them. Therefore, my second bargaining chip is a legitimate identity and an opportunity to bring the remnants of the Ling family army back into the light. The Ling family army is loyal and courageous; how can they be hidden in the darkness? They deserve a brighter future, allowing you to walk proudly in the sunlight, upright and honorable. This is my second condition for you."

Ling Feiyuan was filled with excitement, but she showed no sign of it.

"The third……"

"A third one? Would you be interested in joining me to pierce the heavens?"

Xiao Xingchen smiled slightly, then pointed to the vast, boundless sky above.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

“Ambition, I wish to bestow upon you an ambition, an ambition that can pierce through the nine heavens.”

Xiao Xingchen was well aware that the crisis he faced not only originated from the Great Qian Dynasty, but also from the mysterious and unpredictable Nine Heavens. He sensed that it wouldn't be long before he would face a powerful enemy from the heavens.

"Ambition?"

"Yes, you have been blinded by hatred. This world is vast and boundless. Revenge is certainly important, but as a man, you should have the lofty ambition to reach for the moon in the heavens and capture turtles in the five oceans. You should have the magnanimity to return victorious with laughter and songs. This is the grand ambition of a man, as lofty as a swan and as resolute as breaking through the sky. On this journey, I need like-minded partners."

Ling Feiyuan was deeply shocked this time, and he stared at the boy in front of him with a solemn expression.

This boy, who was about the same age as him, had a vision that far exceeded his imagination.

As a sword immortal, how could he not have thought about roaming the world at will and stepping onto the legendary Jade Capital Heaven?

However, as the deep-seated hatred of the Ling family surged forth, his life was ultimately shrouded in the shadow of revenge.

Seeing that Ling Feiyuan still had doubts, Xiao Xingchen had no choice but to offer his trump card.

His purpose in coming here today was very clear: to spend money and make grand promises. He wanted to recruit Ling Feiyuan and build his own first team.

Leveraging external resources is ultimately just that – leveraging external resources. To achieve great things, how easy is it without the help of your own people?

“Your current Sword Immortal cultivation is exactly the same as mine, both at the first level. I have cultivation insights into the ninth level of Sword Immortal, which we can study together.”

"What? Cultivation insights from the ninth level of a Sword Immortal?"

This time, Xiao Xingchen keenly noticed that Ling Feiyuan's expression finally changed drastically. It made sense; perhaps Ling Feiyuan, like himself, had stumbled into the path of sword immortality by accident, but lacked a cultivation method, making progress extremely difficult.

"That's right. If you cooperate with me, you won't be my subordinate. We'll be brothers, roaming the world together. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Of course, this is fraught with endless dangers. You have many subordinates, so you need to consult them. Therefore, I'm giving you time to think it over carefully. Once you've made up your mind, send a message to Huayu Tower, and I will come to meet you."

He felt he had said everything he needed to say. If these offers still failed to sway Ling Feiyuan, then he would have to reconsider whether to continue trying to win over the Ling family army.

"Three days, at most three days, I will definitely give you an answer."

"Alright, I suppose there are others waiting for you to discuss this. I'll go ahead and won't bother you any longer."

A sword imprint flashed, and Xiao Xingchen vanished from his sight in an instant, as if teleported. This move once again shocked Ling Feiyuan beyond measure, and it was precisely Xiao Xingchen's intention.

A necessary display of strength is indispensable. Although the sword imprint's pace is not as mysterious and unpredictable as the black-robed man's sacrificial power, it is still enough to be shocking. At least he has not seen a faster way of traveling than the sword imprint.

He can appear instantly wherever the sword imprint reaches; this is the footwork of the Heavenly Sword.

Admittedly, each use of the sword seal brought him a heavy burden, like Mount Tai crushing an egg. This was due to his strength; his battle sword was only at the first level. Using such a move that surpassed the first level would naturally have consequences like a snake's backlash. However, it was still within his tolerance range, and using it occasionally was not a problem.

The sword imprint flashed, and Xiao Xingchen vanished like a ghost, leaving Ling Feiyuan with an even more enigmatic mystery. This man, who had appeared so abruptly, had only been there for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, yet that short time had brought him a series of shocks, like a raging storm.

Ling Feiyuan was so stunned that she stood there dumbfounded for a moment, until someone broke down the door and entered.

"Young Marshal, where is he?"

Those outside noticed the quiet inside and filed in, but Xiao Xingchen was nowhere to be seen.

Ling Feiyuan snapped out of her reverie, gazed outside, and sighed softly. Looking at her brothers who had also hidden themselves in the mortal world with her, a sense of sorrow welled up within her. They should have been high above, enjoying far more brilliant lives, but now they were all ragged, emanating a nauseating stench, looking exactly like members of the Beggars' Sect.

You must know, they were once heroes who were renowned throughout the land. Thinking of this, he seemed to have made up his mind that he must not be selfish. The blood feud of the Ling family should be borne by him, and these brothers should not be buried.

"Gentlemen, I have something important to discuss with you."

He spoke with a solemn expression, and in that instant, it was as if his demonic heart had been shattered, and the sharpness of his sword energy began to shine like the rising sun.