Hui blinked. He rubbed his eyes, but the image didn’t change. Within Li Xiang shimmered a sword. Where she went, the sword went. Rather than a human soul, it was as if she had a sword spirit for a soul. In fact, based on the sensations Li Xiang gave off to Hui’s third eye, to call her a sword spirit wearing human flesh… wasn’t completely wrong, either!

What am I seeing? What does this mean? Is it because she cultivates the One With the Sword art? Is part of that to absorb your sword’s spirit into yourself? But then… what happened to Li Xiang’s soul?

Nearly as soon as he thought that, Li Xiang’s sword flashed out. Under his third eye’s vision, a spirit shimmered in the sword. Illusory and unstable, he barely could make it out. However, it seemed to take the form of a woman.

Sensing his gaze on it, the spirit in the sword turned toward Hui. For a moment, the spirit solidified. It gazed at Hui with Li Xiang’s face, eyes piercing and intense, unlike Li Xiang’s. Their gazes met for a second, and Hui was overcome by the sensation of being seen through by a powerful expert far beyond his realm.

In the next second, his third eye shut, as if exhausted. The images faded, and he once again saw Li Xiang wielding a sword as she charged toward the two swordsmen.

That… Li Xiang’s soul is a sword spirit, and her sword’s spirit is a soul? It’s almost as if… as if Li Xiang’s and a sword’s souls were swapped! But… how? Even Gu Tian was a human swapped with a human. How could a sword and a soul swap?

Wait. Li Xiang is a cultivator from Starbound Sect. Gu Tian was, as well. According to Gu Tian, the one who killed him, stole his soul, and forced it into another’s body, the Black Asp Sect’s Sect Leader Yunxu, likewise came from Starbound Sect. It’s all… coming together…

No, not quite. Li Xiang is only a fourth-realm cultivator, and she’s a rising star, an expert in her own right. She couldn’t have been cultivating for more than a hundred years to be considered so highly in the clan. Gu Tian and Yunxu… whatever happened between them, happened at least two hundred years ago. Li Xiang couldn’t have been born yet, for all these conditions to be met.

Unless… He leaned toward one of the other cultivators in Starbound Sect. “Elder Brother, how old is Li Xiang?”

“You—how dare!” the cultivator said, staring at Hui with disapproval.

“Over two hundred?” Hui guessed.

Taken aback, the cultivator glared at him. “How dare you! Our idol started cultivating less than a hundred years ago, even less than fifty years ago! She’s a dragon amongst cultivators, a true standout rarer than a phoenix feather or a qillin horn. And she thinks highly of you…?” Disgust glittered in the cultivator’s eyes.

No, it’s not that Li Xiang is pretending to be young. From his reaction, as far as anyone in the sect knows, she’s truly a new cultivator. Then… was her swap… unrelated to Yunxu?

Or… A terrifying thought emerged in Hui’s mind. His eyes darted to Lan Taijian, then away. Instantly, he quashed the thought, unwilling to entertain it for a moment. No, no, that’s impossible! It couldn’t be. Hui, don’t even think about that anymore! It’s too terrifying to consider!

Something shuddered in the back of his mind, a memory he couldn’t quite remember, something an outside force had repressed. For an instant, Hui’s eyes lit with horror, but in the next instant, his face went blank. He furrowed his brows. Eh? I feel… afraid, for some reason. But… why?

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Beside him, the cultivator he’d been speaking to’s face wrinkled with disbelief, then confusion. He looked over Hui a second time, then a third. Wheels began to spin in his mind, and his brain trembled. I… he… Wait. This Xiao Hui… didn’t he join the sect a little over a decade ago? And yet, he’s already at the fourth stage? Doesn’t that make him… even more incredible than our idol, Li Xiang?

Li Xiang clashed with the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect cultivators. Silver sword light gleamed from her sword, and in response, the swordsman’s eyes glittered. Green qi emanated from his sword as well.

Beside him, the second swordsman rang his bell again. Three concentric rings of green waves rushed at Li Xiang. In midair, she spun around and slashed out, once, twice, three times. With each slash, she completely negated the second swordsman’s bell. She charged in and slashed out again, severing his green bell in two.

The swordsman fell back, startled. The halves of the green bell plummeted toward the forest floor below.

The first swordsman leaped in and clashed with Li Xiang. In the space of a breath, they’d exchanged a dozen blows. Li Xiang remained impassive, black hair flying, the pink enamel pin flashing in the sunlight, while the swordsman fell back each time their swords met. At last, Li Xiang slashed out a final time, power and finality glimmering in the attack. Hui’s eyes widened. Far from all Li Xiang’s power, the force in the blow barely drew on her true strength. Nonetheless, the slash bit through the swordsman’s guard and sent him tumbling toward the floor below, blood streaming from his robes.

The second swordsman darted after him. “Qiu Yifan!”

Li Xiang slashed at the air, cleaning the blood off her blade. She ceremoniously sheathed her blade. Not even casting a glance at the man she’d cut down, she stepped through the air and delicately alighted on Hui’s blade again.

“Invite us as guests and greet us with blades? Master, does the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect look down on Starbound Sect this much?” Li Xiang asked, looking up at Lan Taijian.

Coming from anyone else, it would be rude, but from Li Xiang, it’s just what she wants to know. Hui smiled at Li Xiang, then glanced at Lan Taijian, curious to see his response.

Lan Taijian stared silently at Hui. After a long second, he snorted. “I suspect they, too, were not expecting the arrival of a second inheriting disciple. Weiheng Hui, since when have you been a part of our delegation?”

Hui cleared his throat. He pulled himself to his full height. Casting a glance at Li Xiang, he declared, “Can’t an inheriting disciple join any delegation he so desires?”

Li Xiang nodded slowly, considering his words.

Ah, good. I haven’t read the sect rules, but it seemed reasonable. Hui turned to face Lan Taijian fully, eyebrows slightly raised.

Lan Taijian’s eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. “Usually, one likes to know the members of the delegation before they set out.”

“Circumstances prevented me from announcing my presence until now. However, Senior can trust that this small junior… only acted in the best interests of Starbound Sect!” Hui declared boldly.

Lan Taijian looked at Li Xiang. Eyes clear, she nodded.

Again, Lan Taijian snorted. “If Li Xiang agrees, how can I disagree? However, Weiheng Hui… perhaps you should consider keeping the sect updated on your whereabouts? As far as anyone in the sect knew, you were subjugating ghouls in a mortal village. In fact, some had begun to wonder if you’d be coming back.”

Hui bowed deep, suddenly regretful. I should’ve communicated with Master, at least. It would have been difficult, but it wasn’t fair to him to go so long without saying anything. “Please extend my apologies to Master Weiheng Wu.”

“Him? He knew you’d be back. Or so he said,” Lan Taijian said, rolling his eyes.

Hui’s eyes glittered. Master believes in me! I really got picked up by the right master, after all!

He opened his mouth again, but before he could ask where Weiheng Wu was, a man in green robes rose out of the forest and strode toward them. He nodded at Lan Taijian and cupped his hands in greeting.

“Welcome to the Mysterious Heavenly Forest, cultivators of Starbound Sect. Please, right this way.” So saying, he turned and descended into the forest.

Lan Taijian flicked his sleeve and followed him. The rest of the cultivators fell in line. Hui gripped tight to Li Xiang, for once glad to be stuck behind someone on their sword. Still, a faint prickling tickled his heart. I really have to learn how to fly on a sword!