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(Headquarters of The Holy Sword Sect)

(Mount Xilean- Central Valley)

Excitement filled the air as half a dozen disciples mulled about while patiently waiting for the elders to arrive.

They could barely contain the happy smiles on their faces. 

Today was an important day and would mark a turning point in their lives.

Lighthearted conversations could be heard coming from the small crowd as the disciples gossiped amongst themselves.

"Can you believe that I was chosen?"

"Oh please… it is not like we are going to do any fighting… we\'re just here as spectators… only the representative will enter the arena."

"Speaking of which… have you seen the saintess?"

"Isn\'t she doing closed door cultivation?"

Xu Lu\'s disappearance had largely gone unnoticed by most of the sect. 

This was not surprising considering that cultivators often mediated silently in their dwellings for decades if not centuries.

However, it was strange that she had not shown up yet considering that she was going to be the representative for the Holy Sword Sect in the upcoming competition.

Every few centuries, all the righteous sects would come together to hold a conference where many important matters would be discussed.

The movement of the demon clans, opening of new secret realms, interference in the mortal world and other topics that would have major effects on the continent at large.

But perhaps the most crucial topic would be the division of cultivation resources. 

This would be settled with a tournament using the younger generation disciples as participants.

Each sect was only allowed to chose one representative so more often or not it was the saints and saintesses who would participate.

Xu Lu may have a not-so-great record of successfully completing missions, but it was clear that few among the younger generation of the Holy Sword Sect were her match.

"Maybe she is going to come a bit later? I mean her master isn\'t here yet so…" a disciple came up with a reasonable explanation.

"That makes sense… still how do you think she is going to perform?" another chimed in as he stroked his beard and pretended to act contemplative.

Bai Lu leaned against a nearby pillar and looked upwards at the clear blue sky. 

There was not a cloud in sight, the only objects that dotted the landscape were the cultivators soaring through the air on top of their swords.

She was looking forward to seeing Xu Lu again because she had a bunch of questions to ask her benefactor.

Especially concerning her new weapon…

Bai Lu\'s fingers absentmindedly came in contact with the top of the knife hidden inside one of the pockets of her robe.

The knife was only the size of her palm and the golden runes carved onto the edge of the blade pulsated with a strange sense of warmth.

Did she know that the knife was a spiritual weapon that allowed one to see into the future?

This was a gift that was too valuable!

Bai Lu wasn\'t sure how she was going to repay the saintess because nothing she owned could even compare to the value of this knife.

The Luck System: [She\'s not going to show up…]

"What do you mean?" Bai Lu whispered softly under her breath.

The Luck System: [The plot may have been twisted but by now Xu Lu should have been… err… wait… let me check my files]

The Luck System: [... huh…]

The Luck System: [That… that doesn\'t seem right.]

Bai Lu was just about to ask her system what the heck it was going on about when a small wave of spiritual pressure interrupted her thoughts.

She looked in the direction of the wave and saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman floating slowly downwards.

The woman was an ethereal beauty with clear black eyes, a slender physique, and soft and gentle facial features.

Light surrounded her body which made her seem to glow. She wore a plain white robe with flower patterns printed on the lower areas.

Elder Lei Ying.

Xu Lu\'s beloved master.

She was surrounded by three elders and the sect leader. The sect leader\'s ancient face appeared to have gained additional wrinkles.

He seemed much older but in a way that was hard to describe.

Maybe it was the way that his brows furrowed ever so slightly or the purse of his lips into a thin smile as if forcing himself to act normally.

Lei Ying snapped her fingers and a magnificent wooden ship emerged from her storage ring. The large ship was around the size of a palace.

Its bow had been carved into the shape of a dragon in mid-flight, its hull was coated in gold and other precious metals and bluish runes had been carved on the bottom of the vessel.

"We will be departing soon," the sect leader spoke gently as he gestured towards the ship and the smile on his face trembled ever so slightly.

"But before we do… there is an important announcement that needs to be said. This announcement concerns… our saintess."

Shi Jian\'s voice caught in his throat for a moment as he was overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt that made it hard to breathe.

His mind was a mess, and he did not know it yet, but the seeds of a heart demon had been planted deep inside his mental space.

Lei Ying placed warm hand on his shoulder and gently shook her head. 

She stepped in front of the sect leader and spoke to the disciples with a clear undertone of sorrow in her voice.

"Xu Lu the saintess of our sect and… my apprentice… no… my daughter…" Lei Ying\'s voice cracked, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"She had an accident while cultivating… I… oh… I…"

Lei Ying\'s calm appearance was nowhere to be found as she sank to the ground on her knees and placed her face in her palms.

Her body shuddered violently as tears streamed down her face. The disciples in the crowd froze and no one said a word.

They could tell that something had happened that may change the sect forever.

Lei Ying took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and looked at the sect leader who stared at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

She knew that her senior brother was suspicious, but it no longer mattered. 

The deed had been done and the saintess had been locked away inside one of the most dangerous areas in the entire sect.

The Sect Leader had to believe her because otherwise… the guilt would eat him alive.

"My daughter…" Lei Ying got up from the ground and her fingers curled up into a tight fist with so much force that her fingernails pierced the underside of her palms.

"She was eager for success… she wanted to make me proud… I… she… she turned to the demonic arts and a forbidden technique…"

"She died due to the backlash… there is nothing that anyone could have done…"