The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

City Lord's Mansion.

As the Sword Saint perused the documents, he couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that Peerless City would fall to such a state after all these years!"

When he ruled Wushuang City, he was known for his impartiality and dedication to the public good. Under his leadership, Wushuang City flourished and its power continued to expand until he passed the position of city lord to Dugu Yifang.

Wushuang City began to decline, but it was still able to maintain its reputation. Thinking of his younger brother, the Sword Saint's eyes showed regret. When his brother disappeared, he was comprehending the Holy Spirit Sword Technique, which was ruthless and emotionless.

When he emerged from seclusion, his feelings for Wushuang City had become quite indifferent. The fact that the fake Dugu Yifang could control Wushuang City was only with his tacit approval. Now that he has regained his emotions and desires, he returned to Wushuang City only to realize that it was no longer the Wushuang City of his memories.

The records show that the number of households in the city has been decreasing year by year, but the tax revenue has increased instead of decreasing. The annual tributes from other branch altars have also been decreasing, yet Wushuang City continues to maintain the same expenditures as before.

This clearly demonstrates how severely the fake Dugu Yifang exploited the territory under the rule of Wushuang City. "Guards!"

Outside the door, a subordinate entered and bowed respectfully, "Lord of the City!"

Without raising his head, the Sword Saint's voice was deep yet sharp: "Issue my order: the people under the jurisdiction of Wushuang City shall be exempt from taxes for three years. The branch altars in various places shall offer tributes to make up for the deficits of previous years. Anyone who disobeys shall bear the consequences."

"As ordered!"

Miyamoto Yukure sat to one side, slowly helping him organize the files. When his teacup was empty, she refilled it for him.

After a long while, the Sword Saint raised his head and let out a long breath, "There are too many accumulated conflicts in Wushuang City, and it will take more than a day to untangle them."

Miyamoto Yukure smiled gently and comforted her, "Take your time. You've only just returned, so it's impossible for you to handle everything in the city right away. We'll have plenty of time in the future."

Sword Saint's brows relaxed. Thinking of Su Ming, who had helped him regain his life, he nodded gently. "We do have time. With the World Alliance's overlord gone, the entire Northwest, along with the Northern Lands, is in chaos. Wushuang City no longer has to bear the pressure from the World Alliance."

Miyamoto Yukure blinked slightly. "Husband, Xiong Ba's martial arts are not as good as yours, but he is not someone you can easily deal with. Who exactly made the move?"

The Sword Saint's face showed a thoughtful expression, and a series of figures floated through his mind, finally settling on a young figure. "Do you still remember the deathly sword energy we sensed when we first returned?"

"Of course I remember it. That sword energy was fierce and menacing, a rare sight in the world."

The Sword Saint stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "I have heard of that sword. It is a precious sword that Baijian Manor has been forging for a hundred years, and it is still not finished. Xiong Ba just happened to disappear in Baijian Manor. I suspect that his disappearance is related to this sword."

"Although I have never fought against Xiong Ba, I once saw him from afar when I was traveling the martial world. He has a special destiny, is a born overlord, and has great fortune. He is not someone who will die young. Judging from the current situation, he is probably already dead."

Miyamoto Yukino was somewhat surprised, "He's really dead?"

"Yes, the World Society is the brainchild of Xiong Ba. If he were still alive, he would never have stood by and watched the World Society fall apart due to internal strife. Logically speaking, this should have been a great opportunity for my Wushuang City to expand its power. Unfortunately, we must first secure our internal stability before we can deal with external threats. If we do not eliminate the parasites and drawbacks in Wushuang City, blind expansion will only bring greater harm."

No matter what, the Sword Saint was someone who had ruled Wushuang City for decades, so he naturally had that kind of insight. Wushuang City may seem powerful now, but it's actually a castle in the air, and its foundation rests entirely on him.

If something were to happen to him, Wushuang City would be leaderless and would inevitably be devoured, perhaps even worse off than the Tianxia Society, which has lost its hegemon. "Our most important task now is to cultivate talent. Otherwise, after we pass away, Wushuang City will have no successors and it will be difficult to maintain its current status." As soon as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he sprang out, arriving outside the mansion in the blink of an eye.

Upon seeing the person before him, the Sword Saint's eyes were filled with excitement. "It really is you."

Su Ming looked at the Sword Saint and secretly admired him, "After not seeing you for many days, you have finally found your own way of the sword, and have even reached a higher level."

Having regained his vitality, the Sword Saint returned to the path of compassionate swordsmanship. His sword intent was now freely controlled and at his command, no longer disturbed by the sword path or influenced by his true nature. Compared to before, he now appeared more gentle and more like a human being.

Just as he was observing, a white figure hurriedly came out. Seeing that the Sword Saint was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Su Ming solemnly, his eyes showing amazement. What a handsome young man.

"Husband, who is this?"

The Sword Saint explained with a smile, "He is the young brother who healed my wounds back then. If it weren't for him, we probably would never have had the chance to meet again in this lifetime."

Miyamoto Yukure felt a chill run down her spine, and her expression immediately became solemn. She stepped forward gracefully and bowed deeply to Su Ming, saying, "Thank you for helping my husband and I reunite."

Su Ming waved his sleeve, and with a gentle force, helped Miyamoto Yukiryu up. "No need to thank me. Brother Jian is also a top swordsman of our time. Without such an opponent, the world would probably be much less interesting. I also want to see just how powerful the final strike of the Holy Spirit Sword Technique really is."

The Sword Saint laughed heartily, his voice filled with joy. "Haha, well said! In this world, the only swordsmen who can catch my eye are you and Nameless. Let's have a match first, and I'll go find Nameless later."

Su Ming smiled and pointed at Nie Feng, saying, "The sword duel isn't urgent. I came to Wushuang City for this child."

Sword Saint and Miyamoto Yukure's gazes finally fell on Nie Feng, who was carrying a sword on his back. His gaze swept over Nie Feng inch by inch, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a rough gem! His talent is exceptional. Is this your disciple?"

Su Ming shook his head. "No, he is your disciple. Brother Jian, would you be willing to accept him as your apprentice?"

The Sword Saint was intrigued. This was like a pillow being delivered just when he was sleepy. He was worried about the lack of successors in Wushuang City, and unexpectedly, such a young man appeared. However, he still had doubts in his heart: "I wonder what the background of this young man is?"

Knowing his concerns, Su Ming immediately said, "Brother Jian, you don't need to worry about his background. His name is Nie Feng, the son of Nie Renwang. He once joined the World Society and became a disciple of Xiong Ba. Now that Xiong Ba is dead, his father entrusted him to me. You can accept him."

More than the child's origins, the Sword Saint was shocked by Xiong Ba's current condition. "What? Xiong Ba is really dead?"

"That's right, I saw Xiong Ba die with my own eyes."

Even though they had suspected it beforehand, they were still surprised when they actually heard the news. The Sword Saint turned his gaze to Nie Feng, liking him more and more as he looked at him. He immediately walked up to Nie Feng and asked, "Nie Feng, would you like to become my disciple?"

Although young, Nie Feng had already experienced a great deal. He knew the identity of the person in front of him and was more willing to listen to his senior. Without hesitation, he knelt down and said, "Disciple greets Master."

The Sword Saint, beaming, helped him up, patted his head, and laughed heartily, "Good, excellent! From now on, you are my disciple and the young master of Wushuang City!" (End of Chapter)