I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"What are you looking at?" Su Yao asked without turning her head.

"You don't look like someone who sells alcohol."

Su Yao paused for a moment, then continued stitching. "I am everything, and I am nothing. Once you're healed, leave. Don't ask too many questions."

Qin Yuan lay in bed in Luoxing Town for seven days. On the seventh day, he got out of bed. His left arm was still in a sling, and his right leg was still slightly lame, but he could walk. He walked out of the backyard and into the tavern's main hall. Su Yao was wiping the table, on which was a dish of peanuts and a pot of wine. The wine was cheap and bitter. Qin Yuan drank a cup without saying anything.

"Have you offended the Myriad Paths Sect?" Su Yao asked.

"Um."

"The Myriad Paths Sect will not let you go."

"I know."

After wiping the table, Su Yao draped the rag over her shoulder. She looked at Qin Yuan. "What are you planning to do?"

"Find a sect to join. Tianxuan Sect."

Su Yao's eyebrows twitched. "The Heavenly Profound Sect and the Myriad Paths Sect are mortal enemies. You've chosen the right place, but the Heavenly Profound Sect recruits new members only once every three years, and there are still three months left."

"I'll wait."

Su Yao poured him a glass of wine. "Drink and wait."

In three months, Qin Yuan's injuries had mostly healed. New bone had grown in his left arm, but it was an inch shorter than the original. His right leg no longer caused a limp, but it still hurt when he ran. Lin Qing'er woke up in the second month, with a palm-sized scar on her back, the skin sunken as if a piece had been gouged out. Hong Yue recovered the fastest; she was naturally very healthy.

Su Yao spent every day with them. She opened the shop in the morning and closed it at night, selling alcohol, wiping tables, and sweeping the floor in between. She didn't talk much, but whenever Qin Yuan sat drinking in the lobby, she would sit down and have a drink with him. The two of them wouldn't speak, they would just drink.

Lin Qing'er noticed. She didn't say anything, but every time Su Yao sat down, she would come out from the backyard, stand behind the counter, and pretend to do the accounting. She didn't even look at a single number in the ledger.

One late night, Qin Yuan couldn't sleep and went to the backyard. Su Yao was practicing her sword. Her sword was very thin, like a needle, and its light was almost invisible in the moonlight. But Qin Yuan could see it, because he had killed too many people, and his perception of killing intent was sharper than anyone else's. There was killing intent in Su Yao's sword.

"Can't you sleep?" Su Yao sheathed her sword and turned to look at him.

"Your swordsmanship is beyond what the Primordial Chaos Ancestor could possess."

Su Yao remained silent for a long time. She tucked the sword back into her waistband; the slender sword was usually hidden under her apron, unseen by anyone. "I am a member of the Tianxuan Sect. Not now, but before." She walked to the steps and sat down. "My father was Su Wuyai, the vice sect leader of the Tianxuan Sect. The Wandao Sect framed him for defection, and Wandao Zhenjun personally killed him. I fled here, hiding my identity."

Qin Yuan sat down beside her. "Your cultivation level?"

Su Yao released the seal within her body. Qin Yuan sensed it—a second-level Void Sovereign. Three major realms stronger than him. Lin Qing'er appeared at the backyard gate at some point, her hand on the hilt of her sword. She saw Su Yao's cultivation level, and her expression changed.

"Don't be nervous," Su Yao said. "If I were going to kill you all, you wouldn't be alive now."

Lin Qing'er didn't loosen her grip. "You want revenge."

"I want to. But I can't do it alone. The Myriad Paths Sect has the backing of the Void Palace, and the Void Emperor is a fifth-level Void Sovereign. I can't even beat the Myriad Paths True Monarch, how can I take revenge?" Su Yao looked at Qin Yuan. "But he has the inheritance of the Origin God King. His bone blade is something the Void Emperor also wants."

Qin Yuan said, "You want to cooperate."

"I want revenge. You want to live. The Myriad Dao Sect wants to kill you, and the Tai Xu Palace wants your bone blade. You and I are in the same boat." Su Yao extended her hand. "Cooperate?"

Qin Yuan looked at her outstretched hand but didn't shake it. "I don't seek revenge for anyone. But those who stand in my way, I will kill."

"That's cooperation."

Qin Yuan took her hand.

The Tianxuan Mountain Range lies in the northeast of the Chaotic Heavenly Domain, stretching for thousands of miles, its main peak piercing the clouds, its summit invisible. The stone tablet before the mountain gate bears the three characters "Tianxuan Sect," the characters powerful and vigorous, each stroke over ten feet deep. Today is recruitment day, and the area outside the mountain gate is packed with people; thousands are queuing, the line stretching from the gate all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Qin Yuan stood in the middle of the line, Lin Qing'er to his left, Hong Yue to his right, and Su Yao at the very back, suppressing her cultivation to appear as an ordinary cultivator at the ninth level of the Chaos Origin Ancestor realm. The people at the back of the line whispered amongst themselves; some recognized Qin Yuan.

"Who's that white-haired guy? He exudes such a murderous aura."

"I don't know, maybe they came from the south."

"I heard that the Myriad Paths Sect is currently hunting down someone named Qin Yuan..."

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Qin Yuan listened to the conversation in front of him with a blank expression. Lin Qing'er squeezed his hand, he glanced at her, but she didn't speak.

The first round of assessment was a talent test. The Spirit Testing Stele was about ten feet tall, its surface smooth as a mirror. One by one, people in line went up, placing their hands on the stele. The stele glowed, displaying their age, cultivation level, and spiritual root grade. Most were at the fifth to seventh level of the Void God Emperor realm, with spiritual roots of seventh to ninth grade. Elder Mo would nod and have his disciples register those who performed well. Those who performed poorly were simply waved away by Elder Mo.

It was Lin Qing'er's turn. She placed her hand on the stele, and the stele lit up with a blue light. Age: Unknown (the spirit-testing stele could not determine her true age), Cultivation: Fifth level of Void God Emperor, Spiritual Root: Saint-grade. Elder Mo's eyes lit up. "A good prospect." He had his disciple register her and let Lin Qing'er enter the next round.

The Red Moon Test: Void God Emperor Level 1, Spiritual Root Grade 9. Elder Mo nodded, approving her pass.

Su Yao took the test, suppressing her cultivation level. The stele displayed the ninth level of the Chaos Origin Ancestor realm and the eighth grade of spiritual root. Elder Mo glanced at her, said nothing more, and let her pass.

It was Qin Yuan's turn. He walked to the Spirit Testing Stele and placed his hand on it. The stele remained silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted with a dazzling purple-gold light. The light shot out from the top of the stele, soaring into the sky and tearing a hole in the clouds. The stele trembled violently, and cracks appeared on its surface, spreading outwards like a spider web from where Qin Yuan's hand touched it. The presiding elder exclaimed, "Chaotic Sacred Body! Fifth Level of Void God Emperor!" The entire hall erupted in uproar.

Elder Mo stood up from his chair, walked over to Qin Yuan, and looked him up and down. "What's your name?"

"Qin Yuan".

Elder Mo narrowed his eyes. "Qin Yuan, the one being hunted by the Myriad Dao Sect?" Qin Yuan looked at him. "Are you afraid?"

Elder Mo laughed. "Afraid? The Heavenly Profound Sect is afraid of the Myriad Paths Sect? Young man, you underestimate the Heavenly Profound Sect." He turned to his disciple and said, "I'll take this person in. Anyone have any objections?" No one had any objections.

The second round of assessment was a practical battle. On the arena, opponents were determined by drawing lots. Qin Yuan drew Zhao Tianjiao. Zhao Tianjiao was one of the best outer disciples of the Tianxuan Sect, a seventh-level Void God Emperor, and had already achieved some success in cultivating the Tianxuan Nine Swords. He stood on the arena, looking at Qin Yuan with a smile on his lips. "From the countryside? Today I'll show you what it means to be outmatched."