After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

The flames that destroyed Cangfeng Valley in his previous life and the wails of his loved ones who perished lingered in Su Jinxing's mind day and night after his rebirth, like maggots clinging to his bones.

Su Jinxing lowered his head, his eyes surging with overwhelming fear and determination.

In this life, he will do everything in his power to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself, to prevent Cangfeng Valley from suffering another catastrophe, and to prevent those around him from repeating the mistakes of his previous life.

His eyes were full of determination.

Su Jinxing bowed deeply, offering a very solemn salute to the several white-haired and solemn-looking elders of Cangfeng Valley, as well as Liu Qingwan. His waist was bent very low, and his tone was firm and earnest.

"Jin Xing knows that his words just now were somewhat rash, offending the elders and disrespecting Saintess Liu."

He raised his head, his gaze clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"But everything Jin Xing said and did was for the safety of Cangfeng Valley. Now that the war between immortals and demons has just ended, the demonic energy in the world has not yet dissipated, and the remnants of demons are still lurking in the shadows. If we are not careful, it will cause endless harm."

"Jin Xing was truly worried that some disciples tainted by demonic energy might infiltrate the sect and damage the foundation of Cangfeng Valley. That's why, in his haste, he opened the Hall of Inquiry to test the character and physique of every seeker of the Dao. He had absolutely no selfish motives."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold, icy voice suddenly rang out, filled with barely suppressed anger, instantly drowning out Su Jinxing's words.

Liu Qingwan's brows furrowed, her once gentle eyes now filled with frost, and her entire aura sharpened. She stared at Su Jinxing, a cold sneer curling at the corner of her lips:

"You mean, my Ranran will be tainted by demonic energy? Does Valley Master Su think that my Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land is so incompetent that even I, Liu Qingwan, can't protect my own child?"

The imposing force in those words was so real that several elders in the hall couldn't help but tense up and instinctively tried to smooth things over.

Su Jinxing, however, remained upright, his expression respectful yet neither servile nor arrogant, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Please calm down, Fairy. I had no such intention. It's just that Hidden Edge Valley is in a delicate situation right now, and the danger of demonic energy is not to be underestimated. I am only thinking about the safety of the sect and have no other thoughts. I hope you can understand."

He paused, then added, his tone becoming more earnest:

"The test content of the Hall of Inquiry has now been revised, removing all dangers and ensuring that it will not cause any harm to any test taker, so..."

"No need!"

A crisp, soft voice suddenly rang out, abruptly interrupting Su Jinxing's words. Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Xie Xingran reached out her chubby little hand and gently tugged at Liu Qingwan's sleeve. Her head tilted slightly upwards, her long eyelashes like two small fans, but her eyes were veiled with a thin layer of moisture. Her tone was full of grievance, her voice soft yet tinged with a stubbornness.

"Mother, let's go home. I feel... this brother doesn't welcome me, so I won't go into Hidden Edge Valley."

"When the time comes, Mother, you can just find a teacher to teach me. I will definitely study hard and not let you down."

Xie Xingran lowered his head. He wasn't stupid; he could clearly see the wariness and rejection in Su Jinxing's eyes.

It's obvious they don't like me and are holding a grudge. They're deliberately making me take some kind of test so they can legitimately shut me out of Hidden Edge Valley.

Since that's the case, why doesn't he just go with the flow?

Anyway, the Cangxuan Continent is vast and boundless, with numerous sects. Does that mean that only Cangfeng Valley has sword cultivators?

What's more, he also has the system at his disposal.

The thousand villain points he had accumulated were still safely stored in the system space. Perhaps he could unlock a peerless sword manual. If he devoted himself to cultivation, with his talent, he might not be inferior to the disciples taught by Hidden Edge Valley.

Once he has mastered unparalleled swordsmanship, he can return to Cangfeng Valley in glory and show off to Su Jinxing, catching him off guard and letting everyone see that even without the guidance of Cangfeng Valley, Xie Xingran is still an unparalleled cultivation prodigy, and Su Jinxing is blind to his talent!

Thinking of this, Xie Xingran secretly raised her eyes and glanced at Su Jinxing. A trace of disdain and mockery flashed quickly in her eyes. The contempt in her eyes was not like that of a child.

In his opinion, Su Jinxing was an absolute idiot.

Even now, they still can't see the situation clearly. The elders of Cangfeng Valley look at him with eagerness and appreciation, wishing they could immediately take him under their wing;

And then there's Lin Feng, who's been relentlessly pestering me all these years, trying to win me over, isn't he just trying to get me to join the Hidden Edge Valley?

Xie Xingran understood that their urgency stemmed from two purposes.

Firstly, they recognized his innate talent and knew that if he joined Cangfeng Valley, he would definitely become a pillar of the sect and even lead Cangfeng Valley to a more glorious future.

Secondly, it was because of the two powerful backers behind him—the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land and the Thousand Machine Pavilion.

The pills from the Sacred Land of Fire Marrow Pills are the most coveted treasures among cultivators, capable of helping people break through bottlenecks, heal injuries, and prolong life.

The weapons produced by Qianji Pavilion are incredibly sharp and powerful, capable of cutting through iron like mud. Both elixirs and weapons are indispensable to Cangfeng Valley.

If I were to truly join Hidden Edge Valley, the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land and Thousand Machine Pavilion would surely take good care of Hidden Edge Valley and provide it with a great deal of help and benefits out of consideration for me.

However, he is still just an innocent child. Although he understands these power struggles and advantages, he is too lazy to care. The specific matters will naturally be discussed by his grandfather and maternal grandfather.

Hidden Edge Valley had such a good opportunity to befriend two top powers and solidify its position, but Su Jinxing, that idiot, ruined it.

Xie Xingran couldn't help but think to himself: Is such an unambitious and short-sighted fool really the next Valley Master designated by Cangfeng Valley?

If he were to take charge of Cangfeng Valley, it would probably not be long before he offended all the forces on the Cangxuan Continent. In that case, the destruction of Cangfeng Valley would only be a matter of time.

Liu Qingwan looked down at her aggrieved son in her arms. Her face, which had been so gloomy that it looked like it could drip water, softened instantly, and the frost in her eyes disappeared completely.

She was so intelligent that she saw through her son's thoughts at a glance and secretly praised him.

Although Ranran is young, she has a clarity and pride far beyond her peers, just like herself and Jinghan.

She gently picked up Xie Xingran, then looked up at the embarrassed elder of Cangfeng Valley, her tone cold:

"Since Valley Master Su has said so, then I won't insist. Ranran and I will take our leave now."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hugged Xie Xingran, turned around and walked out of the hall without the slightest hesitation.

Deep down, he was even more convinced that his child was right; not all sword cultivators in the world gathered in Hidden Edge Valley.

Over the years, she and Xie Jinghan have also made many friends among reclusive sword cultivators. They are free-spirited by nature, dislike the constraints of sects, and live in seclusion in the mountains and forests year-round. However, their cultivation and swordsmanship are in no way inferior to the elders of Cangfeng Valley. It would be very suitable to ask them to teach Ranran.

"Wait! Saintess Liu, please stop!"

Seeing Liu Qingwan turn and leave with Xie Xingran in her arms, leaving no room for retreat, Lin Feng, Su Changqing, and several other elders became anxious and quickly stepped forward to block Liu Qingwan's path, their expressions urgent and their tone full of apology.

Su Changqing spoke first, his tone sincere: "Saintess Liu, please don't take it to heart. Jinxing is still young and not mature enough. Please don't take his nonsense today seriously!"

"I have made up my mind to take Ranran as my personal disciple and will personally teach him from now on. I will absolutely not let him participate in any of the Heart-Questioning Hall tests, so please rest assured!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Lin Feng quickly stepped forward to echo him, his face full of heartache and indignation. As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Su Jinxing and said urgently,

"Qingwan, I'm so sorry, it was Jinxing who acted recklessly today and didn't know how to speak properly! I'll definitely teach him a lesson later."

"No need—"

"Sect Leader, Elders!" A disciple interrupted Liu Qingwan, "The test for the Hall of Inquiry is about to begin."