Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

Lu Zhongzheng smiled and smoothed things over, bowing to Hai Yuxu and Luo Gushuang.

"Both of you are prominent figures in the martial arts world. Since you are guests from afar, I, Lu Zhongzheng, will take the liberty of saying a few words."

"This Suishan Outer Sect Grand Competition is a grand event for young people. We elders can just watch the excitement from the sidelines and help the younger generation. Besides, there are all sorts of people on this mountain right now, and many eyes are watching. If you two have any ideas, there's no need to rush."

"Give me some face, how about it?"

Luo Gushuang pulled her white cloak tighter around herself and said calmly:

"I will naturally give face to Master Lu. In fact, Chijin Mountain and my Hanyue Palace have some connection. Back then, several of the best cold iron daggers in the palace were made by craftsmen from Chijin Mountain."

As she spoke, her gaze returned to Qin Zhongyu, and she said, "Sect Leader Qin, since Master Lu has spoken, I will not disturb you any longer. However, my disciple has long admired the Suishan Sword Technique. If Sect Leader Qin is so kind, would you be willing to offer some guidance another day?"

Qin Zhongyu remained calm and cupped his hands in greeting: "Palace Master Luo, you flatter me. We are guests, and Suishan will do its best to be a good host."

Luo Gushuang nodded and led her disciples to step aside.

Hai Yuxu, however, was not so easy to deal with.

He snorted coldly and said, "I acknowledge the face of Chijin Mountain, but I am not here for tea today. Sect Leader Qin, I will be frank. I have long heard that Yang Qingfeng's swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world, and I have long wanted to experience it for myself."

Just then, an aged voice came from inside the hall.

"Hai Yuxu, has your swordsmanship improved since thirty years ago?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Han Baitao emerged from the hall at some unknown time, his right sleeve hanging empty.

The wandering travelers on the mountain path were immediately agitated.

"The One-Armed Swordsman! Han Baitao!"

"How did he end up in Suishan?"

"He was already in Suishan during the Shaoyang Sword incident. I didn't expect him to stay. Is he going to stand up for Suishan?"

Hai Yuxu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his arrogant demeanor:

"Han Baitao, you old codger who's been missing for years, what brings you to Suishan to retire?"

Han Baitao slowly walked to the steps in front of the hall, his expression unreadable, and slowly said:

"Where I retire is none of your concern. But you, carrying a sword, are always shouting that the way of swordsmanship should be based on the vast ocean. It annoys me. If you have the guts, draw your sword now and I'll spar with you."

Hai Yuxu's face darkened.

He certainly recognized Han Baitao and knew his importance.

The Canghai Sword Sect is a major sect, but Hai Yuxu is not arrogant enough to challenge Han Baitao in front of so many people.

If a real fight breaks out, regardless of winning or losing, the consequences after the battle will be enough to give him a headache.

If they lose, let's not talk about it; if they win, given their skill level, it will definitely be a Pyrrhic victory.

Moreover, he came here today with a purpose, not to fight Han Baitao to the death.

"Hmph." Hai Yuxu flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "I am in a good mood today, so I will not lower myself to your level. Once Sword Master comes out of seclusion, I will go up Suishan again and say what needs to be said."

After he finished speaking, he looked away from everyone and turned to leave.

Han Baitao didn't even glance at his back. He simply swept his gaze over the assembled martial arts practitioners, then turned and went back into the hall without saying a word.

Qin Zhongyu breathed a sigh of relief and arranged for his disciples to guide the two factions to the ceremony.

The crowd on the mountain path gradually dispersed, but the discussions became louder than before.

"More and more important figures are arriving... Hanyue Palace and Canghai Sword Sect, they weren't exactly friends with Suishan before, were they?"

"Friends? These days, there are plenty of opportunists and few who offer help in times of need. I think these people have ulterior motives!"

"Ha, Chu Wuyai killed Helian Chuan with a single sword strike, I don't think Suishan is afraid of them!"

"But Chu Wuyai was seriously injured; I saw it clearly that day!"

"So what? Han Baitao is still supporting Suishan!"

"With the Sword Master remaining in seclusion, these kinds of problems will inevitably keep popping up. This isn't something that can be solved by a few people supporting Suishan..."

"Shh, stop talking. These are not things for us to discuss. Just be an observer and don't risk your life."

……

Evening, the kitchen of the servants' quarters.

Gu Shuxian held a bowl of brown rice and slowly put it into his mouth.

Making the dummy consumed a lot of his internal energy, and he was thinking about whether he should take a break.

Hmm, the cooking here is consistently bad, consistently terrible.

A figure rushed in and plopped down next to him.

"Oh, I've finally found you!"

Qian Le casually picked a piece of pickled radish from Gu Shuxian's bowl, chewing as he said, "Why have you been disappearing like a ghost these days?"

"I can't find you anywhere inside. You used to be reading a book every day, but now you don't read books anymore, and you're nowhere to be seen."

Gu Shuxian subtly moved the bowl toward herself.

"I've gotten obsessed with something else lately. What's up, is there something you need?"

"Hehe!" Qian Le chuckled mysteriously, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, "Look what I brought you!"

He took out a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it layer by layer, and finally revealed a book.

Gu Shuxian's gaze sharpened.

The book cover prominently displays:

The Legend of Fang Tian Chi Tu!

"This is?"

"That sequel to your so-called 'Divine Halberd,' the final installment of the trilogy!" Qian Le said smugly. "How about that? Didn't expect that, did you?"

Gu Shuxian really didn't expect that there would be a third book!

"Really? Where did you get it?" Gu Shuxian asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

Qian Le chuckled and began to boast:

"Today I went to the Liu residence. As soon as Young Master Liu saw me, he questioned me for quite a while. Luckily, I'm quick-witted, and I managed to make him tremble. Then, when I took out your book, tsk tsk tsk, you didn't see it, Young Master Liu almost bowed down!"

"We hit it off immediately, and I managed to get the news about a third part out of him in no time. So, I immediately found a way to bring it to you. Sigh, Junior Brother Gu, you have no idea how much persuasion I had to put in before he finally agreed to lend it to me..."

"Speaking of which, the Liu residence was truly magnificent. The pomp and circumstance were astounding. The chairs were all made of mahogany, and the tea they served was absolutely delicious—I don't even know its name..."

Qian Le rambled on and on, spouting nonsense.

However, Gu Shuxian had no time to correct how much of Qian Le's words were exaggerated.

He quickly flipped through a few pages, and from the content between the lines, he intuitively judged that this was indeed the third part of the Legend of the Halberd Shooter, and definitely not a fan fiction!

Gu Shuxian was getting impatient. Besides being curious about the content, he wanted to finish reading the book before midnight today!

"Thank you so much, Senior Brother Qian!"

Qian Le chuckled and praised himself a few more times.

Gu Shuxian disregarded all decorum, quickly finished the rest of his meal in a flash, then tucked the book into his pocket and took his leave.

"Senior Brother Qian, please enjoy your meal. I'm going back to my studies now!"

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry..."

Qian Le smiled helplessly after only taking a couple of bites of rice.