Li Dixian followed the maid who had delivered the invitation into the Ye Manor.
He walked through corridors and waterside pavilions, past rockeries and streams, eventually being led into a serene and secluded garden.
"Young Master Dixian, please wait a moment. The Ye Family Head will be here shortly."
"Mm."
Li Dixian stood with his hands behind his back, examining his surroundings with interest.
The garden was exquisitely elegant, with Nine Heart Begonias as the absolute highlight.
Layers of pink and white blossoms bent the branches, clouds were reflected in the pond, and koi stirred the light of the sky.
Craggy Taihu stones were eroded by time into honeycomb-like holes, with scattered petals adorning the crevices.
Just as Li Dixian was admiring the beautiful scenery,
heavy and rapid footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
He abruptly turned around.
He saw two burly men, remarkably similar in appearance, charging straight at him with fierce momentum.
Without a word, the Soul Power around them instantly erupted.
In an instant, flowers and leaves danced wildly, the pond water churned, and a murderous aura swept through the entire beautiful garden.
The sudden turn of events
slightly startled Li Dixian, and he floated backward.
He hadn't expected that, after being invited, with no prior enmity, they would immediately attack.
"These two are at least Soul Sects above level forty!"
The thought had just flashed through his mind
when the two burly men roared.
Black and purple thorny vines grew wildly and spread out from in front of them.
At the same time,
two purple Soul Rings rose from beneath their feet.
"Fourth Spirit Ability — Ghost Vine Net!" x2
Vicious vines, as thick as a man's waist, intertwined madly.
In the blink of an eye, they wove into a colossal black net that blotted out the sky, descending over Li Dixian with a suffocating sense of oppression.
Whoosh —!
The vine cage instantly swallowed Li Dixian's figure.
Seeing this scene,
the two burly men curled their lips and sneered, shaking their heads.
"Is that all?"
"What Jian Jiu, he's nothing special!"
"Why did the two of us brothers have to test him?"
"He can't even withstand one of our moves..."
Before their words finished,
a clear sword light burst forth without warning.
It flashed, causing the two burly men to instinctively squint their eyes.
Then, they saw their vine prison silently split into two, revealing the white-robed young man inside.
"How... how is that possible?!"
Incredulity flooded their faces.
Li Dixian, holding the Azure Lotus Sword, which was as warm and smooth as jade marrow, sharply twisted his wrist.
— Clang!
A clear, ringing sword hum echoed through the garden.
Above the sword's spine, twelve azure lotuses suddenly bloomed!
A chilling sword intent permeated the air, and the temperature in the garden plummeted!
The two brothers felt a bone-chilling sense of deadly crisis seize their hearts, their hairs stood on end, and they hurriedly shouted:
"Jian Jiu, please show mercy!"
"We are both retainers of the Ye Family, ordered by the Ye Family Head to test your strength!"
"Your strength has been acknowledged, please stop quickly!"
"Test?"
Li Dixian sneered.
No one saw how he drew his sword.
A faint, almost imperceptible azure line appeared out of thin air, as if space itself had been cut open.
The two brothers were terrified, their Soul Power surging wildly.
Black vines coiled madly like giant pythons, instantly forming a thick thorny barrier in front of them.
However,
that seemingly indestructible vine barrier,
upon touching the azure line, was easily cut apart like decaying paper.
Crystalline azure radiance lingered at the severed edges, a trace of sharp aura refusing to dissipate, actually preventing the vines from regenerating.
After cutting through the vine barrier, the faint azure sword light continued its momentum.
It transformed into an invisible, fan-shaped edge, sweeping out horizontally.
Pfft —
Pfft —
Pfft —
Within thirty steps,
flower branches, plants, a corner of the rockery... everything affected was smoothly cut in half.
The falling Nine Heart Begonia petals, before reaching the ground, were shattered by the scattered sword qi into a tragic crimson mist, mixing with the blood beads gushing from the waists of the two Soul Sects, coalescing into a mournful haze in the air.
On the bluestone floor,
the two brothers lay severed at the waist in a pool of blood, letting out agonizing wails.
In Li Dixian's handsome features, the coldness was even more intense than the sword's edge.
"Testing me?"
"Did I agree?"
"If you dare to test, you should be prepared to die."
He had painstakingly cultivated the way of the sword, and now his sword had entered the ultimate realm; he wasn't someone to be casually tested.
Li Dixian didn't even look at the two men whose auras were weakening.
He reached back for the clear spring wine pot at his waist and took gulp after gulp of wine.
Buzz —!
Buzz —!
Substantial cold light flickered on the Azure Lotus Sword.
The space around the blade rippled visibly, as if unable to bear the extreme sharpness.
Li Dixian surveyed the messy, bloody garden, now devoid of any beauty, and said coldly:
"Is this the Ye Family's way of hospitality?"
Just then,
a series of light, rhythmic footsteps came from the secluded path leading to the garden.
Li Dixian narrowed his eyes and looked.
He saw two slender figures, their steps almost synchronized, walking slowly.
The woman in front wore a dark purple gown that reached her ankles.
Her hands were clasped over her lower abdomen, her demeanor graceful, her face beautiful, yet without a trace of expression, her eyes as calm as water, as if the bloody scene before her was merely dust.
Half a step behind her was a blue-haired girl.
Seeing the girl's posture, Li Dixian's gaze slightly sharpened. This girl was precisely Ye Lingling, the contemporary Nine Heart Begonia inheritor he had met once at the Great Spirit Arena.
At this moment, she wasn't wearing a veil, revealing a soft but overly pale face, adding a touch of fragile vulnerability to her aloofness.
A plain white dress, cinched only by a purple ribbon, further emphasized her slender waist, which seemed too delicate to grasp.
The girl possessed both ethereal beauty and aloofness, making her awe-inspiring.
If he had to describe her... a thought suddenly emerged in Li Dixian's mind:
The girl was like a withered Nine Heart Begonia.
In a few breaths,
the Ye Family mother and daughter stepped into the garden where the blood had not yet dissipated.
Under Li Dixian's astonished gaze —
Madam Ye moved with light steps, treading over the cracked bluestone slabs.
Where her skirt brushed, tiny green shoots actually emerged from the cracks.
A giant, ethereal Nine Heart Begonia bloomed brilliantly behind her.
Pink petals fell like rain, and waves of vibrant green life surged from the severed parts of the flowers and plants cut by the sword qi. The withered branches, moreover, burst forth with countless plump flower buds at a visible speed.
In an instant, the murderous and bloody garden returned to its beauty, even gaining a few more points of vibrant life than before.
Only the two brothers lying in a pool of blood seemed a bit out of place.
Madam Ye raised her delicate hand.
Drops of crystalline dew, exuding a wondrous fragrance, dripped from the heart of the Nine Heart Begonia.
Amidst the sticky sound of flesh squirming, severed spines reconnected like bamboo shoots sprouting.
After only a dozen seconds,
the two dying brothers knelt on one knee before Madam Ye, their faces filled with excitement.
"Thank you, Ye Family Head, for saving our lives."
Madam Ye's light purple eyes remained fixed on Li Dixian.
Her voice was like a clear stream from melting snow, cold but not sharp, soft but not cloying:
"Withdraw."
"Yes."
The two brothers bowed and retreated.
Before leaving, they glanced at Li Dixian with fearful eyes.
Inside the garden,
only Li Dixian and the Ye Family mother and daughter remained.
Before Li Dixian could speak, Madam Ye said softly:
"My subordinates were reckless in testing you and disturbed Young Master Dixian. Please forgive us."
Li Dixian was slightly surprised.
This seemingly high and mighty, aloof Ye Family Head was actually so polite?
The anger in his heart subsided slightly, but the displeasure of being tested without reason still lingered.
Li Dixian had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. He cupped his hands and went straight to the point:
"Ye Family Head, you invited me here, surely not just to witness the miraculous healing power of the Nine Heart Begonia."
"If there's anything, please speak directly."
Madam Ye was silent for a moment, her light purple eyes, which seemed able to see through people's hearts, gazed at Li Dixian, and her thin lips parted slightly:
"Young Master Dixian says the Nine Heart Begonia is miraculous."
"Then, in your heart, compared to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda... which is stronger, and which is weaker?"
Li Dixian furrowed his brows and said nothing.
Madam Ye's eyes were deep, and her voice remained calm and unruffled, yet it seemed to carry a certain weight of destiny:
"Has Young Master Dixian ever heard of..."
"The dispute of the Heavenly Healing Sacred Pagoda?"