Chapter 2

"Disciple Lin Xuan, who has repeatedly violated family rules, is now stripped of the title of Young Master and expelled from the Sword Pool Manor!"

"Hmph! This person should have been expelled long ago. Keeping him around only disgraces our Sword Pool Manor!"

"What's the use of having good insight if he can't open his spirit meridians? He's nothing but a nobody!"

"Right, a useless person who can't open his spirit meridians, and yet he was made Young Master. It's truly laughable!"

Endless ridicule and curses flooded over Lin Xuan like a torrent, submerging him...

"Ahh!"

Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, drenched in cold sweat. The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, bringing a hint of warmth and pulling him back to the real world.

"Another nightmare." Lin Xuan let out a bitter laugh. When he was very young, he displayed astonishing martial talent; he could learn martial arts just by watching them once, and everyone thought he was a martial genius, placing great hopes on him.

However, to everyone's surprise, he couldn't open his spirit meridians at all.

Martial artists can only gather the spiritual energy they cultivate within their bodies and break through their spirit meridians to gain even greater power. But no matter what Lin Xuan did, he couldn't break through his spirit meridians.

Thus, Lin Xuan was abandoned by his family.

He rubbed his face, threw off the blanket, and got out of bed, grabbing the water jug on the table and taking two big gulps.

This was a simple little house, with only a wooden bed and an old table inside. Lin Xuan, holding a coarse linen robe, had just put it on halfway when the door was kicked open with a bang.

The first to enter was the young man in white, Chen Feng, followed by over a dozen others. He said arrogantly, "Kid, come with us!"

"What do you want?" Lin Xuan slowly finished dressing and asked coldly.

"Rude! You, a mere sword slave, dare to be so disrespectful!" Chen Feng drew his sword with a clang, the cold blade pointing at Lin Xuan, emitting a faint killing aura.

Feeling the killing intent from the sword, Lin Xuan instinctively touched the sword-shaped pendant around his neck. It was given to him by his father before he died, storing a certain amount of spiritual energy to save his life in emergencies.

Touching the pendant, Lin Xuan calmed down. The other party was a second-stage Spirit Scholar; if they really wanted to kill him, he would have to take one down with him!

Seeing that Lin Xuan wasn't trembling like other sword slaves, the white-robed disciples were somewhat surprised, and Chen Feng was even more angry. If even a sword slave wasn't afraid of him, how could he maintain his status?

"Alright, Chen Feng! Don't forget our purpose. If we waste time, you'll be responsible!" The leading young man, Zhang Bin, stopped the enraged Chen Feng.

"Kid, come with us. We need you to do something." Zhang Bin said coldly.

Lin Xuan glanced at the sword slaves following them and thought to himself, "A wise man doesn't suffer a loss in the present. I'll follow them and see what they're up to!"

He nodded expressionlessly and walked over.

Seeing Lin Xuan join the group, Chen Feng sneered inwardly, "We'll see how you die in a moment!"

The leading young man, Zhang Bin, waved his hand and said, "Everyone, follow me!" The group quickly headed towards the forest near the Xuantian Sect.

The Xuantian Sect was one of the three major sects in Yunzhou, located on the outskirts of the Taihang Mountains. The disciples often went into the mountains to hunt and gather herbs, but only in the outer regions. The Taihang Mountains were filled with fierce beasts, and the deeper you went, the more dangerous it became. Without strength, one could only die in these mountains.

Lin Xuan followed the white-robed disciples to a cave entrance, surrounded by overgrown weeds and vines. At the cave entrance was a bright red spirit mushroom, like a ball of fresh red flames.

When the white-robed disciples looked at the Fire Spirit Mushroom, their eyes were filled with greed, and they swallowed hard. Zhang Bin, suppressing his excitement, said, "All sword slaves, listen up. There's a small snake in that cave. You need to lure it out, the farther the better."

"If you fail or try to escape, I'll be the first to kill you!" As he said this, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and a powerful aura burst from his body.

Lin Xuan's heart sank. He cursed inwardly. These people wanted to use the sword slaves to lure away the fierce beast so they could pick the Fire Spirit Mushroom. But was it so easy to lure away a fierce beast?

The fragrance of the Fire Spirit Mushroom could be smelled from a distance, let alone by other beasts. Yet, none dared to come near, and the area was eerily quiet, indicating how powerful the beast in the cave was.

Lin Xuan was not an ordinary sword slave. He had once been the Young Master of the Sword Pool Manor, with far more experience than others. These white-robed disciples clearly intended to use the lives of the sword slaves to obtain the Fire Spirit Mushroom.

"You, go to the front!" Chen Feng pointed at Lin Xuan with a sneer, his eyes full of mockery.

"Damn!" Lin Xuan cursed inwardly, walking to the front reluctantly. He once again felt the bitterness of having no strength, with his fate in others' hands. Only those who have experienced it know how miserable it is!

"If that kid ruins our plans, what should we do?" a disciple asked.

"Don't worry, a little sword slave can't cause much trouble. Just prepare to pick the Fire Spirit Mushroom!" Chen Feng said with a laugh.

Eleven sword slaves cautiously approached the cave. The closer they got, the more dangerous the aura became, and Lin Xuan felt the hairs on his back stand up.

The fragrance of the Fire Spirit Mushroom grew stronger, and a foul smell wafted from the cave. When they were about five meters away, Lin Xuan suddenly felt a sense of great danger. His natural instincts kicked in, and he instantly jumped to the side.

At the moment Lin Xuan jumped, a rainbow-like shadow shot out like lightning, piercing through several people in front. Blood splattered into the sky.

A massive head, as big as a table, emerged from the cave, with eyes as large as human heads, glowing with a cold green light.

"Damn! This is a small snake?" Lin Xuan cursed, hating Chen Feng and the others to the extreme.

Without waiting for orders, the sword slaves ran away, fleeing like the wind. The green-eyed snake slithered out of the cave, its body over ten meters long, and quickly moved towards the nearest sword slave, its mouth wide open.

Lin Xuan didn't stay either, turning and running into the forest. Zhang Bin and the others ignored him, focusing on the Fire Spirit Mushroom. They had already quietly circled around to the cave entrance.

The green-eyed snake slithered out of the cave, its body over ten meters long, and quickly moved towards the sword slaves, its mouth wide open.

Seeing the snake move away from the cave, Zhang Bin and the others rushed towards the Fire Spirit Mushroom. They quickly reached the cave entrance.

Lin Xuan didn't leave either. He found a safe spot to secretly observe and think about his future. Zhang Bin and the others would definitely come after him when they returned, and he wouldn't be able to resist.

Before he could think further, a sudden change occurred at the cave. The green-eyed snake sensed someone trying to take the Fire Spirit Mushroom and whipped its tail, which was as thick as a bucket, towards them. It abandoned the fleeing sword slaves and focused its green eyes on Zhang Bin and the others.

Bang!

The bucket-thick tail hit the ground, shattering it. Zhang Bin and the others dodged, and the Fire Spirit Mushroom was thrown into the air.

"This beast is crazy!" Zhang Bin's face turned green with fear, and he kept retreating. Another disciple caught the falling Fire Spirit Mushroom.

"Brother Bin, we got it!" the disciple shouted.

Before he could finish, a black shadow flashed, and the green-eyed snake's tail struck the disciple, sending him flying.

"Run!" Zhang Bin shouted, and the white-robed disciples fled into the forest, wishing they had wings.

Lin Xuan was close to the flying disciple. He looked at the Fire Spirit Mushroom in the man's hand, gritted his teeth, and ran over to grab it.

"Damn! It's that sword slave! Kid, hand over the Fire Spirit Mushroom!" Chen Feng shouted from behind.

Boom!

Rows of trees fell as the green-eyed snake's massive body entered the forest, chasing Zhang Bin, Chen Feng, and the others.

Lin Xuan didn't hesitate. He put the Fire Spirit Mushroom in his chest and ran. Zhang Bin and the others had sent him to his death and now wanted to kill him. Why would he hand over the Fire Spirit Mushroom?

He had already observed the surroundings and planned his escape route. With the Fire Spirit Mushroom in hand, Lin Xuan ran even faster, almost shaking off those behind him several times.

"Hmph!" Zhang Bin's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he drew his sword, slashing at Lin Xuan. The other disciples also glowed with light and charged at him.

Lin Xuan quickly activated the sword-shaped pendant, using the stored spiritual energy to increase his speed. His speed shocked everyone; they couldn't believe a third-stage Spirit Apprentice sword slave could be so fast.

"Explosive Qi Slash!" Zhang Bin shouted, his sword cutting through the air with a loud explosion. Lin Xuan felt a powerful force from behind, sending him flying.

He rolled on the ground a few times before stabilizing himself. Zhang Bin and the others were now less than two meters away, their swords' cold light enveloping him.

He gritted his teeth, took out the Fire Spirit Mushroom, and swallowed it, frantically activating the sword-shaped pendant, preparing to fight to the death.

"Kid, you're asking for it!" Zhang Bin and the others were enraged to see Lin Xuan swallow the Fire Spirit Mushroom, wanting to tear him apart.

The green-eyed snake, seeing this, let out an angry hiss and charged forward like a small mountain, breaking through the trees at incredible speed. Zhang Bin and the others were thrown into the air, and even Lin Xuan was sent flying by the powerful force.

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