He gave a slight handshake, and Ethan Clark let out a gentle breath. He could clearly feel the terrifying power still lingering within his body.

With each breath, a stream of energy so pure it was almost liquid seeped slowly into him through his skin and pores. Lacking the proper method to guide it, the energy remained in his flesh, silently and gently enhancing his physical functions.

This power was even stronger and more terrifying than the force he had possessed at the Transforming Gang stage in his original body. Even though his dantian had been pierced and there was no true qi left inside, relying solely on the strength lingering in the cells of his body, he was still confident he could unleash combat power not inferior to his former peak.

If he picked up a sword...

He might even surpass it!

This showed just how formidable a peerless master this young man must have been before his dantian was destroyed.

"Right now, the most important thing is to heal, recover as quickly as possible, and then find a way to repair the dantian. As long as the dantian is restored, I can condense true qi, gang qi, and dan force. At that time... I'll know the true strength of this young man."

Ethan Clark pondered.

"Besides, after resting for nearly half a month, there's not much money left in my bank account. I have to hurry and find a way to make a living. The sooner I earn ten million Alliance Coins, the better."

With that in mind, Ethan Clark picked up the treasure sword beside him, its divine light restrained, and prepared to leave for now.

However, the moment he touched the sword, Ethan Clark's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his gaze immediately fell on the blade.

In that instant, he faintly sensed that this sword seemed to have "come alive" again, exuding a living aura...

A sword?

Could it really be "alive"?

If an ordinary person had such a thought, they would surely think they were hallucinating. But Ethan Clark would not.

Sensing it was "alive" once might be an illusion, but twice?

Twice—there's no way both were illusions.

He examined the sword for a while but saw nothing unusual.

It was just an ordinary sword.

A sword whose mysteries could not be discerned by anyone but a true sword master.

It lay there, held in Ethan Clark's hand, perfectly ordinary.

"......"

In the end, Ethan Clark could only temporarily set this matter aside.

"No matter what you were before, now that you're in my hands, the past is over. Consider this a new beginning."

Ethan Clark muttered to himself, paying no mind to the fact that he was talking to a lifeless sword.

"Since this is a new beginning, everything should start anew. You should have a new name as well."

At this, Ethan Clark fell into thought.

Suddenly, he recalled the True Profound World, that wondrous realm with one hundred percent realism, indistinguishable from reality...

With that thought, he made up his mind and spoke aloud.

"Wuzhen! Wuzhen Sword!"

Chapter Five: The Forest

"Miss Lily Carter, this is the perilous Red River Forest. Please don't wander off, or it will make it much harder for us to protect you! You are of noble birth and status—if anything were to happen to you, we ordinary disciples could never bear the responsibility."

From deep within the dense forest, where sunlight barely penetrated, came a somewhat stern voice!

From the crisp tone, it was easy to tell the speaker was a young woman, and she was definitely not yet twenty.

As soon as she finished speaking, a girl in a red outfit, looking no more than seventeen or eighteen, lightly stepped out from the trees without looking back and replied, "I know. I'm at least a sixth-level Qi Refining expert. My true qi flows throughout my body—I'm not as fragile as you, Julia Baker, imagine. Besides, didn't you invite your senior brother? With your senior brother David Harris, the legendary ninth-level Qi Refining swordsman, here, surely my safety is guaranteed."

Clearly, the girl replying was the very Miss Lily Carter mentioned earlier.

As she finished speaking, three women and one man followed closely behind her, appearing in the clearing.

Of the three women and one man, two were dressed as maids. However, each held a green-edged sword and had a heroic look in their eyes, clearly possessing considerable martial skills.

Of the remaining man and woman, the man looked highly alert, carrying a 1.25-meter-long sword on his back, with true qi faintly emanating from his body—he had already completed the Zhou Tian cycle and was at the threshold of breaking through to the Innate Realm. The woman, though her aura was weaker than the man's, exuded a clean, crisp, and efficient air.

These two were the legendary swordsman David Harris and his junior sister Julia Baker, both invited by Miss Lily Carter to protect her as she entered the Red River Forest to hunt the Purple Wind Mink.

"Miss, the Red River Forest is home to many fierce and savage beasts, and even demon beasts lurk within. It has always been forbidden ground for us Qi cultivators. Even with my ninth-level Qi Refining strength, I can't guarantee I can come and go freely here. So please, be cautious and cooperate with us."