"You should think about it—would that man dare to walk alone in the wilderness if he didn't have some real strength? Besides, there are no villages or inns near Yandang Lake, and the nearest rest stop is a day's journey away. That means he's already been traveling in the wild for a whole day. In recent years, with more and more magical beasts running rampant, is it possible to go a whole day without encountering any? Yet he doesn't look the least bit disheveled. From this, we can deduce that this man is, in all likelihood, a true expert. Ordinary magical beasts can't even get close to him—they'd be slain by his sword. With such a master, if we run into danger, he'd be a tremendous help. The fact that he's willing to ride with us is our good fortune, and you still want to charge him for the ride!?"

"Oh, I see!"

"Next time, keep your eyes sharp. We're out here making a living—not just to hone our skills, but also to learn to judge people. That's not something you can ignore."

"Yes, senior brother."

Chapter Two: Names

"Young hero, I am Matthew Grant. Pleased to meet you."

After the carriage had been moving for a while, the middle-aged man saw that the two guards had finally stopped resting with their eyes closed. Only then did he smile and cup his hands in greeting to the young man in green who had just boarded.

The young man in green glanced at the middle-aged man named Matthew Grant, smiled faintly, but said nothing.

Having failed to get a response, Matthew Grant felt a bit awkward and sat back down in his seat.

The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl beside him, seeing her father take the initiative to greet the young man in green only to be ignored, immediately snorted coldly and muttered under her breath, "What's he so arrogant about? Once I pass the Linmen Sword Sect's disciple exam and join the Linmen Sword Sect—our Holy Light Empire's number one sword sect—you so-called martial artists will all have to treat me with the utmost respect."

Although the girl deliberately lowered her voice, the carriage was only so big. No matter how quietly she spoke, everyone inside could hear her clearly.

Matthew Grant immediately shouted, "Emily, mind your manners!"

Afterward, he quickly cupped his hands to the young man in green and apologized, "Young hero, I'm truly sorry. My daughter is spoiled and willful. If she has offended you, please accept my apologies on her behalf."

"It's nothing."

The young man in green replied softly, showing no sign of taking the matter to heart.

At this moment, the other young man in the carriage, about eighteen or nineteen and already a bit restless, seemed to have finally found some common ground. "Miss Grant, are you also heading to the Linmen Sword Sect to take the entrance exam?"

"That's right."

"Heh, what a coincidence. I'm also going to take the outer disciple exam at the Linmen Sword Sect this year."

"You are?"

The girl named Emily Grant looked at the young man in surprise, her gaze sizing him up.

Emily Grant was clearly born into a wealthy family—her figure, looks, and skin were all outstanding. Plus, she was still young and had a certain girlish innocence, which had already caught the young man's eye. He just hadn't found a good topic to start a conversation before.

Now, noticing Emily Grant looking him over, he straightened up a bit, trying to present himself well, and smiled as he spoke: "I am William Mason. Eleven years ago, by chance, my father met an outer steward of the Linmen Sword Sect, and that senior taught me a sword technique from the Linmen Sword Sect—the Rising Sun Sword. I've now achieved some proficiency, and my martial rank has reached the sixth tier. So I came here to try my luck and see if I can be admitted as an outer disciple of the Linmen Sword Sect."

"Sixth-tier martial artist!?"

Emily Grant exclaimed, "Young Master Mason, you're already a sixth-tier martial artist? My goodness, you don't look much older than me, and yet you've already reached the sixth tier. I've been training under my father's supervision since I was little, but even now, I've only just reached the bottleneck of mid-tier martial artist—barely at the fourth tier."

"Heh, when the Linmen Sword Sect recruits disciples, talent is just as important as cultivation. Miss Grant, you look to be only fifteen or sixteen, yet you've already reached the fourth tier. If you can enter the Linmen Sword Sect and train there, reaching my level by nineteen wouldn't be difficult at all."

As he spoke, William Mason added, "Miss Grant, since we're both going to take the outer disciple exam at the Linmen Sword Sect, maybe we'll both pass and become fellow disciples. In that case, you don't need to keep calling me Young Master Mason. If you don't mind, we can address each other as senior and junior brother and sister from now on."

William Mason was also quite handsome, and with his status as a sixth-tier martial artist and their shared goal of taking the Linmen Sword Sect exam, the two naturally grew closer. Emily Grant immediately called out, "Senior Brother Mason, you don't need to keep calling me Miss Grant either. Since we're heading to the Linmen Sword Sect together, I might need your help along the way."

"Heh, don't worry, Junior Sister Grant. If I can help, I, William Mason, certainly won't refuse."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Mason."

"Then I'll be counting on you, Young Hero Mason."