The Man in Blue glanced at the sword in his hand with the dark red hilt, and a faint, ambiguous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “I’m afraid it cannot be wielded.”

“How could that be? Just one look at this sword and you can tell it’s no ordinary item. This design, this material, all exude a strange sense of natural perfection. The one who forged this sword must have been a true master swordsmith.”

The Man in Blue still shook his head.

“This sword truly cannot be wielded by others.”

That tone seemed to suggest that “cannot be wielded” did not mean it wasn’t worth seeing.

Hannah Grant didn’t catch the deeper meaning in The Man in Blue’s words, only thinking he was unwilling to let her see it. She felt a bit regretful, but because of the sword, she found herself a little interested in The Man in Blue. Someone with such a treasured sword surely wasn’t an ordinary person.

With that thought, she cupped her hands slightly and said, “By the way, may I ask for your name, young hero?”

“My name…”

As The Man in Blue spoke, his expression turned momentarily dazed.

But after a brief moment, he returned to himself.

“Heh, could it be that even your name is a secret, young hero?”

Hannah Grant said with a smile, her expression radiating a gentle, refreshing charm.

However, The Man in Blue didn’t seem to be affected by this charm. He glanced at Hannah Grant, then slowly spoke, his tone carrying an indescribable hint of amusement.

“My name is Xuantian Sect.”

Chapter Three: The Traitor

“Xuantian Sect?”

Hearing this name, a hint of surprise appeared on Hannah Grant’s lovely face.

“What a strange name.”

Beside her, Emily Grant muttered softly.

“Xuantian Sect?”

Steven Scott also found the name rather odd at first, but after a moment, he realized he’d heard it before—and it was quite familiar.

“Xuantian Sect? That’s exactly the same as the sect that, six years ago, planned to merge with our Linmen Sword Sect. Six years ago, when our Linmen Sword Sect was fighting against the Holy Demon Hall, our greatest ally was a sect called Xuantian Sect, a top-tier sect with a legendary powerhouse presiding over it.”

Hearing Hannah Grant’s musings, Steven Scott quickly made the connection and began explaining, hoping this information would be helpful to his senior sister, who ranked among the top ten outer disciples.

“That Xuantian Sect? No wonder it sounded so familiar. Isn’t that the sect of David Foster, the greatest traitor ever produced by our Linmen Sword Sect?”

At this, Hannah Grant seemed to recall those past events as well, and said with some regret, “The Xuantian Sect sect was loyal and heroic, sparing no effort in the great cause of eradicating the Holy Demon Hall. Who would have thought that a traitor like David Foster would emerge, ultimately leading to the sect’s destruction! At the time, our sect master had already secretly chosen him as the next successor of Linmen Sword Sect, but who could have guessed he harbored such wolfish ambition? He actually colluded with the Holy Demon Hall, plotting to swallow our Linmen Sword Sect in one fell swoop. If it hadn’t been for Uncle Eric Longman’s sudden intervention, our Linmen Sword Sect might have been wiped out in that battle…”

“Wiped out?”

Emily Grant’s big, curious eyes widened in disbelief. “Linmen Sword Sect is the number one sword sect in the world, filled with powerful experts. What on earth happened to put the great Linmen Sword Sect in such peril!?”

Hannah Grant glanced at Emily Grant, then at the respectful-looking Steven Scott beside her, and said, “This isn’t really a secret within our Linmen Sword Sect. Since you both intend to join us, there’s no harm in telling you. However, I don’t know all the details of that history, so I’ll let Junior Brother Steven Scott give you a general account.”

“Yes, Senior Sister.”

Steven Scott replied respectfully, glanced at the The Man in Blue named Xuantian Sect with a faintly amused expression, then looked at the expectant and curious Emily Grant, William Mason, and the others. After gathering his thoughts, he began to speak slowly.

“This matter, to explain it properly, we have to start with a grand plan from twelve years ago.”

“In fact, long ago, Xuantian Sect and our Linmen Sword Sect had already established relations. However, Xuantian Sect was a semi-reclusive sect, so even though we were close, news about them was never made public.”

“At that time, the Holy Demon Hall was at its peak. Both the main and vice hall masters were legendary patriarchs, and each of the eighteen branch hall masters possessed demigod-level strength. They were truly a force to be reckoned with. Our Linmen Sword Sect wanted to destroy this evil sect that plagued the world, but we lacked the strength. Just then, the Xuantian Sect sect master’s disciple, David Foster, a prodigy of extraordinary talent, emerged. Not yet forty, he had already reached the legendary realm. Because Xuantian Sect was a reclusive sect, no outsiders knew his identity—not even the Holy Demon Hall. With the advantage of knowing the enemy while remaining hidden, our Linmen Sword Sect’s patriarch, John Lincoln, who was both wise and decisive, immediately launched a bold plan: he sent David Foster to infiltrate the Holy Demon Hall as a spy. First, he could report on the Hall’s every move; second, he could seize the chance to assassinate the Hall Master, Qin Tianlie!”