If it were the old Ethan Brooks, he would have found it incredibly mysterious, but now, after watching for less than a moment, Ethan Brooks had already memorized all the routines and moves of this sword technique. Not only that, Ethan Brooks even vaguely felt he could deduce the flaws in this sword technique.

It was a feeling—a very confident feeling!

After pondering for a moment, Ethan Brooks bent down to pick up a branch from the ground, stood in place with his eyes closed, and tried it out. As expected, just as he had anticipated, he was able to perform all the moves and routines he had just seen. The only issue was that his physical condition was still barely adequate, so he couldn’t execute them perfectly.

Shocked! A huge wave surged in Ethan Brooks’s heart! To fully master a sword technique, no matter how talented you are, it should take a long time. But how long had he watched? Yet he could perform all of it. If not for his body lagging behind his mind, Ethan Brooks felt he could do even better than those Tianxiu disciples.

Although in his previous life Ethan Brooks also practiced martial arts and had some foundation, he didn’t think his talent and aptitude were so monstrous. The previous owner of this body had also watched the Tianxiu disciples practice swordsmanship but hadn’t learned anything.

Could it be that after being reborn, he had gained a photographic memory? Other than that, Ethan Brooks couldn’t think of a better explanation. He didn’t have this ability in his previous life, nor did the previous owner of this body, so where did this ability come from?

Just as Ethan Brooks was lowering his head in thought, he suddenly sensed a chill coming from the side. Instinctively, Ethan Brooks raised his weapon to block.

With a scraping sound, a two-foot-long branch was cut down by a large section, a flash of cold light swept by, and a sword edge, its momentum undiminished, slashed toward his chest.

Startled, Ethan Brooks quickly stepped back two paces, narrowly dodging the attack. Looking up, he saw Emily Harris’s beautiful face glaring at him in anger as she shouted, “Where did this filthy man come from? No trespassing in the Tianxiu Inner Sect!”

Before Ethan Brooks could speak, Emily Harris pressed the attack, thrusting her long sword at him again, saying, “Surrender now and come with me to see the elders!”

Seeing that Emily Harris was using the very same Xiushui Sword Technique the Tianxiu disciples had just practiced, Ethan Brooks swallowed the words he was about to say. He raised the branch in his hand to meet her attack—he wanted to verify whether the flaw he had just noticed truly existed.

Originally, dozens of Tianxiu disciples were practicing swordsmanship in Wenxiang Courtyard when Emily Harris accidentally noticed a man peeping nearby. How could this be tolerated? In the Tianxiu Inner Sect, not to mention men, even outer sect disciples weren’t allowed in. So, in her anger, Emily Harris intended to capture this man and hand him over to the elders for punishment.

When she launched her sneak attack, Ethan Brooks had his head down in thought, so Emily Harris hadn’t seen his face clearly. Now that Ethan Brooks was fighting back, Emily Harris finally got a good look at the man before her.

With just one glance, Emily Harris’s sword faltered, and she exclaimed inwardly, “How can a man be so handsome?”

And he looked a bit familiar!

Ethan Brooks’s previous appearance was truly outlandish—not only was he dressed flamboyantly, but he also wore rouge and lipstick, completely ruining his original looks. No wonder Emily Harris didn’t recognize him at first sight.

What young girl doesn’t harbor feelings of romance? Although Emily Harris was one of the core disciples of the Tianxiu Inner Sect, she was only eighteen. Normally, she never saw men in the Inner Sect, but now, seeing such a strikingly handsome man, how could she bear to be ruthless?

So, although Emily Harris’s moves continued, all her killing intent had vanished.

As the exchange went on, Ethan Brooks appeared to be moving clumsily and was out of breath, yet he managed to fight Emily Harris to a standstill with just half a branch.

All the inner sect disciples were dumbfounded. Emily Harris had reached the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage, forming her core, and among the third-generation disciples, only Lucas Clark and one other could surpass her. Why was she performing so poorly today? The man opposite her seemed to have unsteady footwork and poor physical condition, but the half-branch in his hand remained undamaged. Every time Emily Harris’s sword was about to strike it, he always managed to evade with some strange technique.

After a long bout, Ethan Brooks finally confirmed his suspicion. This sword technique did indeed have major flaws—more than one! Although he was basically powerless right now and Emily Harris seemed to be holding back, Ethan Brooks was confident he had several chances to defeat her.

Seeing that she couldn’t subdue her opponent after so long, and with her junior sisters giggling behind her, Emily Harris blushed in embarrassment and, steeling herself, thrust her sword at Ethan Brooks’s chest.

Ethan Brooks’s pupils contracted, but he stood motionless, instantly entering a state of perfect calm.

Watching her sword get closer and closer to his chest, Emily Harris realized she couldn’t pull back in time. She hadn’t really intended to kill this man—she was just annoyed by her fellow disciples’ laughter and wanted to end things quickly. But she hadn’t expected that, after handling everything so well before, the man would suddenly freeze in the face of this deadly strike.