Among his fellow disciples, his cultivation was the lowest, and he was often ridiculed—something he had long grown used to.

　　Walking out of the martial arts hall, the knuckles gripping his longsword gradually turned white.

　　“Three years... not a shred of progress, always like this. When will I be able to avenge my father and brother?”

　　His eyes reddened.

　　His name was not Evelyn Green, but Emily Green—she was a girl!

　　Three years ago, her family suffered a great calamity and was slaughtered overnight.

　　To seek revenge, she took the alias Evelyn Green, disguised herself as a man, and entered the Zhenxian Sect to learn the ways of cultivation, hoping that one day she could stand out and gain the power to avenge her family...

　　Unfortunately, her talent was simply too poor!

　　At her current rate of progress, it would be hard to even reach the Dust-Shedding realm in a hundred years, while her enemies were at least at the Mortal Transformation realm, some even at the Divine Palace realm!

　　For three years, she had tried every method, training day and night, but the results were negligible.

　　Could it be... that Heaven did not want her to take revenge?

　　Only wanted her to live as an ordinary person?

　　So unwilling!

　　Her hand gripping the sword hilt oozed blood, her teeth nearly shattering from clenching.

　　“Forget it, if I truly can’t avenge them, I’ll go underground to see Father and tell him it was his unfilial daughter’s fault...”

　　In that instant, Emily Green was filled with despair.

　　An adult’s breakdown often happens in a single moment.

　　Now, she felt she could no longer hold on.

　　Gritting her teeth, she drew her sword, intending to end her life, only to realize that in her aimless wandering, she had somehow reached the depths of the mountains.

　　Everywhere was dense vegetation, towering trees completely blocking out the sun. An ancient, quiet courtyard slowly came into view.

　　Above the doorframe, the three characters “隐仙居” were written in bold, powerful strokes, like a longsword suspended in the air, brimming with sword intent, as if to tear the heavens and earth asunder.

　　“This...”

　　Her pupils contracted, and Emily Green’s body began to tremble.

　　The three characters before her seemed to resonate with the Dao, not only profound but also giving off a sense of sword energy soaring to the sky.

　　“It must have been written by a senior well-versed in swordsmanship...”

　　Her eyes grew moist.

　　To think the Zhenxian Sect hid such a powerful figure—if she could become his disciple, she would surely make rapid progress, and revenge would no longer be out of reach!

　　At this thought, she could no longer hold back and stepped toward the courtyard.

　　Though she didn’t know the temperament of the person inside, and whether a rash visit might bring disaster... at this point, she had no other path left.

Chapter 7: The Parrot’s Lesson

　　Just as Emily Green slowly approached the courtyard, Old Slow Turtle, along with Parrot and Donkey, also arrived outside the Hidden Immortal Residence.

　　“Who is this guy?”

　　Glancing over, Donkey was full of fear.

　　Holding a longsword, blood on his hand—definitely not a good person... Could he be planning to catch me for roasted donkey?

　　“Should be a disciple of the Zhenxian Sect...” said Parrot.

　　Though they had never left the forbidden grounds, they could still recognize the sect’s attire.

　　Donkey shrank his neck. “I heard that all sect disciples are formidable, able to slay demon beasts at will... We’d better hide!”

　　“Hiding is best, but if we don’t stop him and the master gets hurt, that would be terrible—he hasn’t even started cultivating yet!” said Parrot.

　　Having followed Samuel Clark for many years, he knew the latter’s situation well. He had always studied arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, never any cultivation techniques. Even if he had some strength, it wouldn’t be much.

　　At best, he was a bit stronger than an ordinary person. Facing a real cultivator... he’d definitely be done for!

　　“So what do we do?” asked Old Turtle.

　　If they ran, the other might go after the master; if they didn’t, they themselves would be in danger—a tough choice.

　　Parrot said, “How about this: I’ll ask what he wants. If he doesn’t answer, he’s a bad guy. I’ll stall him, and you two find a way to get the master out.”

　　The donkey and the turtle both nodded.

　　After their discussion, Old Turtle gave a gentle shake, circled around, and flew into the courtyard. The three pets hid behind the door.

　　...

　　Exhaling, Emily Green’s gaze grew resolute.

　　If she wasn’t afraid of death, how could she fear offending someone? If she missed this chance, revenge would be forever out of reach.

　　Just as she was about to knock, a sharp voice sounded from inside.

　　“Who are you, wandering here? What is your purpose?” Emily Green froze, her heart pounding.

　　The Hidden Immortal Residence covered a vast area, with a diameter of several hundred meters. She stood outside the door, suppressing her aura. By all rights, it should have been hard to detect her, yet from the other’s words, she had already been discovered...

　　No wonder the one who wrote those sword-intent-filled characters was so terrifying!

　　“I am an ordinary disciple of the Zhenxian Sect. I came here by accident and wish to seek swordsmanship guidance from a senior...” said Emily Green.

　　“Guidance?”

　　The speaker was Little William. After replying, his bird eyes turned to Big Black and Old Slow, puzzled.

　　So polite—wasn’t here to cause trouble?

　　“When I used to turn the mill, I heard people talk about ‘seeking guidance.’ The words sound nice, but it’s actually a challenge... For example, ‘I’ve long heard of your great reputation, and today I come to seek your guidance,’ or ‘Your donkey-slaying skills are impressive, allow me to seek your guidance’... They say it’s guidance, but really, it’s about killing someone!”