William stopped wasting words and dragged Brian Carter forward at a mad dash. The latter was still in a daze, overwhelmed by the flood of information surfacing from the original host’s deepest memories. But Brian Carter thought that this was better than letting his mind wander and falling into a state of inner chaos.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already wearing a full set of armor-like protective gear, holding an unopened one-handed sword, and being pushed onto the arena by William York.

Standing opposite him was a burly figure, also clad in protective gear, his face hidden behind a helmet. His gaze was fierce, with a mocking sneer: “Hey! BOY, are you so scared by my name, Ichabod, that you’re stunned? If that’s the case, I’ll give you one last chance—I’ll allow you to surrender. That way, you’ll suffer less.”

Chapter 2: Luck

Brian Carter didn’t reply, nor did he even pay attention to what the other side was saying. After stepping onto the platform, he silently stared at the sword in his hand, feeling both familiar and estranged.

The familiarity came from learning swordsmanship at age ten, and over the next twelve years, gradually elevating his skills to the realm of “extreme intent hidden within action”—the very foundation of his early dominance in the original Qiong World.

But ever since he achieved the Golden Core at twenty-two and switched to sword control techniques, how long had it been since he last wielded a sword by hand?

Brian Carter felt his once turbulent emotions suddenly cool down. He thought, Brian Carter, what are you so anxious about? Hasn’t your usual calm, open, and cheerful state of mind always been your greatest pride?

Although this body wasn’t originally his, its foundation was excellent, and it possessed innate spiritual bones—its talent for cultivation far surpassed his original flesh. As long as he could break through the original host’s dying obsession, it wouldn’t be hard to achieve perfect integration of body and soul. He might even go further and condense the “acquired Dao embryo” he had always longed for but never attained.

And though this world was unfamiliar, its abundance of primal energy far exceeded that of his “homeland,” the original Qiong World. With his foundation and accumulated knowledge, as long as he had enough resources, in just fifteen years—or even ten—he could elevate this body to the Grand Ascension stage and fully restore his primordial spirit.

As for the original Qiong World—before leaving, he had already dealt a heavy blow to the demon hordes. He reckoned those villains would choose to lie low for a while before causing trouble again. As for the traitor, though their position was crucial, the sect still had the three masters and five swords he had personally trained, enough to keep that person in check. As for the current emperor of the Langya Celestial Dynasty, though ambitious, all his claws and fangs had been severed, so he wouldn’t be a threat for a while. And the southern “Heavenly Dao Sect” would have to avoid the Xuan Yuan Holy Mansion and Lingnan Sword Sect—those two top sects—before heading north.

All things considered, these worries would take at least twenty years to erupt, so didn’t he still have time?

He, Brian Carter, should have more confidence in the results of his thirty years leading the Shenxiao Sect, and in the many promising young talents within the sect.

As the saying goes, true talent is forged through adversity, and one’s true colors are revealed in the storm. For the past thirty years, the Shenxiao Sect had always been under his protection, so its disciples had seemed mediocre and unremarkable at a glance.

But after his departure, who’s to say that no outstanding juniors would emerge, shining with their own brilliance?

With the Shenxiao Sect’s deep foundation, what did he really have to worry about?

When Brian Carter reached this point in his thoughts, his mind gradually calmed. But in that instant, there was a sudden explosive bang in his chest. The violent force sent him stumbling back seven steps, nearly losing his balance.

Brian Carter snapped back to reality and looked ahead, realizing that the cold weapon combat match on the stage had already begun. The referee beside him raised a red flag: “Direct hit! Five points!”

Opposite him, the man named Ichabod Wood was triumphantly waving his heavy sword: “BOY, what are you daydreaming about? Are you so dumb you don’t even know how to surrender? Don’t blame me—Divine Arm Ichabod already gave you a chance.”

Brian Carter couldn’t help but frown, gripping his sword tightly. He began to focus his mind, turning his attention to the present. As he tried to circulate his energy and spirit, getting used to this body and the sword in his hand, recalling the feeling of wielding a sword decades ago, the referee suddenly swung down the black flag in his right hand.

In the next instant, there was another muffled “thud.” The heavy force caused layers of magical arrays to automatically unfold outside his shoulder armor. Yet the power transmitted from the side still made Brian Carter grimace in pain and stagger back again on the arena.

A hint of anger flickered in Brian Carter’s eyes.

Ever since his sword control technique had also reached the “extreme intent hidden within action” realm, even the mighty Nine Heavens Desire Demon, Dugu Tianyi, had never dared to act so brazenly in front of him.

“Side hit, three points!”

As the referee announced the score, Ichabod on the other side complained, “Hey, can you just stand still? There are only two more hits to finish this! Do you really want to take more of a beating?”