“My?!” Mark smiled, “Watch carefully. I’ll only demonstrate the Taihao Xuanyue Sword technique twice. The first time, I’ll follow the standard form. The second time, I’ll do it my own way. Pay attention to the differences!”

With that, he raised his hand. There was a “crack” from a nearby pine tree as a pine branch snapped off and flew into his hand.

“Watch closely!” Mark said, then began to move.

Henry Clark tensed up, focusing his attention.

The first time, Mark moved slowly, performing all eighty-one moves of the Taihao Xuanyue Sword one by one. As he demonstrated, he explained the mental techniques and the subtleties of each move to Henry Clark, who listened intently, not daring to slack off in the slightest. When the first round was over, Mark’s speed suddenly increased. Although the sword moves were the same as before, starting from the first move, this time his technique flowed like water, smooth and seamless, without the slightest trace of worldly vulgarity. Time seemed to stand still. When his sword finally stopped, Henry Clark stood there in a daze, drooling from the corner of his mouth. Honestly, he had never imagined that someone could wield a sword like this—it was almost like a blossoming flower.

“Smack!” He got hit on the forehead again.

“Uh, Master!”

That brought Henry Clark out of his trance. “Master, your swordplay is really beautiful!”

Beautiful!

Mark almost spat out a mouthful of blood. If my swordsmanship isn’t the best in the Luofu Sect, then no one else dares claim first place. And you, brat, treat it like a dance—how infuriating! He couldn’t help but get annoyed and gave the boy another kick.

Henry Clark realized he’d said something wrong and just chuckled awkwardly, not daring to say another word.

“Oh, right!” Suddenly, Mark seemed to remember something. He pulled an object from his robe and tossed it to Henry Clark. “You almost made me forget this because you pissed me off!”

“What’s this—!” Henry Clark instinctively reached out to catch it, but before he could touch it, he felt an intense, piercing chill. His hand trembled, and he quickly waved it, barely managing not to drop the object.

Looking closely, he couldn’t help but gasp. The thing was about the size of a goose egg, shaped like a sphere, rolling around in his palm, occasionally flashing with a silvery light.

“This is…!” Henry Clark looked up at Mark. “Is this a sword embryo?!”

“Years ago, I accidentally obtained a piece of Western Taibai Essence from the heart of the Western Sea, and fused it with Milky Way Star Sand to forge this sword embryo. I originally intended to craft a flying sword for myself, but things got delayed and I never finished. Now, it’s of no use to me, so I might as well give it to you. I won’t be back for three to five years at least. Although you’ve only just reached the second level of Innate Purple Qi, I think you should be able to reach the fourth level before I return. For now, keep this sword embryo in your dantian to nurture it. As for the incantations and methods for refining a flying sword, I’ll teach you those now as well!”

“Thank you, Master!” Henry Clark was overjoyed. Although he didn’t know what the Western Taibai Essence or Milky Way Star Sand were, just by looking at the sword embryo, it was clearly far superior to the mass-produced ones given to disciples in the Luofu Sect. Without hesitation, he circulated his Innate Purple Qi and stored the sword embryo in his dantian.

“All right, I’ve told you everything I needed to!” Mark patted his backside. “Time for me to go. Oh, I haven’t told Senior Brother Zhang yet. If he comes looking for me, just tell him I’ve gone down the mountain!”

“Huh?!”

Henry Clark was startled. “What if the Sect Leader asks?”

“Ask my ass! You don’t even know what I’m up to, so what’s there to ask?”

Mark said, “All right, I’m off!”

With that, his body turned into a streak of blue light and shot into the sky, leaving Henry Clark standing there, looking a bit lost.

Chapter Five: Swordsmanship

“Sigh, my master, really… sigh!” Even after receiving so many benefits, the boy still put on an act, sighing and patting his backside just like Mark, then looking in the direction Mark had disappeared. For no reason at all, a wave of loneliness welled up in his heart.

He didn’t know that, at that moment, atop a giant pine in the forest, two middle-aged men were standing. One was tall and slender, with black hair and beard, a round, kindly face, and a warm smile—he looked very approachable. The other was a thin, dark old man in a blue Daoist robe, with a shriveled face and a pair of beady eyes that blinked constantly. If Henry Clark saw these two, he would be shocked, for they were none other than the current leader of the Luofu Sect, Elder Logan, and one of the Five Swords of Luofu, the Asura Sword, William Thompson.

“Junior brother, it seems he’s noticed us!”

“Of course he has!” The black-haired, bearded Elder Walker smiled slightly. “Why else do you think he said that last sentence?”

“Then he—!”