In the depths of the night, even with the illumination of sword light, not even someone with the cultivation level of Eric Bolton and the others could see beyond thirty meters. Brian Grant's flying sword was even worse, lacking any specialized lighting array. Fortunately, Brian Grant had already reached the peak of Qi Refining Level Five; even without sword light, under the starlit sky, he could still see everything within a hundred meters.

Each time one advances a level in Qi Refining, both true qi and the body's coordination and reaction speed are noticeably enhanced. Although Brian Grant's flying sword was far inferior to those of Eric Bolton and the others, when traversing through the mountains and forests, the sword's performance itself was not the decisive factor.

In this kind of competition, Brian Grant could easily win by relying on his overwhelming advantage in Qi Refining level. The same logic applied to William Smith. However, in order to deceive their opponents, both of them had to endure and pretend to be giving their all.

Compared to the painstakingly acting Brian Grant, William Smith failed to see through Brian Grant's disguise. He simply felt that Brian Grant did have some talent for sword control; although his various sword techniques were clumsy, they were full of imagination. It was just a pity he refused to follow the right path and insisted on competing with Eric Bolton and the others.

Getting entangled with Eric Bolton would lead to no good outcome, win or lose. Having had all his edges worn away by life, William Smith did feel it was a pity for Brian Grant's talent, but he would never meddle or kindly remind Brian Grant. Years of experience had taught William Smith that good intentions do not necessarily bring good results. A rebellious youth like Brian Grant would care even less about others' advice.

As a subordinate of Henry Clark, William Smith was even less willing to offend Eric Bolton, that rotten scoundrel. Thanks to the credit for killing that student last time, William Smith had already gained Eric Bolton's trust. Henry Clark had even promised to transfer him to a district as a deputy captain of the law enforcement team in half a year.

In William Smith's eyes, the sword competition among Eric Bolton and the others was nothing but child's play. But in his current role, he had to play along and keep Eric Bolton happy.

With the first-grade superior Blood River Sword provided by Eric Bolton, William Smith could easily maintain an advantage. Keeping a careful distance from the others, William Smith mainly focused on watching Eric Bolton behind him.

The Guanyun Peak mountain range stretched for thousands of miles. Although the garrison of Tianlin City would periodically clear out high-level monsters from the mountains, there was no guarantee that some wouldn't slip through the net. Even a second-level monster would be a disaster for Eric Bolton and the others.

Moreover, during high-speed sword flight, Eric Bolton was even more likely to encounter accidents. As a bodyguard, William Smith's most important duty was to protect Eric Bolton. Otherwise, nothing else would matter.

William Smith led the way cautiously in front, while Brian Grant, Eric Bolton, and the others chased after him, their sword lights sometimes colliding, the surging sword qi shields bursting forth with sparks of divine light in the darkness, as brilliant as fireworks.

In fact, as the mountain slopes grew steeper, the few of them, struggling against the incline, found their sword lights slowing down. Especially after entering the most famous Eighteen-Bend Cave of Guanyun Peak, they became even more cautious.

The Eighteen-Bend Cave was winding and narrow, its walls uneven, and many bluish-gray stone pillars stood inside, some as sharp as knives, others as pointed as spears.

This winding cave, over ten miles long, was originally unknown, inhabited by a group of Cangyan Monkeys. Ever since the empire's economic boom, Tianlin City had invited many historians to investigate, claiming this was where the legendary Changchunzi Immortal cultivated three thousand years ago.

For a while, crowds flocked to see it. After a few years of bustling excitement, this empty, winding cave returned to silence.

Flying up the mountain on swords, there was no need to take the cramped Eighteen-Bend Cave. But to increase the difficulty, they had long agreed that everyone must ascend through the Eighteen-Bend Cave.

In such a closed and dark environment, the control skills for flying swords were put to the test.

Every flying sword was equipped with the most basic levitation array. On the levitation array, there were control points for up, down, forward, back, left, and right, all for maneuvering the sword. Those with lower Qi Refining levels could control the array on the sword hilt with their fingers.

Once reaching Qi Refining Level Three, one could communicate with the sword's array using their own true qi, controlling the arrays with qi. Under the regulation of true qi, the manipulation of the sword arrays became even more precise.

It sounded simple, but in reality, riding a flying sword was not easy. For people like Eric Bolton and the others, speeding through the mountains and forests required excellent sword control.

Eric Bolton, Olivia Bolton, and Little Helen, though lacking in learning, had received strict training since childhood. In terms of personal cultivation, the three of them far surpassed most of their peers.

Thanks to their distinguished backgrounds, they had more opportunities to access all kinds of quality flying swords. In terms of sword control techniques, they were actually more skilled than Brian Grant. But the gap in Qi Refining level was not something mere sword techniques could make up for.

As soon as they entered the cave, everyone's sword lights slowed down. Although Eric Bolton and the others liked seeking thrills, they weren't truly crazy. The Eighteen-Bend Cave, with its complex and dangerous terrain and low visibility, made flying swords at over a hundred kilometers per hour a sure way to court death.

Brian Grant, Eric Bolton, and Olivia Bolton were almost lined up one after another, and as Brian Grant slowed his sword upon entering the cave, the closely following Olivia Bolton saw an opportunity.