"Henry Clark, Catherine Grant, you would never have guessed that after I, William Harper, jumped off the Swordfall Cliff, I could still come back alive, right?"

William Harper withdrew his gaze from the top of the cliff and looked into the distance. "When you see me again, I wonder what kind of wonderful expressions you'll have."

After returning from Swordfall Cliff, a faint smile lingered on William Harper's lips, and he was in a great mood.

Overnight, he had been completely transformed; confidence filled his brows.

After three years of lying low, with his perfect sword talent, he was like a peerless sword finally being unsheathed, destined to shine brilliantly.

The Ancient Sword Sect, founded on the way of the sword, is the foremost sword sect in Qingzhou.

Every year, the Ancient Sword Sect recruits disciples within Qingzhou, and the number of disciples under its banner is in the thousands. Among them... over ninety percent are outer sect disciples.

The outer sect is divided into ten peaks, and William Harper is a disciple of the Seventh Peak, returning there now.

The rules of the Ancient Sword Sect are strict. Every morning, all disciples must train at dawn. William Harper returned to the Seventh Peak just as morning training was underway.

"Hey... that loser, coming back from the back mountain so early in the morning. Did you go practice swordsmanship there again? Haha... I really have to admire you for persisting in such pointless effort for three years!"

"It's been three years, and your cultivation is still stuck at the first level of Condensing Origin. If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to show my face. I don't know where this loser gets the nerve to keep hanging around the sect!"

"A loser is a loser. And you claim to have perfect sword talent? Even a pig, after three years in the Ancient Sword Sect, should have broken through to the second or third level of Condensing Origin!"

...

One mocking, ridiculing voice after another entered William Harper's ears.

For three years, William Harper's ears had grown calloused from hearing such words.

Those who mocked and ridiculed him were usually of average talent themselves. Somehow, William Harper's perfect sword talent seemed to hit a sore spot in their hearts, and every time they saw William Harper, they would unleash their talent for sarcasm.

At first, William Harper would get angry when he heard these words, even wanting to fight. But as time went on, he got used to it—one ear in, the other out. Other people's cold words and ridicule no longer affected him at all.

"Loser! I'm talking to you, are you deaf?" A disciple walked up and blocked William Harper's path.

Edward Brooks, fourteen years old, an outer sect disciple of the Seventh Peak in the Ancient Sword Sect. He was a year younger than William Harper and joined the sect a year later, but his cultivation had already reached the fourth level of Condensing Origin—a perfectly average talent in the sect.

These past two days, Edward Brooks had lost every sparring match with peers of the same level, and a fire of frustration was burning in his heart with nowhere to vent. He was looking for someone to take it out on.

William Harper was clearly Edward Brooks's chosen target.

The nearby disciples all laughed. They had joined the sect the same year as Edward Brooks, and clearly knew... what Edward Brooks had been through lately, as well as his intentions.

This William Harper, with his perfect sword talent, was said to be a once-in-a-century prodigy in the Ancient Sword Sect. When he was at the first level of Condensing Origin, he had the strength to defeat those at the third level, causing quite a stir in the sect and becoming famous.

Later, William Harper's cultivation remained stuck at the first level, and although his peers had been weaker than him at first, as their cultivation improved, one by one they surpassed him. William Harper went from genius to loser, and his reputation in the sect only grew.

Talented, famous, and weak—easy to deal with!

William Harper was simply the perfect target for venting frustration.

Edward Brooks blocked the way, and William Harper stopped walking. This Edward Brooks had beaten him up a few times before, so William Harper knew his name.

Judging by Edward Brooks's expression, if it were any other day, William Harper would be in for another beating.

However, today was different. William Harper looked at Edward Brooks, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and said, "You call me a loser? I thought you were talking about yourself!"

Edward Brooks's eyes widened in anger. This loser... today he's really turned the tables, daring to mock him in return!

A burst of laughter came from the side. Among their peers, Edward Brooks was indeed at the bottom, and the title of 'loser' had been pinned on him by quite a few people.

William Harper glanced at everyone and said, "You all shouldn't laugh. I'm not just talking about Edward Brooks. In my eyes, everyone here is a loser!"

Those who were close to Edward Brooks were all among the weaker batch of their year. Everyone present was at the fourth level of Condensing Origin. Even if their strength was a bit higher than Edward Brooks's, it wasn't by much—they were all on the same level.

In William Harper's eyes, they were no different from Edward Brooks, yet they all liked to mock him. Some had even fought him before.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and the scene fell silent. The disciples' faces all turned ugly.

"Edward Brooks, teach him a lesson," someone shouted.

The Ancient Sword Sect did not forbid disciples from fighting each other. In fact, the harsh competition only spurred them to improve. The only rule was not to gang up on someone.

Everyone present wanted to teach William Harper a lesson, but could only let Edward Brooks do it.

Clang!

A sharp sword was drawn.

Edward Brooks pointed his sword at William Harper, his expression cold. "William Harper, it seems your delusions are acting up again. Come... let me wake you up. Who will lend him a sword?"

In the Ancient Sword Sect, disciples naturally competed in swordsmanship, but William Harper hadn't brought a sword.