Alive!

As long as I’m alive, today’s humiliation will have a chance to be avenged!

Forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart, Ethan Brooks did his best to keep his mind calm.

“Master, the Yunxiao Sword may be important, but how could it compare to a person’s life... I promised my foster father to take good care of Ethan, and Ethan absolutely cannot come to harm!”

Looking at the pale-faced, terrified Ethan Brooks, Yvonne Brooks spoke resolutely.

At this moment, she was filled with deep regret, blaming herself for not standing by Ethan Brooks’s side earlier. Right now, she would rather be under the white-robed girl’s sword herself than let Ethan Brooks be placed in such mortal danger.

“Yvonne!”

Logan Foster’s expression was full of pain.

“Hmph!”

Ashley Reed let out a cold snort. Very quickly, she bypassed Yvonne Brooks and Logan Foster and headed toward the main hall.

In just a moment, she had already walked out from the courtyard.

Chapter 5: Decision

“So this is the Yunxiao Sword. As expected, it’s no ordinary item.” A moment later, Ashley Reed’s voice came from inside the house.

“The founding ancestor of Yunlai Sword Sect, Brian Brooks, truly deserves to be called a real sword master. He established a top-tier sect as a supreme expert. This spirit sword is full of vitality. Holding this sword, even the true energy in my body is invigorated. Senior sister, with this sword in your possession, in time, reaching the rank of ninth-level swordsman will be within your grasp.”

As Ashley Reed spoke, she had already come to the side of the white-robed girl, holding in her hand the Yunxiao Sword—the treasured artifact of Yunlai Sword Sect, a spirit sword forged through the efforts of five generations.

“With my cultivation speed, entering the ranks of ninth-level swordsmen within two years won’t be difficult. However, I would miss the five-yearly student recruitment at Shenxu Academy. But with this spirit sword, the time it takes for me to advance to ninth-level swordsman will be greatly shortened. I might even be able to break through the bottleneck to great swordsman before Shenxu Sword Sect’s recruitment arrives.”

Seeing Ashley Reed had already brought out the Yunxiao Sword, the white-robed girl smiled slightly, withdrew the sword she had pressed against Ethan Brooks’s throat, and took the Yunxiao Sword.

With the crisis resolved, Ethan Brooks quickly retreated.

Sensing Ethan Brooks’s figure leaving as if fleeing for his life, a trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Ashley Reed’s mouth. “You really are a dutiful young sect master. Thanks to you, otherwise, getting the Yunxiao Sword would have been a bit more troublesome for us.”

Ethan Brooks glanced at Ashley Reed.

Deep within his calm eyes, there was a hint of coldness.

Danger level, three... is that all?

“Hm?”

The middle-aged man behind Ashley Reed looked at Ethan Brooks, his eyes narrowing slightly, gaze as sharp as a sword. In an instant, Ethan Brooks, whose spiritual senses were extremely keen, felt his hair stand on end, a surge of deathly aura flooding from the depths of his heart!

If it were an ordinary person, even a mid-level swordsman, under such life-and-death pressure, they would likely react instinctively...

But...

Ethan Brooks understood deeply in his heart!

He could not move. The coldness in his eyes was completely concealed, replaced by fear. He couldn’t even pretend to have noticed the middle-aged man’s gaze!

If he showed even the slightest abnormality, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance this middle-aged man would kill him on the spot to eliminate future trouble.

An enemy who cannot hide their anger and hatred is not frightening. What’s frightening is the kind of enemy who, even when facing all kinds of humiliation, can still endure in silence.

Especially when this enemy...

Is the young sect master of Yunlai Sword Sect.

After staring for several seconds and seeing Ethan Brooks show no reaction at all, the middle-aged man finally withdrew his gaze, still puzzled.

“Elder Henry Parker, what’s wrong?”

The white-robed girl seemed to notice the middle-aged man’s oddness and asked softly.

“It’s nothing, maybe I sensed it wrong.”

The middle-aged man named Henry Parker shook his head.

“A declining Yunlai Sword Sect—what waves could they possibly stir up?”

As Ashley Reed spoke, she seemed to feel that staying at Yunlai Sword Sect was a waste of time, so she turned and said, “Let’s go.”

“Ethan, are you alright?”

Yvonne Brooks flashed over to Ethan Brooks’s side.

Ethan Brooks shook his head.

“Lily, quickly, take Ethan to apply some medicine.”

“Yes, Yvonne.”

From among the onlookers, a female disciple stepped out, glanced at Ethan Brooks, and led him toward the back courtyard.

Although she said nothing, Ethan Brooks could see a trace of disdain in her eyes.

“……”

“Ethan Sullivan!”

Seeing that Ethan Brooks was finally safe, Yvonne Brooks suddenly called out.

The white-robed girl, Ethan Sullivan, stopped at the doorway, frowning, her tone a bit icy: “What, do you really think that with just these old, weak, women, and children of Yunlai Sword Sect, you can keep us here? You’re overestimating Yunlai Sword Sect as it is now.”

Yvonne Brooks took a deep breath, calming the anger that had been suppressed in her chest.

She swept a cold glance at the two girls, her tone growing even more ruthless: “I don’t care who you took the Yunxiao Sword for, but no matter who it is, I will personally take the sword back from their hands and return it to our Yunlai Sword Sect.”