Huayi was startled by the cyan sword energy, knowing only that Ye Wen, the head of the Shushan Sect, possessed considerable skill. As for Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian, she had assumed they were only slightly better than the hall masters of the Tianle Gang.

The speed at which Ye Wen’s martial arts had progressed this time was beyond her expectation, especially that ability to unleash sword energy without a weapon—its sheer power left her utterly stunned. Watching Ye Wen carve characters onto the cliff face with his sword energy, yet showing no flush in his face or shortness of breath afterward, convinced her that his mastery far surpassed that of the Tianle Gang’s elders.

“Perhaps only Master and the Gang Leader Lin could possibly defeat him…”

Even so, she hadn't been overly concerned. After all, Ye Wen had shown the rudimentary form of sword energy back then, using his sword finger like a short blade to shatter her protective silk sash—a feat she witnessed firsthand. She had merely presumed that Ye Wen had made further advances after returning to the mountain, enabling him to project that sword energy to strike at a distance.

But now, Ning Ruxue could also manifest sword energy? This vastly exceeded her expectations and contradicted the intelligence her Tianle Gang had gathered.

“If this Ning Ruxue is as capable as Ye Wen… no, even if she’s slightly weaker, this is terrible news today!” When Ye Wen first met her, he certainly couldn't unleash sword energy, or perhaps he had already used it then and was deliberately concealing his full strength! Even so, Huayi wouldn't have been able to hold Ye Wen back then, and Guo Nu’s probing attempts failed to uncover the true depths of Ye Wen’s power. The only certainty was that the strength Ye Wen displayed back then was already equal to, or even slightly superior to, that of their elders.

Now seeing Ye Wen’s Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword again—Ye Wen hadn't bothered to hide the name of this technique, which she took as a form of advertising, raising her opinion of him further. She felt certain that if Ye Wen unleashed this power, she couldn't withstand even a few exchanges; her life-preserving silk sash would likely be shredded the moment she deployed it.

If a master of such formidable secret arts only numbered Ye Wen in the Shushan Sect, handling the situation would be simpler. But if there were several more—if Ning Ruxue possessed the sword energy technique, then Xu Xian probably wasn't far behind either.

With these thoughts swirling, she shifted sideways, channeling her lightness skill to evade the cyan sword energy. Unexpectedly, as she moved aside, the sword energy actually curved and redirected toward her.

When the sword energy had previously broken through the window and curved back to attack, she assumed its limit was only a slight deviation. She never imagined the energy could be this agile! It seemed vastly different from Ye Wen’s sword energy. Ye Wen’s Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword traveled straight and true, showing little variation, although the precision in controlling force when writing the character ‘Shu’ that day was exquisite—the sword energy itself held little change.

Its power was simply overwhelming, negating the need for complexity. Ye Wen only needed to lift a finger; if the opponent couldn't evade, they would likely meet their end right there.

Ning Ruxue’s sword energy, however, was entirely different. The cyan energy was somewhat slender, weaving and twisting with remarkable flexibility. Huayi exerted her full lightness skill, dodging left and right, and only narrowly managed to avoid it. It dissipated on its own only because Ning Ruxue struggled to maintain the energy after its long flight.

“What troublesome sword energy! Does the Shushan Sect possess more than just the Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword as a secret sword energy technique?” In that brief moment, Huayi discerned the difference between the Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword and this cyan energy. Furthermore, the distinction was clearly more than just color; the underlying cultivation methods must be vastly different.

“The Shushan Sect harbors so many profound and powerful martial arts… Is our Tianle Gang’s confrontation with them truly justified?” Previously, the members of the Tianle Gang had only considered them an emerging sect, wondering how strong they could truly be. They likely thought they could eradicate them by simply sending a capable master with a few gang members.

Wei Peng thought so then, and Lu Tian thought the same, which is why they dared to openly injure Xu Ping without masking their identities. Later, upon realizing the Shushan Sect was stronger than anticipated, Wei Peng still didn't take it seriously. By the time he understood his error, it was too late—and so he died.

Guo Nu was sent later. This elder was cautious and meticulous, constantly probing the Shushan Sect’s strength, leading to the current, relatively stable standoff between the two factions. They believed they had finally ascertained the truth this time: that aside from Ye Wen’s formidable power, the rest of the sect was negligible! But now, it seemed Guo Nu was wrong—terribly wrong!

“I think I need to make a trip back…”

Huayi entertained the thought of leaving, stepping three zhang away while smiling sweetly, “This young lady came with genuine sincerity, hoping to rekindle some old connection with Sect Leader Ye! However, it seems I have offended Madam Ye. Since Madam Ye forbids me entry into the Ye family home, this humble girl must depart sorrowfully…” Her words were light, but across the distance, both Ning Ruxue and Ye Wen wore grim expressions. Ning Ruxue’s anger was self-evident; she raised her hand, intending to unleash a few more bursts of sword energy to teach the woman a lesson.

Ye Wen noticed Ning Ruxue’s labored breathing and knew the recent exchange had drained her internal energy. He raised his hand, “Junior Sister has not yet fully mastered this technique; she needs some rest…”

He spoke these words without deliberately lowering his voice or using the secret sound transmission method. Coupled with the quiet of the deep night, everyone heard him clearly.

Huayi, still three zhang away, heard every word, yet she felt no pleasure; instead, her face suddenly changed drastically.

Ye Wen dared to state this openly in front of her—that Ning Ruxue’s skill was incomplete—which meant he had confidence.

Either Ning Ruxue’s skill was on the verge of completion, and by the time news reached them and reactions were mounted, she would already have mastered it. Or, Ye Wen had no intention of letting her send the message out.

While she was contemplating Ye Wen’s next move, a flash of movement occurred before her eyes—Ye Wen had suddenly vanished. Huayi looked around frantically but found no trace of him. Finally, she felt a pressure descending from above, piercing the air, and realized Ye Wen had suddenly leaped into the air, attempting to strike from a superior height.

In martial arts duels, leaping into the air is highly taboo. It’s not because one lacks extraordinary lightness skill or mastery over aerial maneuvering, but because once airborne, a person becomes an enormous, vulnerable target for anyone to attack.

Yet, Ye Wen feared none of this. Setting aside the subtlety of his Tiyun Zong lightness skill, which allowed him fluid movement in the air, the nature of the Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword meant others couldn't even approach him. This inverted the situation, turning him into the attacker firing at a stationary target.

Ye Wen engaged both hands simultaneously, unleashing a rapid series of strikes—in the span of moments, seven or eight Zixiao Dragon Qi Swords shot out. Huayi used her lightness skill to evade the first two, then relied on her silk sash for defense, willing to sacrifice the sashes to block the remaining bursts.

These sashes were imbued with the profound Yin energy Huayi had cultivated for years; they weren't inherently brittle. The reason they were destroyed by Ye Wen’s sword finger previously was largely because Huayi had been protecting her rear when Ye Wen suddenly charged from the front, catching her completely off guard.

Now exerting her full capability, she managed to block six sword energies, but their power far exceeded her imagination. Though the sashes stopped the direct impact, the scattering residual force was enough to batter her. Her light purple robes were sliced open in seven or eight places, revealing the fair skin beneath that seemed capable of reflecting moonlight.

With her body exposed, Huayi had no time to care. She saw the final surge of energy heading straight for her chest. Evasion was impossible; her protective sashes had already been utterly destroyed by the preceding bursts. All she could do was watch this final force strike her.

At a moment like this, one would expect a montage of flashbacks—memories of childhood, of training, and of her time with Ye Wen—to flash by. But Huayi felt only desolate despair; there was no room for such rambling thoughts. Moreover, the energy was impossibly fast; the moment the sense of doom struck, the energy hit her.

The energy struck, causing her whole body to shudder. Huayi touched her chest, murmuring dumbly, “I’m fine?” Then she realized her internal zhenqi wouldn't circulate; she was completely unable to use her arts and was plummeting downward.

Huayi was upside down. If she landed solidly, even if the energy didn't kill her, the resulting pulverized skull and sudden demise were inevitable. Having narrowly escaped that fate, she was unwilling to die this way. She frantically tried to circulate her zhenqi but couldn't muster a flicker. Just as panic set in, she felt her body lighten; Ye Wen had swept her up in his arms and landed them both gently on the ground.

“I sealed your entire cultivation base with internal force; you cannot use any skill right now!”

It turned out the final surge was not Zixiao Dragon Qi Sword but a pillar of focused energy from Ye Wen’s Qi Sword Finger. This pillar contained primordial purple qi and was aimed precisely at Huayi’s vital points. A direct hit would allow the primordial purple qi to surge into her meridians, sealing off all her martial arts.

Ye Wen’s primordial purple qi had extensive knowledge of human meridians and possessed formidable healing and regulation capabilities. With slight modification, he conceived of this method: using primordial purple qi to seal another’s cultivation. Given Ye Wen’s current power level, no one in Pingzhou could possibly break his seal.

As for the preceding sword energies, they were also calculated precisely. Ye Wen had sparred with Huayi and knew the power of her sashes, and he knew her lightness skill was exceptional. Therefore, the first two sword energies were used to block her escape routes, and the subsequent ones were designed to destroy all her defensive capabilities.

Even so, defeating an enemy this way was extremely difficult; Ye Wen would never employ such tactics in a normal contest. But when factoring in Huayi’s strangely illogical tendency to freeze up when someone closed in, breaking these two aspects meant she became nothing more than a sheep waiting for slaughter, and she would likely fail to dodge his Qi Sword Finger.

It could be said that everything was within Ye Wen’s calculations, except for the final fall after her power was sealed—that was slightly unexpected. He assumed that even with her cultivation blocked, she was still a martial artist and wouldn't lose her footing on a rooftop. Who knew that Huayi relied on lightness skill even for standing still? Otherwise, how could she hop across the tiles as if they were nothing? With her cultivation suddenly sealed, falling was inevitable.

Landing lightly, Ning Ruxue looked at him with clear displeasure: “Senior Brother, how long do you intend to hold her?”

Ye Wen finally realized that embracing another woman in front of his future wife was highly inappropriate. He immediately let go, placing his hands by his sides. Whether Huayi fell to the ground was no longer his concern; as long as she didn't die, it was fine.

To his surprise, when he withdrew his hands, Huayi was still clinging to him. Her two slender jade arms were somehow looped around his neck. Even though Ye Wen had released his grip, Huayi didn't resume the horizontal posture against his chest; she remained tightly wrapped around him, her legs curled up to avoid touching the ground—looking remarkably like a koala clinging to a tree.

Ning Ruxue’s expression darkened further. She raised her hand, preparing to send a burst of sword energy, but Huayi was clutching Ye Wen so tightly that if her attack injured her Senior Brother, it would be disastrous.

Finally, Ye Wen grabbed the arm behind his neck and flung her sideways, making Huayi drop off him. “I showed mercy by not killing you, and you pull this stunt again!”

Huayi stood to the side, glanced at her ruined clothing, and concluded with a sigh, “How dare you call yourself a gentleman when you leave a young woman looking like this? Haven't you any sense of propriety to cover me up?”

With a light twirl, Huayi turned. Although her cultivation was sealed, her foundation in martial arts and dance lent grace to the movement, conveniently showcasing the sliver of exposed intimacy. “Look! You’ve ruined my perfectly good dress like this!”

Ye Wen waved his hand. “I will compensate you for a new one!” “Then may I ask, Sect Leader Ye, why did you seal my cultivation? Could it be…” At this point, she covered her mouth, fixing him with a look fit for a brute. Having confirmed that XX wouldn't kill her, the pressure vanished, and her old ways resurfaced.

“Elder Hu, as a guest, you spied upon our sect’s secret arts. Considering the friendship between our two sects, I shall spare Elder Hu’s life! However, Elder Hu must stay on our mountain for a few days—this aligns with Elder Hu’s own wishes, doesn't it? Furthermore, to prevent Elder Hu from recklessly rushing about or departing without notice, I had no choice but to seal Elder Hu’s cultivation! I trust Elder Hu will understand!”

In fact, Ning Ruxue had also wondered why Ye Wen wanted to keep Huayi here. Now she understood it was for her detainment. Ning Ruxue was intelligent and quickly grasped her Senior Brother’s reasoning.

In essence, it was because Huayi had suddenly made a move, exposing her current level of strength. Previously, when conflicts arose between the Shushan Sect and the Tianle Gang, the Tianle Gang had the advantage in terms of known strength while Shushan remained concealed. Shushan could ascertain the Tianle Gang’s general fighting capacity, but the Tianle Gang only knew Ye Wen was a master.

Now that Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian had finally achieved their breakthroughs and could serve as surprise weapons, Huayi had discovered them. With the confrontation against the Tianle Gang Leader scheduled in six months, the situation remained unknown, so every bit of hidden strength was crucial.

By detaining Huayi, even if the Tianle Gang learned the Shushan Sect’s true strength by the time of the Martial Arts Assembly, it would be too late for them to adapt. Lin Hai would need to leave capable masters guarding the main stronghold. If Lin Hai proceeded with the current intelligence to the assembly, he might suffer a significant loss.

“Regarding your accommodations and meals, I will arrange everything. Elder Hu can reside comfortably in our Shushan Sect! Moreover, to facilitate Elder Hu’s stay, I can even assign a few maids and servants to Elder Hu!”

“That sounds lovely, but I suspect they’re here to monitor me, aren’t they?” Huayi understood the whole situation now and wasn’t afraid to speak plainly.

Ye Wen didn't answer, merely giving her a look that conveyed, You are quite clever. This nearly made Huayi explode with suppressed fury, but she wasn't without a countermeasure. She suddenly put on a mournful face: “First, you forcefully kissed me, and now you’ve exposed my body for all to see. From now on, I fear I can only marry you! Now that you treat me so poorly, how am I expected to live?”

“Turn left out the door, walk straight, there’s a cliff face there. If you wish to commit suicide, feel free to do so at your leisure!” Ye Wen certainly didn't believe the woman would actually kill herself.

Huayi hadn't expected such a reply. She stood stunned for a long moment, finally biting her crimson lip and spitting out hatefully, “Ye Wen! You win this time…”

With that, she turned to retreat to her room. However, as she tried to summon her energy, she found she couldn't use any power. Grudgingly, she walked out of the courtyard!

“Hmph!”

Before vanishing from sight, she deliberately snorted loudly, leaving Ye Wen feeling both exasperated and amused. After a brief, self-deprecating smile, he turned serious and addressed Ning Ruxue, “Junior Sister, we need to hurry in practicing this technique! If we do, even if this Huayi has some special means of sending messages, we won’t be so completely passive!”

“Senior Brother, is it truly fine to hold Elder Hu in this manner?”

Ye Wen smiled. “Didn’t Elder Hu insist she didn’t want to leave? Right now, we are simply indulging her wishes! By preventing her from leaving the mountain and seeing outsiders, no one will know she is being detained… As for the Tianle Gang’s reaction…” He muttered softly, “We will have to play it by ear and adapt as circumstances demand!”

Ning Ruxue nodded, said a few more things, and then returned to her room to rest. As for the window pierced by the sword energy, that would have to wait until morning for repairs.

Seeing Ning Ruxue leave, Ye Wen turned toward Xu Xian’s room and called out, “Junior Brother, you should sleep too; this matter is concluded!”

The moment the words fell, the window near Xu Xian flew open. Xu Xian had been squatting by the sill, ready to leap out at any moment—a posture utterly unbecoming of his scholarly reputation. Yet, Xu Xian seemed entirely oblivious to the incongruity, merely smiling and saying, “Senior Brother, you’ve gotten yourself into quite the entanglement this time…”

“What do you mean?”

“After today, you and Elder Hu will likely be entangled forever…” He deliberately lowered his voice so Ning Ruxue wouldn't hear. “Didn't you see how these things always go in novels?”

Ye Wen glanced briefly toward Ning Ruxue’s room before retorting, “Stop talking nonsense! It simply serves no benefit to our sect to kill Huayi right now!”

Xu Xian’s look—as if questioning the sincerity of that statement—greatly annoyed Ye Wen. “Go to sleep!” With a wave of his hands, two streams of Ziqi Tianluo energy shot out, forcefully closing the window Xu Xian had opened, while adding, “You should focus on how to teach that girl Huang Rongrong!”

To his surprise, Xu Xian immediately replied, “How else can I teach her? She can’t practice the Chunyang Wuji Gong; I’ll have to slightly alter the Chunyang Zhizun Gong for her to practice! When I cultivated this art, I realized this internal technique can be both positive and negative. Anything unsuitable for women can be practiced in reverse, and it works just fine! I plan to ask Rongrong if she’s willing to practice like that, even if there are potential issues!”

Having said this, Xu Xian suddenly asked, “But Senior Brother, do you really agree to let Huang Rongrong learn our Shushan Sect’s secret arts?” After waiting a moment without an answer, seeing Ye Wen return to his room, Xu Xian settled onto his couch to sleep.

Little did he know that Ye Wen stood frozen, muttering to himself, “Damn it! Doesn't that turn it into the Bahuang Liuhe Weiwo Duzun Gong? And considering Huang Rongrong’s petite frame… are we going to have another Shushan Child Elder?”