"Ah!" Xuan Yingfei had no idea Bing Chen possessed such a move. Thankfully, his speed was too great, and by desperately flying past, the vicious sword strike only caught his thigh, instantly shredding the limb in a burst of crimson light. "As expected of someone from Ten Thousand Swords City, they actually know Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City."

Dugu Bing Chen remained silent with a cold demeanor, preparing his next attack, though he seemed preoccupied at the moment.

Xuan Yingfei endured the agony of his injury and unleashed his final move. His wings flapped wildly, shedding countless feathers that stabbed towards Bing Chen like dense needles. He simultaneously seized the chance to rocket upward and escape.

"Heh, a decent move, but alas..." Bing Chen once again employed the Half-Moon Blade to counter the assault. He had the opportunity to draw his sword with his free hand for another strike of Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City, yet a sinister grin crossed his face as he held back. "Wan Jian Canglong, how will you explain this to the Wing Clan?"

North of Ten Thousand Swords City lay the desolate, uninhabited Gobi desert. Within that desert was an oasis, which was the territory of the Beast Clan—the Barren Forest. Deep inside the Barren Forest’s Vast Cave, two figures were plotting.

"Evil Elder of the Beast Clan!" It was the same beast-faced man clad in dark robes, his posture and movements brimming with dominance. "That child Dugu Bing Chen has begun his revenge plan. I trust that under your and my arrangements, he will achieve his goal soon enough."

Deep within the Vast Cave, an elder holding the Eight Desolations Profound Pearl chuckled, his back hunched. "I have plotted with you for many years, and finally, the opportunity of this martial arts tournament has arrived. I believe after this move, the rule of Ten Thousand Swords City will crumble."

"Hmph! With Wan Jian Canglong dead, the entirety of Ten Thousand Swords City will be without a leader, and the Three Swords Realm will be thrown into chaos. That will be the time for us to unify the Three Swords." The beast-faced man laughed loudly, though his mind harbored far more complex intentions.

"Beast-faced Man," the Evil Elder slowly turned, his pale face etched with wrinkles. "It has been ten years since you brought Dugu Bing Chen here. What exactly is your identity? And what is the purpose behind your meticulous planning over this decade?"

The beast-faced man stepped forward and gestured dismissively. "What the Evil Elder desires is merely to reclaim the Desert Tyrant Sword. What I desire is for Wan Jian Canglong to be utterly disgraced."

"Oh? And what grudge do you hold against him?" The Evil Elder slowly closed his eyes, his movements sluggish. "You recognize the Sword Arts of the Ten Thousand Swords School, and you even taught Bing Chen Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City. I suspect you have concealed much from this old man."

The beast-faced man sneered, utterly unconcerned. "Elder, you have asked me this question many times. All answers will be revealed soon enough. After waiting ten years, a little more time means nothing."

"Hahahaha, interesting. I look forward to seeing what manner of answer it is," the Evil Elder finished, instantly vanishing towards the deepest part of the Vast Cave.

The beast-faced man clenched his fist, walking slowly. "How could a mere Beast Clan rise based on one broken sword? When the time comes, I will flatten the three savage clans, and the world will be mine."

...

Two days remained until the First Tournament of the Three Swords. Last night’s battle with Shen Ying had left Ye Xiu somewhat exhausted. He woke late, past the sun’s zenith. He wandered aimlessly out of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion and into the streets and alleys. Suddenly, he overheard startled cries nearby. "This is terrible! Rumor has it the Great City Lord sent people to kill everyone participating in the tournament! That Wing Clan member, Xuan Yingfei, had his legs severed!"

"Oh." Ye Xiu often found such gossip intriguing. He was about to approach and inquire further when the group speaking was instantly seized by the City Guards of Ten Thousand Swords City and dragged away toward an unknown destination.

"Brother Ye seems bored!" Just then, Lang Taotian appeared, clapping him on the shoulder with a laugh. "What’s this new wound on you? Were you ambushed too?"

"Ambushed?" Ye Xiu didn't quite grasp Lang Taotian’s meaning.

"This isn't a convenient place. Let’s talk elsewhere!" Lang Taotian glanced around the area, then pulled Ye Xiu into a corner of an inn.

"Brother Hero Ye, what can I get for you to eat?" The innkeeper recognized Ye Xiu immediately. "Everything Brother Hero Ye eats and drinks is on my tab! Waiter, bring the finest wine and dishes!"

This was the first time Ye Xiu had ever received such treatment, so he readily accepted. However, he couldn't afford to feel smug then. He immediately pulled Lang Taotian aside and asked, "I just overheard people discussing that the Great City Lord sent people to kill all the contestants. Is there any truth to that?"

Lang Taotian nodded. "Brother Ye might not know, but last night, someone actually infiltrated my quarters, attempting to assassinate me."

"What? Someone tried to kill you? Who was it?" Ye Xiu's eyes widened. He had never considered that anyone would target the contestants. "Could it really be the Great City Lord?"

"I don't know for sure, but thankfully, those Blade Guards weren't particularly skilled, though the leader’s swordsmanship was exquisite!" Lang Taotian tried to recall everything from the night before. "That person had a cold, stern face, wielded a crescent blade, and his swordsmanship was so fast it was supernatural. Even I couldn't avoid getting my arm injured."

"Are you alright? Where is A'jiao?" Ye Xiu reached out to pull up Lang Taotian’s sleeve to examine the blade mark. Indeed, the cut looked deep and clean, as if made without hesitation, yet the length of the blade and the depth of the wound seemed somewhat suspicious.

Lang Taotian sat up straight, speaking calmly. "I arranged for A'jiao to leave long ago. What’s stranger is that the assassins weren't masked. Furthermore, that swordsman carried the Great City Lord's gold token!"

"So that means..." Ye Xiu rested his chin, thinking carefully. "To dare carry out such brazen assassinations of contestants under the Emperor's nose, they must have a powerful backer. If it is the Great City Lord, why would he do this?"

"The rumor is that this martial arts tournament was specifically designed to lure out hidden masters from various clans, only to kill them one by one, thereby ensuring the eternal foundation of Ten Thousand Swords City," Lang Taotian shared the intelligence he had gathered.

Ye Xiu nodded, still finding the reality hard to swallow. "If that’s the case, the killing of eliminated martial artists becomes plausible. But are the four of us also targets in his assassination plan? Have you asked the Third City Lord about this matter?"

"The Third City Lord?" Lang Taotian shook his head. "I fear the Third City Lord may be powerless to stop the Great City Lord now. Last night was my turn; tonight, it might be yours, Brother Ye. You must be extremely careful."

"Me? Heh!" Ye Xiu smiled again. "What kind of assassin could give me trouble? Besides, I stay within the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion every day. No matter what means the Great City Lord possesses, he wouldn't dare strike me in my own home. Also, don't you find your blade wound problematic?"

"This..." Lang Taotian looked down at his injury, a look of confusion on his face. "I don't know much about blades, so I didn't notice anything amiss, Brother Ye."

Ye Xiu pointed and spoke seriously. "This cut clearly wasn't made by the entire edge of the blade. The depth of the wound is too shallow. Someone skilled enough to inflict such a swift cut should have produced a deeper wound. Why is that?"

Lang Taotian suddenly understood. "The assassin never intended to take my life?"

"Precisely." Ye Xiu adjusted his glasses, calculating intently. "Since the assassin didn't want your life, but made sure you saw his Great City Lord’s gold token, this is very likely a conspiracy."

"But the leading swordsman didn't just use a blade; he also wielded a long sword. Stranger still, he knew the Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City sword technique from the Ten Thousand Swords School," Lang Taotian added another detail.

"Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City." Ye Xiu gritted his teeth. He knew this was one of the more profound techniques of the Ten Thousand Swords School. Anyone capable of using it had a mastery of the school's arts far beyond ordinary levels. Could this truly be someone meticulously trained by the Great City Lord?

Lang Taotian certainly understood that both he and Ye Xiu served the Third City Lord. In any case, this situation needed to be reported. "Brother Ye, this happened so suddenly, it's difficult for me to enter the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion to meet the Third City Lord. If the Great City Lord is truly behind this, we certainly can't alert him. Right now, only you can openly go and meet the Third City Lord."

Ye Xiu understood the precariousness of the situation. If Lang Taotian sought out the Third City Lord immediately after being attacked, the Great City Lord might discover their intentions. Conversely, Ye Xiu, who relaxed day-to-day within the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, wouldn't arouse much suspicion—though he feared the matter wasn't that simple. "Do you think it's possible someone is intentionally trying to provoke conflict between the three clans and Ten Thousand Swords City to profit from the chaos?"

Lang Taotian nodded, admiring Ye Xiu’s intellect. "It’s certainly possible, but who in the whole world possesses the capability to pull this off?"

Ye Xiu thought it over and realized this wasn't merely about stirring up trouble between the three clans and Ten Thousand Swords City; it was about isolating Wan Jian Canglong alone. If such tactics succeeded, the ultimate beneficiaries might be the Second City Lord, Wan Jian Xuanhu, and the Third City Lord, Wan Jian Qinglin. "Alright then, Big Brother Lang, I will leave immediately to see what the Third City Lord has to say. You must be extremely careful yourself."

Lang Taotian nodded, also deeply concerned for Ye Xiu. "Brother Ye, let us part ways here. Be cautious of everything."

...

Inside the personal chambers of Wan Jian Canglong in the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion of Ten Thousand Swords City, a figure flew in. This person belonged to the Wing Clan—who else but Xian Wu Cang Qiong, Yi Tiannan?

"Yi Tiannan, you have finally arrived." Canglong held a brush, painting without any sign of alarm.

Yi Tiannan had flown straight up from a ten-thousand-foot cliff to avoid all surveillance. "This is a time of great turmoil, yet the Great City Lord still has the leisure to paint. Have you heard the rumors circulating in the martial world?"

Canglong dropped his brush and stood up. "The eliminated tournament participants have all been killed, and your Wing Clan member, Xuan Yingfei, had his legs severed. It seems the matter is true."

Yi Tiannan’s brow furrowed, his face stern. "Now the entire Three Swords Realm knows what the Great City Lord has done. Even the high echelons of the Wing Clan are displeased with you."

"Oh? And what is your opinion?" Canglong put away his painting and asked coldly. "The rumors state the killer possessed my gold token and used the Myriad Swords Overwhelming the City technique from the Ten Thousand Swords School."