During this time, countless prodigies had tried to obtain the broken sword, only to lose their lives here. This alone was enough to show how powerful the broken sword was.
"Brother Xu, obtaining the broken sword might cause a huge stir in the entire Myriad Swords City!" Hong Tianfu warned, "You should keep this matter as hidden as possible, in case it attracts those with ill intentions."
"No need to hide it, and no need to flaunt it either," Xu Zimo said calmly. "Just a normal mindset."
"So what are you planning to do next?" Hong Tianfu continued to ask.
"I’m heading off to Overlord Sword City, to search for descendants of the Jiang Clan of the Sword Immortal from back then," Xu Zimo replied without hiding anything.
"Huh? Didn't the Jiang Clan already get wiped out?" Hong Tianfu asked in surprise. "It’s been so many years. Who knows if any descendants are still alive?"
"No idea, just want to try looking," Xu Zimo replied.
"If you don’t have any leads, I can recommend someone," Hong Tianfu smiled. "Maybe they'll help you in your search for the Jiang Clan."
"Who?" Xu Zimo asked curiously.
"Someone from Celestial Secrets Valley," Hong Tianfu replied.
"Back when the Jiang Clan hadn’t disappeared yet, their head once went to this person to have their fortune told."
"Looks like Celestial Secrets Valley is quite active in this era," Xu Zimo chuckled.
He had previously met someone from Celestial Secrets Valley, named God-Diviner.
"Where is he? What’s his name?" Xu Zimo asked.
"He's here in Myriad Swords City, and his name is Flawless-Diviner," said Hong Tianfu.
"But it's quite difficult to get him to tell a fortune. He rarely does it, unless you can meet his conditions."
"What if you put a knife to his neck, still won’t do it?" Xu Zimo asked with interest.
"Who would dare threaten him?" Hong Tianfu shook his head.
"If he wants someone’s head, just one word from him, and probably all of Myriad Swords City would hunt that person down."
"Take me to see him," Xu Zimo smiled.
The two left the ninth floor, and hadn’t gone far before a group of people blocked their path.
Among them were two people Xu Zimo recognized, the young girl and the old man named Ming Bo who had previously fled.
"How should I address this young master?" Ming Bo asked with a friendly smile.
"What do you want?" Xu Zimo asked.
"You took the broken sword, right?" Before Ming Bo could answer, the girl beside him interrupted.
"No need to deny it. The space on the ninth floor was sealed. That proves the broken sword is gone."
"What does it matter to you whether I did or didn’t?" Xu Zimo replied calmly.
"Kid, is that how you speak to our young lady?" A blue-robed youth beside her couldn't hold back and glared at Xu Zimo.
"If I got the broken sword, it proves I’m stronger than you. Do you really want to die that badly?" Xu Zimo looked at the blue-robed youth and said calmly.
"You dare kill someone here?" The young man’s eyes showed panic,
But he forced himself to stay calm and said, "Do you know who our young lady is? She’s Lord Huo’s granddaughter!"
Before Xu Zimo could respond, Hong Tianfu exclaimed,
"Lord Huo? You mean the head of the Sword Tower branch?"
The blue-robed youth snorted and didn’t answer, clearly confirming the identity.
"This is trouble," Hong Tianfu muttered under his breath, and began winking at Xu Zimo.
"Her identity has nothing to do with me. If you’ve got nothing else, stop blocking my way," Xu Zimo said impatiently.
"Name your price. Sell me that broken sword," the girl said.
"Fuck off," Xu Zimo replied calmly. "And I don’t want to repeat myself."
"You!" The girl’s face showed anger and she wanted to say more, but was stopped by the old man.
"If you ever change your mind, you’re welcome to come find us," Ming Bo said with a smile.
Xu Zimo gave them a look, then left with Hong Tianfu.
………
Watching them leave, the girl said unwillingly, "Ming Bo, why’d we just let him go like that?"
"Your identity is already exposed, yet he still didn’t care," Ming Bo said calmly.
"Look at things with a cool head. Myriad Swords City is too small. Of the thirty-six empires in the Northern Continent, not one is someone we can afford to offend."
"You mean they have powerful backgrounds?" The girl caught on and asked.
"Not sure, but until we know more, better not to make enemies. We were in the wrong first anyway," Ming Bo shook his head.
After walking out of the Sword Tower, Hong Tianfu finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Is that Lord Huo really that scary? You look terrified," Xu Zimo said.
"You don’t understand. Lord Huo is the one in charge of the Sword Tower’s Myriad Swords City branch. No one in Myriad Swords City dares mess with him," Hong Tianfu explained.
"Even the Patriarch of our Hong Clan wouldn’t dare act up in front of him."
Xu Zimo looked at Hong Tianfu deeply, feeling a bit of pity for his fate.
The guy was like a frog at the bottom of a well.
He had probably never gone far outside Myriad Swords City, and this was the extent of his worldview.
But then again, isn’t that true for most people in this world? Just frogs in a well.
………
After having a meal at a restaurant, Hong Tianfu led Xu Zimo to where Flawless-Diviner lived.
Everyone in Myriad Swords City knew his residence.
But ordinary people couldn’t get close to him.
Because he lived in a very secluded alley, which had been remodeled into a spacious courtyard.
At the alley’s entrance, a swordsman stood guard.
To see Flawless-Diviner, one had to get past this swordsman.
So Hong Tianfu stopped once they arrived at the alley.
What caught Xu Zimo’s eye were the strange patterns painted on the walls on both sides.
There were characters he couldn’t recognize and many creatures he had never seen.
All drawn in black ink.
At the alley entrance sat a man.
He wore gray robes and sat cross-legged, a gray longsword resting on his knees.
His eyes were closed as if nothing in the outside world concerned him.
"People in Myriad Swords City call him the Nameless Swordsman," Hong Tianfu whispered to Xu Zimo. "They say he was once hunted by enemies, but Flawless-Diviner saved him. Even altered his fate. So in the end, he chose to follow Flawless-Diviner. To meet Flawless-Diviner, you have to defeat him first."
Xu Zimo smiled and walked slowly toward the alley.
The moment he stepped inside, sword intent filled the air and pressed down on him.
The gray-robed swordsman instantly opened his eyes.
The sword on his knees flew from its sheath, and dazzling sword light slashed through the quiet space.