Her words flowed smoothly and eloquently, giving everyone a sense of being there themselves.
Seeing that the crowd was listening with a mixture of belief and doubt, she couldn't help but smile and say, "Sect Leader, Grandpa, you don't believe that the Heir is so powerful, do you?"
They all shook their heads.
Qu Qianbi and Liu Ruixiang were both Grandmasters, and they knew the limits of a Grandmaster's abilities.
Mental strength could distort facial features, and the visualization map, once activated, could shock Grandmasters, as well as those in the Houtian and Xiantian realms, causing their limbs to stiffen and their hearts to turn cold,
leaving them helpless and awaiting death.
But that was all it could do.
Mental strength didn't truly kill; to kill, one still needed to use spiritual power.
What Chu Zhiyuan had done was already beyond the means of a Grandmaster.
And Chu Zhiyuan had only just stepped into the Grandmaster realm; no matter how strong his talent, it was impossible for him to surpass a Grandmaster.
There must be something strange about this.
If it weren't Qu Ying speaking, if Qu Ying hadn't seen it with her own eyes, they wouldn't be half-believing; they wouldn't believe even a fraction of it.
Seeing his attitude, Qu Ying glared at him, feeling indignant. She unfastened the long saber with the jade-green scabbard and presented it to Lu Donghu with both hands: "Sect Leader, this is the Heaven Saber."
"The Heir truly keeps his word," Lu Donghu said, a hint of mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth.
He was very annoyed that these two sabers had been borrowed so forcefully, but he was helpless under the eaves and had no choice but to bow his head.
It was because of these two sabers that the punishment for privately hiding the secret realm was waived.
Otherwise, the imperial court would definitely investigate the Flying Heaven Sect, and the disciples of the Town Guard Division would suffer as well.
Although the Flying Heaven Sect disciples said they didn't want to enter the Town Guard Division, they would never completely withdraw from it.
The Four Great Sects might very well become the Three Great Sects, and perhaps the Flying Blossom Sword Sect would take their place, filling the position of the Four Great Sects.
Seeing his expression, Qu Ying asked in confusion, "Sect Leader, is there something wrong with this Heaven Saber?"
"He wouldn't go so far as to return a fake saber."
Lu Donghu took the green-scabbarded saber and casually drew it from its sheath, then his expression changed slightly.
Qu Ying quickly said, "Is it really fake?"
Lu Donghu stared solemnly at the blade. After returning the saber to its sheath, he closed his eyes for a moment, then drew the saber again.
The snow-bright, flawless blade shimmered slightly, reflecting his astonished face.
He handed the long saber to Qu Qianbi: "Uncle Qu, take a look."
Qu Qianbi took the saber, focused his mind slightly, and his expression also became solemn.
He slowly handed the saber to Liu Ruixiang: "Junior Brother Liu, you take a look too."
Liu Ruixiang's gaunt hand took the long saber, and his withered fingers gently stroked the spine of the blade. Then, with a light shake, the blade rang out, and a cold light shot forth: "Truly a fine saber!"
His expression then changed slightly, and he looked at Qu Qianbi in shock, then at Lu Donghu.
Lu Donghu said: "Is it the Saber Soul?"
Liu Ruixiang said in a deep voice: "He actually cultivated the Saber Soul!"
The Saber Soul was the ultimate state of swordsmanship that the disciples of their Flying Heaven Sect sought throughout their lives,
but it was now gradually becoming lost.
No one had cultivated it within several generations.
The two ancestral sabers enshrined in the Heaven Saber Pavilion possessed the Saber Soul.
They were the most important treasures for them to cultivate the Saber Soul, the foundation for comprehending the Saber Soul.
They were extremely familiar with the Saber Soul of these two sabers, so they immediately noticed the difference.
The soul within the saber had changed; it was no longer tyrannical and unparalleled, but had become light and agile like the bright moon.
But it was even more dangerous.
The new Saber Soul could not be Qu Ying's, so there was only one possibility: the Fourth Heir, Chu Zhiyuan.
They had never imagined such a result.
"He really cultivated the Saber Soul?" Qu Qianbi asked in a deep voice.
Liu Ruixiang snorted: "The Saber Soul is there, there's no mistaking it!—Ying, have you ever seen the Heir use his saber techniques?"
Qu Ying said: "It is said that the Heir's flying sabers are unparalleled, but unfortunately, I didn't get to see them."
"Tell me again about the situation at the time. No need to talk about the beginning, just talk about how he made his move."
"Alright, I'll—"
Qu Ying once again recounted the story in detail, allowing everyone to experience it once again as if they were there themselves.
After everyone listened, they fell into silence.
A pin drop could be heard in the main hall.
Complex thoughts surged on everyone's faces, and for a moment, they lost the mood to speak.
Seeing their reaction, Qu Ying knew they were shocked. The Saber Soul, ah, that was a legendary existence, a realm they had pursued throughout their lives.
Yet the Fourth Heir had cultivated it. They might be wondering if they had lived their lives in vain.
So she broke the silence: "Sect Leader, Grandpa, what were you talking about earlier? What's so serious?"
"You're just a child, why are you asking so much!"
"Can't I listen?"
"It's nothing wrong for Ying to know, it's about the secret realm," Lu Donghu said with a smile.
So he explained that a strange beast had appeared in the secret realm, silent and invisible, killing people without a trace, and even Grandmasters couldn't stop it.
They were discussing what to do, whether to ask the Grandmasters of the imperial court for help.
"Then ask the Heir!" Qu Ying said without hesitation: "It's best to ask the Heir."
Everyone stared at her.
Qu Ying said: "The Heir's senses are far superior to others. What other Grandmasters can't sense, he may be able to sense."
"The Heir—" Lu Donghu hesitated.
Qu Qianbi shook his head: "I've heard that the Fourth Heir is extremely cautious in his actions and would not do such a thing."
The implication was that he was timid and afraid of death.
"With his status, he would never take risks easily."
"That's because you're not offering enough," Qu Ying said: "If you offer enough, you won't have to worry about the Heir not helping—if he were really timid, would he dare to kill the demonic people of the Evil Sect?"
She had certainly heard the rumors within the sect, saying that although the Fourth Heir's talent was strong, he was as timid as a mouse, excessively cautious, and cherished his life too much.
She didn't think so at all.
The Evil Sect would definitely retaliate, and they would retaliate cruelly.
The demonic people of the Evil Sect would do anything, even assassinate people in the Jade Capital.
If the Fourth Heir were truly timid, he would never slaughter the demonic people of the Evil Sect.
All the sects in the martial world were shouting the slogan that the demonic people of the Evil Sect should be punished by everyone, but most of them avoided them for fear of being caught.
They pretended not to know, pretended not to see, and would never confront the Evil Sect if they could avoid it.
Only the Heir truly practiced this saying.
Lu Donghu said: "But we have offended the Heir."
Qu Ying blinked her bright eyes, looking puzzled.
"The Heir originally wanted to borrow the sabers, but we didn't lend them. Later, the Emperor exerted pressure, and we had no choice but to lend them—he certainly doesn't like our Flying Heaven Sect very much."
Qu Ying frowned slightly.
The Heir was already a Grandmaster, and if he was unwilling, the imperial court couldn't force him.
"Ying, make another trip and tell the Heir that as long as he can figure out what this demonic beast is, he can see the real Heaven Saber,"—"Ying, do you think we can move the Heir?"
Although they also said that these two sabers were Heaven Sabers, they were not the real Heaven Sabers.
"What else do you want?"
"What is the best natural treasure we obtained from the secret realm?"
"A strange fruit that can increase mental strength."
"Give the Heir one."
"—Alright!" Lu Donghu gritted his teeth and said solemnly: "Then take a strange fruit and give it to him."
He got up and left.
After a moment, he brought a small jade box and handed it to Qu Ying: "Ying, make another trip to the Jade Capital."
"Sect Leader, I'm not confident."
"We must try."
"Alright." Qu Ying took the small jade box and cupped her fists in salute.
Qu Qianbi opened his mouth, but then closed it again.
Qu Ying was indeed the best choice. The Heir obviously didn't dislike her.
Throughout the entire Flying Heaven Sect, she was the most suitable, beautiful, sweet-tongued, and eloquent. If she couldn't move the Heir, no one else would be able to.
The next day at noon, Chu Zhiyuan saw Qu Ying in the main hall of the Qing Prince's mansion.
After listening to what Qu Ying said, he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering in silence.
Qu Ying quickly said, "Heir, this secret realm also belongs to the imperial court, not entirely to our Flying Heaven Sect."
"Since it belongs to the imperial court, I don't need to take this risk," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile: "I can get this spiritual fruit from the imperial court."
"Heir, the spiritual fruit is just a small token of our sincerity; the key is the Heaven Saber!" Qu Ying said: "This is something the imperial court doesn't have; there's only one of this in the world!"
"The Heaven Saber, huh—" Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head: "Actually, having these two sabers is enough."
"They are not the real Heaven Sabers!" Qu Ying said: "They are worlds apart!"
