They soon arrived at their destination, in the depths of the bamboo forest. The sound of clanging blades and flapping robes filled Shu Yue's ears. Before her was a wide open area, and there were young disciples ranging from their teens to their twenties. They all wielded the same swords. Blades against blades, they sparred with each other. Dust and dry leaves flew everywhere.

Shu Yue observed them calmly. They were all warriors, and their sword stances were unfamiliar to her. The blades of their swords emitted a faint blue light. The next thing she knew, she was admiring them. No, she was admiring their sword stances. She smiled, her heart flaring with a surge of excitement. She couldn't wait to get her hands on that secret manual.

"So what do you think?" Lu Baiyu said, beaming with pride.

"It is amazing," Shu Yue admitted. "Their sword technique is superb!" That was no lie. Although she could see some flaws in their movements, such as stumbling and sending careless attacks, Shu Yue, with her keen eyes, could really tell that the sword art the disciples were using was of a high level.

Lu Baiyu grinned, pleased at her reaction. He then clapped his hands, drawing the disciples' attention. His students stopped to greet their master.

"Greetings, Master Lu," they said in unison, their heads bowed forward.

Lu Baiyu nodded in satisfaction. "So these talented people are my disciples," he told Shu Yue.

Since the disciples were all facing her direction now, Shu Yue took this opportunity to look at their faces. At first, she narrowed her eyes, observing the disciples. But as soon as she finished surveying them, her eyes widened in sudden realization.

They were the disciples who triumphed in the sparring ring. Could it be that Lu Baiyu was recruiting every disciple who came up on top? Shu Yue won, and the next day Lu Baiyu appeared in her house, recruiting her as his disciple. But there was something off, something that didn't make sense.

"I see. Is everyone here?" Shu Yue asked, looking at the twenty-three disciples.

Lu Baiyu nodded. "Everyone's here, yes."

Shu Yue frowned, falling into deep thought. If Lu Baiyu recruited every disciple who won the sparring match that he hosted, how come the strongest and most skilled of all wasn't here?

Where was Dishan?

"My dear disciples," Lu Baiyu started, breaking Shu Yue away from her contemplations. "Let me introduce you to your new martial sister, Chen Hui!"

"Chen Hui?" they blurted out, disbelief on their faces.

Shu Yue smiled at them and bowed, as graceful and elegant as she always was. "It's my pleasure to meet you, my fellow warriors. My name is Chen Hui."

The disciples all looked at her, scrutinizing her. When their gazes moved to the mask she wore on the side of her head, their eyes widened in realization and amazement.

"So she's Chen Hui, the one who defeated Dishan?" one of the disciples said, his voice full of awe and shock.

Some of the disciples had their mouths wide open, some repeatedly blinked their eyes. Shu Yue's fight with Dishan seemed to have left a strong impression. However, nothing of this caused any ripple of emotion in her heart. Their admiration made her feel neither happy nor excited. But she smiled sheepishly, acting timid and humble. This image was good because it portrayed her as meek and mild, devoid of any guile or hidden motives.

"All right! Now don't scare the young lady," Lu Baiyu said. "Please do continue your training while I give our newbie a quick introduction."

Like well-disciplined students, the disciples did as they were told. Lu Baiyu faced Shu Yue.

"Again, I want you to promise me that you will not tell a single soul everything about this," Lu Baiyu said, his voice firm and sharp. His expression was stern.

Shu Yue bowed, under the pretense of being submissive. "Your disciple, Chen Hui, pledges an oath to Elder Lu to keep this a secret. This disciple will never tell anyone, not even my parents or close friends. If this disciple breaks her promise, Elder Lu may punish me."

Lu Baiyu was nodding at every word she said. "Since you're now my disciple, you may address me as master."

"Yes, master."

Lu Baiyu smiled, his expression pleased.

Pleasing, isn't it? Better savor this moment as it won't last long.

With her head still bowed, the corners of her lips curled up slightly in a contemptuous sneer.

"All right, let's not waste any more time." Lu Baiyu withdrew a bamboo scroll from his sleeves and handed it to her. "This is the copy of the abridged version."

"Abridged version?"

"Yes. I can only give you the abridged version for now. It contains the first part of the sword training technique. Don't worry, I'll give you the complete copy of it once you've proven your determination and loyalty." Lu Baiyu placed an emphasis on the last word.

Shu Yue noticed a peculiar tone in his voice. Her suspicion toward Lu Baiyu grew even stronger. She couldn't help but think there was a deeper meaning behind those words, because he didn't seem to be referring to her loyalty to him.

The crisp sound of metal on metal echoed throughout the area as the disciples fought and sparred with one another. Shu Yue showed Lu Baiyu a kind smile. But inside, she wanted to laugh bitterly.

Pathetic human. I know you have other motives than helping us. You're behaving too shady for this to be an act of goodwill.

"I understand, master," Shu Yue said politely before unrolling the bamboo scroll and scanning the name of martial arts technique. Her heart skipped a beat.

Claw of the Eternal Beast.

This was one of the Ophiuchus Clan's lost martial arts!