54: Sword rises, moon shines.

The morning mist wrapped around Wangyue Courtyard, making it damp; dew in the crevices of the bluestone meandered along the stone patterns, shimmering with fine silver light in the morning sun.

Lin Yang stood under the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard, the gray-gold True Essence condensed at his fingertips tracing the grain of the tree trunk—this was the seventh day of his arduous practice of the mind-clearing technique taught by Shen Shuanghua. The Chaos True Essence had finally shed its former volatility; even when absorbing the Origin escaping from the space stone, the burning pain in his Meridians had transformed into a gentle, warm current, and the Five Elements dantian core rotated within his Dantian with increasing harmony.

"Zheng—" A clear, resonant sword hum suddenly pierced through the morning mist, like an icicle shattering against a cold pool, shaking the dew from the locust leaves until it dripped down in a flurry.

Two figures in green landed in the courtyard, treading on the dew; their skirts swept across the ground, and the splashed water droplets clinging to the bluestone slabs instantly froze into a thin layer of frost.

The girl in the lead wore a Dark-colored Tight-fitting Suit with green patterns, a long sword hanging at her waist. The two characters "flowing frost" carved on the scabbard were sharp and fierce. As she raised her brows, the Sword Intent in her eyes was like a cold blade unsheathed: "Lin Yang! I am Chu Yunxi of the Xuantian Sword Sect!"

The girl beside her wore a light green dress and held a short sword, the "lightning chasing sword". The silver bell on the sword tassel did not ring, yet fine Sword Qi had already spread along the hem of her skirt, causing the dandelion fluff in the courtyard to freeze in mid-air. "I am Chu Yuning, Junior Sister of Senior Brother Ling Feihong! You used evil arts in Luoxing Gorge to severely injure him, nearly shattering his sword heart. Today, the two of us sisters will seek justice for Senior Brother!"

Lin Yang looked at the identical twins, his chaos star core trembling slightly—Chu Yunxi's Sword Intent was as fierce as thunder, her every breath carrying the rise and fall of sword momentum, and there was even a faint white frost condensed on the scabbard of her flowing frost sword, clearly showing her impatience to vent anger for her Senior Sister. Chu Yuning's sword moves were hidden within agility, her very stance making her seem as if she might float away at any moment, and the tip of her lightning chasing sword was always aimed at his vital acupoints. The two, one rigid and one flexible, had sword momentum that faintly echoed each other; they were clearly partners who had practiced "dual sword combination" for many years.

He lowered his head and glanced at his palm; the True Essence he had injected into the concentric dragon vine pendant last night was still burning hot, the jade pendant emitting a very faint halo. In the urgency within the eyes of the two sisters, there hid a trace of misguided stubbornness—there was no need to guess; someone must have distorted the truth of what happened at Luoxing Gorge in front of them.

"Seek justice?" Lin Yang stepped back half a pace, his back lightly pressing against the locust tree, a few dew-covered locust leaves falling onto his shoulder. "At Luoxing Gorge, it was your Sword Sect who first set up the Spirit Sealing Array to surround and kill me, and Ling Feihong's star-splitting sword was already pressed against my neck. Does my counterattack count as 'evil arts'?"

"Sophistry!" Chu Yunxi shouted angrily, the flowing frost sword unsheathing with a "zheng" sound. Pale green Sword Qi surged along the blade, slashing toward Lin Yang's face like a small waterfall. "Elder Wu said you are an evil cultivator who relies on devouring others' True Essence, and Senior Brother was just trying to stop you from harming people! Take my 'Frost Heaven Break' and let you witness the true sword techniques of the Sword Sect!"

Chu Yuning's movements were even faster; her figure flickered as she circled to Lin Yang's left side, the lightning chasing sword carving out dense sword shadows like a light net covering his waist. The silver bell finally rang, the crisp sound wrapped in killing intent: "Senior Brother is still lying in bed recovering from his injuries, unable to even hold a sword! If you were truly upright and honorable, how could you have injured him so severely?"

Lin Yang trod the Five Elements steps, narrowly dodging Chu Yunxi's sword edge, while simultaneously circulating his earth-attribute True Essence, a light brown thick earth barrier instantly wrapping around his entire body. With a crisp "clang!", Chu Yuning's short sword struck the barrier, sparks splashing into the morning mist and even condensing into tiny ice crystals. The barrier rippled but did not have a single crack—his arduous training over these past few days had advanced his earth-attribute defense a step further; he could even take on sword moves from the fifth level of the Innate Realm head-on.

"Is that all you've got?" Chu Yunxi sneered, the flowing frost sword swinging out again, the Sword Qi slashing against the barrier and causing Lin Yang's arm to go numb. "Elder Wu said you could win against those in the Gang Qi Realm while being at a lower Realm, but I see it's just by relying on sneak attacks with evil arts! If you have the ability, don't dodge; fight me head-on!"

"Your dual sword combination actually has a bit more tacit understanding than Ling Feihong's solo fighting." Lin Yang was not in a hurry to counterattack, his gaze sweeping over their sword momentum, metal-attribute True Essence condensing into needle-like sword threads at his fingertips. "Unfortunately, the flaws are too obvious—Chu Yunxi, your sword moves are fierce, but every turn requires a half-breath pause; if you encounter a surprise attack during this half-breath, you won't be able to react at all. Chu Yuning, your sword moves are agile, but you haven't concentrated your sword heart on the sword; the slightest interference will cause your rhythm to fall into chaos."

These words pierced into the hearts of the two sisters like needles. Chu Yunxi's face darkened, she exchanged a glance with Chu Yuning, and suddenly changed her stance: "Then let you witness the true 'Azure Luan Double Dance'!" The Sword Qi of the flowing frost sword suddenly softened, intertwining with the agility of the lightning chasing sword. Two green sword shadows wove into the shape of a Luan bird in mid-air; as its wings flapped, the locust leaves in the courtyard were swept into the sky, and the Sword Qi struck directly at Lin Yang's chest, carrying the power to lock Qi—this was the sword technique the two sisters were most proud of, yet rarely had anyone been able to point out its shortcomings.

Lin Yang's pupils shrank slightly; his left hand condensed water-attribute True Essence to form an ice wall, while his right hand wrapped the metal-attribute sword threads onto the ice wall. "Bang!" The Luan bird sword shadow collided with the ice wall, ice shards splashing; Lin Yang was shaken back three steps, the old locust tree behind him swaying, and locust leaves fell in a flurry onto his Dark-colored Tight-fitting Suit. Looking at the urgency in the eyes of the two sisters, he suddenly understood—it was true they were standing up for their Senior Sister, but the rawness in this sword technique was clearly because no one in the Sect could guide them.

"In your Sect, did no one teach you how to patch the flaws in this 'Azure Luan Double Dance'?" Lin Yang suddenly asked back, the Chaos True Essence in his palm quietly receding.

Chu Yunxi's sword momentum paused abruptly, a flash of panic crossing her face: "You... what nonsense are you spouting! Our sword moves have no problems!" Yet the hand holding her sword tightened unconsciously—the Elders in the Sect either only practiced their own sword techniques or considered the two sisters to have "insufficient Aptitude", and even Ling Feihong only told them to "practice more"; no one had ever been like Lin Yang, seeing through the flaws at a single glance.

The morning mist gradually dispersed, sunlight filtering through the locust leaves onto the three of them, sword shadows casting interlaced dark silhouettes on the ground. Chu Yunxi gripped the flowing frost sword, her knuckles turning white; Chu Yuning looked at Lin Yang, a hint of hesitation appearing in her eyes—the obsession to avenge their Senior Brother was still there, but Lin Yang's words had struck the most frustrating part of their experience in the Sect.