The great hall fell into silence.
Meng Yifei sat with hands folded, eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable.
He hadn't said a word yet.
Suddenly, Lingxu Zhenren spoke again.
"Sect Master, I have one more thing to report," he said with a sharp tone. "Li Shuang has not only disobeyed orders and endangered her fellow disciple—she has also taken another disciple's sword by force!"
Meng Yifei's brows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
Sheng Yuan stepped forward. "It's true, Sect Master. That day, Zhao Zhao kindly offered her an old sword—one she no longer needed. But Li Shuang didn't say thank you or refuse it. Instead, she just snatched it away! That sword was the Black Abyss Sword, a rare sword embryo from the Sword Pavilion. Senior Sister Luo, you know how important those are."
Luo Mingyue rolled her eyes. "I know what you're trying to do. The Sword Pavilion gives one sword to each disciple. If Zhao Zhao threw hers away and now regrets it, that's her fault."
Sheng Yuan insisted, "But she didn't give it up completely! She only loaned it to Senior Sister. We all heard her say it—she said it aloud!"
Ye Zhaozhao, face pale and trembling, added, "I… I really didn't mean to take the sword back. But the Black Abyss Sword is my original sword. Even if I never awakened its spirit, it's still precious to me. If… if Senior Sister doesn't want it, then I'll…"
As she spoke, tears welled in her eyes, making her appear deeply aggrieved.
Her voice grew quieter. "Senior Sister Li Shuang is now cultivating the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique. She's starting from the beginning. I'm worried she'll be bullied without a good sword. I just wanted to help..."
The way she phrased it made it seem like she was the victim.
A disciple who'd already given away her sword... but was being wronged for wanting it back.
It painted Li Shuang as the heartless one.
Even Luo Mingyue blinked.
This girl… was good at playing the part.
So shameless!
Just as she was about to speak, Li Shuang raised her hand.
"I don't need you to defend me," she said softly.
Luo Mingyue paused.
Li Shuang stepped forward and calmly addressed the sect master.
"Sect Master, I've already agreed to the sword exchange in front of many witnesses. No matter how valuable the Black Abyss Sword turns out to be, I will not return it."
Her tone was flat. Emotionless. Certain.
She had no interest in arguing about details or drama.
She simply stated the facts.
Meng Yifei's brow lifted faintly.
He had been watching her closely—especially her eyes.
Her heart had truly… changed.
Before, she might have tried to explain herself, or hesitated to cause trouble. She would've tried to preserve peace.
But not now.
Now she stood in front of him without flinching—ready to be judged, no matter the outcome.
After a long pause, Meng Yifei finally spoke:
"Very well. I believe you."
The entire hall shook.
Lingxu Zhenren was the first to react. "Sect Master!"
"Zhenren Lingxu," Meng Yifei said coldly, "it is you who failed to teach your disciples properly."
He looked down at him from the elevated platform.
"You heard only one side of the story and made accusations without evidence. You forced your disciple to sever her cultivation and switch to an ancient technique because you believed gossip. And now, you want to destroy her meridians?"
His tone turned icy.
"You are no longer fit to be the chief of Lingxu Peak."
Lingxu Zhenren's body swayed, his face draining of color.
"Sect Master…!"
Meng Yifei turned to Li Shuang. "From today onward, you are no longer a disciple of Lingxu Peak."
Ye Zhaozhao's heart leapt—this was perfect!
But Meng Yifei's next words stunned her:
"You are hereby reassigned to Wuqing Peak."
He looked at Luo Mingyue."Take care of your junior sister."
Luo Mingyue was so excited she nearly jumped in place."Yes, Sect Master!"
Meng Yifei finally smiled. "The Supreme Forgetting Love Technique… has finally been passed on."
He looked at Li Shuang again. "You did well to endure everything and still return to report. The sect remembers its disciples. We will not let injustice stand."
His words were brief—but Li Shuang understood.
She bowed deeply.
"Yes, Sect Master."
At that moment, the Sword Sect regained a disciple.
But more importantly…
It had gained the true successor of a lost legacy.