The Ming Dynasty.
Li Courtyard.
The famous Little Li Flying Dagger, Li Xunhuan, resided here.
"Brother Xunhuan, why? I don't even know this Long Xiaoyun, yet you're asking me to marry him?"
Lin Shiyin looked at Li Xunhuan in disbelief.
As if she was seeing him for the first time.
Facing Lin Shiyin's question, Li Xunhuan wore a pained expression.
Being misunderstood by the woman he loved hurt more than anything.
But he had his own reasons.
"Shiyin, this is for your own good. I'm doing this for your happiness."
Li Xunhuan responded bitterly.
"No need. I can decide my own life. You don't need to do it for me."
Lin Shiyin's eyes gradually turned cold.
"I misjudged you, Brother Xunhuan."
"Miss Shiyin, you've misunderstood Xunhuan. He's doing this..."
At that moment, a dignified man standing nearby showed a faint, almost undetectable smile.
Then he quickly stepped forward to mediate.
This man was none other than Li Xunhuan's newly sworn brother, Long Xiaoyun.
To him, Lin Shiyin, a woman of unmatched beauty, was someone he had long coveted.
And now, his dream was about to come true.
However, before Long Xiaoyun could finish his sentence, Lin Shiyin interrupted him.
"There's no need for your fake kindness. It's disgusting."
She glared at Long Xiaoyun with disgust.
"Shiyin, don't be rude to my brother. He once saved my life!"
"And because he saved you, you're giving me to him? Li Xunhuan, you're really generous."
"You're only my cousin. You don't have the right to decide my marriage!"
Lin Shiyin mocked coldly.
Just as Li Xunhuan was about to try persuading her again...
A radiant light flickered in the sky, and the ranking list refreshed once more.
[Hidden Dragon Ranking - Eighteenth Place]
[Li Xunhuan]
[Identity: Newly appointed Scholar of the Ming Dynasty]
[Cultivation: Late Grandmaster Realm]
[Technique: Little Li Flying Dagger]
[Reward: Earth-Grade Top-Tier Exercise – Soul Refining Heart Method, which greatly enhances mental strength.]
==========
The Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking was now granting techniques?
And it was a rare mental cultivation technique.
With the Soul Refining Heart Method, Li Xunhuan's Flying Dagger would become even more terrifying in the martial world.
Throughout the Nine Provinces, countless people following the ranking felt a surge of greed upon seeing the technique.
Especially Great Grandmasters.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial protector and national master Phagspa paid close attention.
He practiced a spiritual technique known as the Heaven-Altering and Earth-Smashing Spiritual Method, which placed great emphasis on mental power.
If he could obtain the Soul Refining Heart Method, he might be able to ascend to the Land Immortal Realm.
Without any hesitation...
Phagspa immediately left Tibet, bringing several followers, and headed straight for the Ming Dynasty.
In his eyes, only a few individuals in the entire Ming Dynasty were worth his attention. The rest were beneath him.
The technique held by the Third Scholar was something he was determined to get.
And it wasn't just Phagspa. Many Great Grandmasters hoping to ascend to the Land Immortal Realm were now heading toward the Ming Dynasty.
But Li Xunhuan knew nothing about any of this.
He was still trapped in his own pain.
==========
"Congratulations, Xunhuan, for making it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking!"
Long Xiaoyun wore a gentle smile as he congratulated Li Xunhuan.
Even though inside, he was burning with jealousy.
He still had to act like nothing had happened.
"Brother, it was just luck."
"I'm still far behind compared to those true prodigies."
Watching the seemingly close bond between the two men, Lin Shiyin felt deeply frustrated.
That person had been right.
Li Xunhuan was not someone she could depend on.
Only her own strength would never betray her.
She could rely only on herself.
Fortunately, she now had the power to protect herself.
Perhaps...
These two were going to be disappointed this time.
She, Lin Shiyin, was not some helpless woman.
And she was definitely not some gift to be given away as others pleased.
"Miss!"
Just then, a figure in black martial attire approached respectfully and handed her a letter.
Lin Shiyin took the letter and began to read it.
In just a moment...
Her pupils contracted slightly.
She looked at Long Xiaoyun in disbelief.
Unable to accept what she was reading, she reread the letter several times.
Finally, she confirmed she hadn't misread it.
"So it was you!"
"You sent people to destroy my Demon Blade Gate and slaughtered my entire family!"
"You were the one behind everything!"
Lin Shiyin shouted sharply.
Long Xiaoyun's heart skipped a beat.
A flicker of shock passed through his eyes.
How could she know?
He had never acted directly in the massacre of the Demon Blade Gate. Everything had been orchestrated from the shadows.
There should have been no way to trace it back to him.
"Miss Shiyin, you must be mistaken. Why would I kill your parents without reason?"
Long Xiaoyun tried to appear innocent.
Li Xunhuan hesitated as well.
He looked at Long Xiaoyun suspiciously.
But in the end, due to their deep brotherhood, he chose to believe him for now.
"Shiyin, are you sure you're not mistaken? Brother Long isn't that kind of person!"
Lin Shiyin gave Li Xunhuan a disdainful glance.
"Brother Xunhuan, say no more. A father's death must be avenged."
"Today, I will kill this traitor with my own hands!"
As soon as she finished speaking, two curved willow-leaf blades appeared in her hands.
Swish swish swish!
In the blink of an eye, several terrifying slashes filled the space around Long Xiaoyun.
Li Xunhuan's face paled with shock.
To his astonishment, he realized he couldn't stop Lin Shiyin at all.
He could only watch as the blades tore through Long Xiaoyun.
"Lin Shiyin, you..."
Long Xiaoyun looked at her in despair.
He never expected this beautiful woman to be so terrifying.
Her strength was overwhelming.
Far beyond the level of a Grandmaster.
How could she be this powerful?
If he had known, he would never have provoked her.
A single cut appeared across Long Xiaoyun's throat.
Blood sprayed into the air.
He fell to the ground, dead beyond doubt.
"Shiyin, why did you kill Brother Long?"
"And... Why are you so strong?"
Li Xunhuan was furious, yet still couldn't bring himself to raise a hand against Lin Shiyin.
"He killed my entire family. Was I not supposed to avenge them with my own hands?"
"Fortunately, I had the strength. Otherwise, I would have become a gift in your hands, married off to the man who murdered my father."
"Li Xunhuan, you have truly disappointed me."
"From now on, you walk your own path, and I'll walk mine."
"Let's never see each other again."
Without waiting for his response, Lin Shiyin turned around and walked out of Li Courtyard, disappearing without a trace.
Li Xunhuan stood there, devastated.
So much had happened in one day, and he was unable to process it all.
Too many doubts lingered in his heart.
Even the joy of entering the Hidden Dragon Ranking had completely vanished.