Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

"You bastard! How dare you spout such nonsense!"

Song Qing's face was extremely ugly. He lashed out with his whip, sending water plants flying everywhere: "I've already investigated that coachman surnamed Chu. He's just an ordinary Body Tempering Realm waste! Besides a rusty, broken iron sword that nobody would pick up by the roadside, he has nothing else on him!!"

Song Qing's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he said in a sinister tone, "It seems you beast won't learn your lesson until you're faced with death, deliberately trying to toy with me with a broken, rusty sword. I won't let you live today!"

Seeing that Song Qing was about to get serious, Shui Yao felt like cursing Song Qing's ancestors for eighteen generations.

To save her life, the water demon strained every ounce of her strength and shouted at the top of her lungs, "An iron sword? You...you mean the iron sword he carries is rusty??"

"That's right, it's a rusty sword that would take up too much space to be thrown into a scrap heap, yet you insist on calling it a demonic weapon. If you don't think I'm stupid, then what do you think I am?" Song Qing sneered.

"Oh dear, you don't know! My Corrosion Blade does look rusty on the outside, but... because it's not ordinary rust; it's a self-sealed scab of corrosion!!"

The water demon hurriedly explained, her face flushed red, as if afraid that if she hesitated even for a second, her head would be crushed: "That strange weapon is extremely sinister. If you are cut by it, you have to constantly circulate your true energy to heal it. It is no ordinary object."

The water demon then explained the characteristics of the strange weapon in detail.

Upon hearing this, Song Qing's hand, which had been raising the long whip, suddenly froze in mid-air.

"You mean, that iron sword..."

"Yes, yes, sigh, I thought you could see the mystery of that sword, but I didn't expect..."

The water sprite shrank back.

Little did he know, Song Qing had poor eyesight.

"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Song Qing turned and left.

Regardless of whether what the water nymph said was true or not, he wanted to verify it himself.

…………

…………

…………

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard.

Chu Chang was wearing his training clothes and was practicing the Seven Star Steps in the courtyard, panting heavily.

He moved with mysterious footwork, his body shifting left and right, leaving faint afterimages in the air.

Although there were occasional embarrassing moments when the flow of true energy was not smooth and one almost took off, these embarrassing moments became less and less frequent as experience points increased.

"Phew... I'm exhausted. This movement technique really consumes a lot of true energy."

Chu Chang wiped the sweat from his forehead and plopped down on the stone bench.

Adhering to the principle of "safety first, cultivation to prevent sudden death," he skillfully uttered a low shout in his heart and activated the [Killing Intent Red Line] entry he had previously obtained.

This had become a habit of his; he would check it every hour.

After all, he had offended Song Qing before, and who knew if Song Qing would come knocking on his door again?

Upon seeing this, Chu Chang was immediately stunned.

Sure enough, a thick red line was suspended in the sky above his head, one end pointing straight into the distance. It was so red that it made people uneasy, just like a death warrant thrown out by the King of Hell when he was in a hurry to meet his performance targets!

"Holy crap, what kind of grudge could this be? The red thread is practically dripping blood!"

No need to guess, the owner of this thread is 200% Song Qing.

Chu Chang's eyelids twitched violently. What alarmed him even more was that the red line of killing intent was not only thick, but was also closing the distance at an extremely rapid speed!

This means that Song Qing is heading straight for his courtyard!

"A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle; running away is the best policy!"

Without saying a word, Chu Chang immediately activated the Seven Star Steps he had just mastered, and with lightning speed, he darted out of the courtyard and ran towards the most bustling training ground in the sect.

Regardless of the circumstances, in the realm of cultivation, places with many people are generally safer.

Even if Song Qing had some background in the sect, he would never dare to openly kill an ordinary disciple like him in front of everyone.

…………

…………

The training ground was already packed with people and bustling with activity.

The disciples of the sect were sparring with each other in a great mood, and the sound of the lightning five-hit whip and the whirlwind breath-killing slash could be heard from time to time.

Occasionally, a disciple who had been beaten to a pulp would bravely shout, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate your junior brother's poverty," as he was sent flying.

After quickly slipping into the densest part of the crowd, Chu Chang spotted Zhang Erniu chatting animatedly with someone near a white marble pillar not far away.

The person was tall and slender; it was none other than Senior Sister Yu Xiaoxiao, whom they had encountered before.

Just as Chu Chang was about to go over and say hello, he heard Zhang Erniu's loud, cheerful voice say, "Senior Sister Yu, you were so wise! I listened to your advice and immediately didn't register, saving myself the registration fee. But that Chu Chang, he's just too stupid! Can you believe he actually went to register? He's only at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm! Fifth level! Isn't he just giving the sect a free pass?"

Chu Chang's face darkened.

I never expected Zhang Erniu to like talking about people behind their backs.

Upon hearing Zhang Erniu's words, Yu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but put her hand to her forehead and sigh, saying, "That Chu Chang is indeed quite stupid, but... considering that you are an honest person, I can promise you that after the assessment, I will let him join our team and help him make a living."

"What squad?" Chu Chang floated out from behind Zhang Erniu with a blank expression.

"Oh dear, Brother Chu!" Zhang Erniu was startled, then scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Brother Chu, you've come at the right time! I just ran into Senior Sister Yu. She said she's taken on a hunting mission, and we can team up and go broaden our horizons."

Yu Xiaoxiao then looked at Chu Chang, crossed her arms, and nodded slightly, saying, "Let's wait until your assessment is over. I promise it won't take up too much of your time."

Then, she patiently explained, "This mission is to go to the Black Wind Forest on the outskirts of the sect to hunt some small, non-aggressive demonic beasts. Although the pay isn't much, it's safe."

At this point, Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Chu Chang with a pitying gaze and added a sarcastic remark: "Anyway, you have absolutely no chance of passing the trainee law enforcement hall's assessment. In the end, you'll still have to make a living by doing tasks, just like ordinary disciples. Although your cultivation level is low, I think you're a decent person who doesn't cheat or shirk responsibility. The team needs someone to be in charge of transporting monster materials, so you'll be a good fit."

Chu Chang's lips twitched slightly, and he thought to himself: I really thank your whole family. You've already arranged a stable job for me as a "porter" before I even took the exam.

Zhang Erniu stroked his chin, looking suspicious. "Black Wind Forest, Senior Sister Yu? I've heard there are quite a few demonic beasts there!"

"What's wrong? Are you scared? Don't worry, I've contacted an inner sect senior brother to help this time. With him around, you can rest easy."

"Inner sect!" Zhang Erniu exclaimed in surprise, his mouth agape.

Then, he burst out laughing.

"Hehe, good. With an inner sect senior brother leading us, we can rest easy."

At this moment, Chu Chang noticed that Song Qing's figure had indeed appeared.

Sure enough, a red line of killing intent was above his head, so red it looked like a lightning bolt that could strike at any moment.

Chu Chang narrowed his eyes slightly, and countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.

This bastard's killing intent is several times stronger than before.

It seems that the water demon that was captured and taken to the underground cave must have said something to him, which is why he came looking for me again!

"Hey, Junior Brother Chu, what a coincidence, running into you here."

Song Qing looked at Chu Chang with a forced smile, "Perfect timing for you. Come on, shall we go over there and have a little chat?"

"I wonder what business Senior Brother Song has with me?"

As Chu Chang walked to the side, his right hand was already warily resting on the hilt of the rusty iron sword at his waist.

"Haha, junior brother, there's no need to be so nervous. I'm not some kind of monster."

Song Qing laughed and continued, "I'm not here for anything else today. I'm just curious... I'd like to borrow the sword at your waist to take a closer look, what do you say?"

Chu Chang sneered inwardly after hearing this.

Borrow? That's like throwing good money after bad, never to be returned!

He immediately shook his head seriously: "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Song, my family has very strict rules. My father taught me from a young age that there are two principles when I'm out in the world!"

Song Qing raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What principles?"