This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

At this moment, the assassin who had been countered finally reacted. When he saw the chilling killing intent in Wang Yangming's eyes, the shock in his eyes faded, and was replaced by a look of genuine fear.

"He...he really wants to kill me..."

The assassin was horrified.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Wang Yangming indeed brought down his long sword, intending to cut her throat directly.

However, at that moment, a powerful sense of oppression suddenly rushed over.

Wang Yangming had no free hands at this moment and no time to dodge, so he could only subconsciously hold his longsword horizontally in front of him to defend.

"bite..."

With a crisp sound, a tremendous force struck the spine of the longsword. Wang Yangming's hand went numb, and the longsword was almost knocked off. He quickly circulated his internal energy to suppress the impact, and only then did the pain subside.

However, this force also forced him back several steps, loosening his control over the assassin.

Upon seeing this, the assassin immediately broke free, then flipped over and leaped onto the walls on both sides of the alley, escaping the scene.

Knowing that another expert was coming, Wang Yangming dared not make any rash moves.

He remained standing in place, sword in hand, on guard.

Suddenly, someone whispered in the darkness:

"I never expected that someone so young would not only possess such extraordinary literary talent, but also be a Grand Martial Master of the Fourth Realm. Truly remarkable..."

The speaker did not appear, and the voice rose and fell intermittently, making it impossible to discern where it came from.

Wang Yangming frowned and shouted:

"Who the hell are you? Show yourself..."

At this moment, he had already taken out a yellow talisman and held it in his palm. It was the Heavenly Soldier Talisman that Li Daoxuan had given him before parting.

The master said that with this talisman, he could fight against a minor grandmaster of the fifth realm and remain invincible.

Just as he was hesitating whether to use it, the person who had been speaking in the shadows fell silent, clearly having left.

Wang Yangming breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the long sword in his hand. He saw a dent on the spine of the sword, which must have been made by the person in the shadows from a distance.

Wang Yangming was completely baffled. Who wanted to kill him?

Could it be that someone saw him in the limelight and wanted to get rid of him in this way?

If that's true, wouldn't the people of Kyoto be even more terrifying than those vengeful ghosts? If the capital of a country has become like this, what hope is there for the country? How can we talk about bringing peace and prosperity to the people?

Wang Yangming sighed heavily and walked into the deep, dark alley, his steps heavier than ever before.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the west side of the imperial city, inside the Prince of Jin's residence.

The lights were still on in the Prince of Jin's study.

The steward eunuch pushed open the door and entered, bowing as he said:

"Your Highness, Princess Ping'an has returned..."

The Prince of Jin nodded, put down the folding book in his hand, and asked:

"how?"

The steward eunuch was silent for a moment, then replied:

"As expected..."

The Prince of Jin's expression changed slightly as he looked at the ground in front of him, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, he stood up and said:

"Let's go check on Ping An..."

In a guest room in the side hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion, Jiang Ping'an, dressed in black, sat in a chair, staring blankly at his right wrist.

"Ping An, how's your hand?"

The Prince of Jin's concerned voice startled Jiang Ping'an. Looking up, he saw that the Prince of Jin had already walked up to him, accompanied by a woman of remarkable appearance, gentle and dignified demeanor, and an air of elegance and nobility.

Jiang Ping'an quickly stood up and bowed, saying:

"Greetings, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law..."

Princess Jin stepped forward and gently took Jiang Ping'an's hand, saying with heartache:

"Let my second sister-in-law take a look, how badly are you injured?"

Jiang Ping'an smiled and shook his head, saying:

"It's alright..."

Princess Consort Jin glanced at the redness and swelling on Jiang Ping'an's wrist, turned and glared at Prince Jin, saying with displeasure:

"And you too, how could you let Ping An test Wang Yangming? What if something goes wrong?"

As she spoke, Princess Jin took the prepared ointment from a maidservant and gently applied it to Jiang Ping'an. Then she blew on it and said softly:

"Don't practice swordsmanship for a while, wait until you've fully recovered."

Jiang Ping'an was touched, smiled and nodded obediently:

"Okay, I'll listen to my second sister-in-law..."

Princess Consort of Jin smiled gently, then stood up and said to Prince Jin:

"It's getting late, I'm going to rest now. You should too, let Ping An get some rest..."

The Prince of Jin smiled and nodded, saying softly:

"You can go now. I need to talk to Ping An for a bit, it'll be quick..."

Princess Jin did not linger any longer and turned to leave.

Only Prince Jin, Jiang Ping'an, and their inseparable personal eunuch remained in the room.

After a moment of silence, the Prince of Jin couldn't help but laugh:

"Does anyone still claim they can kill a hundred kings with a single sword strike and become famous?"

Jiang Ping'an was stunned for a moment, a little embarrassed.

Then, in shame and anger, he said:

"Did Second Brother already know he knew martial arts?"

"He even said he wanted me to teach him a lesson, but I think my second brother was clearly doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to make me look foolish..."

The Prince of Jin smiled and shook his head, saying:

"I knew he had practiced martial arts, but I didn't know he was so skilled."

At this point, the Prince of Jin tapped her head and said:

"In the end, it was your own underestimation of him that caused you to be countered in one move.

Jiang Ping'an's cheeks flushed, but he still retorted defiantly:

"Who knew he would suddenly display his martial arts skills..."

Looking back and thinking about it carefully, Jiang Ping'an began to feel that something was wrong, and his eyes became more and more surprised.

"No... Even if I underestimated him, there's no way he could have taken the sword from my hand so easily... unless his strength far surpasses mine..."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin nodded and looked at Jiang Ping'an calmly, saying:

"He... has most likely already entered the fourth realm..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ping'an jumped to his feet and exclaimed in surprise:

"The Four Realms?"

Prince Jin was not surprised by Jiang Ping'an's reaction; he was genuinely shocked when he first heard the news.

How old is Wang Yangming? He's only sixteen.

For ordinary martial arts practitioners, it would be quite good if they could enter the realm at this age. Most martial arts geniuses at this age can only reach the second realm at most.

At the age of sixteen, one's physique is not yet mature; how can one complete the three stages of body refinement if one's physique has not even fully developed?

Therefore, it is almost impossible for the vast majority of martial arts practitioners to enter the fourth realm of True Qi at this age.

Although Jiang Ping'an is a woman, she has been guided by famous teachers since childhood, nourished by countless medicinal herbs, and possesses superior martial arts techniques. Yet, she has only reached the second realm of perfection.

Facing Wang Yangming, who was from the Four Realms, he was naturally no match.

Jiang Ping'an completely abandoned his contempt for Wang Yangming.

This boy, who was a year younger than her, not only possessed extraordinary literary talent, but also had an astonishing talent for martial arts.

"How exactly did he train? How could he reach the fourth realm at the age of sixteen?"

Jiang Ping'an murmured repeatedly, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion.

Upon seeing this, the Prince of Jin smiled and asked the same question he had asked her earlier that day in the Fanghua Garden pavilion.

"Ping An, what do you think of him now?"