The moment the system notified him that he had gained eleven years’ worth of sword intent, Zhu Shiyao immediately noticed something was off.
“The sword intent… has changed…”
Just moments ago, she had been on the verge of overpowering him, but now, his sword intent had become incredibly solid, forcing her into a defensive stance.
She had no idea what had caused this sudden shift.
Yet instead of frustration, Zhu Shiyao felt ecstatic—she finally let go completely, immersing herself in the thrill of battle.
“This woman… I didn’t expect her to be such a battle maniac.”
Lin Mo also realized that Zhu Shiyao’s sword intent had become even stronger.
Earlier, she had clearly been holding back, wanting to savor the fight rather than win outright.
But in the end, he still won.
Using up eleven years of sword intent, and he had only barely claimed victory?
No wonder Zhu Shiyao was called a heaven’s chosen genius—she lived up to her name.
Zhu Shiyao’s sword intent collapsed, leaving her pale-faced and dazed.
“Senior Sister!”
Susu rushed to Zhu Shiyao’s side, quickly checking her condition. After confirming that she wasn’t seriously injured, she let out a small sigh of relief.
But still…
Her Senior Sister actually lost?
And not just to anyone—but to an unknown young man?!
Her expression was filled with disbelief as she stared at Lin Mo, who was now holding the Liuli Sword.
Lin Mo glanced at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that? According to the rules, this sword belongs to me now.”
He toyed with the spirit sword in his hands, feeling quite pleased.
Spending 1,100 Regret Points to win a Magic Treasure-grade sword? Completely worth it.
He smirked and deliberately looked at Susu.
“This is truly a fine sword. I must thank Miss Susu for her generosity. Thanks to your kindness, I’ve obtained such a valuable weapon today.”
A direct attack on the heart. A fatal blow to her pride.
Susu trembled with rage.
“Y-you… y-you…!”
She was so furious she couldn’t even form a proper sentence. Instead, she could only stomp her foot angrily, trying to vent her frustration.
At the same time, deep regret flooded her heart.
It was her fault that her Senior Sister lost the Liuli Sword.
If she hadn’t suggested the duel, her Senior Sister never would have been forced to bet her most treasured weapon.
This was all her fault…
【Ding! Detected intense regret from a target. Absorbed 2,800 Regret Points.】
Lin Mo couldn’t help but chuckle at the system notification.
He didn’t expect this round of Regret Points to be more than ten times what he had earned earlier.
Susu must be really regretting it now.
Susu’s eyes were red, tears brimming at the edges.
She stepped toward Lin Mo, lowering her head slightly. Her voice trembled with a hint of guilt and desperation.
“Young Master… I was wrong earlier. Can you return the Liuli Sword to us? If you allow us to return to our sect, we will personally bring you 20,000 mid-grade spirit stones as compensation…”
“No.”
Lin Mo didn’t even hesitate to refuse.
Even if she was apologizing, it didn’t change anything.
What did any of this have to do with Lin Mo?
The duel was proposed by them, and their goal was to snatch his Ice Spirit Fruits for free.
Why would he pity them and return the sword? Or worse—just give them the fruits?
Seeing how decisively Lin Mo refused, Susu wanted to argue further, but Zhu Shiyao interrupted her.
“Young Master Lin, I admit my defeat. However, may I ask which noble family or sect you hail from?”
Zhu Shiyao had reverted to her polite and humble demeanor.
Lin Mo almost wondered if the wild excitement she showed during the duel had been nothing more than his imagination.
“Qingxuan Sect, Qingzhu Peak. My master is Yuehua.”
Zhu Shiyao thought for a moment before recalling that Qingxuan Sect was merely a second-rank immortal sect.
“I never expected a second-rank sect to harbor such a hidden dragon—a sword genius like Young Master Lin.” She nodded slightly, her gaze full of reluctance as she looked at the Liuli Sword in his hands.
“I have always treated the Liuli Sword like a part of my family. It has never left my side. I hope Young Master Lin will take good care of it.”
“Of course…”
Lin Mo actually liked this sword quite a bit. He had no intention of treating it carelessly.
Without further discussion, Zhu Shiyao soon left Treasure Pavilion with Susu.
Before leaving, she politely mentioned that she would visit Qingzhu Peak someday to have another duel—not just a contest of sword intent, but a real battle.
As for Susu?
Her glare made it seem like she wanted to bite Lin Mo’s head off.
“Miss Xiao Zi, are you still interested in buying the Ice Spirit Fruits?”
“Of course!” Xiao Zi’s face lit up with excitement.
“It’s still the same price we agreed upon.” Lin Mo handed her the storage bag containing the Ice Spirit Fruits.
After verifying the count, Xiao Zi transferred 7,800 mid-grade spirit stones into Lin Mo’s storage ring, along with the VIP card offering an 80% discount.
Just as Lin Mo was about to leave, Xiao Zi suddenly called out to him.
“Young Master Lin, do you mind if we resell the Ice Spirit Fruits to Miss Zhu Shiyao?”
“The transaction is already complete. The fruits no longer have anything to do with me. How you handle them is Treasure Pavilion’s business.”
As she watched Lin Mo’s departing figure, Xiao Zi couldn’t help but develop a favorable impression of him.
If he had been greedy, he could have demanded a higher price for Zhu Shiyao. But instead, he had stuck to the original deal, proving his integrity.
Instead of returning to the sect immediately, Lin Mo booked a room at an inn.
Just as he settled in, he heard something strange.
“Waaah! Smelly man, let me go! I belong to my master!”
“Don’t touch me! So disgusting! I don’t want to be handled by a filthy man!”
“Master, where are you?! Come save me!”
Inside the dimly lit room, Lin Mo stared at the Liuli Sword on the table.
What the hell?!
This sword can… talk?!
Ever since leaving Treasure Pavilion, Lin Mo had been hearing a childlike voice out of nowhere.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but after some investigation, he discovered that the voice was coming from the Liuli Sword itself.
“System, do you know what this thing is?”
【Sword Spirit: Any sword of Spirit Treasure quality or above has the potential to develop a Sword Spirit under the right circumstances. A sword with a Sword Spirit can be enhanced through special methods. Since the host possesses the Sword Heart Clarity physique, you can hear the Sword Spirit’s voice even without a high level of compatibility.】
Sword Heart Clarity really was a great physique!
But what was the actual use of a Sword Spirit?
【A sword with a Sword Spirit can automatically protect its master. However, if it does not acknowledge its master, it can also retaliate and harm them.】
Lin Mo was initially pleased to hear that a Sword Spirit could enhance a sword’s abilities and provide protection.
But the potential backlash part? That made him want to curse out loud.
Because from the way this Liuli Sword was behaving, it was clearly not fond of him.
“Smelly man! You better take me back, or one day, you’ll regret it!”
Oh? A sword daring to threaten him?
Did this piece of metal really think he, Lin Mo, couldn’t handle it?
Lin Mo picked up the Liuli Sword.
“Ugh! Filthy! I told you not to touch me! Die, die, die!”
The Sword Spirit had no idea Lin Mo could hear its voice, so it was ranting as much as it pleased.
But then—
“Ow! It’s hot! You idiot! What are you doing?! Let me out!”
The Liuli Sword had been placed over the burning coals in the room’s heater.
The Sword Spirit panicked, shouting in distress.
Lin Mo simply smirked, casually turning the sword over like he was roasting meat.
“Roasting a sword, of course. What else would I be doing?”
The Sword Spirit suddenly realized something was off.
It noticed the slight curl of Lin Mo’s lips.
“Wait… wait… You… You can hear me?!”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Lin Mo’s grin widened.
“What do you think?”
