“The man who possesses wealth, fame, and power—everything in the martial arts world—the ‘Martial Arts Alliance Leader’ Luo Jie uttered a sentence before being publicly executed by the imperial court that drove martial artists all over the world mad.”

“Want to become the leader of the martial arts world? If so, go find him. I’ve left the leader’s token, secret treasures, and ultimate martial arts techniques there.” The world begins to welcome the arrival of the “Great Martial Arts Era”…

Shangguan Haitang: “This story… it’s a bit like what’s happening in the martial arts world right now, the three great villains of the Spring and Autumn Period… Donghai’s Sword-Binding Master Yibensong. There’s nothing wrong with a man entrusting his dreams to another man, but now, I’m preparing to realize my own dream… this… this can’t be real, can it?”

Yue Lingshan treated it as just a story, but Shangguan Haitang, who accompanied her, dared not treat it as just a story. She heard many metaphors reflecting reality in it, such as the great era of martial arts, and that there was indeed a huge conspiracy behind it.

What was originally a trip for three people has now become a trip for four.

After talking with the Lin family father and son, Shangguan Haitang suddenly joined Zhang Weihao’s team under the pretext of escorting the Lin family to Mount Hua to prevent them from being captured by the Eastern Depot.

Zhang Weihua, who already had some interest in Shangguan Haitang, naturally did not refuse. Not only did he agree, he also invited her to ride in the same carriage with them. So when Zhang Weihua was telling Yue Lingshan about the martial arts novel “Wuxia King Luffy,” Shangguan Haitang inevitably heard this brand-new martial arts story as well.

Originally just a story from the martial arts world, but Shangguan Haitang was the top secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor. She instantly picked up on many hidden meanings in the story and, after combining them with reality, immediately discovered some clues.

Isn’t the widespread appearance of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual just like in the story, an attempt to create a new era of martial arts?

“Haitang, you’ve found out. That’s right. Actually, I am the successor of the itinerant swordsman, the modern-day itinerant swordsman. It’s a pity you don’t understand swords, you’re not a true swordsman, and you haven’t found your true dream, so I can’t give you a sword on credit.”

“What? You’re a knife seller on credit?”

“This is the famous sword Duan Shui, one of the Eight Swords of Yue, but it is not my sword. I am only keeping it safe for it. Once its true owner appears, I will hand it over to him.” Zhang Weihao drew his sword, Duan Shui.

Of course he had better ones, but he didn’t dare to use them. He wouldn’t take out that sword until he was invincible and could compete with the real top masters. Otherwise, if it were stolen, it would be a big problem.

With a little nurturing, that sword could potentially transform into a true immortal sword.

Shangguan Haitang took the Broken Water Sword and examined it carefully. As a connoisseur, she could naturally sense that this sword was extraordinary. It was definitely not an ordinary famous sword; it could definitely be ranked among the top ten divine swords in the martial arts world, or even be a very high-ranking top divine sword.

“Are you sure you really want to give away such a powerful weapon?” Shangguan Haitang knew very well how terrifying a powerful weapon was in the martial arts world. Without sufficient strength and influence, any powerful weapon could cause chaos in the entire martial arts world. It was no easier than the emergence of some peerless martial arts skills, and it was destined to stir up countless bloody storms.

“This is the destiny of our lineage. People of our lineage are to find people who understand swords, give the swords to them, and then take them back after these people pass away, waiting for their new masters to appear.”

As for the story… it happened a long time ago, and people in the martial arts world today probably know nothing about it. Only occasionally are there tales of itinerant sword sellers circulating in the martial arts world.

Shangguan Haitang had naturally heard of the legend of the knife-selling man. According to historical records, there were many mysterious organizations in ancient times, some of which even had a history of hundreds or thousands of years.

The itinerant knife sellers were one such group. Members of this organization claimed to be descendants of Guiguzi. Each person carried a knife on their back and wandered through the ancient farmlands, leaving behind a few prophecies before departing.

These people were knife sellers.

Their trade is unusual and rather special. They appear to be people carrying knives and hawking them, but they are not traditional street vendors. They only sell their knives on credit and do not charge any fees on the spot.

After lending a knife to someone on credit, the person would leave behind a few prophecies, which are what people in ancient times called omens. The day the prophecy came true was the day the loan was due. In other words, the day the prophecy was fulfilled was the day the person who lent the knife would come to collect the money.

The prophecies made by the knife-lenders cover a wide range of topics and are usually quite practical, ranging from the daily necessities of people’s lives, such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, to the future development of all things in the world.

In ancient times, itinerant knife sellers left behind a prophecy that “when the price of rice rises to one or two ounces, I will stop selling my knives,” and also a prophecy about the future world where “fields will be uncultivated, houses will be uninhabited, people will not wear clothes, but beasts will wear clothes.”

All of these prophecies came true, demonstrating the remarkable accuracy of the knife seller’s predictions. Consequently, the people marveled at the knife seller’s magic, even calling him a divine being, and naturally developed a sense of awe towards his mysterious prophecies.

However, as far as Shangguan Haitang knew, the knives used by itinerant knife sellers were not some magical or sophisticated knives, but simply common knives used in daily life, such as the kitchen knives and scissors we commonly use at home.

Moreover, the profession of itinerant knife seller can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. The earliest group that appeared in the Song Dynasty was not called it itinerant knife seller, but was called divination seller. Divination means divination, and divination is also divided into many categories. Some divine feng shui, some divine face reading, and some are good at analyzing the principles of divination.

As a special group of business people, compared to selling goods and doing business, the profession of fortune teller focuses more on divination and prediction. In other words, they are like fortune tellers on the street. However, they are different from ordinary fortune tellers. Considering the historical context at the time, the Song Dynasty was economically developed and trade was prosperous. Buying and selling goods and doing business was more profitable than fortune telling.

But now… Shangguan Haitang suddenly felt that the man who sold knives on credit might not be so simple. Growing increasingly curious about Zhang Weihao, she decided to stay by his side and observe him further.

She vaguely had a bold guess: the matter of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual was related to Zhang Weihao; the three great demons of the Spring and Autumn Period probably each had a living successor; this was a grand conspiracy that had been hidden for over a thousand years.