This voice had resided within him since birth; apart from Henry Clark, no one else could hear it.

The voice claimed it had once been a sword, but as for its true name or the surname and given name of its former master, all of these were unknown—it had lost its memory.

If Grace Carter were to hear their conversation, she would surely say with understanding, “Ah, so this is the voice of the Chengying Sword.”

Of course, she knew this voice.

Henry Clark was the reincarnation of an ancient sword god, and his former sword Shadowblade had entered his body along with him. Unfortunately, after so many years, even his current strength was not enough to wield the divine sword; Shadowblade’s memories and power were completely sealed, leaving it as nothing more than a nagging middle-aged uncle in the protagonist’s mind.

“This sword energy... it’s that female cultivator from yesterday.”

Shadowblade muttered in a low voice, “What is she up to? I knew that woman harbored ill intentions!”

Grace Carter’s sword energy was as swift as lightning, carrying an unstoppable, fierce killing intent. Henry Clark, busy dealing with Owen Brooks, could only dodge to the side.

But just as he exposed this brief opening, he caught a glimpse of Owen Brooks’s cold smile and the subtle movement of his fingertips.

The Soul-Capturing Nail was tiny and hard to detect; as it silently approached him, a chilling aura emanated from it. With danger in front and behind, and Owen Brooks having predicted his movements, Henry Clark had nowhere to retreat.

Today, he was destined to be struck by this blow.

Shadowblade could no longer bear it and shouted furiously, “Damn that wretched woman! Just wait till I teach you a lesson—”

Before he could finish, a sudden change occurred.

The trajectory of the Rain-Striking Flying Flower Technique was not straight, but veered slightly toward where Henry Clark now stood. It seemed that the girl had never aimed at his previous position, but rather at this very spot from the start.

The poisonous nail came hurtling in, the sword technique swirling like wind and snow, and in a flash—

They collided perfectly, head-on.

The two forces met silently and invisibly, yet beneath the surface, a raging storm was unleashed.

The technique was dispelled, the nail shattered.

Shadowblade: ……

Shadowblade was stunned.

How could that woman—how could she possibly know the path of the Soul-Capturing Nail! The force was just right, the intersection as seamless as if destined, everything perfectly shattering the hidden weapon...

Could it be that everything was under her control?

Utterly shocked, it used its divine sense to glance at the viewing platform, easily spotting the girl in the white dress.

And the smile that still lingered on her face.

She was actually smiling.

In other words, could it be that she really... did it on purpose?

First, she sensed that Owen Brooks harbored ill intent and was about to use a hidden weapon, then forced Henry Clark to dodge with her sword technique. At that moment, Owen Brooks would surely predict his movement and launch the poisoned needle.

But Owen Brooks would never have expected that she would predict his prediction!

Such skill, such cunning, and a heart wholly devoted to Henry Clark—

She must be a fairy!

“I see it now!”

Shadowblade immediately changed his tune, swallowing all the “wretched woman” insults, his voice trembling with excitement.

“That fairy is not only secretly helping you...”

“She’s also an absolute master!”

Chapter 4

At the very instant the sword technique collided with the Soul-Capturing Nail, the curve of Grace Carter’s lips was still frozen in place.

She truly hadn’t expected that her off-target sword energy would accidentally strike Owen Brooks’s poisoned nail, the two forces—one yin, one yang—canceling each other out and vanishing without a trace.

After such a huge blunder, the system in her head didn’t make a sound.

It was the same as when she had mistaken someone else for Henry Clark before; it seemed the system only needed to urge Grace Carter to “act,” but as for how she did it, that was none of its concern.

It was just like Grace Carter herself, frantically finishing her summer homework—so long as all the blanks were filled, who cared if the answers were right or wrong, as long as it was done.

Seeing the Soul-Capturing Nail fail, Owen Brooks grew even more panicked.

That sword energy was fast and precise, striking the Soul-Capturing Nail with perfect accuracy. To achieve that in such a split-second clash, one had to be extremely powerful.

Either Henry Clark’s strength was unfathomable, or there was a master secretly helping him. Either way, it was a huge disadvantage for him.

Yesterday, upon hearing that Grace Carter, disciple of Tianxianzi, had lost to an outer sect disciple, he had secretly looked down on her countless times, and resolved to thoroughly crush that boy’s spirit in today’s competition. Who would have thought...

Owen Brooks’s expression hardened, his knuckles whitening on the sword hilt.

If that’s the case, don’t blame him for going all out!

The giant sword rose with the force of a thousand-pound gale. The dark golden sword shadow shone with the sunlight, and in an instant, the tall, burly youth closed in, attacking in Henry Clark’s direction.

The black-clad youth focused intently, a faint, somber aura rising between his brows.

Grace Carter stood with her arms crossed over her chest, silently watching the increasingly fierce battle on the field. The uninitiated watched for excitement, the experts for skill; as an expert, Grace Carter couldn’t help but sigh from the bottom of her heart:

The protagonist is really good-looking.

In fact, Henry Clark didn’t look much like a typical righteous protagonist, and his personality and actions were even further from it.

Growing up hated by his mother and often used as a stand-in for his unfaithful father and beaten mercilessly, it was only natural that he hadn’t grown into a model youth. His personality was withdrawn and eccentric.