Chapter 4: I Came Today for a Sword Sect Slot

Words : 2263 Updated : Mar 19th, 2026

"From this day forward, you are all official disciples of the Tenji Sword Sect. From here on out, the standing of both your family and your sect in your hearts is not to be profaned. You will be loyal to the sect. You will safeguard the sect…" At Santee Manor, Rosalyn Santee stood at the very front of the raised platform. Her gaze was solemn, her tone sharp, and the noble chill around her made her feel untouchable. "Yes, Senior Sister Rosalyn!" everyone on the platform answered in unison. Back when they were still in the Santee family, they had called her Second Miss. After formally joining the Tenji Sword Sect, even the way they addressed her had changed. It was also the Santee family's way of showing loyalty to the Tenji Sword Sect. Calvin Santee, the family head, looked smug, the grin on his face impossible to hide. Rosalyn lifted a hand and swept it down. "Bestow the disciples' tokens!" "Yes!" Several servants hurried onto the platform. Each carried a tray, and on every tray sat three items. A neatly folded sword robe. A token marking one as an official disciple. And a golden pill dense with spiritual energy. The onlookers below erupted into fresh astonishment. "That's a Foundation Establishment Pill, isn't it?" "Damn. Tenji Sword Sect really lives up to its name. The moment a disciple enters, they already have a Foundation Establishment Pill waiting." "I'm jealous. One Foundation Establishment Pill costs a fortune. It's worth ten Spirit Pills. Tenji Sword Sect treats the Santee family well." "…" Hearing the chatter, Calvin's pride only swelled. The other heads of the Four Great Families, on the other hand, wore increasingly ugly expressions. On the platform, the new disciples accepted their tokens one after another. When it came to Luca Santee, though, there were more than three items in front of him. He had five. In addition to the sword robe, disciple token, and Foundation Establishment Pill, there was a martial manual and a bottle of spiritual liquid. "This Marrow Cleansing Elixir and the Swiftshadow Technique are gifts the young sect master prepared especially for this year's number one of the family," Rosalyn said. Joy spread across Luca's face. The others beside him could only stare in envy. "Ha, ha, ha!" Calvin rose, laughing, his face glowing as he pointed at the items before Luca. "This Marrow Cleansing Elixir can reshape a person's foundation and drastically increase cultivation speed. Even a mediocrity can become a genius. And that Swiftshadow Technique is a high-grade martial art from the Tenji Sword Sect, priceless beyond measure. Well? What are you waiting for? Thank your second sister!" Luca beamed, arrogance spilling from him as he clasped his fists toward Rosalyn. "Thank you, Second Sister. Once I enter the sect, I'll personally thank the young sect master for his generosity." The value of the Marrow Cleansing Elixir needed no explanation. And the high-grade Swiftshadow Technique was even more staggering. After all, the Santee family's own top-tier art, the Wolf Form Blade Technique, was only a mid-grade martial art. "Ha, ha, ha!" Calvin laughed again, loud and unrestrained. The other four family heads could barely sit still. The Santee family was getting more and more outrageous, as if they were terrified people might not realize how close they were to the Tenji Sword Sect. Yet just as Luca was about to take the Tenji Sword Sect disciple token and formally enter the sect, a cold figure stepped slowly into the center of the grounds. "Hold it…" "Whoosh!" A pale, frosty wind swept across the floor. Everyone's nerves jolted. Countless gazes snapped toward the newcomer. "Benson Santee…" The surprise deepened. Luca's eyes widened. "You? You're still alive?" Three days ago, he had sent George Santee and a few others to finish Benson off. George and the rest never returned, yet this bastard appeared at the worst possible moment. Rosalyn lifted her chin, voice dripping with disdain. "Why are you here?" Benson walked forward, steady and unhurried, each step carrying a silent chill. "I came today… for a Sword Sect… slot!" The words landed like a stone. The Santee family members stared at one another. Was he out of his mind? A Sword Sect disciple slot? How could there possibly be one for him? Even if they gave him one, would he dare take it? But in truth, "a Sword Sect slot" was only a pretext. Benson had come with another purpose entirely. "You've already been expelled from the family. What does a Sword Sect slot have to do with you?" Rosalyn said coldly. "Men, beat him out of here!" "Yes, Second Miss…" The guards started forward. Benson laughed. It was a laugh full of contempt, full of scorn. He raised his eyes slightly, gaze cutting like a blade. "The Santee family has what it has today because you traded away that drop of Heavenly Phoenix Blood from my body. How does the Sword Sect slot have nothing to do with me?" "You…" "Without my Heavenly Phoenix Blood, how would you have climbed onto the Tenji Sword Sect's coattails?" Benson's finger stabbed toward Rosalyn as he pressed the question. "And how would you have gotten to spread your wings and become a… phoenix?" The last word dripped with mockery. "You took my Heavenly Phoenix Blood and bought three hundred years of prosperity for the Santee family. And today, you want to kill the donkey after it's done pulling the millstone?" The icy words speared straight into the crowd's conscience. On any other day, no one would have bothered with Benson. They would have kicked him while he was down. But this was different. The other Four Great Families of Moon City were present. No matter how shameless Calvin was, he couldn't afford to be completely heartless in front of everyone. "The ones who get Tenji Sword Sect slots each year are the Santee family's finest disciples," Calvin said at last. "You don't meet the standard." With a single sentence, he shoved the reason back onto Benson. "Oh?" Benson's brows lifted, his smile faint. "So these are the strongest people the Santee family produced this year?" "That's right." Calvin didn't even bother to hide his amusement. "If you want to enter the Tenji Sword Sect, then at the very least, you need the qualifications to stand… up there." "Whoosh!" The invisible pressure thickened. On the platform, the chosen disciples stared down at Benson with open provocation. This year, six members of the Santee family were entering the sect. The strongest was Luca, who had reached the seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm. Even the weakest had the fifth level. As for Benson, his foundation had been damaged when his Heavenly Phoenix Blood was taken three years ago. He had barely held on at the fourth level of the Body Refinement Realm. Not only had he failed to improve over the years, his condition had worsened. Standing on that platform was beyond him. Luca sneered. "Do you even have the right to come up here? If you don't, then get out while you still can." As cruel as the Santee family had been, in the eyes of the other families, Benson truly didn't seem qualified to enter the Tenji Sword Sect. What shocked them was that Benson didn't retreat. He walked straight toward the platform. Calvin, Rosalyn, and the others all darkened. Then- A young man standing beside Luca burst forward first. "Hmph. A dog thrown out of the family, and you still dare come back barking?" Zander Santee spat. "I'm not going to indulge you." The instant the words fell, Zander sprang off the platform, diving down with a heavy punch aimed at Benson below. "Take one punch from me, and the Sword Sect slot is yours." "Steel Fist!" With a roar, Zander gathered power. A thread of spiritual energy wrapped around his punching arm. Veins bulged, and his forearm darkened toward a deep red. Steel Fist might have been a low-grade martial art of the Santee family, but it excelled in raw burst. It concentrated the body's strength into a single point, releasing it in an instant with crushing force. Zander was at the sixth level of the Body Refinement Realm. With Steel Fist amplifying him, this strike would not only smash someone at the fourth level like Benson. Even a fifth-level cultivator could be blown apart. What Zander didn't know was that Benson had already broken through to the sixth level of the Body Refinement Realm. And not a flimsy, ordinary sixth level, either. Under the tempering of the Apex Technique, every inch of Benson's body had become a point of explosive power. Swish! Facing Zander's terrifying attack, Benson bent his knees and drove upward. He used the same low-grade martial art. Steel Fist. Boom! One from above, one from below, their fists collided head-on. A heavy blast rang out, and a cloud of blood mist burst into the air. The shockwave tore through the space. Under countless disbelieving stares, Zander's thick arm exploded on the spot. "Ahhh!" Screaming, Zander flew backward, blood arcing through the air in vivid strands. Benson remained where he stood, steady as a rock, uninjured. The scene stunned the entire crowd. Even Calvin couldn't help rising from his seat. "How is that possible?" Rosalyn's eyes shook. "How could it be…?" Benson had lost his Heavenly Phoenix Blood. How could he still have this kind of strength? Had that drop of Heavenly Phoenix Blood returned to him? "Impossible. Absolutely impossible…" Shock was written on every face. Zander lay at the foot of the platform, bleeding heavily. His right arm had been shattered beyond recognition, a miserable sight. With Zander defeated, it meant his slot would be replaced by Benson's. Just as the Santee family was reeling in humiliation, Benson didn't even spare Zander a glance. Instead, he made a choice that sent a deeper chill through the crowd. "If I'm entering the Sword Sect, then I'll enter as first place." He paused, then lifted his hand and pointed straight at Luca. "You. Get down here." At that moment, Benson's true intent finally showed itself…

Chapter 4: I Came Today for a Sword Sect Slot

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