This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Lu Qingshan waited two days in the small courtyard he had rented temporarily.

On the third day, the token given by Dantai Qingrun vibrated.

It had finally come.

Lu Qingshan's gaze flashed as he took out the token, probed into it with his Divine Sense, and received the message from Dantai Qingrun.

The message was very brief, just like Dantai Qingrun's personality—simple and clear.

"The matter entrusted to you has been arranged; come to Zhenjiang Tower."

Just this short sentence, not even mentioning the specific location of Zhenjiang Tower to Lu Qingshan.

As if it were certain that Lu Qingshan certainly knew where Zhenjiang Tower was located.

However, Dantai Qingrun had not guessed wrong; Lu Qingshan did indeed know the specific address of Zhenjiang Tower.

...

This was a tower entirely clad in black.

The tower was four stories tall, with each higher floor being narrower than the one below, with overlapping rooftops of various sizes and upturned corners soaring up as if they were the wings of a crane poised for flight.

At the top of the tower, there was also something very strange—it was without any hanging signs or markers.

Lu Qingshan stood outside the lacquered doors of the tower.

A young male cultivator had already been waiting there and immediately greeted Lu Qingshan upon seeing him: "You must be Lu Qingshan, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Lu Qingshan understood that this person must be the guide arranged for him by Dantai Qingrun.

"I'm Fei Wa, the Deputy Tower Master asked me to wait here for you, to take you inside once you arrive," Fei Wa introduced himself.

"Alright, thank you, Brother Fei," Lu Qingshan said with gratitude.

"There's no need for formalities, come with me." Fei Wa turned and walked toward the tower, with Lu Qingshan following closely behind.

...

So young?

Fei Wa muttered to himself internally.

According to Dantai Qingrun's instructions, he was to take Lu Qingshan to the guard and have Lu Qingshan undergo the Tiger Squad's recruitment assessment.

The guard duty was different from other responsibilities in Zhenjiang Tower. To join the guard, one had to rely on actual robust combat power.

It was not that he was underestimating Lu Qingshan, but with such a young face, even if he were a genius, how much combat power could he really have at this time?

However, even though Fei Wa had many doubts about Lu Qingshan, he was very courteous to him on the surface.

——Regardless of whether Lu Qingshan had the strength or not, he was someone specially looked after by the Deputy Tower Master. Just for that reason alone, Lu Qingshan was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

...

Like Yuanshan Tower, the real core of Zhenjiang Tower was located underground; the four-story building above was just a facade.

Fei Wa stopped in front of a thoroughly black wall inside the tower, took out a token from Zhenjiang Tower, and swiped it across the wall, much like how one would use a key card.

The wall suddenly rippled, and a passage appeared.

Lu Qingshan followed Fei Wa into the passage.

Not long after, a spacious area opened up before their eyes.

They were greeted by a bustling wide hall, bright with light, showing no signs of the gloomy atmosphere that one would expect from being underground.

The headquarters of Zhenjiang Tower, hanging upside down underground, had, just like the tower above, a total of four floors.

The guard, as the premier division of the four divisions of Zhenjiang Tower, occupied a separate underground floor.

The third underground floor.

Fei Wa brought Lu Qingshan to an extremely spacious underground plaza.

Five cultivators had been waiting there for a while.

Four men and one woman.

"This is Lu Qingshan, the team member recommended to you by Deputy Tower Master Dantai," Fei Wa introduced to the five cultivators.

He then turned to Lu Qingshan and continued, "This is the Tiger Squad you will be joining. They just lost a Sword Cultivator in their last mission, so..."

Lu Qingshan understood that it was precisely because the Tiger Squad was short of a Sword Cultivator that he got the opportunity to enlist.

It's a bit sad to say, but Sword Cultivators, being among the six main professions with the highest aggro, are often the first target enemies wish to eliminate.

Therefore, during these team missions, the mortality rate of Sword Cultivators is typically the highest.

After the introductions, Fei Wa stepped back into the shadows.

The matter was now left for them to decide.

...

A tall and slim female cultivator stood up and circled around Lu Qingshan, clicking her tongue in astonishment.

"So you're the sword cultivator specially recommended by the Deputy Tower Master? Aren't you a bit too young? But I won't say anything about anything else, you do look pretty handsome."

"Just afraid that it's all for show and no substance," a male cultivator, clad in Daoist robes, muttered softly to the side.

"Su Shu!" The most robust male cultivator among the five frowned and chided lightly.

Called by name, Su Shu rolled her eyes at the towering man, "I know, I know, the important thing is important."

Regaining a serious expression and shedding the frivolous look on her face, Su Shu addressed Lu Qingshan, "Although you have been recommended by Deputy Tower Master Dantai, everything still needs to go by the rules. You must undergo our test.

"Only if you pass can you join our team; otherwise, we can only apologize to Tower Master Dantai."

Lu Qingshan's expression remained calm, "Naturally, what kind of test do you have in mind?"

"Fight me. If I think you're good enough, then you're in," the brawny male cultivator stood up and cracked his knuckles.

Great, it's really just as simple and brutish as it gets.

Lu Qingshan criticized in his mind but outwardly agreed, "Then let's begin."

.....

Despite the spaciousness of the plaza, it was still underground and had a very limited area.

For a sword cultivator like Lu Qingshan, who had just entered Foundation Establishment, his flying sword could reach as far as forty yards.

Adding to that his sword control technique, which could reach one-fifth the speed of sound, he would need a much larger area for a proper fight - this plaza, no matter how big, wouldn't suffice.

Therefore, the fight suggested by the muscular man was, indeed, a bit informal.

This combat restricted the use of flying spells, ensuring that the entirety of the fight took place on the ground, without aerial maneuvers.

The limitation was obviously greater for Lu Qingshan than for the brawny man.

After all, speed is a sword cultivator's forte. With no sufficient space to leverage their speed advantage, the sword cultivator's combat power would naturally be reduced by a considerable margin.

On the plaza, Lu Qingshan and the muscular cultivator distanced themselves, taking positions at diagonally opposite ends.

"My name is Xu Hao, Body Cultivation!" the hulking man introduced himself to Lu Qingshan.

"Lu Qingshan, Sword Cultivation."

Before the fight began, Lu Qingshan used the Heavenly Eye Technique on Xu Hao.

A total level 26 cultivator in Body Cultivation, he was the strongest member of the Tiger Squad.

This was an opponent Lu Qingshan could not possibly defeat at present.

Fortunately, he didn't have to beat Xu Hao to meet the Tiger Squad's requirements.

After all, no one in the Tiger Squad could best Xu Hao in a head-on battle.

Lu Qingshan just needed to make a satisfactory impression.

"Here I come!" Xu Hao bellowed.

Immediately, Xu Hao charged towards Lu Qingshan like a ferocious tiger, with a wild and intense momentum.

Facing the fiercely aggressive Xu Hao, Lu Qingshan kept his calm, swiftly shifted towards another corner of the plaza, and with a thought, his Crying Soul Sword shot out.

Body cultivation, especially at the lower grade, lacked long-range attack capabilities.

Increasing the distance and using the Flying Sword Technique to whittle down Xu Hao's Spiritual Power was undoubtedly a wise choice.

Seeing Lu Qingshan's flying sword launch.

"This lad, at least in terms of the speed of the flying sword, he's got some skills."

"But the problem is, for the captain, this mere flying sword is nothing to be concerned about," said a skinny, tall male cultivator who had been watching with light laughter.

Just as the tall, skinny man had said,

Facing the flying sword that came straight at him, Xu Hao didn't bother dodging. Spiritual Power surged, and his whole body quickly lit up with golden radiance.

Layers upon layers of phantom scale-like armor attached to Xu Hao's body, as if he was clad in a set of golden armor.

Clang!

The flying sword, fast as lightning, struck Xu Hao's golden armor, creating an ear-grinding metallic friction sound.

"The captain's 'Golden Scales Body' is unparalleled in defense. How could a flying sword from an initial stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivator possibly harm the captain?" said the tall, skinny male cultivator animatedly, "If this Lu Qingshan wants to become our teammate, just this flying sword technique is far from enough."

A man with a somewhat round face beside him nodded in agreement, "It's quite impressive for such a young one to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"But we in the defense need more than just a genius; we need comrades who can fight together. If he doesn't show us something more convincing, no matter how young he is, it won't cut it."