Chapter 660: The Recruitment Offer from Ning Zhengqi!

Although unwilling to believe, he had lost, and loss was loss.

He, Nie Wushuang, was not a man who could not accept defeat, and he immediately acknowledged it calmly.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhi slightly withdrew the blade from the opponent's neck, then lowered it to her waist, and the sword slid smoothly back into its scabbard.

Nie Wushuang scratched his head, stepped aside, bent down, and picked up his fallen sword.

He rose again and glanced briefly at Jiang Zhi.

Seeing Jiang Zhi's expression unchanged, her emotions seemingly untouched, cold to the point of being terrifying, like an outsider observing from afar.

Nie Wushuang felt great surprise and confusion: "What? Did fighting me bore you so much?"

He simply could not understand—why, after winning, could she remain so indifferent?

Did defeating him mean nothing to her at all?

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi lifted her head and glanced at Nie Wushuang.

Due to her chronic face-blindness, he appeared to her as an indistinct blur, his features unreadable.

She could only distinguish people by their aura and attire.

Looking at Nie Wushuang, she spoke softly: "The outcome was foreseen from the start—what is there to rejoice in?"

Before drawing her blade, she had already known: among peers of the same realm, none could match her.

Especially after journeying onward, winning hundreds of duels in relentless sword contests!

Victory had become as simple to her as eating and drinking, and stirred not the faintest ripple within her soul.

Hearing this, Nie Wushuang let out a silent laugh.

He felt her confidence was as immense as her terrifying talent.

Then he shook his head, ceased suppressing his internal energy, and revealed his Moon Wheel realm cultivation base!

He gazed deeply at Jiang Zhi and said gravely: "This defeat today is the only one in my life. When I reach the Sword King realm, I shall challenge you again. Until then..."

For over two hundred years since he took up the sword, he had never lost.

This failure had utterly shattered his pride—but also ignited his fighting spirit!

Deep within, he had a premonition: perhaps his breakthrough was near.

Just as he turned to leave, before even taking a step, he felt a chill wind rush from behind—someone had arrived.

Sensing an unmistakably familiar aura, Nie Wushuang turned back.

Before him stood an old man with white hair and beard, clad in a gray robe.

Nie Wushuang immediately bowed his head and said: "Wushuang, bows to my master!"

As soon as he spoke, Jiang Zhi's eyes brightened.

She had heard many rumors about Nie Wushuang.

She knew his master was the sole Sword King of the Great Qin.

Thinking of the Sword King standing before her,

Jiang Zhi's right hand tightened around the hilt of her waist-sheathed sword, and a fierce battle-lust surged within her!

Feng Zhangyue paid no attention to any of this.

He stroked his beard and praised: "Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, who could believe such a prodigy exists in this world—a youth under twenty who has already refined his sword art to this level?"

"When I was your age, I had barely begun my path in sword cultivation; to reach your current realm took me over a hundred years."

"White Sword Marquis? Truly, the younger generation is awe-inspiring."

"But exceptional talent is one thing; unlocking that talent is another. It is said that when you left Cangwu Mountain, you already possessed the Sword Heart and had ascended to Sword Marquis—clearly, your clan harbors true masters."

"Surely you received the true transmission of the White Robe Sword Marquis?"

"It seems your clan head's sword art surpasses even my wildest imaginings—he has unlocked your talent to such an extent. It is astonishing. I am humbled..."

Originally, Jiang Zhi had shown no strong reaction to the praise.

But upon hearing him commend her clan head, she suddenly seemed delighted—her eyes narrowed slightly like crescent moons, her lips unconsciously lifting into a faint smile!

Seeing this, Nie Wushuang, standing behind Feng Zhangyue, froze.

His eyes widened in utter shock.

He had assumed Jiang Zhi's cold demeanor meant she was naturally aloof and humorless.

He never expected her to suddenly smile—so unexpectedly!

And when she smiled, she looked so beautiful...

Nie Wushuang's heart gave a sudden jolt, and an unfamiliar emotion stirred within him.

At this moment, Feng Zhangyue did not notice his disciple's odd reaction.

His lips moved slightly, preparing to speak again.

But the next instant, Ning Zhengqi and Gong Sun Lanying from the Heavenly Sword Sect appeared beside them!

Ning Zhengqi studied Jiang Zhi for a moment, then could not help exclaiming:

"Remarkable! Not only is her talent exceptional, her foundation is rock-solid—no trace of shallowness. She is truly a born sword prodigy. Such talent is enough to make others envious..."

He himself was among the top geniuses of the Yuehua Empire.

That was precisely why he earned the right to become a direct disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect's patriarch.

He then spent over fifty years cultivating his realm to Sun Wheel ninth layer and his sword art to perfect Sword Heart.

On the surface, his progress seemed swift.

But during those fifty years, he had relied on the sect's vast resources: guidance from multiple Sword Kings, and the accumulated sword insights left by generations of past Sword Kings.

Yet even with all that, he still could not match this girl named Jiang Zhi.

This stark contrast left him embarrassed—even making him feel his fifty years had been wasted!

So he could not possibly imagine...

By the time the other party reached his own age, how powerful would they have become?!

Thinking of this, his desire to recruit the other party into the sect grew even firmer!

Such a monstrous prodigy of the sword Dao—if he hadn't seen it, then so be it.

But now that he had seen it, how could he watch it slip through his fingers?

The best course was to recruit her into the sect, and then have his own Master personally guide her!

His Master, as the Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect, had such profound attainments in the sword Dao that he was second only to the Old Ancestor—more than qualified to guide her!

Thus, he looked at Jiang Zhiwei, no longer hesitating, and immediately issued the invitation: "Miss, your talent is extraordinarily high, and precisely because of that you need proper guidance, so that you may progress even faster."

"I am Ning Zhengqi, a True Disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect, Moon Radiance Dynasty! My Master is none other than the Star-Plucking Sword King, the Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect!"

"Now that I have encountered such a fine talent, I am willing, on behalf of my Master, to bring you to Heavenly Sword Sect for a trial. If all goes well, you may take him as your Master!"

"Given your talent, under the ten-thousand-year foundation of our Heavenly Sword Sect, I fear it will take only a few years before you can advance to the Sword King realm!"