To the sword cultivators of the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent, there were only four places worth mentioning and worth visiting at least once in their lives. They were known as the four sword grounds and considered the best places to cultivate and find inspiration for their sword Dao. They were the gathering places for well-known sword practitioners throughout the subcontinent.

The first sword ground was Dugu’s Cavern located to the northeast. It was a mysterious underground tunnel system that tested talent in sword cultivation. It was beneficial to the lowliest of cultivators and popular among beginners.

The second was the Forest of Swords, a secret realm that produced tree branches known as sword truths capable of enlightening the wielder with the profoundness of the heavens. Controlled by the Eastern Sword Alliance, it benefitted those at the upper levels of the Spirit Initiate Realm who wanted to cultivate toward the immortal path.

The third was less popular than the first two. It was located within the ruins of an ancient civilization that had long since fallen. It lay to the far northwest of the subcontinent and on the border with the Northern Wasteland. This region was extremely dangerous and only the strongest cultivators at the lesser realms of the Spirit Initiate or a few early-stage Spirit Lords would try their luck here. It was where Chen Wentian obtained Dugu’s Tenth Sword, beating out many competitors in the process including the now-deceased Immortal Desolate Sword Peng Yuefeng.

The fourth and final sword ground was the most popular and also the least rewarding. It was located somewhere within the Great Hui Desert that covered the southeast region of the subcontinent. It was a vast land of great sand dunes, desolate canyons, and dry plateaus. It spanned an area equivalent to seven or eight provinces, all inhospitable to humans except for the occasional settlement around an oasis or river.

Everyone knew the fourth sword ground was somewhere here but they didn't know exactly where. In the entire history of the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent, the sword ground had only ever been found one time. It happened roughly a hundred years ago and the person's name was Peng Yuefeng.

The locals all knew the story and passed it down generation by generation as a folktale. Over a hundred years ago, Peng Yuefeng was a lowly disciple of the Tower of Swords with no future prospects. His talent was bad and his background was even worse. Desperate for a breakthrough and a future in the sect, he risked it all and went to the desert in search of the fourth sword ground. Nobody had ever found it before and it was known back then as a fool's journey.

Nobody knew how he did it but he defied all odds and managed to find it. The proof was his massive increase in cultivation and also the Spirit Lord Realm heavy sword that he carried out with him. The Desolate Sword became famous across the land and became his namesake. It was proof that the fourth sword ground existed.

However, this Peng Yuefeng never told a soul where the sword ground actually was. Even after becoming a Spirit Lord and taking over the Tower of Swords, he never returned to the southeast region. Even so, countless people have been coming to the desert ever since then to try their luck. They all dreamed of finding the sword ground again. If someone like him could come from nothing and become the sect master of a famous immortal sect, then anyone could do it!

“Damn it! I will be the next Peng Yuefeng!” A heavy fist slammed into the table made of clay. "Fuck, I will do it!"

A clay bowl shattered and the commotion drew curious gazes. Within the small tavern, the culprit of the outburst was a thickly built man with a huge sword strapped to his back. At a glance, the weapon weighed at least as much as him.

The person who had been telling the tale was the owner of the tavern. An old man with a head full of white hair and a weather-beaten face, it was something he did to sell more food and wine. And it always worked.

“Brother Butcher Sword, you are the strongest sword cultivator I have seen this season so far. If anyone can do it, it will be you!”

The one known as Butcher Sword laughed at the praise, “Hahaha, good! Get me another tankard of wine!”

“Coming right up!”

The burly man downed the last of the wine in the remaining cup and looked around. The interior of the tavern wasn’t large. There were about ten tables with accompanying chairs, all made out of mud bricks and stone. A few groups that had been listening in to the story quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze.

They were all sword cultivators from their attire and the weapons they carried. They came from various cultivation sects and they were obviously here for the same thing, the fourth sword ground. They were his competition so he wouldn’t treat them kindly.

Still, they were all quite strong. He was confident in his own strength but taking them on would be problematic.

He then noticed a curious pair of men sitting by the half-open window. One person wore a plain gray outfit while the other one wore an eye-catching blue. Instead of sitting facing each other like men, the two were sitting side by side like a couple.

The man frowned and squinted his eyes. These two were truly strange. The one that dressed like a rich playboy did not have a face to match. He could be considered above average but not too handsome. The other one was the complete opposite. His plain gray clothes could not suppress a dazzling handsomeness that took one's breath away. It was so astonishing and attractive that even Butcher Sword, who considered himself the manliest of men, who had never had a single improper thought toward his fellow man in his whole life until now, started to doubt his sexual preferences.

What bothered him even more was how the two were acting. They were sitting so close that their shoulders and hips were touching. The playboy in blue leaned into the other one in a teasing and intimate manner. He was whispering to the handsome man without a care as if they were the only people in the tavern.

Butcher Sword spat out a mouthful of wine. He had traveled across many provinces and seen countless things. He had heard of sword cultivators with this specific preference… men who liked to cross swords with other men in the bedroom.

He shuddered. The mere thought made him irrationally angry.

“Damn it!” He shattered another cup and stood up. “I’ve had enough!”

If there was one thing he hated most in the world, it was this type of sword cultivator!

He whirled towards the pair by the window and pointed a thick finger towards them, “You bastards, you’re ruining my good wine and destroying the scenery. If you don’t scram right now, I will chop off your dicks to feed the crows!”

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