I Have a Sword

Ye Guan arrived at Fei Banqing’s palace on Mount Banqing.

Fei Banqing smiled upon seeing him. “Congrats.”

Ye Guan smiled as well, and he sat in front of Fei Banqing. He took out a box and handed it over to her. The box contained the Sky-grade armor that Fei Banqing had lent him.

Fei Banqing stared deeply at Ye Guan and said, “I’ve truly underestimated you.”

Ye Guan replied, “Nan Xuan underestimated me as well.”

Fei Banqing’s curiosity was piqued. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Ye Guan muttered, “He didn’t really know me, so he ended up underestimating me. He was also extremely confident in his chances of defeating me because of his Sky-grade armor and those two medicinal pills.

“However, his biggest mistake was the fact that he seemed to have forgotten that we were on the Life or Death Stage. Either of us would have to die, so he shouldn’t have decided to talk nonsense while the fight was ongoing.”

Fei Banqing remained silent for a while before saying, “Do you know why he talked so much nonsense before the fight?”

Ye Guan nodded slightly and said, “He’s from a huge clan, so he has never fought someone of lower status. Those who are closer to the bottom of society are more brutal and decisive than those who are privileged. They are also more than willing to take risks.”

Fei Banqing gazed at Ye Guan for a moment before smiling. “I can see that.”

Ye Guan continued. “Of course, he still wasn’t my match, even if he had taken me seriously. His death was inevitable.”

“I really like your confidence, you brat! Hahaha!” Fei Banqing chuckled.

Ye Guan took out a medicinal pill and placed it in front of Fei Banqing. “Tutor, this is a Sky-grade pill. Take it, and it may prove useful to you in the future.”

A Sky-grade pill was extremely valuable. Fei Banqing didn’t reject the offer. “Sure.”

Ye Guan got up and bowed. “All right, I’m off now, Tutor. I’ll go back to my palace and cultivate.”

With that, he turned around and left.

Fei Banqing stared at the pill in front of her, and her heart became filled with warmth.

At last, she finally understood just what kind of person Ye Guan was. He was the type of person who would treat someone the same way they treated him. Treat him well, and he would reciprocate.

Fei Banqing shook her head and smiled. “It seems Little Jia found her Mr. Right.”

…

Ye Guan sat cross-legged on the summit of Mount Banqing. He put his hands parallel to each other in front of his chest and circulated the Immortal-rank cultivation method within him.

The surrounding spiritual energy surged toward him.

Ye Guan’s cultivation improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the Immortal-rank cultivation method. What an incredible cultivation method...

After a while, Ye Guan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. He managed to push himself to the peak of the Divine Path Realm. He only had just a tiny step left to make a breakthrough into the Divine Soul Realm.

However, he didn’t attempt a breakthrough into the Divine Soul Realm. Ye Guan had always made sure to become familiar with the next realm first before making a breakthrough.

Therefore, Ye Guan started reading books that contained information about the Divine Soul Realm in an effort to understand the realm. The Divine Soul Realm could be reached after the confluence of one’s physique and divine soul.

The divine soul was one’s soul and mental strength, and the confluence of the two meant breaking through into the Divine Soul Realm.

One would undergo a qualitative change upon reaching the Divine Soul Realm, allowing one to shatter a city wall with a mere punch.

The giant on the ninth floor of the trial towers was a Divine Soul Realm cultivator, and its ax was strong enough to shatter a city wall. A Divine Soul Realm cultivator was a force to be reckoned with anywhere in Nanzhou.

Ye Guan read a few books, and he decided to attempt a breakthrough into the Divine Soul Realm upon gauging that he understood the realm enough for a breakthrough.

Ye Guan had to become even stronger because they would go to the Upper Realm in less than a month, and there would definitely be stronger cultivators there.

He also had to be wary of the Ye Clan there.[1]

If they find me, I’m done for! I have to become more powerful so I can protect myself and the people around me.

Ye Guan didn’t just cultivate. He also headed to the ninth floor of the trial towers to hone his skills by fighting the giant.

He wanted to reach his limit—the limit of the Divine Path Realm. He wanted to reach it before making a breakthrough into the Divine Soul Realm. In addition to his combat prowess, fighting the giant also improved his mental strength and soul.

I won’t be able to relax at all!

Ye Guan’s daily routine was filled with cultivating, reading, and fighting the giant on the ninth floor of the trial towers.

Just like that, half a month passed.

Today, Ye Guan visited the ninth floor as usual.

The giant appeared, and it immediately hurled its ax at Ye Guan.

Boom!

The ax carried a horrifying power with it as it tore through the air and flew toward Ye Guan.

Ye Guan remained calm as he stared at the flying ax.

Swoosh!

Ye Guan abruptly twisted and avoided the fatal blow half an inch away from his head. At the same time, he lowered his stance and sliced the giant’s knee.

Crack!

The giant’s knee was split open.

The giant staggered to pick up its ax, and it immediately swung its ax toward Ye Guan.

Shrieeek!

A shrill noise echoed as the ax made its way toward Ye Guan’s head.

Ye Guan crouched and rolled backward, deftly dodging the ax. At the same time, his sword flew out and struck the giant’s knee once more.

Crack!

The giant lost its right leg. It lunged toward Ye Guan in a last-ditch effort to kill the latter, but Ye Guan already knew what the giant would do. Ye Guan leaped and aimed for the giant’s neck.

However, it was clear that the giant wasn’t willing to let things end here. It twisted and was about to send its most powerful attack toward Ye Guan.

Unfortunately, Ye Guan seemed to have predicted the giant’s next move as he twisted in mid-air and thrust his sword into the giant’s wrist.

Shwik! Slash!

The giant’s attack failed, and it couldn’t avoid Ye Guan’s next attack.

Ye Guan picked up his sword and turned his back on the disappearing giant.

Vrrr!

The shining door suddenly vibrated. Ye Guan came to a halt and stared at the shining door.

A woman soon emerged from the door. Ye Guan instantly recognized her because she was none other than the woman who gave him the Immortal-rank cultivation method he was cultivating at the moment.

Ye Guan was curious. “Senior?”

The woman smiled and said, “Congratulations.”

Ye Guan was confused.

“Congratulations?” he asked.

The woman nodded and explained, “You’re the fastest...”

Ye Guan was still confused. “The fastest?”

The woman nodded slightly and said, “There are about ninety-eight thousand trial towers throughout the Upper and Lower Realm. You’re the fastest person under the age of twenty to have defeated this giant.”

Ye Guan blinked and muttered, “I could have been faster...”

He wasn’t lying. He truly could have done it even faster.

The woman smiled at him and exclaimed, “You’ve done it fast enough!”

Ye Guan nodded and changed the topic. “Senior, is there any reward for it?”

“Of course, there is,” said the woman.

She flipped her palm, and a badge appeared in front of Ye Guan.

Three words emblazoned in bronze were on the badge—Trial Towers King.

Ye Guan was silent.

Can’t they give me something more useful? What the hell is Trial Towers King? Ye Guan truly didn’t care about being the king of the trial towers!

The woman smiled and explained, “I think you should know that this badge is rarer than your Immortal-rank cultivation method.”

Ye Guan’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “Why?”

The woman’s smile deepened. “It’s a valuable badge because it allows you to enroll at any Guanxuan Academy branch aside from the Main Academy.”

“Really?” Ye Guan gasped. He stared deeply at the woman and asked, “I know a place called Zhongtu Divine Continent, and it apparently contains thousands of worlds, so I’m sure it has a Guanxuan Academy. Will this badge allow me to enroll at the academy there?”

The woman nodded. “Of course.”

Ye Guan asked. “What if they won’t acknowledge the badge?”

The woman was stunned. She blinked a few times before saying, “They won’t even dare to do that.”

Ye Guan was confused. “Why?”

The woman smiled once more.

She responded with a question of her own. “Do you know what my job is?”

Ye Guan shook his head.

The woman explained. “I’m the Lead Chief of the Guanxuan Academy, and all branches are under my jurisdiction. I created the badge in front of you, and those capable enough of acquiring it are extremely talented. I don’t think any Guanxuan Academy branch out there will refuse to acknowledge an extreme talent.”

Ye Guan hesitated before adding, “Well, hypothetically speaking… I mean, what if… they refuse to acknowledge me?”

“There are no what-ifs!” exclaimed the woman with a serious look.

Ye Guan nodded. “I understand.”

The woman walked toward Ye Guan. She patted his head lightly before smiling. “Keep it up, I’m looking forward to the day you arrive at the Main Academy.”

The woman’s illusory figure vanished.

Ye Guan looked at the badge in his hands and smiled. What a pleasant surprise!

However, Ye Guan seemed to have recalled something.

“Master Pagoda, why do I feel like she knew me?” asked Ye Guan.

Little Pagoda was silent for a while before it said, “I think you just imagined it.”

Ye Guan frowned. “I imagined it?”

Little Pagoda hurriedly explained, “Yup! She’s the Lead Chief of the Guanxuan Academy, so she’s obviously an influential figure in the academy. How could she be familiar with a poor country boy like you?”

Ye Guan thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that makes sense.”

Little Pagoda changed the topic. “Anyway, you can start cultivating sword intent.”

Sword intent! Ye Guan was delighted. “Sword intent?”

Little Pagoda replied, “Yes. Sword intent is the sword’s extension of your will. Your Royal Sword Art will become five times more powerful with the help of sword intent, and a single move imbued with sword intent is enough to kill the giant you’ve been fighting in just one hit.”

Ye Guan was overjoyed. From the books he had read so far, only those who had cultivated sword intent could be considered true swordsmen! It was rumored that those who had comprehended sword intent were rare, even on the Upper Realm.

Cultivators incapable of wielding sword intent weren’t true swordsmen.

Ye Guan hurriedly asked, “Master Pagoda, how do I start using sword intent?”

Little Pagoda replied, “You comprehend it first through an epiphany.”

Ye Guan blinked in confusion.

“Can you give me some guidance?” he asked.

Little Pagoda was silent for a while before it spoke, “What do you think your sword does?”

Ye Guan thought for a while. Eventually, he extended his hand, and the Path Sword appeared. He stared at the Path Sword for a while, and his eyes turned cold as he said, “A sword is a weapon for slaughter, and I am a swordsman who slaughters.”

Brrr!

The Path Sword vibrated violently in his hand. Moments later, a soft red glow enveloped the Path Sword. The red glow lashed out, carving a deep crevice thirty meters away from Ye Guan.

Ye Guan stiffened at the sight.

In the world within the tiny pagoda, Little Pagoda exclaimed, “Goodness, is he cheating?”

The mysterious voice replied, “No, he wasn’t cheating! I can vouch for him.”

Little Pagoda’s voice was solemn as it said, “It’s more absurd than cheating…”

1. The Ye Clan here refers to the clan that Little Pagoda has been ‘tricking’ Ye Guan about, where he is the illegitimate son. ☜