A teleportation array appeared beneath Ye Guan's feet, and then he vanished from the scene.

Ye Guan found himself in a vast mountain range, and there was a serene pool of water ahead of him. However, a lady was floating in it, and she was sprawled out in a starfish position, clearly trying to relax in the cool waters.

Their eyes met in midair, and the air itself seemed to freeze.

Ye Guan felt a shiver down his spine.

Is Little Ai Nine out of her mind? Why did she teleport me here? Damn it! I'm definitely going to reset her to factory settings after this!

Just then, a terrifying wave of energy erupted from the pool of water. Ye Guan's expression changed. He jumped backward, and a sword shot toward him.

Ye Guan's instincts kicked in. He quickly pulled off a nearby tree branch and slashed at the oncoming attack, striking precisely at a weak spot in sword light. His move managed to dispel ninety percent of the attack, but the remaining ten percent sent him flying backward.

He struck the ground hard, rolling several times before he came to a stop. As soon as he came to a stop, he sprang up to his feet and took off running. He pulled out a few Pure-grade spiritual crystals and consumed them.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed, and Ye Guan felt a chill on his back. He stopped immediately and sidestepped, dodging the deadly strike by a hair's breadth.

"

Hm?

" A surprised voice sounded from behind him.

Ye Guan turned and saw that the lady was already dressed. She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, and she wore a snow-white gown with her long hair cascading down her shoulders.

There was a longsword in her right hand.

She was strikingly beautiful, but her expression was as cold as ice, likely due to their earlier encounter.

Ye Guan spoke earnestly, "Lady, I meant no offense. This is just a misunderstanding."

The lady gazed at him, calm and composed. "Don't worry. When I cut you down, I'll make sure that both your big head and little head will come off together. It'll be painless and quick."

Swoosh!

The lady vanished.

A Sword Emperor!

Ye Guan's expression darkened. He stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

This surprised the lady. She realized that he had read the trajectory of her attacks multiple times now. How was that possible? The lady spun and slashed horizontally at him. However, he managed to dodge the attack once again.

The lady realized just then that it was no coincidence. The young man was truly reading her sword strikes. She stared at him, frowning. "How are you doing that?"

Ye Guan replied, "Lady, this is really just a misunderstanding."

The lady sized him up before slashing out once more. The attack flew toward Ye Guan like a bolt of lightning, but Ye Guan seemed to have seen through the attack.

He casually stepped to the side, dodging it once again. At the same time, he tapped the sword with the tree branch in his hand, dissipating the force within it and causing it to fall to the ground.

The lady was visibly shocked. "You…"

Just as Ye Guan was about to explain, she pressed her two fingers together, aiming them at him.

Rumble!

A blazing sword light shot toward Ye Guan.

Ye Guan's expression changed drastically at the sight.

In a contest of sword techniques, he had no fear, but in a contest of spiritual energy, he was too weak. Ye Guan immediately rolled to the side.

Boom!

He reacted swiftly, but her attack was too big to evade. Ye Guan's left arm was scorched, and parts of his clothes were charred.

Ye Guan stood up and felt a surge of spiritual energy rising within him. Without hesitation, he used it to elevate his strength directly to the Xiantian Realm.

The lady was taken aback by Ye Guan's abrupt breakthrough. She flicked her sleeve, and the sword lying on the ground transformed into a fiery sword light that shot toward the latter.

After his breakthrough, however, Ye Guan didn't choose to engage her head-on. HBe sidestepped, avoiding the sword attack. At the same time, he trembled slightly and leaped into the air, swiftly retreating into the distance.

The lady watched him leave without giving chase. She closed her eyes, and a moment later, the sword in her hand trembled slightly before vanishing from sight.

The sword technique was called Instant Void Sword. Once mastered, the swordsman's sword energy could appear instantly in front of an opponent. It was an attack that made use of spacetime to catch an opponent by surprise, and it was a Sky-grade sword technique, one of the most advanced techniques of the Qingzhou Sword Sect.

The legendary Sword Master once practiced this technique during his time at the Sword Sect.

Far off in the distance, Ye Guan sensed something, and his expression changed. He spun around just in time to see the space in front of him split open. A sword tore through the space and flew toward him.

Ye Guan's eyes widened in shock. The lady actually had such a powerful sword technique!

The sword was fast, but his reaction was just as fast. Just as the sword was inches away from his forehead, he lifted the tree branch he was using as a sword and struck precisely at the blade's edge.

Bam!

Ye Guan's attack managed to neutralize eighty percent of the sword's power, but he dared not take it head-on despite the loss of strength. He rolled to the side, dodging the sword.

The lady appeared in front of him again. She stared at him, utterly shocked. He was only a Xiantian Realm expert, and his swordsmanship was exceedingly. Despite that, it seemed capable of breaking a thousand techniques.

How was that possible?

Ye Guan glanced at the lady and decided against fleeing. He couldn't Sword Travel, so he knew that he could not outrun her.

In a serious tone, Ye Guan explained, "Miss, what happened earlier was truly a misunderstanding. I did not mean to intrude. Due to some uncontrollable circumstances, I was transported to that location…"

The lady studied him closely. "What's your name?"

Ye Guan heaved a sigh of relief and replied, "Ye Yang."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "From the Ye Clan in Qingzhou?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

The lady scrutinized him for a moment, then asked, "What did you see earlier?"

"I didn't see anything. I was too dizzy and disoriented to see anything," Ye Guan insisted.

The lady stared deeply at Ye Guan without saying anything.

Ye Guan braced himself for another attack.

Finally, the lady said, "I'll remember you."

With that, she turned around and disappeared into the horizon on her sword.

Left standing alone, Ye Guan let out a long sigh.

Damn, is Little Ai Nine crazy? She almost killed me with that prank of hers!

After resting briefly, Ye Guan stood up and headed in the direction where the lady had disappeared. She was clearly from the Sword Sect, so following her would lead him there eventually.

After an entire hour of running, Ye Guan finally arrived at the mountain's peak. Looking out, he still saw nothing but endless mountain ranges stretching before him, and he nearly lost his mind at the sight.

Damn it! I told you to teleport me somewhere remote, but I didn't mean

this

remote!

"Little Ai Nine!" Ye Guan roared in anger, and his voice echoed throughout the mountains. That machine was a dumbass! He was

definitely

going to reset it to its factory settings in the future.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Guan pressed onward.

Meanwhile, many people were eagerly waiting for the mysterious figure to continue breaking the records. However, the tower was still silent, even though it had already been a few hours.

Everyone was beginning to feel a bit puzzled.

Why is nothing happening? Has he stopped clearing the floors?

After a while, the crowd finally became anxious. The swordsmen gathered at the towers across the states and began arguing amongst themselves.

Some speculated that the mysterious figure had probably perished inside, while others suggested that they had decided to lie low and hide their true power by intentionally stopping themselves from clearing more floors.

Some even joked that the record-breaker had probably disappeared for a bathroom break.

The mystery surrounding the record-breaker stirred up quite a commotion across Wanzhou. Many influential clans and sects began investigating, eager to discover the identity of the prodigy.

They were a talent that couldn't go unnoticed!

At the Sword Tower in Qingzhou Sword Sect, Yang Yian was sitting quietly on a nearby boulder, hugging her knees and staring intently at the tower. Knowing the dangers inside, she was worried, but she believed that he would eventually come out of the tower.

When the afternoon turned to evening, the crowd around the tower dispersed. Yang Yian waited from noon until nightfall, and she stayed there even as the entrance to the Sword Tower became desolate.

Two hours later, there were still no signs of Yang Yian. Her face finally grew pale. She gripped her hands anxiously and stared intently at the tower entrance.

Another hour went by, and it was now deep into the night. There were still no signs of Ye Guan.

At last, she stood up, unable to wait any longer. She dashed toward the Sword Tower, disregarding everything else just to go inside. She was going to find him—no, she had to find him.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Just as Yang Yian was about to rush inside, a voice echoed from behind. "Yian!"

Yang Yian froze. When she turned around, she saw Ye Guan a short distance away, smiling at her. He looked messy with his clothes torn and disheveled, especially his shoes, which had worn down to nearly nothing.

Yang Yian ran to him but slowed down as she got close. Bowing her head slightly, she whispered, "You… you're back."

Ye Guan smiled. "Yes. There was a teleportation array inside, and it sent me somewhere else. It took me a while to get back here."

Yang Yian nodded and muttered, "I see."

Then, she pulled out some snacks and handed them to him. "Here, have some."

Ye Guan chuckled, "Let's share."

Yang Yian nodded. "Alright."

The two of them sat together on the stone steps in front of the Sword Tower, with the bright full moon hanging high above. After a while, Ye Guan glanced at Yang Yian beside him and asked, "Were you about to go in just now?"

Yang Yian nodded. "Yes."

Ye Guan said, "It's a dangerous place."

Yang Yian lowered her head, remaining silent.

Ye Guan gently patted her on the head and said softly, "Let's read together."

Yang Yian eagerly pulled out a book, and then she remembered something and closed it.

"What's wrong?" asked Ye Guan.

"If I read a lot—and I mean a

lot

of books—will I be able to meet the Academy Master someday?"

"As long as you become a student of the Guanxuan Academy, you can meet the Academy Master someday."

"Really?"

"Really."

Yang Yian lowered her head.

Ye Guan chuckled and asked, "You don't believe me?"

Yang Yian whispered, "I asked around. It's difficult, even for the big names in the Academy, to meet the Academy Master. And I-I'm just a little beggar. Why would the Academy Master even want to meet me?"

"Actually, I have a secret. Nobody else knows it. If I tell you, can you keep it safe?"

"I will."

Ye Guan said seriously, "Actually, I can read fortunes."

Yang Yian blinked, surprised. "Read fortunes?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Yes, and I've already read yours. One day in the future, the Academy Master will meet you before a crowd and grant your wish, but… you must keep this a secret between us.

"Moreover, revealing too much of your fate is bad luck, do you understand?"

"I understand." Yang Yian broke out into a wide grin. "And I believe you, too."