Chapter 1100: Haven't We Met Before?

Ye Guan's words carried a hint of bitterness. Over the years, his weeks were basically a day of minor beatings followed by five days of heavy beatings. His enemies were always far stronger than him. Showing off? It was a pipe dream!

Now that he was back on his own turf, he could finally show off.

However, it seemed like it still wasn't all that special either.

Ye Guan didn't teach An Mujin his own swordsmanship but instead gave him the inheritance of another swordsman. Ye Guan didn't think that his swordsmanship was worthy of being passed down on to others. In his eyes, he wasn't qualified. Of course, giving a bit of guidance was perfectly fine.

Meanwhile, An Mujin developed a deep sense of reverence toward Ye Guan. Ye Guan was always capable of pinpointing the exact issues he was facing and correcting them. It was terrifying.

An Mujin had completely accepted that he was inferior to Ye Guan. More than that, he was grateful that he had encountered someone so powerful.

After Ye Guan finished giving his pointers to An Mujin for the day, the sky turned dark, so Ye Guan left the back mountain. It was time for Yang Yian's daily readings.

Yang Yian had already been waiting in the courtyard with a book in hand.

When she saw Ye Guan, her face lit up with a smile.

Ye Guan sat down next to her, and she quickly opened the book in her hands, pointing to a particular passage. "I was reading this, and I don't quite understand this phrase, 'The mountain doesn't reject dust, and the river doesn't refuse the flowing waters.'"

Ye Guan looked at the passage and smiled, explaining, "The great mountain does not reject dust, which is why it stands so tall. Similarly, the river doesn't turn away the small streams, which is why it is so vast.

"This can be compared to cultivation; one must not ignore even the smallest details."

Yang Yian suddenly tilted her head and looked at Ye Guan without a word.

Under the moonlight, the both of them sat side by side—one focused on reading while the other was focused on teaching.

The next day, early in the morning, Ye Guan was invited to the Sect Master Pavilion. As soon as he entered, he saw Yue Qi and Yu Ning.

Yue Qi stared at him and asked, "So you're here."

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Yue Qi remained silent as she sized him up. Moments later, an invisible pressure emanated from her.

Swoosh!

Yue Qi vanished from her spot.

Ye Guan frowned. He knew that he was too weak to avoid or block the attack, so he chose not to resist it at all. Of course, he stood still because he didn't sense any killing intent in the attack.

Yue Qi's sword stopped just half an inch from his forehead, but he stayed calm.

Yue Qi asked, "Why didn't you dodge?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "I couldn't dodge it."

Yue Qi stared at him for a long time before sheathing her sword. "Who are you really?"

"Ye Yang," Ye Guan replied with a smile.

"Your real identity."

"Ye Yang."

Yue Qi stared intently at him.

Ye Guan thought for a few moments before saying, "Sect Master Yue, are you worried that I might be a threat to the Sword Sect or the Academy?"

Yue Qi looked at him without saying a word.

Ye Guan spoke seriously, "I just want a platform. The Sword Sect and the Main Guanxuan Academy are the platforms I'm seeking. That's all."

"Alright." Yue Qi nodded. Then, she turned to look at Yu Ning and said, "Yu Ning will introduce you to some of the top talents and prodigies of Wanzhou. And from now on, you and Fu Ji will have access to the Sword Sect's best cultivation rooms.

"The Sword Sect will also provide you with cultivation resources. Weapons, techniques, whatever the Sword Sect has, you will have access to them."

Ye Guan nodded. "Great!"

This was exactly what he needed right now.

Yue Qi said, "You're dismissed."

Ye Guan and Yu Ning left the main hall.

Once they were outside, Yu Ning's expression was still cold and expressionless.

After walking in silence for a while, Yu Ning suddenly stopped. She turned to face him and handed him a scroll. "This contains information on the top talents of all the different states. You can focus more on Nanzhou, as they are our strongest opponent."

With that, she turned around to leave.

Ye Guan called out, "Lady Yu. Can you tell me more about Nanzhou?"

Yu Ning was silent for a moment before nodding. "Nanzhou has two monstrous talents. Ye Chen from the Ye Family and Xiao Lingwu, the Department Chief of The Nanzhou Guanxuan Academy's Martial Department. One is a talented swordsman, while the other is a martial arts genius. They are both in the Time Immortal Realm, but their overall combat prowess is still unknown."

"Ye Chen from the Ye Clan? Is that the same Ye Clan as the Academy Master's?"

"Yes."

Ye Guan frowned. He hadn't heard of that name until now.

"Ye Chen isn't a simple individual. Rumor has it he has a mysterious master, but no one knows who it is. Xiao Lingwu is also exceptional; he's considered the greatest martial talent in Wanzhou's history, second only to An Qinghan.

"The Main Academy's Martial Department began grooming him early, just like with Ye Zhuxin."

"Grooming him early?"

"Yes. Some prodigies are so extraordinary that the Main Academy notices them early. Not only does the Main Academy keep an eye on them, but several factions will also pay close attention to them," Yu Ning said.

Ye Guan's curiosity grew. "Are there factions within the Academy?"

Yu Ning remained silent.

Ye Guan asked again, "Lady Yu, could you tell me more about them? I'd really like to know."

Yu Ning replied, "There's no need. With your level of talent, they'll soon come looking for you. Aside from Nanzhou, there's also a prodigy from Yunzhou. This one cultivates both martial arts and physique, and his name is Han Yuntian.

"He's backed by a mysterious powerhouse, and his strength isn't to be underestimated."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "Understood."

Yu Ning advised, "Your swordsmanship is outstanding, but your cultivation base is low. In the near future, you should find ways to make breakthroughs. Also, don't underestimate the people I've mentioned. Not only do they have immense natural talent, but they're also trained by powerful figures behind the scenes. Their combat prowess is extraordinary. Got it?"

Ye Guan nodded again. "Thank you for the advice."

He had confidence in himself, but he had never been the type to underestimate others. He especially did not want to be caught off guard by these young talents. Losing to one of them would make it hard to reestablish his status.

Yu Ning said, "Come on, I'll take you to the training area."

With that, she flew up on her sword. Ye Guan did the same, keeping pace with her.

When they entered the starry sky, a series of teleportation arrays appeared before them.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Pick one," Yu Ning said.

He stepped into the nearest array, and in an instant, he was transported to a unique realm. The spiritual energy here was over ten times stronger than outside!

A faint smile appeared on his face. "A perfect place for training."

Over the following days, Ye Guan spent his time training and guiding An Mujin in swordsmanship, and at night, he would read books with Yang Yian.

Yang Yian was now a Xiantian Realm cultivator.

After a month of training in that special realm, Ye Guan reached the Heaven Law Realm. His progress was remarkably swift, enough to surprise Yue Qi and Yu Ning. In fact, he had purposefully slowed his pace, aiming to solidify each realm before moving forward. Otherwise, he could have advanced even faster.

His innate talent was exceptional, and having already walked this path before, advancing through these cultivation realms was not difficult at all.

Time passed swiftly, and another month went by.

The Wanzhou Martial Contest was approaching!

With only three days left, Qingzhou was abuzz with excitement. The teleportation arrays in Qingzhou were filled to capacity every day with people from across Wanzhou arriving to witness the event.

Qingzhou was livelier than ever!

To prevent any unforeseen issues, Qingzhou's Guanxuan Academy even requested a unit of Guanxuan Guards from the Main Academy to maintain order.

Amidst the starry sky, Ye Guan stepped out of the teleportation array, taking a deep breath. A powerful aura surged from within him. He had now reached the Immortal Realm!

He had made significant progress in his cultivation base. Unfortunately, his Order Sword Intent remained at the Sword Cultivator without any advancements. He also couldn't actively improve it for some reason.

Ye Guan hopped onto his sword and vanished. Soon, he arrived at his courtyard.

Yang Yian quickly put down her book and ran up to him, smiling. "I heard that Qingzhou City has been really lively recently. Shall we go for a walk?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Sure."

Yang Yian immediately beamed with joy.

"Brother Ye!" someone shouted out from the side. Ye Guan turned to see Fu Ji walking toward them. After receiving significant support from the Sword Sect, Fu Ji had now reached the Dao Immortal Realm. His realm was just below An Mujin and Ye Zhuxin's Time Immortal Realm.

Fu Ji looked at Ye Guan and Yang Yian and smiled. "Are you guys heading to Qingzhou City?"

Ye Guan nodded with a smile. "Yes, we're going to have a look around."

Fu Ji quickly offered, "Why don't you come visit my family? My mother has been saying that she'd love to host you both."

Ye Guan glanced at Yang Yian, and they exchanged a smile. Ye Guan agreed, "Alright!"

Fu Ji looked thrilled that Ye Guan had accepted the offer and eagerly said, "Brother Ye, let's go."

With that, he rose on his sword and disappeared into the distant sky. Ye Guan lifted Yang Yian alongside him as they followed, vanishing into the horizon.

Inside a modest little house in Qingzhou, Ye Guan and Yang Yian sat side by side at a table laden with dishes. There were all kinds of food, including a basket of steamed buns.

Across from them sat a woman. She looked at Ye Guan and Yang Yian thoughtfully before asking, "Have we met before?"

Ye Guan and Yang Yian remained silent.