Chapter 179: The Son of an Old Acquaintance

Buddhism Department.

Ye Guan asked around and quickly found where the Buddhism Department was located.

The Guanxuan Committee was the largest group in the Main Guanxuan Academy, and there were nine departments beneath the Guanxuan Academy: the Martial Department, the Department of Arts, the Benevolence Department, the Demon Department, the Heavenly Dao Department, the Shadow Department, the Discipline Department, the Divine Dao Department, and the Buddhism Department.

The Central Department was below the nine departments.

The most powerful departments were the Martial Department and the Demon Department. The Martial Department had consistently produced top talents from their branches in the Main Guanxuan Academy branches throughout the universe.

The Demon Department was powerful, but their main department wasn’t in the Main Guanxuan Academy but in the Demon Domain. Hence, the students of the Academy weren’t really familiar with them.

However, no one dared to underestimate the Demon Department.

For the past thousand years, the demons of the Demon Department had always won the majority of the fights between demons and humans, and their great performance often caused conflict in the Guanxuan Universe.

The most low-profile department among the nine departments was the Buddhism Department.

The Department Chief of the Buddhism Department was a low-profile individual, and most of the Buddhism Department’s students were monks. They placed great importance on harmony and were seldom jealous of others.

Ye Guan found himself standing at the entrance of an ancient temple.

A young monk was cleaning the stone steps of the ancient temple.

Ye Guan walked over and brought his palms together. “Greetings, young monk.”

The young monk glanced at Ye Guan and asked, “Are you here for something?”

Ye Guan nodded and replied, “My name is Ye Guan, and I would like to see Department Chief Seng Wu.”

The young monk shook his head.

“Master is currently in seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him,” he said. He continued sweeping the stone steps afterward.

Ye Guan pondered briefly before retrieving a storage ring and placing it in the young monk’s hand. “Young monk, please help me.”

The young monk froze upon seeing the storage ring. He exclaimed hesitantly, “Young Lord, what are you doing?! I am… not that kind of person!”

Ye Guan said seriously, “You just have to help me pass a message.”

The young monk hesitated before discreetly storing the storage ring away. “You must be a good person, considering your bright demeanor. My master has always said that we must spread kindness and help others. Forget it. I’m sure Master will scold me, but I will help you pass a message.”

The young monk turned around to leave.

However, Ye Guan suddenly called out, “Young monk, wait!”

The young monk looked at Ye Guan in confusion. “What is the matter?”

Ye Guan took out Little Pagoda and said, “Please take this pagoda with you and let your master see it. Tell him that the son of an old acquaintance is here to see him.”

“????” Little Pagoda was utterly confused.

The mysterious voice spoke, “Does he know something, or is he making a guess here?”

Little Pagoda sounded solemn as he said, “I don’t know!”

The mysterious voice exclaimed, “He can be really scary sometimes!”

Little Pagoda sighed. This little bastard is really starting to scare me. It’s difficult, but I have no choice. I just have to go with the flow.

The young monk set his thoughts aside. He took the tiny pagoda with him and headed into the temple.

Ye Guan stood quietly in front of the ancient temple’s stone steps.

He handed over the tiny pagoda to the young monk because he knew that he was just a nameless junior. There was no reason for the Department Chief Seng Wu to come and meet him. In other words, he had decided to take his Master Pagoda out in an attempt to ride on his Master Pagoda’s coattails.

Ye Guan was convinced that his Master Pagoda had to have been roaming the universe for more than thirty million years. Ye Guan thought that perhaps Department Chief Seng Wu would recognize Master Pagoda.

If Department Chief Seng Wu failed to recognize Master Pagoda, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. He stood nothing to lose at all.

How about Master Pagoda’s safety?

Ye Guan had considered it, but his instinct told him that a cultivator would find it hard-pressed to harm Master Pagoda. There was also a mysterious senior in the tiny pagoda. In addition, Ye Guan was aware that even though Master Pagoda was often mischievous, the latter wasn’t too weak to succumb to the run-of-the-mill cultivators.

Ye Guan knew that he was currently too weak, so he had to rely on his Master Pagoda at such a critical juncture.

An old monk walked out and hurriedly approached Ye Guan.

He froze upon taking a closer look at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan hurriedly greeted, “Greetings, Department Chief Seng Wu.”

Seng Wu stared at Ye Guan for a long time before a complicated expression flashed across his eyes. “Let’s talk in the temple.”

“Okay,” replied Ye Guan. He heaved a sigh of relief. Seng Wu had recognized Master Pagoda. His Master Pagoda was indeed impressive!

Seng Wu brought Ye Guan into a hall.

He placed Little Pagoda in front of Ye Guan and said, “Have a seat!”

Ye Guan hesitated before saying, “I’m fine standing.”

Seng Wu didn’t mind Ye Guan’s response and asked softly, “Is Master Pagoda the only one with you?”

Ye Guan nodded. “Yes.”

Seng Wu looked at Ye Guan and smiled. “Take a seat; it’s fine.”

Ye Guan obliged and asked, “Department Chief Seng Wu, do you know Master Pagoda?”

Seng Wu nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“How about my parents? Ye Guan asked, “Do you know them, Senior?”

Seng Wu nodded slightly. “Yes, I do.”

Ye Guan explained, “Master Pagoda has always been unwilling to divulge any details about my parents, especially their identities. You’re not going to tell me their identities as well, right?”

Seng Wu smiled and asked, “Do you really want to know?”

“Of course.” Ye Guan nodded. “I spent my childhood in Nanzhou, and the people there—save for the members of the Ye Clan—would always bully me for not having parents. They kept on telling me that I was a bastard, and it is… not a pleasant feeling.”

Seng Wu was silent for a long while before he replied, “You’ll find out soon. Is it okay if you wait until then?”

Ye Guan smiled and pointed out. “Senior, you’re really making this thing too complicated. Of course, I’m also talking about Master Pagoda.”

Seng Wu smiled softly and replied, “We do not have ill intentions.”

“Master Pagoda said that my parents are really good people. Is it true?” he asked.

Seng Wu nodded. “Yes, they are great people.”

Ye Guan nodded slightly and said, “Okay, I won’t ask you about their identities, Senior, but I really want to know whether they left me anything or not. For example, did they leave any properties or valuables for me?”

Seng Wu looked at Ye Guan in silence. Seng Wu felt as if he were looking at that man—the man with eight hundred schemes and contingency plans. It seemed that Ye Guan was difficult to fool as well.

Seng Wu pondered briefly before saying. “I don’t think they left you any properties or valuables. However, I recall that your father had a lot of debt. He often said that his debt would become his son’s debt.”

Ye Guan’s expression became as dark as the bottom of a kettle. Was there really such an unreliable father in this world? It wasn’t right for a father to push his problems to his child. Mm… surely, he’s jesting. I don’t think my father is that heartless.

Seng Wu suddenly asked, “Do you have any business with me?”

Ye Guan pushed aside his thoughts and nodded. “Senior, I’m here to seek guidance in Critical Method.”

Seng Wu froze before asking, “Critical Method?”

Ye Guan nodded. He then told Seng Wu about his conversation with Ye Guanzhi.

Seng Wu was silent for quite a while before saying, “You’ve shattered the surface?”

Ye Guan nodded. “Yes.”

Seng Wu stood up and waved his sleeve. The scenery peeled, and Ye Guan was startled to find that he was already somewhere in the starry skies. Seng Wu was indeed a powerful monk; to think that he could shift spacetime with just a wave of his sleeve.

How horrifying!

Seng Wu smiled and said, “Do your best.”

“Okay.” Ye Guan nodded and opened his palm. Dragon’s Roar appeared in his hands, and Ye Guan sent Dragon’s Roar flying with nine other swords toward one spot.

Boom!

The ten swords struck the space that Seng Wu had reinforced, but Ye Guan’s swords only managed to send ripples throughout the reinforced space.

Ye Guan stored Dragon’s Roar away and looked at Seng Wu.

Seng Wu smiled and asked, “Do you know why it’s called Critical Method?”

“No.” Ye Guan shook his head. He sounded respectful as he said, “Please guide me, Senior.”

Seng Wu’s smile deepened as he explained, “The Critical Method is all about pushing yourself to your limits until your abilities experience a qualitative change. Your swords aren’t that strong individually, but their power took a qualitative leap when you combined them earlier.”

“You did it right, but it’s not the Critical Method.”

Ye Guan asked, “Am I still not fast enough?”

“You’re both too slow and too weak,” replied Seng Wu.

Ye Guan thought about it before sending his swords flying out once more. This time, his swords were imbued with both sword intent and sword force. The swords’ individual power increased drastically, and it could be said that a qualitative change had occurred.

However, Ye Guan shook his head and chuckled bitterly.

He seldom imbued his sword with either sword force or sword intent, not to mention both, and it was all because the profound energy consumption was too absurd.

Ye Guan had decided not to use such a trick unless it was absolutely necessary. He was aware that his greatest strength was his high realm in the Sword Dao, and his most glaring weakness was his low cultivation base.

Seng Wu pointed out. “Your swords have become more powerful thanks to your sword intent and sword force. Try it again and see if your swords are equally powerful. Remember, you have to be fast. It’s best if they hit the same spot at the same time.”

Ye Guan nodded and flung his sleeve.

Crack!

The reinforced space cracked, and the crack quickly spread throughout the reinforced space.

However, Ye Guan wasn’t happy.

He had just discovered a massive issue. The swords were weaker than the previous swords. In fact, the final three swords were only about sixty percent as strong as the first sword.

Seng Wu smiled at Ye Guan upon seeing his somber look.

“Don’t be disheartened; this is just the beginning. Once your ninth sword becomes as strong as your first sword, you’ll have mastery over the Critical Method,” said Seng Wu.

Ye Guan nodded and flung his sleeve once more, but he only sent three swords rather than ten. He realized that his current limit was three swords. The power of the fourth sword was no longer consistent with the first three swords.

In other words, his next breakthrough was the fourth sword. With that in mind, Ye Guan started training. He wasn’t in a rush to achieve success, as he knew that it was impossible to succeed so easily.

He had decided to start on the fourth sword rather than forcibly practice with ten swords at once. After all, haste would always make waste.

Soon, the speed and power of Ye Guan’s fourth sword finally matched the speed and power of his first sword. He then started training with his fifth sword.

Ye Guan’s heart was gripped with excitement and anticipation as he worked on his fifth sword, and it was a feeling that he reckoned would never get old for him.

Before long, his fifth sword had reached the same level as his fourth sword. However, things had gotten more difficult, and it became obvious when he started working on his sixth sword. He was starting to feel frustrated.

Seeing this, Seng Wu was about to speak when Ye Guan placed down his sword and took a deep breath.

“This can’t be,” he muttered to no one in particular, “I can’t be anxious or hasty. It’ll be easy for me to lose track of my goals once I become uneasy and hasty. I may not achieve what I want by then. I have to remain calm and take it slowly.”

Seng Wu was at a loss for words. I thought you needed guidance?

He stared at Ye Guan in awe. What a talented young man.

Ye Guan suddenly turned to look at Seng Wu and asked, “Senior, the Critical Method brings about qualitative change, but can there be another qualitative change? For example, will my hundredth sword become as fast and as strong as my sword?”

Seng Wu smiled and explained, “Qualitative changes are split into three levels: the first level is breaking through spacetime. I’m sure you’re aware of this, as it is kind of related to spacetime rules. Most people can easily break through space, but it’s a bit complicated when it comes to spacetime.

”Time and space are separate and independent, after all.

“Anyway, the first level of qualitative change means you’re now capable of breaking through spacetime rather than just briefly shattering the spacetime rules.

”The second level is breaking through realms. A hundred thousand miles of spacetime forms a realm. A hundred swords on the second level of qualitative change is enough to destroy a hundred thousand miles of spacetime.”

Ye Guan asked, “What about the third level?”

Seng Wu replied, “Breaking through domains!”

Ye Guan’s brows furrowed. “Breaking through domains?”

“That’s right.” Seng Wu nodded. “A million miles of spacetime forms a domain. A thousand swords on the third level of qualitative change means you’re now capable of destroying a small world.”

Ye Guan was astounded.

“One’s cultivation base isn’t the only measurement of strength. There can be a vast difference between two people with the same cultivation base but on a different realm in a different Dao.

“You’re a great example of it: your cultivation base is low, but your realm in the Sword Dao is high. In other words, even if you’re up against a cultivator with a higher physical realm[1] than you, they’re not necessarily stronger than you.”

Seng Wu paused before continuing. “It sounds weird, right? I know, but it’s not strange. You’ve already reached the pinnacle of what we call the Sword Dao’s physical realm, and it’s the Sword Sovereign Realm.

“You would be an extremely terrifying opponent to fight if your physical realm is at the pinnacle as well.”

Ye Guan nodded. “I understand.”

Seng Wu smiled, “Feel free to ask questions if you need clarifications.”

Ye Guan bowed slightly and said, “Thank you.”

Seng Wu put his palms together. He was about to speak, but he suddenly frowned and said, “Someone’s here. I’ll go out and meet them. You can stay here and train.”

“Okay,” replied Ye Guan.

Seng Wu nodded before turning around to leave.

Seng Wu soon arrived at the entrance of the ancient temple and saw two people waiting for him—the Head Military Official and Lu Tian.

The Head Military Official smiled at Seng Wu and said, “I apologize for the disturbance, Department Chief Seng Wu.”

Seng Wu swept his gaze across the two and smiled. “What brings you here, Head Military Official?”

“Can we go in and talk?” asked the Head Military Official.

Seng Wu nodded. “Of course!”

The three soon found themselves in a hall.

The Head Military Official wasted no time and started talking. “Department Chief Seng Wu, you know about the upcoming battle between Lu Tian and Ye Guan, right?”

Seng Wu nodded. “Yes.”

The Head Military Official stared intently at Seng Wu and said, “Department Chief Seng Wu, we’re here to acquire the support of the Buddhism Department.”

Seng Wu glanced at Lu Tian before asking, “What do you mean?”

The Head Military Official glanced at Lu Tian.

Lu Tian stepped up and circulated his cultivation base.

Soon, he started exuding a faint red glow.

“The Mad Demon Bloodline?” asked Seng Wu in astonishment.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Lu Tian nodded and smiled. “Yes.”

The Head Military Official turned to look at Seng Wu and said, “Department Chief Seng Wu… I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about Lu Tian’s identity, right?”

Seng Wu didn’t know what to say. Goddamn it, you bastards! You two are a pair of good-for-nothings. Are you two even humans?! How dare you lie to a monk!

1. It seems that cultivation realms like Space Shattering Realm, Space Annihilation Realm, Earth Law Realm, etc. are called physical realms ☜