Chapter 25: To The Upper Realm!

It’s sword intent, you know?! Little Pagoda didn’t expect that Ye Guan would comprehend sword intent so quickly. This is ridiculous.

Actually, sword intent was nothing new to Little Pagoda. There was a large number of swordsmen in the past, so Little Pagoda was familiar with sword intent. However, swordsmen were rare in the current era, so it didn’t make sense for Ye Guan to comprehend sword intent so quickly. His father had to spend many years just to comprehend sword intent!

Just then, the mysterious voice in the pagoda exclaimed, “The heavens has chosen him!”

Little Pagoda was silent.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan excitedly exclaimed, “Master Pagoda, is this the sword intent?”

Little Pagoda confirmed. “Indeed, it is!”

“Hahaha!” Ye Guan laughed like a child who had just discovered a new toy.

Ye Guan soon composed himself and asked, “Master Pagoda, how do I use it?”

Little Pagoda instructed. “Execute the Royal Sword Art with your sword intent.”

Ye Guan nodded gently and closed his eyes.

He created a sword using sword energy. He didn’t use the Path Sword because it was too strong, and he didn’t really want to rely too much on tools. Over-reliance on a tool would make him arrogant and careless.

Moments later, Ye Guan pointed, and the sword flew as fast as lightning.

Boom!

The ground was split open, and the sword even left a crevice in the ground in its wake.

Ye Guan was dumbfounded. How terrifying!

Ye Guan estimated that his Royal Sword Art had become five times more powerful, and it had also become faster as well. Ye Guan was both thrilled and delighted at the revelation.

He suddenly thought of something, and he quickly descended to the eighth floor before going back to the ninth floor.

The ninth floor was refreshed, and the giant emerged from the shining door once more. It immediately threw its ax at Ye Guan. Ye Guan responded by pointing at the giant with his index finger.

Slash!

The sword made out of sword energy cleanly cut the giant’s head off.

Ye Guan instantly killed the giant.

Ye Guan looked at the door, expecting to see the woman.

Ye Guan waited for quite a while, but the woman didn’t emerge. However, the badge on him changed, indicating that he had set a new record again.

Ye Guan shook his head in disappointment, but there wasn’t anything that he could do aside from practicing his Royal Sword Art while it was imbued with sword intent.

His moves became extremely terrifying while it was being driven by sword intent!

Two hours later, Ye Guan finally took a break.

Just then, Little Pagoda said, “Don’t get too happy now. There are very few swordsmen here, but there are quite a few of them out there. There are many geniuses all over the world as well, and it is especially true for the Ye Clan. Even an Imperial-rank demonic beast must be obedient in front of the Ye Clan!”

Little Pagoda thought that Ye Guan was getting a bit arrogant, and it thought that it had to bring Ye Guan back to reality. Ye Guan’s smile disappeared upon hearing Little Pagoda’s words.

“An Imperial-rank demonic beast must be obedient in front of the Ye Clan?”

Little Pagoda confirmed. “That’s right!”

After some hesitation, Ye Guan asked, “Just how strong is the Ye Clan?”

Little Pagoda answered, “The Ye Clan is extremely strong. You’ll understand what I’m talking about once you get to the Upper Realm.”

Ye Guan went silent. Eventually, he asked, “Master Pagoda, are there any dragons in the Ye Clan?”

Dragons! They’re mythical creatures! However, Little Pagoda replied, “Yes.”

Ye Guan asked once more, “Can they ride on dragons?”

Little Pagoda answered, “Yes.”

What an extravagant way of life… Ye Guan muttered to himself before asking, “Aren’t dragons prideful creatures? Why are they willing to become mounts?”

Little Pagoda answered, “You’re right, but their pride depends on their target audience. It’s similar to how some women are prideful in front of others, but their attitudes are different toward others.”

Little Pagoda cut himself short. Ye Guan isn’t like my previous master, and I cannot let him go down the wrong path!

Ye Guan grew curious, so he probed even further. “What does that mean?”

“I’m saying that you have to become even stronger. With enough strength, you can hunt a dragon down and force it to be your mount,” explained Little Pagoda.

Ye Guan nodded and said, “I understand. Master Pagoda, don’t worry, I won’t be arrogant, and I’ll continue to work hard.”

Little Pagoda cheered him on. “All right, good luck.”

Ye Guan took a deep breath and turned around to leave.

The sun hung high in the sky because it was noon, and Ye Guan stared at the horizon. He closed his eyes slowly and savored the warm sunlight. The warm feeling made him feel comfortable.

Just then, an old man walked toward Ye Guan.

“Young Lord Ye, there’s a letter for you from your hometown,” said the old man with a bow before handing over the letter to Ye Guan.

“Thank you!” said Ye Guan as he hurriedly accepted the letter.

Ye Guan took out a few purple spiritual crystals and attempted to give them to the old man.

“No, I cannot accept these, Young Lord Ye!” the old man refused.

Ye Guan smiled and insisted. “I want to thank you for the trouble!”

The old man hesitated, but he eventually smiled and accepted it.

“Thank you for your kindness, Young Lord Ye!” said the old man before leaving.

Ye Guan hurriedly opened the letter and saw that it was written by Ye Xiao. Ye Xiao expressed his stupefaction at the Nan Clan’s visit to the Ye Clan to apologize.

Ye Xiao also said that the Guanxuan Academy had promised to enroll three disciples from the Ye Clan right away, and they would also give the Ye Clan a guaranteed spot every year.

The Guanxuan Academy’s offer of a guaranteed spot was a treatment that only prestigious clans would receive. The offer basically meant that the talented members of the Ye Clan would have a connection with the Guanxuan Academy.

In other words, it was only a matter of time before the Ye Clan became a major clan in Ancient Desolate City, and it could even become a major clan throughout Nanzhou.

These changes were all thanks to the Guanxuan Academy’s recognition of Ye Guan’s talent.

Ye Guan thought about the matter while he was on his way to Mount Banqing. Upon arriving at Mount Banqing, Fei Banqing appeared next to him and asked, “Have you heard?”

Ye Guan nodded.

“What do you think?” asked Fei Banqing.

Ye Guan answered, “I really have to thank the academy…”

Fei Banqing shook her head and smiled before asking, “I was asking about what you really think.”

Ye Guan smiled bitterly. “I was being honest. I’m very grateful to the academy for treating me and the Ye Clan so well.”

Fei Banqing went silent. She stared directly into Ye Guan’s eyes and shattered the ice. “The academy’s intentions are clear. They know that you have a bright future, so they’re currying favor with you. Their intentions aren’t bad, and their gifts are great, so it’s great overall. Is that what you’re thinking as well?”

Ye Guan nodded. “Yes.”

Fei Banqing continued. “You’re going to the Upper Realm soon, and we know that you’re worried about the Ye Clan. You don’t have to be worried about them. The Guanxuan Academy will protect the Ye Clan, and I’m sure the Nan Clan won’t attack the Ye Clan unless they aren’t a bunch of idiots!”

Ye Guan nodded. “Yes, I agree.”

Fei Banqing smiled at Ye Guan’s response.

“Anyway, let’s talk about something else. How’s your progress on the ninth floor?”

Ye Guan didn’t say anything.

Fei Banqing added, “You don’t have to say anything if you want to remain silent. I’ll respect your decision!”

Ye Guan made a sidelong glance at Fei Banqing. He seemed to be hesitating, but he eventually made up his mind and said, “I comprehended sword intent…”

Fei Banqing’s eyes narrowed upon hearing that.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Yes.” Ye Guan nodded. He flipped over his palm, and a red glow enveloped his palm.

Fei Banqing was stupefied by the sight, but she soon recovered and started shouting in excitement, “Great! That’s absolutely amazing!”

Fei Banqing was truly happy for him.

Sword intent! Ye Guan has become a true swordsman!

The entire Nanzhou would definitely be shocked if they found out that a real swordsman had emerged in Nanzhou, and the swordsman had already comprehended sword intent despite his young age.

Fei Banqing was truly stupefied by the revelation. She knew that someone like Ye Guan was rare, even on the Upper Realm. Fei Banqing shook her head and remarked, “It seems that I have greatly underestimated you.”

Ye Guan smiled, “I also didn’t expect to comprehend sword intent so quickly, but this is just the beginning for me. I’ll keep working hard.”

Fei Banqing’s expression turned complicated. She was sure that if someone else were in Ye Guan’s shoes, they would have already become arrogant at the thought of comprehending sword intent, despite their young age.

However, Ye Guan wasn’t arrogant at all. It seemed that he would remain true to his goal.

What an unusual fellow… Fei Banqing inwardly remarked before saying, “You should hide your sword intent in the meantime.”

Ye Guan nodded and said, “Yes, I understand..”

Fei Banqing added, “It seems that the academy actually has a chance of achieving something at the upcoming martial contest.”

Ye Guan smiled at her comment and said, “I’ll do my best.”

Fei Banqing laughed heartily and said, “I’m sure you have no idea, so let me tell you—Little Jia has become really strong as well! She’ll definitely surprise you.”

Ye Guan was pleasantly surprised, and he asked, “Tutor, what exactly is the Holy Spirit Physique?”

Fei Banqing explained, “The only thing I can tell you is that her physique allows her to avoid any bottlenecks in her cultivation. For her, a breakthrough is as easy as eating her meals.”

Ye Guan muttered in shock, “What an incredible physique…”

Fei Banqing nodded gently and added, “The academy’s resources aren’t enough to nurture her. She would have achieved more than her current achievement if we were capable of giving her more resources.

“She’s strong enough to join the martial contest. Otherwise, the academy wouldn’t have pampered her so much all this time.”

Ye Guan hesitated before asking, “Is it really okay for us to leave? I mean, I’m asking about what the academy thinks about our departure.”

Fei Banqing nodded and explained, “Of course, it’s fine. The academy knows that you, Little Jia, and Siao Ge will all achieve great things once you’ve arrived on the Upper Realm.

”The academy is also well aware that it cannot give you the resources you need to become even stronger, so the academy knows that keeping you all here will do more harm than good.

“Of course, it’s not like the academy won’t reap any profits from letting you leave. The students of the academy will always end up helping the academy one way or another down the road.”

Fei Banqing ended her explanation with a smile. “In other words, the academy is quite open-minded!”

Ye Guan nodded. “I see…”

There was a moment of silence between the two.

Fei Banqing shattered the ice once more. “Can you promise me something?”

Ye Guan was slightly taken aback, but he said, “Sure, what is it, Tutor?”

Fei Banqing’s voice sounded grim as she replied, “You’ll definitely become a famous figure on the Upper Realm, which means that many powers will extend their hands toward you. You can join any of those powers, but I want you to promise me that you won’t join the Profound Sky Clan.”

Ye Guan was stunned by the request, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Why not?”

Fei Banqing replied, “Don’t ask why, just promise me that you won’t join them.”

Ye Guan nodded. “Sure!”

Fei Banqing smiled sweetly and said, “Go ahead and get ready, we’re about to depart for the Upper Realm.”

“All right,” said Ye Guan before bowing and turning around to leave.

Fei Banqing was left alone, and her eyes shone coldly as she muttered, “Profound Sky Clan…”