I Have a Sword

The woman called Lady Jian didn’t waste any words. She swung her hand, creating a powerful wave of energy that destroyed everything it touched.

Song Fu’s expression fell, and he immediately steered the cloud ship away.

The black-robed old man was taken aback, and he curled his right hand into a fist. Space distorted and condensed into a sturdy wall, but it wasn’t sturdy enough. The woman’s attack struck the wall, and it immediately fractured.

There was a flash, and the black-robed old man was sent flying away with a loud boom.

The black-robed old man was severely injured, and he couldn’t put up any resistance as the woman threw a powerful punch toward his head.

Boom!

The black-robed old man’s head exploded, and blood erupted from the stump.

The woman flicked her sleeve, and a flame engulfed the black-robed old man’s corpse, annihilating the latter from existence.

With that, the woman’s job was done. She turned around and was about to leave when she noticed the swaying cloud ship carrying the banner of the Guanxuan Academy.

The cloud ship swayed violently and was on the verge of collapse. The woman’s attack just now was simply too powerful that the cloud ship couldn’t withstand even the shockwave that the attack had produced.

The woman appeared on the cloud ship, and the cloud ship immediately stabilized. Song Fu bowed at the woman and explained, “Senior, we’re from the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou—”

The woman vanished and reappeared in front of Ye Guan.

Song Fu’s face fell.

Fei Banqing quickly stood in front of Ye Guan, and she stared intently at the woman. Fei Banqing looked worried, but there wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes. The woman glanced at Fei Banqing and said, “I have no ill intent.”

With that, she turned toward Ye Guan and said, “Come here, let me look at you!”

Ye Guan calmly walked over to the woman, but the Path Sword inside of him was anything but calm. It was vibrating, and it seemed to be gathering energy.

The woman stared at Ye Guan with complicated eyes. Moments later, she asked, “What’s your name?”

Ye Guan answered, “Ye Guan!”

Ye Guan! The lady muttered to herself, “Guan…”

Everyone looked wary as they stared at the woman, but the woman didn’t seem to mind their wary gazes.

The woman’s expression grew warm as she asked, “Are you going to Zhongtu Divine Continent?”

Ye Guan shook his head and said, “I’m headed for the Upper Realm.”

The Upper Realm! The woman’s brows creased, but she smiled. “Remember to look for me once you’ve arrived at the Zhongtu Divine Continent!”

She flipped her palm to reveal a jade pendant, and the jade pendant floated over to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan was confused. “Senior, what is this?”

The woman’s smile deepened as she explained, “I’m from the Shen Clan. Visit me with this jade pendant, and no one will stop you from visiting me.”

Ye Guan was still puzzled, so he asked, “Senior, do we know each other?”

The woman blinked and said ambiguously, “No, we just met.”

Ye Guan was rendered speechless.

“See you at the Zhongtu Divine Continent,” said the woman with a smile. Afterward, she turned around, and a rift in space appeared in front of her. The woman walked into the rift and disappeared.

Ye Guan was still confused as he stared at the jade pendant in his hand.

Everyone else was bewildered as well.

Ye Guan asked, “Master Pagoda, I think she knows me. What do you think?”

Little Pagoda shut him down. “You’re mistaken.”

Ye Guan frowned.

However, Little Pagoda continued. “Think about it; does it even make sense for her to know you when she’s so powerful? I think she just took a fancy to you.”

Ye Guan was silent for quite a while before he nodded and said, “You’re right, Master Pagoda. She’s a powerful cultivator, so it won’t make sense for her to know me. I think she… knows my parents?”

Little Pagoda was stunned. Goodness… this brat is too hard to trick!

“Master Pagoda?” Ye Guan called out.

Little Pagoda emerged from its thoughts and decided to change the topic. “You should worry about becoming even stronger! She was very scary, right?”

Ye Guan nodded and muttered, “Yes, she was terrifying...”

Little Pagoda said, “And that is why I’ve been telling you to work hard. Strength is the ultimate power, and everything else is worthless!”

Ye Guan nodded in agreement. He still had questions, but he didn’t ask any more questions. However, he could feel that Little Pagoda was hiding something from him.

Just then, Fei Banqing asked, “Little Guan, do you know her?”

Ye Guan shook his head. “No, I don’t know her at all.”

Fei Banqing frowned. She looked confused as she asked once more, “You really don’t know her?”

Ye Guan smiled bitterly and said, “I really don’t know her...”

Fei Banqing nodded and said, “In that case, I think she probably recognized your talent and wanted to establish a connection with you before anyone else.”

Ye Guan smiled. “Perhaps…”

Fei Banqing glanced at Song Fu, but neither of them spoke. It was obvious that the reason wasn’t that simple, but neither of them asked any more questions.

The cloud ship continued on its journey.

Nalan Jia stood next to Ye Guan and asked, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Ye Guan smiled awkwardly and asked, “Is this because of her?”

Nalan Jia nodded and said, “She definitely knows you, but I can see that you don’t know her at all.”

Ye Guan remained silent.

Nalan Jia smiled and continued. “The Ye Clan adopted you, right?”

Ye Guan nodded.

Nalan Jia saw his response and asked softly, “Do you know who you are?”

Ye Guan shook his head and explained, “I’m not sure about the specifics, but I know that I was born out of wedlock, and I also know that I’m an illegitimate child. My parents gave me to the Ye Clan because they wanted to protect me.”

An illegitimate child! Nalan Jia’s eyebrows furrowed. She knew that illegitimate children were scorned as bastards in some large clans.

However, Nalan Jia’s frown was soon replaced by a smile as she said, “Don’t worry about your identity. I don’t care if you’re an illegitimate child, you’ll always be Ye Guan in my heart.”

Ye Guan looked away and stared deep into the starry sky before muttering, “You’ll get caught up in dangerous situations because of my identity, and I—”

Nalan Jia interrupted Ye Guan by stepping closer to him. Then, she smiled and declared. “I’ll face any danger with you!”

Surprised, Ye Guan turned toward her. Nalan Jia was staring into the starry sky as well, and the way her hair swayed gently behind her made her look incredibly beautiful. Ye Guan was captivated.

The two spent the night talking while sitting near the bow of the ship.

The next day, the cloud ship arrived near a teleportation array in the galaxy.

Song Fu put the cloud ship away and led everyone into the teleportation array.

The array stirred into action and teleported the group.

The group found themselves in an ancient city. The city was surrounded by tall walls, and the city gate also gave off a grand and majestic aura. There were many people walking into and out of the city, and the overall atmosphere was lively.

Ye Guan marveled at the ancient city.

“What a grand city!” he exclaimed.

The rest of the group nodded. They were truly amazed.

Siao Ge chuckled. “Brother Ye, we’re in Shang City, and my clan is here. Later, we’ll head to the Siao Estate to rest.”

Ye Guan looked at Siao Ge in astonishment. “Brother Siao, you’re from here?”

Siao Ge nodded and confirmed. “Yeah, I’m from here.”

Ye Guan smiled. “Will the martial contest take place in Shang City?”

Siao Ge shook his head and answered, “No, it’s going to take place in Yun City.”

Ye Guan frowned and asked, “Yun City?”

Siao Ge pointed and exclaimed, “Look!”

Ye Guan turned around, and he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a majestic city above the thick clouds. The rest of the group was stunned upon seeing the silhouette.

Siao Ge smiled and explained, “There will be cloud projections across three hundred and sixty states, and everyone will be able to watch the martial contest without going to Yun City.”

Ye Guan blinked and asked, “Cloud projections? What are those?”

Siao Ge explained patiently, “It’s a special technology that the Immortal Treasures Pavilion has developed. I’m not sure about the specifics, but the Guanxuan Academy branches throughout the three hundred and sixty states will be watching the martial contest live.

“In other words, we’ll be famous if we manage to reach the top ten!”

Ye Guan sighed and said, “I appreciate the explanation.”

Siao Ge chuckled. “I’ve heard that the Zhongtu Divine Continent is more interesting than the Upper Realm.”

Just then, an old man walked over briskly toward the group. He bowed at Song Fu and greeted him. “Academy Chief Song, the Clan Leader has prepared a banquet for you and your group. Please, follow me.”

Song Fu smiled at the old man and said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

The old man bowed once again. “It’s no trouble at all, Academy Chief Song!”

“Hahaha!” A peal of boisterous laughter erupted and interrupted Song Fu, who was about to say something to the old man. “Junior Sister, aren’t you being too disrespectful? Why did you not inform me of your arrival?”

Fei Banqing’s expression turned cold. Ye Guan saw the change in Fei Banqing’s expression, and he looked toward where the voice had come from. He saw a middle-aged man walking with a young woman in a green shirt.

Fei Banqing glared murderously at the middle-aged man.

Song Fu hurriedly said, “Calm down.”

Fei Banqing didn’t say anything.

The middle-aged man and the young woman in a green shirt walked toward the group. The middle-aged man didn’t even glance at the others. He stared at Fei Banqing and smiled. “It’s been a while, Junior Sister.”

Fei Banqing’s expression remained indifferent as she said, “It seems that you’ve been waiting for me for quite a while now.”

The middle-aged man smiled. “I knew that you would come this time. Unfortunately, this will be your last time coming here. Your Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou will definitely be at the bottom once again!”

The middle-aged man was quite loud, and it seemed that he was making sure that everyone would hear him. The gazes of the crowd turned strange upon hearing that Fei Banqing’s group was from the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou.

The crowd knew that the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou’s ranking had been at the bottom for the past hundred years. In fact, the academy had long earned the title—Rock Bottom King.

Fei Banqing glared coldly at the middle-aged man.

Just then, Song Fu whispered, “Don’t give them the justification to target the students. Ignore them, and let’s go!”

Song Fu’s words were effective. Fei Banqing calmed down and turned around.

However, the young woman in a green shirt raised an eyebrow at Fei Banqing and mocked her. “She’s a saintess of the Profound Sky Clan? What a disappointment, she’s just a pitiful dog.”

Nalan Jia’s eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists.

Swoosh!

A figure flashed past Nalan Jia, and the figure was none other than Ye Guan!

Ye Guan was too fast. By the time the young woman in a green shirt realized what was going on, Ye Guan’s hand had already clutched her throat, and he immediately slammed her to the ground.

Bam!

The ground shattered upon impact. The middle-aged man wanted to make a move, but Fei Banqing blocked his way, while Song Fu teleported behind him.

Ye Guan grabbed the young woman in a green shirt’s hair and dragged her in front of Fei Banqing. He glared at her and demanded. “Apologize to my tutor!”

The young woman in a green shirt started. “I’m from the Profound Sky Clan—”

Slap!

Ye Guan interrupted her by slapping her right cheek.

The young woman in a green shirt’s right cheek quickly became swollen and red.

“Ah…!” She exclaimed in pain, and she thrashed around wildly. “How dare you humiliate me! I’m from the Profound Sky Clan—”

Slap!

Ye Guan slapped her left cheek, and it immediately turned red and swollen.

The young woman in a green shirt seemed to have lost her mind from the humiliation as she roared. “Kill me! Kill me if you dare!”

Ye Guan decisively whipped out a dagger.

He placed the tip on her neck and slowly dragged it across.

“Ah!” The young woman in a green shirt was terrified. She was so flustered that her voice even cracked as she hurriedly shouted, “I’ll apologize! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Ye Guan released her and walked toward Fei Banqing.

He coaxed the latter softly. “She has already apologized, so please quell your anger.”

Fei Banqing stared blankly at Ye Guan. She had no idea what to say.