One more sentence?
Ye Xuan blinked, “I won’t!”
Xian Gu Yao was slightly stunned, shooting him a half-shy, half-angry glare.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just don’t dare!”
Xian Gu Yao grew curious, “Why not?”
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “I’m afraid you’ll get upset!”
Xian Gu Yao rolled her eyes, “Upset about what?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Miss Yao, you don’t smile often, do you?”
Xian Gu Yao fell silent.
Ye Xuan said softly, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve carried a heavy burden since childhood. Born into a great clan, a woman must work harder than men to control her fate. Only then will you be respected, valued, and not treated as a pawn. In such clans, family ties are faint, as everyone prioritizes profit. They care only about your realm, not what you truly want. That’s why you’re so cold, masking your inner vulnerability!”
Xian Gu Yao looked at Ye Xuan. Suddenly, tears glistened in her eyes, though none fell.
Ye Xuan hesitated, then turned away, “If you want to cry, go ahead! I won’t look!”
“Pfft!”
Xian Gu Yao burst out laughing, glaring at him, “Isn’t that like covering your ears to steal a bell?”
Ye Xuan turned back, seeing the tears in her eyes. He took out a silk handkerchief, gently wiping them away, and said softly, “Your strength is heartbreaking.”
Xian Gu Yao gazed at him, silent.
Ye Xuan blinked, “Am I handsome?”
Xian Gu Yao froze, then shook her head with a smile, “Shameless!”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily.
They continued walking.
Soon, they reached a riverbank, where flowers bloomed vibrantly on both sides.
Ye Xuan turned to Xian Gu Yao. Today, she wore a spotless white gown, her long hair cascading naturally but neatly. Her exquisite features could captivate countless men.
Xian Gu Yao suddenly turned, “Why are you staring?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “You’re beautiful!”
Xian Gu Yao glared, not angry but a touch shy.
Ye Xuan looked away, saying softly, “Humans are truly visual creatures. A beautiful appearance, especially one as stunning as yours, Miss Yao, can easily make people fall.”
Xian Gu Yao asked, “Would you fall?”
Ye Xuan froze, turning to her. She looked away, gazing forward, as if she hadn’t spoken.
Ye Xuan suddenly smiled, “I would!”
Xian Gu Yao turned, staring into his eyes, trying to see through his heart.
Ye Xuan looked away, “Miss Yao, don’t look at me like that!”
Xian Gu Yao asked, “Why?”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, “I’m afraid I’ll fall completely and be doomed!”
Xian Gu Yao, “…”
Ye Xuan pointed to a large boulder, “Let’s sit there!”
He led her to the boulder, opened his palm, and with a gentle pull, two fish leapt from the river.
Ye Xuan started a fire to grill them!
Xian Gu Yao watched him, a hint of something different in her eyes.
Soon, Ye Xuan finished grilling, handing her a fish, “Try it!”
Xian Gu Yao hesitated, then took it, tasting it lightly. After a moment, she looked at him, “Very good!”
Ye Xuan laughed, then said, “Miss Yao…”
Xian Gu Yao interrupted, “You can call me Xiao Yao!”
Xiao Yao!
Ye Xuan blinked, “Your nickname?”
Xian Gu Yao nodded, saying softly, “Only my parents call me that!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Xiao Yao, I need a favor!”
Xian Gu Yao said, “Speak!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “I want to recruit students in Xian Gu City!”
He’d realized that to find students, he had to go to major realms and cities. Elsewhere, there were too few people, and truly talented ones were rarer still!
To recruit more and better students, major cities and realms were the way.
Xian Gu Yao glanced at him, “All those kind words earlier, was this your goal?”
Ye Xuan quickly said, “Of course not! I’m not that kind of person!”
Xian Gu Yao shook her head, “What you said, no problem!”
Ye Xuan relaxed, then said, “I’m basically stealing talent from you!”
Xian Gu Yao smiled faintly, “Depends on your skill. If you can poach them, that’s your ability! But I have a small request: let four or five from my Xian Gu Clan join Guanxuan Academy. How’s that?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Fine, but those four or five must pass the character test!”
Xian Gu Yao nodded, “I’ll choose them myself!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Good!”
He glanced at the distant sunset, saying softly, “Xiao Yao, I should head back!”
Xian Gu Yao was silent, a trace of reluctance in her heart, but she nodded.
Ye Xuan stood, looking at her with a smile, “Do you know how beautiful your smile is?”
Xian Gu Yao froze.
Ye Xuan smiled, “So beautiful it takes your breath away!”
With that, he rose on his sword, a streak of sword light piercing the sky, shaking the heavens.
Sword cultivator!
Xian Gu Yao watched the sword light tear through the sky, murmuring, “Truly a sword cultivator!”
She smiled, shaking her head.
Her smile outshone all creation.
Moments later, Xian Gu Yao turned to leave. At the Xian Gu Mansion gates, the white-robed elder appeared, bowing, “Miss, Young Master Yan Bian Yue is here! He says he has something to give…”
Xian Gu Yao turned, her gaze icy, “Tell him to get lost!”
She walked toward the mansion, but after a few steps, stopped and added, “Far away!”
She vanished.
White-robed elder, “…”
…
Guanxuan Academy.
Back at the academy, Ye Xuan summoned Shu Xian and Qingqiu.
Ye Xuan smiled, “You can now recruit in Xian Gu City, but first, inform Miss Yao.”
Shu Xian nodded, “Of course!”
Ye Xuan opened his palm, revealing a storage ring with all his cosmic veins.
Dong Li Nan had given him some, he’d gotten fifteen million from Yao Lian, and the Yan Clan leader gave him twenty million. After expenses, he had thirty-eight million left!
Ye Xuan thought, then handed five million to Shu Xian, “The academy’s construction needs funds, don’t skimp on money!”
Shu Xian bowed slightly, “Understood!”
Ye Xuan gave another five million to Qingqiu, “This is for you alone. You need lots of veins for cultivation, don’t hold back, got it?”
Qingqiu nodded slightly, saying softly, “Alright!”
She took the ring, clutching it tightly, lost in thought.
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Our goal isn’t just the Divine Universe, but the entire cosmos! The Divine Universe is our foundation, so I plan to visit its major powers. They’re still wary of us, so I’ll make our stance clear: we’re here to build an academy, not to dominate. Ideally, we can cooperate, develop peacefully, and achieve mutual gain!”
He sighed with emotion.
Once, everywhere he went, he fought and killed, battling and slaughtering endlessly…
He was tired of those days!
Why couldn’t the powers of the heavens coexist peacefully?
Why always fight and kill?
Looking back, he felt like an idiot. Killing his way through, acting tough when he won, calling for help when he lost… His life was a repetitive, cyclical routine!
Such a life was dull!
After giving instructions, Ye Xuan set off for his next destination: Wangu City.
Leaving the academy, he rode a carriage slowly into the distance.
He didn’t ride his sword!
Not to show off, but to slow himself down!
He’d rushed too much before! Now, he wanted to take it easy, to settle and reflect.
In the carriage, Ye Xuan reclined, holding an ancient text.
The text: *The Book of Rites*.
He loved this book, especially two lines: *Respect virtue, value all life*.
Virtue!
Meaning integrity, morality.
To him, a person without morality or boundaries was no different from a beast.
Value all life!
These days, he’d felt this deeply.
He wanted to create the Human Sword Path because he believed that if you loved the universe and its beings, they’d love you back.
Treat the universe with a heart of slaughter, and it would return slaughter.
He knew changing a world where the strong ruled was incredibly hard.
But he was determined to try!
No one else could do it!
Because Ye Xuan was uniquely privileged!
My dad’s invincible, my brother’s invincible, my sister’s invincible—who else could tackle such a monumental task but me, Ye Xuan?
Who else?
At this, Ye Xuan’s lips curved slightly. He admitted, he was a bit arrogant!
He wanted to be low-key, but his strength wouldn’t allow it!
Born with an invincible backing, he was helpless!
But unlike before, he now wanted to be a meaningful second-generation heir.
With such a powerful background, using it just to show off was too cheap.
As he said, he wanted to change the universe, and not just that, but his father too!
One day, he’d stand before the man in green and boldly say, “You’re a lousy dad!”
Then, with a slap, send him flying beyond the ninth heaven.
Free-range parenting?
Your dad raised you that way, so you raise me the same?
What kind of nonsense is that?
…
