At Half Green Mountain in the Guanxuan Academy.
Ye Guan arrived at Fei Banqing’s hall. Seeing him approach, Fei Banqing smiled. “Congratulations.”
Ye Guan smiled faintly, then sat before her. Next, he took out a box and handed it to Fei Banqing.
It was the heaven-tier armour she had given him.
Fei Banqing looked at Ye Guan. “I truly underestimated you.”
Ye Guan shook his head. “It was Nan Xuan who underestimated the enemy.”
Fei Banqing asked with interest, “How so?”
Ye Guan said gravely, “First, he did not know my background and severely underestimated my strength when facing me. Second, because he had that heaven-tier armour and those two pills, he felt certain of victory and looked down on me strategically. Finally, in a life-and-death arena, it is kill or be killed, yet he spouted a load of nonsense before fighting. That is a great taboo.”
After a moment of silence, Fei Banqing said, “Do you know why he talked nonsense before the fight?”
Ye Guan nodded slightly. “He is a disciple of a great clan and has never experienced the street fights and alley brawls that we from the bottom have.”
He paused, then added, “The lower one’s origins, often the more ruthless and desperate one becomes.”
Fei Banqing looked at Ye Guan and smiled. “I can see that.”
Ye Guan continued, “Of course, even if he had not underestimated me, he would not have been my match. It was just a matter of dying sooner or later.”
Fei Banqing burst into loud laughter. “Little fellow, I just love that confidence of yours. Haha.”
Ye Guan took out a pill and placed it before Fei Banqing. “Mentor, this is a heaven-tier pill. You can keep it. It might come in useful someday.”
A heaven-tier pill was naturally very precious.
Fei Banqing did not refuse. “Good.”
Ye Guan stood, bowed slightly, then said, “Mentor, I am going to cultivate.”
With that, he turned and left.
Fei Banqing glanced at the pill before her. A warm feeling rose in her heart.
She had figured it out.
This little fellow was the type who repaid kindness with kindness.
After a moment, Fei Banqing shook her head with a smile. “Little Jia has good taste.”
…
Ye Guan came to a mountain peak. He sat cross-legged, hands overlapped on his chest, circulating the immortal-tier technique within his body. In an instant, countless spiritual energies surged towards him like a tide.
Cultivation.
With the immortal-tier mental method, his cultivation truly advanced by leaps and bounds.
This immortal-tier mental method was truly heaven-defying.
After a long while, Ye Guan slowly opened his eyes. He raised his hands gradually, exhaling a breath of turbid air.
At this point, he had reached the peak of the Profound Enlightenment Realm.
Only one step away from the Divine Soul Realm.
However, he did not forcefully charge into the Divine Soul Realm, because in his view, upon reaching a realm, one must first become familiar with it.
Thus, he studied a large amount of material to understand the Divine Soul Realm.
The Divine Soul Realm mainly involved the fusion of the physical body with the divine soul. The divine soul referred to mental power and the spirit. When the three fused perfectly, breaking through one’s limits, one’s strength would increase tremendously. A casual strike could easily shatter a city wall.
The giant on the ninth floor of the Trial Tower was in the Divine Soul Realm. One swing of its axe could easily cleave a city wall.
Experts of this level were extremely fearsome anywhere in Southern Province.
After gaining sufficient understanding of the Divine Soul Realm, Ye Guan began charging towards it.
Because in one month, they would head to the upper realm, where there would surely be even stronger enemies.
Moreover, he had to be wary of the Ye Clan.
If they discovered him, it would be over.
Strength.
Only with strength could he protect himself and those around him.
Ye Guan did not sit in meditation to cultivate. Instead, he returned to the ninth floor to battle the giant once more.
He wanted to push himself to the limit, the limit of the Profound Enlightenment Realm, before breaking through to the Divine Soul Realm. Additionally, fighting the giant could temper his mental power and soul.
It required absolute focus.
Not a trace of slack was allowed.
Just like that, in the following days, Ye Guan cultivated frantically on the ninth floor every day.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
On this day, Ye Guan arrived on the ninth floor again. At that moment, the giant appeared. It suddenly swung its massive axe fiercely towards him.
The power remained terrifying. As the axe came down, a loud air explosion rang out.
Ye Guan remained calm. When the axe was half an inch from his head, he suddenly sidestepped, dodging the fatal strike with ease. At the same time, he slashed at the giant’s knee.
Slash.
The giant’s knee split open directly.
At that moment, the giant swept its axe horizontally towards Ye Guan.
Slash.
The air explosion was piercing.
Ye Guan’s body suddenly half-squatted backwards, folding like paper. He dodged the axe with ease once more. At the same time, his energy sword flew out, slashing the giant’s knee again.
Slash.
The giant’s right leg broke off directly. It stumbled forward. At that point, Ye Guan leaped lightly, thrusting his sword into the giant’s throat.
Crack.
As it was about to vanish, the giant’s right hand gripped the axe for its strongest final strike. At that instant, Ye Guan suddenly pinned its right wrist with a sword.
Slash.
The giant’s right hand was nailed in place, unable to unleash the final blow. It faded away bit by bit.
Ye Guan withdrew his sword and turned to leave.
At that moment, the light gate suddenly trembled.
Ye Guan was stunned. He turned to look at the light gate. From within, a woman slowly walked out.
It was the sword cultivator woman who had gifted him the immortal-tier technique.
Ye Guan was somewhat surprised. “Senior?”
The woman smiled. “Congratulations.”
Ye Guan was puzzled. “Congratulations?”
The woman nodded. “You are the fastest in history to defeat this giant.”
Ye Guan was full of confusion. “The fastest?”
The woman nodded slightly. “There are similar trial towers like this in the upper and lower realms, totalling ninety-eight thousand. You are the fastest under twenty years old in history to defeat the giant.”
Ye Guan blinked. “Actually, I could have been faster.”
He was not lying. He truly could have.
The woman smiled. “It is already very fast.”
Ye Guan asked, “Senior, is there a reward?”
The woman nodded. “There is.”
As she spoke, she opened her palm. A badge appeared before Ye Guan.
On the badge were five gilded words: Trial Tower King.
Ye Guan fell silent.
Could you not give something more practical?
Trial Tower King?
Honestly, he was not particularly impressed.
The woman suddenly smiled. “Let me tell you, this badge is even rarer than your heaven-tier technique.”
Hearing this, Ye Guan became interested. He first took the badge, then said, “How so?”
The woman smiled. “This badge has one extremely important function: holding it allows you to join any Guanxuan Academy branch except the main institute.”
Ye Guan said gravely, “Really?”
The woman nodded. “Naturally.”
Ye Guan glanced at her, then said, “I know of a place called the Central Divine Continent. It governs thousands of worlds. There must be Guanxuan Academies there. Can this badge allow entry to those?”
The woman smiled. “Of course.”
Ye Guan asked, “What if they do not recognise it?”
The woman blinked. “Even with ten thousand times the courage, they would not dare.”
Ye Guan was puzzled. “Why?”
The woman smiled. “Do you know what I do?”
Ye Guan shook his head.
The woman’s lips curved slightly. “I am the overall head of all branch institutes. All branches are under my jurisdiction. This badge system was invented by me. Anyone who obtains such a badge must be an extraordinary monster. No Guanxuan Academy branch may refuse them.”
Ye Guan hesitated, then said, “What if, just hypothetically, they refuse?”
The woman looked at him. “There is no what if.”
Ye Guan nodded. “I understand.”
The woman suddenly walked up to Ye Guan. She gently ruffled his hair, then smiled. “Keep going. I look forward to the day you come to the main institute.”
With that, her body gradually became illusory and soon vanished.
After the woman left, Ye Guan looked at the badge in his hand and grinned. What an unexpected gain.
As if thinking of something, Ye Guan suddenly asked, “Tower Grandpa, why do I feel this senior knows me?”
After a moment of silence, Little Tower said, “It must be your imagination.”
Ye Guan frowned slightly. “Imagination?”
Little Tower said, “Definitely. She is the overall head of all branches. In the Guanxuan Academy, that is a position of real power. How could she know a poor lad from a remote backwater like you?”
Ye Guan thought about it, then said, “That makes sense.”
Little Tower said, “You can now cultivate the second level of sword intent.”
Sword intent.
Ye Guan said excitedly, “Sword intent?”
Little Tower said, “Yes, an extension of the sword, your will. If you can comprehend sword intent, the power of your flying sword can increase at least fivefold. A giant like that one earlier, you could kill with one sword.”
Ye Guan was immensely excited.
He had researched it. In truth, only those who cultivated sword intent could be considered true sword cultivators.
It was said that in the upper realm, many stopped at sword momentum and could never comprehend sword intent in their lifetime. Thus, strictly speaking, before comprehending sword intent, one could only be called a sword practitioner.
Ye Guan quickly said, “Tower Grandpa, how can I cultivate sword intent?”
Little Tower said, “Comprehend.”
Ye Guan blinked. “Can you give a hint?”
After a moment of silence, Little Tower said, “For example, in your heart, what do you think a sword is for?”
Ye Guan pondered for a moment, then opened his palm. The Path Sword appeared in his hand. He looked at it for a long while, then pointed forward, his gaze icy. “A sword is a weapon for killing. I cultivate the sword only to kill.”
Boom.
As his words fell, the Path Sword in his hand trembled violently. In the next moment, a faint red glow surged from the sword. Over a dozen zhang away, the ground was torn open by this red glow, creating a deep gully.
Ye Guan was stunned.
Inside Little Tower, Little Tower said gravely, “Damn, is he cheating?”
A mysterious voice said, “No. I can testify.”
Little Tower said gravely, “Even more outrageous than the little master who cheats…”
