Inside the hall, Dao Shang looked at Ye Guan. “You are going to challenge the Martial List?”
Ye Guan nodded. “Yes!”
Dao Shang was silent for a moment, then said, “Are you confident?”
Ye Guan replied, “I am!”
Dao Shang smiled. “Then go ahead!”
Ye Guan bowed slightly. “Good!”
With that, he turned and left.
Dao Shang watched Ye Guan’s departing figure, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.
Too mysterious!
The longer he interacted with Ye Guan, the more mysterious this young man seemed!
At this moment, he also understood that the person behind this young man was definitely no ordinary figure!
To be able to annihilate the True Dragon Clan and suppress the Divine Spear Clan, what kind of terrifying power was that?
Dao Shang shook his head slightly. He turned to face a portrait in front of him and murmured softly, “Ancestor, if your spirit lingers in heaven, please protect this young man! Otherwise, our Dao Sect truly faces extinction!”
…
Ye Guan left the main hall and encountered Nanling Yiyi.
Nanling Yiyi blinked, grinning widely. Her smile was incredibly beautiful, revealing two small dimples.
Ye Guan asked, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
Nanling Yiyi smiled. “Thank you!”
Ye Guan smiled faintly. “You’re welcome!”
Nanling Yiyi asked, “Junior Brother, are you heading out?”
Ye Guan nodded. “I am going to Guanxuan Academy to challenge the Martial List!”
Challenge the Martial List!
Nanling Yiyi blinked. “Good luck!”
Ye Guan smiled. “I will!”
With that, he suddenly rose on his sword and vanished at the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.
Nanling Yiyi gazed at that streak of sword light in the sky. After a long silence, she murmured softly, “I need to work hard too!”
With that, she turned and left.
…
The Guanxuan Academy of the Central Divine Continent was located in the Qilian Mountain Range. The entire range spanned tens of thousands of miles, containing over a hundred immortal veins within those vast mountains. One could say that in the Central Divine Continent, this Guanxuan Academy was undoubtedly the premier holy land for cultivation!
Even from a thousand miles away from the Qilian Mountains, Ye Guan could sense an extremely dense spiritual energy. The closer he got, the more abundant and purer it became.
Ye Guan’s expression was moved!
He now understood why countless people yearned to come to this Guanxuan Academy!
Cultivating in such a place, even a pig should be able to become a spirit!
Environment truly matters!
Soon, Ye Guan arrived at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. He looked up. The entire range resembled an inverted sword suspended between heaven and earth. At the summit, nearly a thousand waterfalls, each ten thousand feet high, cascaded down in a spectacular display.
Above the summit, luxurious palaces were faintly visible. These palaces were grand in scale, shrouded in clouds and mist, resembling an immortal realm.
Gazing at the scene before him, Ye Guan sighed inwardly.
Compared to this, the Guanxuan Academy in the Southern Province was utterly rudimentary. There was simply no comparison.
Ye Guan walked forward. The Guanxuan Academy was vast, and he was unfamiliar with it, so he needed to ask for directions.
Soon, he spotted a man dressed in a loose, pale red robe, holding a folding fan and wearing a faint smile.
Ye Guan approached and smiled slightly. “Friend, may I ask something? Where can one challenge the Martial List?”
Hearing this, the man was slightly taken aback. He sized up Ye Guan, then smiled. “You want to challenge the Martial List?”
Ye Guan nodded. “I would like to try!”
The man pointed to the right and smiled. “See that mountain? That is Divine Martial Mountain. The Martial List is challenged there!”
Ye Guan clasped his fists slightly. “Thank you!”
With that, he turned and headed towards Divine Martial Mountain.
The man glanced at Ye Guan’s retreating back, then smiled. “He carries no sword, yet his entire being is like a treasured sword poised to strike, with sharpness fully revealed… A Sword Immortal! Such a young Sword Immortal. Interesting!”
At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear. “This young man is no ordinary figure!”
The man smiled faintly. “If he were a Great Sword Immortal, that could be called extraordinary. A mere Sword Immortal… is only passable!”
The voice said gravely, “Your greatest flaw is underestimating others!”
The man was unconcerned and smiled. “It is not that I underestimate others, but among the younger generation in the Central Divine Continent, apart from those two from the Demon Clan and the Galaxy System, no one warrants my serious attention!”
He paused, then smiled again. “I know I am arrogant and conceited. Today, I have come to meet this Chief Ye precisely in the hope that she can defeat me and cure my arrogance and conceit!”
With that, he walked towards the mountain summit.
Soon, he reached the top. Just as he arrived, an elder suddenly appeared before him!
The man bowed slightly to the elder. “I am Dongli Mo from the Undying Emperor Clan. Today, I come to request an audience with Chief Ye!”
Dongli Mo!
The Undying Emperor Clan!
Hearing this, the elder’s expression changed immediately.
He was known as the most monstrous genius since the Human Sword Lord!
Also a leading contender in this Great Dao Destiny contest!
The indifference on the elder’s face vanished instantly, replaced by warmth. “Young Master Mo, please wait a moment!”
With that, he turned and departed!
In place, Dongli Mo glanced around and smiled lightly. “This Guanxuan Academy truly is an earthly immortal realm!”
At that moment, the elder reappeared before Dongli Mo.
The elder bowed slightly. “Young Master Mo, Chief Ye invites you!”
Dongli Mo clasped his fists. “Thank you!”
With that, he walked into the distance!
After passing through a courtyard, Dongli Mo arrived at a garden. In a pavilion there, a woman was seated at a desk, reviewing documents.
This woman was none other than Ye Guanzhi!
Since dismissing Lu Chaowen, she had temporarily taken charge of affairs at the Guanxuan Academy in the Central Divine Continent.
Dongli Mo stopped and bowed slightly. “Greetings, Chief Ye!”
Ye Guanzhi set down her pen and said, “Does Young Master Mo have business here?”
Dongli Mo looked at Ye Guanzhi and smiled faintly. “I have long heard that Chief Ye excels in both literature and martial arts. I am untalented and wish to seek instruction!”
As he spoke, he stared directly at Ye Guanzhi. Though his face bore a smile, it carried a hint of provocation.
Ye Guanzhi pondered for a moment, then said, “Young Master Mo, my realm is far higher than yours. This would not be fair!”
Dongli Mo smiled. “I do not mind!”
Ye Guanzhi interlaced her ten fingers and stared at Dongli Mo. “Young Master Mo, I am not particularly fond of fighting.”
Dongli Mo gazed directly at Ye Guanzhi and smiled. “Does Chief Ye look down on me?”
As his words fell, a mysterious aura suddenly locked onto him!
Dongli Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He turned to look. Not far away stood a guard clad in golden armour!
Upon seeing this person, Dongli Mo’s expression grew solemn instantly!
A Guanxuan Guard!
At that moment, Ye Guanzhi waved her right hand lightly, and the Guanxuan Guard retreated.
Ye Guanzhi smiled. “Young Master Mo, I truly am not fond of fighting. Please return!”
Dongli Mo was silent for a moment, then looked at Ye Guanzhi. “Chief Ye, what if I insist on fighting today?”
Ye Guanzhi suddenly asked, “Young Master Mo, does your clan head know you are here?”
Dongli Mo stared at Ye Guanzhi. “He does not!”
Ye Guanzhi nodded slightly. “Go back and ask your clan head. If he agrees, I will fight you. How does that sound?”
Dongli Mo frowned slightly and was about to say more, but Ye Guanzhi smiled. “I have work to do!”
Dongli Mo glanced at Ye Guanzhi. This time, he did not press further and turned to leave!
After Dongli Mo departed, an elderly woman appeared beside Ye Guanzhi.
The elderly woman said gravely, “This fellow is exceedingly arrogant. Girl, why not teach him a lesson?”
Ye Guanzhi smiled. “He is not arrogant. He is doing it deliberately, seeking to break through defeat to achieve greater strength!”
The elderly woman looked at Ye Guan. “Break through defeat?”
Ye Guanzhi nodded. “He has already reached the limit of this plane in the Central Divine Continent. Further breakthrough is difficult. But if he were defeated by me today, he would surely advance to a higher level.”
The elderly woman said gravely, “You are unwilling to let him advance?”
Ye Guanzhi was silent for a moment, then murmured softly, “I truly am not fond of fighting!”
The elderly woman was puzzled. “Just because of that?”
Ye Guanzhi smiled faintly, picked up her pen, and began reviewing documents again. Calmly, she said, “I fear I might kill him!”
The elderly woman: “…”
Ye Guanzhi suddenly asked, “What is that Young Master Ye doing now?”
The elderly woman glanced at Ye Guanzhi, then said, “We just learned that he has arrived at the academy! It seems he is going to challenge the Martial List!”
Challenge the Martial List!
Ye Guanzhi pondered, then said, “What a pity!”
The elderly woman asked, “Pity what?”
Ye Guanzhi murmured softly, “Such a genius, yet he cannot belong to the academy. This is the academy’s loss!”
The elderly woman was curious. “Girl, you seem to value this Young Master Ye highly!”
Ye Guanzhi smiled faintly. “Do you know the difference between geniuses from great clans and families and those grassroots geniuses who rise from the lower worlds?”
The elderly woman shook her head.
Ye Guanzhi murmured softly, “Geniuses from great clans see only gains and losses, as well as interests. They cannot see the common people. What they see is their own benefit and that of their family. In other words, these second-generation heirs have long detached themselves from the masses.”
The elderly woman asked, “But I feel that grassroots geniuses also have selfish desires. What they pursue is no different from these second-generation heirs!”
Ye Guanzhi smiled. “Yes! However, such people understand the hardships and difficulties of those in the lower worlds.”
She paused, then added, “I hope to have more partners from the lower levels around me!”
The elderly woman fell silent.
Ye Guanzhi suddenly asked, “Any news from the headquarters?”
The elderly woman shook her head. “Not yet, but it should come soon!”
Ye Guanzhi smiled. “At this point, many within the academy believe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, deliberately suppressing the great families. Yet they all overlook one issue: the core of our academy—fairness, justice, and public reason.”
As she spoke, she looked up at the horizon and murmured softly, “Even now, no one cares about that Young Master Ye. In the academy’s martial examination, he fought fairly against An Mu, yet received such unfair treatment. Not only did our academy fail to uphold justice for him, but we even ostracised him. And I believe Young Master Ye is certainly not the only one. In those lower worlds we know nothing about, there must be countless injustices occurring!”
At this, she shook her head slightly. “What was the previous order of our academy? It was the Dao Sect order. And why was the Dao Sect order replaced by our academy’s order? Because of corruption. Now, within our academy, the great families and major sects protect one another. Many in the academy have nearly forgotten the original intent of the Human Sword Lord in founding it!”
The elderly woman hesitated, then said gravely, “Girl, can you not get involved in this?”
Ye Guanzhi shook her head. “Why did the Human Sword Lord found Guanxuan Academy? To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the common people, to open eternal peace for all generations… This was his lifelong goal. All we later generations of Guanxuan Academy should strive for this goal. If the academy has problems, cure the academy. If heaven and earth have problems, cure heaven and earth.”
The elderly woman was about to speak when an elder suddenly appeared before Ye Guanzhi. He bowed slightly to her, then said, “Order from the Inner Cabinet: Chief Ye is to return to headquarters immediately.”
Ye Guanzhi was silent for a moment, then murmured softly, “The An family and the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan have put in effort! Indeed, touching the interests of those in power is like taking their lives!”
With that, she set down her pen and said, “Let us go meet Young Master Ye! This may well be our last meeting!”
…
