Emperor Ming glared at Ye Xuan and Zhou Xin, his expression dark.
He was indeed frustrated with Ye Xuan, but after witnessing the power of that wisp of sword qi, he didn’t dare make a move against him.
If a mere wisp of sword qi was already so terrifying, how fearsome must its owner be?
That was a strength Emperor Ming knew he couldn’t match!
At that moment, Ye Xuan suddenly said, “Miss Xin, let’s go!”
*Miss Xin!*
After what had just happened, their relationship had grown a bit closer.
Zhou Xin merely glanced at him at the change in address, saying nothing.
The two turned to leave.
Emperor Ming suddenly called out, “Don’t you want the Cosmic Book?”
Ye Xuan turned back to look at him. “Sword cultivator, sword cultivator—all I need is a sword. What use is a Cosmic Book? All external objects are obstacles to me!”
“No external objects?”
Emperor Ming stared at Ye Xuan. “Then why do you use that sword in your hand?”
Ye Xuan looked at his Qingxuan Sword and smiled. “You think I use it because it’s a divine sword? No. I use it because it was forged by Qing’er. What I value isn’t its special abilities, but Qing’er’s affection for me!”
He turned to Zhou Xin. “Do you believe me when I say this?”
Zhou Xin blinked. “Believe you?”
A question with dual meaning.
Ye Xuan nodded. “This, you can believe!”
Zhou Xin nodded promptly. “I believe you. A monstrous genius like you, a sword cultivator from a prestigious sect—why would you stoop to lying?”
Ye Xuan leaned closer to her and whispered, “Was that a bit insincere?”
Zhou Xin blinked, her large, bright eyes sparkling. “It’s fine. I’m getting used to it!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Inside him, Little Pagoda sighed.
*My Little Master has finally found someone willing to play along with his bravado!*
Emperor Ming suddenly spoke again. “Young man, I hope you won’t act impulsively. The Cosmic Book’s value—if you don’t know, ask the young lady beside you.”
Ye Xuan turned to Emperor Ming. “Who created the Cosmic Book?”
Emperor Ming frowned. “Why do you ask?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Could the creator of the Cosmic Book withstand a single strike from my brother?”
Emperor Ming’s eyes narrowed, and he fell silent.
Ye Xuan said no more. He turned with Zhou Xin and left.
In the field, Emperor Ming remained silent.
At that moment, an old man appeared beside him, looking at the departing duo. He said gravely, “We don’t need him. We can still enter the Cosmic Space-Time.”
Emperor Ming shook his head. “The cost would be far too great!”
He looked at Ye Xuan in the distance and said softly, “That sword in his hand can counter space-time. With it, we could enter without sacrificing anyone!”
The old man said solemnly, “This young man is like a god. The more you deal with him, the more likely he’ll drive you to death!”
Emperor Ming was quiet for a moment before saying, “He’ll compromise.”
*The Cosmic Book!*
Back then, he had sacrificed the people of Shangqiu because they had discovered the Cosmic Book. But with Shangqiu’s strength at the time, they couldn’t enter the Cosmic Space-Time!
In the end, they chose to sacrifice the people, concentrating resources on this group of forty-nine elites, pouring the nation’s strength into elevating them.
Their goal was the Cosmic Space-Time!
Upon awakening earlier, he was thrilled to discover that Ye Xuan’s sword could counter space-time!
Could that sword break the space-time forces of the Cosmic Space-Time?
In his view, there was a strong chance it could!
Because the person behind Ye Xuan was extraordinarily powerful!
…
Elsewhere.
Ye Xuan and Zhou Xin returned to the Zhou Clan. Upon arrival, Ye Xuan immediately went into seclusion.
He sat cross-legged, eyes gently closed.
He sat like this for days!
For those days, he didn’t cultivate—just sat there!
Little Pagoda couldn’t help but ask, “Little Master, are you shaken?”
Ye Xuan shook his head.
Little Pagoda hesitated, then said, “Little Master, don’t take Emperor Ming’s words to heart. If it’s too much, we can return to the Fifth-Dimensional Universe or Qingcheng to regain some confidence!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened.
Little Pagoda continued, “The pace is too fast, and it’s normal if you can’t keep up.”
Ye Xuan said softly, “Little Pagoda, I think Emperor Ming was right about one thing. Honestly, without Father and Qing’er, I’d be nothing!”
He gave a bitter smile. “All along, I’ve said I don’t want to rely too much on Qing’er and Father, but the truth is, most of the time, they’re the ones solving my problems!”
Little Pagoda said, “And those connections—those connections are mostly thanks to Master and Sister Destiny… Like Sister Zhou Xin. She’s helping you so much, probably because of the people behind you, not you yourself!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Probably.”
Little Pagoda said, “Be confident—drop the ‘probably’!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Little Pagoda went on, “Another issue: your current strength relies heavily on the Qingxuan Sword. Without it, your power would drop by at least half! And me—if you didn’t have me, with normal cultivation…”
It hesitated, then said, “Little Master, I just realised, without Master and Sister Destiny’s help, you really are… nothing!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Little Pagoda quickly added, “Well, not entirely. You do have a pretty thick skin.”
Ye Xuan shook his head and smiled.
He wasn’t angry!
Because Little Pagoda was telling the truth!
Ye Xuan looked at the Qingxuan Sword. Without it, he couldn’t perform *One Sword Slays Fate* or *One Sword Slays the Future*! Without those techniques, he’d be as weak as an ant before Life Mysterious Realm experts.
And without Little Pagoda, even with the Qingxuan Sword, he couldn’t have cultivated so quickly!
Ye Xuan suddenly gave a self-mocking laugh.
He was a sword cultivator!
He had created *One Sword Slays Fate* and *One Sword Slays the Future*, yet without the Qingxuan Sword, he couldn’t use them. How ironic!
*Is the sword strong?*
*Or is the person strong?*
Clearly, it was the sword!
Because if Zhou Xin had the Qingxuan Sword, she could easily do the same.
Little Pagoda suddenly said, “Little Master, don’t think too extremely. They’re old monsters who’ve cultivated for countless years. It’s normal that you can’t match them…”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “All these years, I’ve used that excuse to comfort myself, letting myself rely on Qing’er and Father with a clear conscience!”
Little Pagoda said gravely, “Little Master, your thinking isn’t wrong, but there’s one thing you haven’t considered. Until you resolve this, you’ll always be a nobody!”
Ye Xuan was curious. “What’s that?”
Little Pagoda said, “In the last universe, the Six Realms, you were invincible, right?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Little Pagoda continued, “But when you came to this universe, you became a nobody! It’s like a child who’s top of his class in the village. But when he goes to town, he might only rank in the top ten. In the city, he might not even make the top ten. And in the nation’s most prosperous city, he might be below average. On a global scale, he might not even be ordinary!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Little Pagoda said, “The biggest problem now is that you never know what level of power the next universe holds, or these ridiculous realms. The realm system is broken. Struggling within these rules, you’ll always be a nobody. Why? Because even if you become invincible in this universe, when you move to the next, you’ll find—damn it—the old realms are overturned, and new ones appear. In those new realms, you’re a nobody among nobodies!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Why does this happen?”
Little Pagoda continued, “After studying this for so long, I see two possibilities. First, our pace is too fast. We don’t stabilise in one universe before rushing to the next. It’s like studying in the galaxy—skipping from first grade to third without finishing. This leap creates our current situation: every time we change worlds, we become nobodies!”
Ye Xuan asked, “And the other possibility?”
Little Pagoda was silent for a moment, then said, “The other possibility is that the creator of these realms and universes is just messing around blindly. They might not even know how many realms or universes they’ve created…”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Little Pagoda said, “Regardless of the problem, the biggest issue is you! You’re already working hard, but you lack the sense of crisis Master had. The biggest difference between you and him is that if he didn’t fight desperately, he’d die. But you? If you don’t fight, you can rely on your sister. With Qing’er around, you’ll never truly face a dead end, so deep down, you’re fearless.”
It paused, then added, “Sister Destiny has nearly spoiled you rotten!”
Ye Xuan was silent for a long time before smiling. “I understand!”
He looked at the Qingxuan Sword and said softly, “I once merged with Little Soul. She is me, and I am her. She can withstand the power of Daytime Space-Time’s flow and your Reverse Time power, Little Pagoda… If she can, why can’t I?”
Little Pagoda said gravely, “Little Master, don’t be reckless! Little Soul was modified by Sister Destiny—you weren’t!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Let’s try!”
With that, he left Little Pagoda and stepped outside, entering Daytime Space-Time. This time, he didn’t use the Qingxuan Sword. The moment he entered, his body began aging visibly.
Ye Xuan closed his eyes slowly and opened his palm. A mysterious force suddenly enveloped him.
The Reverse Time power from Little Pagoda!
One force forward, one reverse!
This time, he didn’t use the Qingxuan Sword!
Unlike before, he wasn’t merely wielding the two forces. He was feeling them, experiencing them firsthand, seeking a balance between them…
Before, he had borrowed their power. Now, he aimed to master them.
And this time, without relying on the Qingxuan Sword!
This was no easy task.
Ye Xuan’s appearance grew older and older. Soon, his hair turned white, his breath faint as a thread…
Little Pagoda cried out in alarm, “Little Master, stop pushing yourself! Use the Qingxuan Sword! We’ll stop trying so hard! Being a second-generation isn’t so bad… Don’t scare me…”
Ye Xuan ignored Little Pagoda.
Little Pagoda pleaded, “Little Soul, help Little Master!”
Little Soul trembled. “I’m just a sword!”
“Damn it!”
Little Pagoda: “…”
…
