I Have A Sword

Chapter 21: Do I Look Stupid?

Ye Guan immediately started cultivating upon returning to his palace. He wanted to make a breakthrough into the Divine Path Realm as soon as possible. The fight against the giant made him realize that he had a massive weakness—he didn’t have enough profound energy for a long battle.

The weakness had to be addressed because the Royal Sword Art required a lot of profound energy to execute. The capacity of his dantian in the All-Truth Realm could no longer support his level of Royal Sword Arts, so he had to cultivate and make a breakthrough into the next cultivation realm.

It shouldn’t be an issue for him to make that breakthrough with an Immortal-rank cultivation method, and Ye Guan was right. He made a breakthrough into the Divine Path Realm in just two days.

He was rewarded for his efforts with the ability to fly even faster on his sword and the ability to keep using the Royal Sword Art for an extended period of time.

Ye Guan was in no hurry to make a breakthrough into the Divine Soul Realm. He believed in a certain proverb—More haste, less speed!

Men couldn’t be quick, especially during that!

After making a breakthrough, Ye Guan knew that he had to stabilize his cultivation, so he visited a trial tower and cultivated there every day. The giant had returned, and it seemed that it could be challenged once more.

Of course, he couldn’t clear the floor once again, and there would also be no rewards, even if he decided to defeat the giant once more. However, it didn’t really matter because Ye Guan was here to challenge the giant for the sake of gaining combat experience.

The giant swung his ax fiercely at Ye Guan. Ye Guan was already a Divine Path Realm cultivation, but he still didn’t dare to face the giant’s ax. He decided to dodge the attacks. He wasn’t planning on confronting the giant head-on, either.

Ye Guan was well aware that if he wanted to defeat this giant, then he had to use and maximize his strengths.

Ye Guan was agile, and he had to use his agility to his advantage. He sidestepped the giant’s attacks. He was planning on familiarizing himself with the giant’s movements, attack patterns, and tactics.

Then, he would choose an appropriate moment to interrupt and stagger the giant.

Ye Guan knew that the best defense was a good offense, but he was also well aware of his place. He was much weaker than the giant, so he had to fight in a devious way.

The battle started, and the giant quickly cornered Ye Guan. Ye Guan was avoiding the giant’s attacks by a hair’s breadth, but he grew more familiar with the giant’s movement and attack patterns as time went on.

At the same time, he also made sure to know the giant’s tactics to accurately grasp the best moment to attack.

Ye Guan retreated and widened the distance between him and the giant, but the giant was relentless. It hurled the ax in its hand toward Ye Guan just to keep on attacking.

Seeing that, Ye Guan knew that it was his opportunity to counterattack.

Unfortunately, the giant’s skin was tough. Ye Guan’s Royal Sword Art had become more powerful because the cultivation base that had been fueling it had become more vigorous; however, Ye Guan could only make scratches on the giant’s skin.

Ye Guan wasn’t discouraged by his inability to deal significant damage to the giant, and he would attack the giant whenever it was possible. Soon, a gaping wound appeared in the giant’s neck.

Ye Guan didn’t allow greed to take over him, and he would always retreat whenever the attack window had passed.

Ye Guan continued the same routine for an entire day, and the gaping wound in the giant’s neck had grown significantly larger compared to twenty-four hours ago.

However, Ye Guan was under an incredible amount of pressure. The giant was allowed to make mistakes, but Ye Guan couldn’t make even a single mistake because no one else was here to distract the giant for him.

A single mistake was enough for him to sustain severe injuries or die outright.

Soon, the second day of the battle arrived.

Ye Guan was still dodging the giant’s attacks, and he ran away after avoiding an attack. The giant saw that, and it hurled its ax toward Ye Guan, inadvertently revealing an opening.

Ye Guan saw the opening, and he avoided the flying ax before turning around.

He rushed toward the unarmed giant and cut its head off.

Schwing!

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The giant’s head flew into the air, but Ye Guan didn’t sigh in relief. He retreated as far away as he could, and as he expected, the giant flew and haphazardly swung itself while surrounded by arcs of terrifying lightning.

Crackle!

Crackling sounds filled the floor, but the ax eventually fell to the ground.

The floor went silent, and Ye Guan could finally heave a sigh of relief. He slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

The two days of intense battle had been a bit too much for him to bear, but it ended up being worth it. He could feel it—he had become much stronger after defeating the giant.

Ye Guan wasn’t too concerned with his cultivation base. Cultivation base was just a measurement of strength, so he cared much more about his combat experience and prowess. A more experienced cultivator could easily defeat a greenhorn cultivator in the same cultivation realm.

Furthermore, he hadn’t even used the Path Sword while fighting the giant.

Ye Guan was sure that the giant would die with just one move from him if he used the Path Sword. The giant’s skin was sturdy enough to withstand his sword energy, but it was definitely as fragile as a sheet of paper against the Path Sword.

Ye Guan didn’t want to rely heavily on his tools, so he decided that he would only use the Path Sword during life-or-death crises.

Ye Guan rested for a while before standing up to leave. However, the teleportation array on the ninth floor trembled, and a man emerged.

Ye Guan was surprised to see Siao Ge.

Siao Ge was surprised to see him as well, but his surprise turned into shock when he saw the ax on the floor.

“Did you just kill the giant, Brother Ye?” asked Siao Ge.

Ye Guan nodded in confirmation. “Yeah.”

Siao Ge gave a thumbs-up and praised. “Wow, you’re strong, Brother Ye!”

Ye Guan was all smiles as he asked, “Did you come here to challenge the giant?”

Siao Ge nodded and replied, “Yes, I learned a lot the last time I fought it, so I came here to challenge it again.”

Ye Guan’s smile deepened. He knew that one had to face their fear if one wanted to overcome it. The two of them had already defeated the giant, so they were no longer afraid of it.

“All right, good luck, Brother Siao. I’m off,” said Ye Guan.

Siao Ge nodded and replied, “See you next time.”

Ye Guan left, and the ninth floor was quickly filled with a cacophony of noises.

…

Ye Guan’s next destination was the library of the Guanxuan Academy. There was a wide variety of books in the library. Back when he was still in the Ye Clan, Ye Guan spent most of his time reading next to cultivating. It was a habit that broadened his knowledge and kept him humble.

It would sometimes give him cultivation insights as well.

Reading was also a form of relaxation for him, and it increased his self-awareness, too. There were only ten days before his promised battle with Nan Xuan. Ye Guan spent his time reading while he wasn’t cultivating in a trial tower.

Three days before the promised battle, Nan Xuan emerged from a trial tower. He sat cross-legged on a mountain peak, exuding a powerful aura.

He was a Divine Path Realm cultivator, and it seemed that he had grown significantly stronger during his time in a trial tower.

Tutor Xiao stood next to Nan Xuan and stared deeply at him. “How’s your progress?”

Nan Xuan sounded confident as he answered, “I have mastered it.”

Tutor Xiao smiled in satisfaction.

Just then, Nan Xuan asked, “What has he been up to while I was cultivating?”

Tutor Xiao answered, “He has been cultivating in a trial tower every day, and he has also been reading books in the library.”

Nan Xuan frowned and asked, “What floor has he reached?”

Tutor Xiao shook his head and answered, “I don’t know, but I’ll go and check.”

“It’s fine!” Nan Xuan interrupted. He stared coolly at Tutor Xiao and declared. “He only has three days left to live, so let him be.”

Tutor Xiao smiled. “Indeed, confidence is the key.”

Nan Xuan smiled and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Tutor Xiao headed to a trial tower. He was a more cautious man compared to Nan Xuan, and he wanted to check which floor Ye Guan had been cultivating on. Just then, Ye Guan left the library and headed to a trial tower.

Tutor Xiao kept his eyes on Ye Guan until the latter entered a trial tower. However, it seemed that Tutor Xiao still wasn’t satisfied with that because he followed Ye Guan all the way up to the seventh floor.

Tutor Xiao sighed in relief when Ye Guan entered the seventh floor. However, he was still unsatisfied, so he continued waiting.

An hour later, a disheveled Ye Guan walked out of the seventh floor.

Tutor Xiao took in the sight and left, feeling reassured.

While Ye Guan was leaving the seventh floor, Little Pagoda suddenly spoke to him and asked, “Are you wary of Nan Xuan?”

Ye Guan nodded.

Little Pagoda was confused. “Why?”

Ye Guan answered calmly, “If I were him, I would be curious about which floor my life-or-death opponent has reached on the trial towers. Of course, there’s also a chance that he’s not curious, but his tutor will definitely be curious!”

Ye Guan’s route to the ninth floor after clearing the seventh floor had been through the teleportation arrays on the floor themselves rather than directly entering a particular floor on the tower outside.

Of course, he would exit the tower through the same route.

He wasn’t afraid of Nan Xuan. Instead, he was worried that Nan Xuan would give up on their death match on the Life or Death Stage after learning of his true strength.

Little Pagoda replied, “In that case, you should continue being cautious.”

Ye Guan didn’t reply, but he mumbled to himself. There are still three days…

Ye Guan really couldn’t wait even a moment longer to end things, but he knew that he wasn’t invincible. He also didn’t want to trouble his tutor, Fei Banqing. Therefore, he decided to continue waiting.

Meanwhile, Siao Ge walked out of the ninth floor. Siao Ge smiled upon seeing Ye Guan.

“I finally defeated it!” exclaimed Siao Ge. He had been challenging the giant, and he had finally defeated the giant by himself today.

Ye Guan smiled. “Congratulations!”

Siao Ge smiled and sat on a stone bench nearby. “Brother Ye, let’s talk!”

Ye Guan nodded and sat next to Siao Ge.

Siao Ge explained, “My greatest insight during my battle against that giant has been my take on fear. I couldn’t feel anything other than fear when I first fought the giant, and there was this whisper in my heart that told me there was no way I could defeat it. It was a thought that pervaded my mind, and it prevented me from mustering the courage to fight.”

Siao Ge made a sidelong glance at Ye Guan and said, “To be honest, I’m really grateful to you. If you hadn’t invited me to challenge the giant together that day, I would have lived my life in fear, and I wouldn’t have been able to escape from it.”

Ye Guan smiled and said, “I felt the same. If it wasn’t for you, I would have run away.”

Siao Ge laughed boisterously and exclaimed, “Brother Ye, you’re really interesting! I feel like you’re more suitable for the Chief Student Representative role rather than me! I can only accept you as the Chief Student Representative—I can’t accept anyone else.”

Ye Guan stared deeply at Siao Ge and said, “I’m not sure if I’m correct, but aren’t you the direct disciple of the Academy Chief? You’re more suitable for the role, then.”

Siao Ge shook his head. “I’m not interested in that role.”

Ye Guan sounded confused as he asked, “Why not?”

Siao Ge looked up at the sky and smiled before saying, “My heart does not lie here. It lies above the Upper Realm—on the Zhongtu Divine Continent!”

Ye Guan frowned and muttered, “Zhongtu Divine Continent?”

Siao Ge nodded. “Above the Upper Realm is the Zhongtu Divine Continent! It has a large number of small worlds. The ultimate goal of the top geniuses from those worlds is to reach the Zhongtu Divine Continent. There are many noble families there, and large clans often contend for supremacy.

“It is a place filled with hidden talents.” Siao Ge turned to look at Ye Guan and said, “We’re considered exceptional talents in this tiny Nanzhou, but we’re just ordinary people up there.”

Siao Ge sighed. He was silent for a while before continuing. “Actually, I know of a scarier place, and it’s definitely the Main Academy of the Guanxuan Academy. The ultimate goal of the talents from the Guanxuan Academy branches is the Main Academy. Unfortunately, it’s far too difficult for us to reach that place. I don’t know, but I feel really inferior whenever I think of it.”

Ye Guan was silent. The world was huge, Nanzhou was just a tiny place in the vast world, and he was even smaller than it!

Siao Ge smiled. “If you’re the Chief Student Representative—”

Ye Guan shook his head and interrupted. “I’m not interested!”

His resolution stunned Siao Ge.

Ye Guan explained, “I have to go to the Zhongtu Divine Continent and become a famous figure there. I also want to fight the geniuses of the Guanxuan Academy’s Main Academy.”

Siao Ge was stunned, but he eventually laughed boisterously and exclaimed, “Such ambition! My goodness! I want to become famous in Zhongtu Divine Continent, too! I want to fight the geniuses of the Main Academy as well!”

Ye Guan smiled before standing up to leave.

“I’m off to the library. See you next time!” said Ye Guan before leaving.

Siao Ge also stood up to leave. However, a man suddenly appeared in front of him.

Siao Ge was surprised. “Who are you?” he asked.

Nan Xuan cupped his hands and smiled politely. “Brother Siao, I’m Nan Xuan of the Nan Clan.”

Siao Ge blinked. “Are you the one who’s going to fight on the Life or Death Stage?”

Nan Xuan nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

Siao Ge smiled and asked, “What’s your business with me?”

“I heard that you cleared the ninth floor, and I truly admire you for that. I’ve come here to be your friend,” said Nan Xuan with a smile. He paused for a moment before continuing. “Brother Siao, were you talking to Ye Guan just now?”

Siao Ge nodded. “Yeah.”

Nan Guan warned in a deep voice. “Brother Siao, you have to be careful of him!”

Siao Ge frowned. “Why?”

Nan Xuan’s expression darkened, “He’s a vicious man with many tricks up his sleeves, and he also has the habit of framing the innocent for his benefit. More importantly, I heard that he doesn’t really like you, and he probably wants to steal your role as the Chief Student Representative—”

Boom!

Nan Xuan was sent flying.

Nan Xuan was stunned. It couldn’t be helped because Siao Ge had suddenly kicked him in the chest without any warning.

Siao Ge glared at Nan Xuan. “I don’t hate those who play dirty tricks nor those who pretend like they’re smart. However, I absolutely abhor people who think that they can trick me! I know that you want to pit me against Brother Ye. Do you really think that I’m dumb? Do I look stupid? Hm?”