Chapter 99: They’re Here
Did I say something wrong? Little Pagoda was a little confused. He thought about it, and it seemed like there was something wrong with what he said. This brat has gotten the wrong idea!
Ye Guan looked at Qin Feng and smiled. “Brother Qin, thank you for your kindness. If I manage to survive the Destiny Contest, I will make sure to repay your kindness!”
He cupped his fists and turned around to leave.
Qin Feng sighed softly and muttered, “Brother Ye, take care!”
Ye Guan waved at Qin Feng before turning into a ray of sword light that flew into the horizon.
Qin Feng stared at the ray of sword light and said, “He’s already a Great Sword Immortal despite his young age. A talent like him is extremely rare. It’s just a pity that he doesn’t have a strong Dao Protector. Sigh…”
Qin Feng stood rooted for quite a while before he turned around and left.
He had already formed a good relationship with Ye Guan.
What would happen next was up to heaven’s will!
…
Gu Chaoyuan was in a courtyard of the Zhongtu Divine Continent’s Guanxuan Academy. Discipline Department Head Li Qiu was sitting across from him.
“Why did you agree to the An Clan’s request?” asked Li Qiu.
Gu Chaoyuan calmly replied, “If I hadn’t accepted their request, they would have forced me out of here by tomorrow.”
Li Qiu went silent.
Gu Chaoyuan smiled and said, “I’m not Representative Ye, but they’ve shown me a lot of face by coming down here to talk to me. If I had decided to disrespect them by refusing their request, they would make sure to kick me out of here.”
Gu Chaoyuan shook his head and continued. “The Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan is also affiliated with the Main Guanxuan Academy. The An Clan and the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan are perfectly capable of kicking me out of here—no, they can even wipe me off the face of the earth!”
Li Qiu sighed and said, “Academy Chief, they’re obviously targeting Young Lord Ye. It’s clear that they want him to nip him in the bud before he becomes a bigger headache.”
Gu Chaoyuan nodded. “Yes, I can see that,” said Gu Chaoyuan with a nod. “It’s obvious, and everyone can see it as well. However, no one dares to say something about it, and I do not dare as well.”
Li Qiu asked, “Can we contact Representative Ye?”
Gu Chaoyuan chuckled and said, “If you want to disappear tomorrow, then sure.”
“This is unfair.” Li Qiu muttered.
“Unfair? Does fairness even exist in this world? The people of the Zhongtu Divine Continent and the Zhongtu Divine Continent’s Guanxuan Academy know that the An Clan and the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan are at fault here, but no one dares to say anything out of fear.
“And who would want to offend those two great clans for a stranger?”
Li Qiu stared deeply at Gu Chaoyuan and said, “So you’re just going to watch?”
Gu Chaoyuan smiled and said, “Department Chief Li, it seems that you don’t want Ye Guan to die.”
Li Qiu sighed and replied, “Chief Gu, it’s not that I’m siding with Ye Guan. I just feel like we’re betraying the principles of our academy!”
Gu Chaoyuan replied, “Department Chief Li, this matter is already beyond our control. They’re going to kill Ye Guan to flaunt their prowess to a certain someone.
“Who do you think is that certain someone? It’s none other than Representative Ye. It’s all about sending a message. They want to tell Representative Ye that the great clans aren’t pushovers!”
Gu Chaoyuan shook his head and continued. “Unfortunately, Ye Guan also made an enemy out of the other great clans by disrespecting the An Clan and the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan.”
Li Qiu sighed deeply. He was aware that the great clans wanted to send a message to Representative Ye by killing Ye Guan. Otherwise, the Main Guanxuan Academy wouldn’t have forced Representative Ye to return to the academy in the Guanxuan Universe.
Li Qiu asked, “What if—just what if—what if Ye Guan emerged victorious against the An Clan?”
“Do you really think that’s possible?” asked Gu Chaoyuan with a chuckle.
He didn’t even bother to answer Li Qiu’s question. He stood up and left.
Left all alone, Li Qiu was silent for quite a while before he shook his head and sighed.
He was also convinced that Ye Guan had zero chance of winning. After all, there were many variables that hard work and talent couldn’t possibly offset. Family background, resources, connections, and Dao Protectors.
A cultivator would either have these things upon birth or they would never have them for the rest of their lives.
…
Nanling Yiyi was the first person that Ye Guan saw upon returning to the Daoist Sect.
Nanling Yiyi was sitting in front of the old and dilapidated gates of the Daoist Sect with her chin propped in the palm of her hands. She looked like she was in a daze, seemingly thinking of something.
Nanling Yiyi unwittingly looked up and saw Ye Guan in the distance. She shot right up and excitedly ran over to him. “Welcome back, Junior Disciple Ye!”
“I’m back,” Ye Guan said.
Nanling Yiyi rolled her eyes at him and asked, “Where were you? We couldn’t find you anywhere, and you didn’t give us any updates as well.”
Ye Guan smiled and explained, “I went to the Profound World to cultivate. I ended up staying there for a bit longer than I expected.”
Nanling Yiyi nodded and muttered, “Next time, you should tell us if you’re going to be away for an extended period of time. I—no, Master was extremely worried about you. Actually, he hasn’t been eating properly since you disappeared!”
Monk Dao: …
Ye Guan nodded and said, “Okay, I will tell you and Master next time.”
Then, he looked into the great hall and asked, “Is Master around?”
“Yes,” Nanling Yiyi answered.
“I’m going to talk to him,” Ye Guan said before walking toward the great hall.
Nanling Yiyi grinned and said, “I’ll go make dinner.”
She turned around and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Monk Dao was leaning back in his chair. His face was flushed red, and there were many bone fragments next to him.
Ye Guan walked up to him and bowed slightly. “I’m back, Master!”
Monk Dao abruptly sat up.
He pointed at the chair in front of Ye Guan and said, “Have a seat.”
Ye Guan sat down.
Monk Dao stared at him and said, “The Destiny Contest has been brought forward to next month.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it,” Ye Guan said with a nod.
“We’re not going to participate,” said Monk Dao.
Ye Guan had to do a double take at Monk Dao.
Monk Dao nodded and repeated. “Yes, it has been decided. We’re not going to participate.”
Ye Guan chuckled bitterly. “So you’ve heard it, Master?”
“Do I look like an old fool to you?” Monk Dao retorted.
“Master,” Ye Guan sounded solemn as he muttered, “I have to participate.”
“Do you know that the An Clan is plotting against you?”
“I know.”
“And you still want to participate?”
“If I don’t participate, they’ll send their powerhouses after me. I have to participate because I will be fighting my peers in the contest. In other words, I have a chance of winning!” Ye Guan chuckled and continued. “I have to become the Champion of the Destiny Contest because the academy will face grave consequences if they let me die after I win the contest.”
“In other words, the Guanxuan Academy will ensure my safety by then.”
After a few moments of silence, Monk Dao responded, “That makes sense, and does that mean you’re confident?”
“Yes!” Ye Guan replied with a grim look.
Monk Dao’s expression turned complicated. Moments later, he stared at Ye Guan and apologized. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to do anything for you, even though you consider me as your master.”
Ye Guan shook his head and smiled. “Master, you offered to help me back then, and that is enough. I have to deal with the An Clan on my own, and I would never let the Daoist Sect be implicated in my matters.”
Monk Dao shook his head and said, “It doesn’t matter. Our Daoist Sect is already at rock bottom. Once at the bottom, there’s no other way but up, right?”
Ye Guan wordlessly smiled.
“All right. Go ahead and cultivate!” Monk Dao said.
Ye Guan nodded. He then stood up and left.
Monk Dao walked over to the incense table and looked up at the dilapidated portrait before muttering, “Old Ancestor! If your will is still around, I plead with you to please please protect him! He’s our final hope!”
…
Ye Guan was sitting across from Nanling Yiyi.
A table full of dishes stood between them.
Ye Guan didn’t stand on ceremony. He swept through the dishes as if he were a ravenous wolf.
Nanling Yiyi blinked and asked, “Is the food to your liking?”
“Yes, they taste great!” Ye Guan answered with a nod.
Nanling Yiyi chuckled and said, “Then, I’ll cook your meals while you cultivate!”
“Many thanks, Senior Disciple Yiyi!” Ye Guan said as he put down his empty bow.
Nanling Yiyi cleaned the table and said, “You should go ahead and cultivate, I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“All right.”
Nanling Yiyi soon departed.
Ye Guan sat cross-legged on the bed.
He closed his eyes and said, “Master Pagoda.”
“Yes?”
Ye Guan didn’t reply.
“What is it?” Master Pagoda asked.
Ye Guan shook his head and said, “Forget it.”
He then got up and walked outside.
Little Pagoda didn’t know what to say.
It was late at night, and the starry skies looked more beautiful than ever as they surrounded the moon.
Ye Guan walked toward the edge of a cliff. He looked down into the abyss and asked, “Master Pagoda, why aren’t there many swordsmen in this generation?”
He initially thought that Nanzhou was just an exception because it was located in the Lower Realm, but he didn’t expect that even the Zhongtu Divine Continent had a shortage of swordsmen.
After a few moments of silence, Little Pagoda said, “Something happened back then, and it caused the disappearances of many inheritances. The swordsmen suffered the most back then.”
Ye Guan nodded and asked once more, “Master Pagoda, are you going to leave once you’ve healed up?”
“Yes,” Little Pagoda replied.
Ye Guan shook his head and chuckled hollowly. “I see. Regardless, it was my honor to have met you and received your guidance!”
“What do you want from me?”
Ye Guan abruptly froze.
“Just tell me. I’ll consider it if I can do it.”
Ye Guan nodded and replied, “Master Pagoda, I’m a swordsman, but I haven’t really seen a battle between swordsmen. I would like to witness a battle between powerful swordsmen. I think I might learn a thing or two from them.”
Little Pagoda went silent and stayed silent for quite a while before he said, “I can’t let you do that for now.”
“Why not?” Ye Guan asked.
“You need to fight a proper battle rather than watch a proper battle. You’ll definitely learn a thing or two from watching two swordsmen duke it out, but you should take it one step at a time, do you understand what I’m saying?”
Little Pagoda was afraid of Ye Guan’s progress.
His rate of improvement was too fast, especially his improvement at the Sword Dao.
The Sword Dao had to be cultivated slowly and step by step. At every step, the swordsman had to assimilate their comprehension before taking the next step. A step couldn’t be too big of a step as well, or the swordsman could suffer a backlash!
Ye Guan pondered over it before saying, “I understand!”
Rumble!
A rift opened in the space in front of Ye Guan.
Ye Guan closed his eyes upon seeing the rift.
A message emerged from the rift, and it was from Qin Feng.
The talents from the An Clan, the Milky Way, and the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Clan had already arrived on the Zhongtu Divine Continent. These monstrous talents had decided to come down here all for Ye Guan!
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