I Have A Sword

Chapter 1085: Little Ai!

Yang Yian led Ye Guan to the statue made from the likeness of the latter.

Ye Guan felt speechless as he stood before it.

Yang Yian clasped her hands together in a respectful gesture, and her expression was sincere as she bowed deeply toward the statue. Then, she noticed something and turned to Ye Guan.

"Bow, quick!" she urged.

Ye Guan hesitated. "Is that necessary?"

"We're standing before the Academy Master. We must show respect."

Left with no choice, Ye Guan bowed to his own statue under Yang Yian's watchful eyes.

Yang Yian smiled at the sight and bowed once more.

Ye Guan gazed at the statue and transmitted, "In the future, 'll have them build a statue for you, Master Pagoda. I'll place your statue next to me. After all, had it not been for you, Master Pagoda, I wouldn't have reached my current heights."

"That's a great idea." Little Pagoda's voice echoed in Ye Guan's mind

The visitors of the Sword Sect were expected to stop at this statue and bow toward it.

Ye Guan smiled at everyone's respectful bow. Despite the many issues within the order that he had developed, it seemed that, overall, it was headed in the right direction.

However, he also knew all too well that anything profitable had to be managed properly lest they cause harm.

If the corruption within the academy weren't curbed, then people would eventually spit in contempt at the statue instead of bowing respectfully toward it.

The road ahead was long and full of challenges.

Ye Guan led Yang Yian toward the mountain peak.

Yang Yian's face was pale; she was clearly exhausted. She wasn't a cultivator, so this wasn't a strange sight.

"I'll carry you," Ye Guan said, chuckling. Then, he hoisted Yang Yian onto his back and continued up the mountain. The scenery was stunning, and the world before them seemed to stretch endlessly as they looked down.

"I've heard that swordsmen can fly on their swords. Is that true?" asked Yang Yian

Ye Guan nodded.

"Can you take me with you to fly once you've become a swordsman?"

Ye Guan chuckled. "Of course."

Yang Yian looked at him with hopeful eyes and nodded slightly.

Soon, they entered a thick bank of clouds. The clouds were dense and soft, like cotton, and Yang Yian was fascinated by them.

Ye Guan continued ascending. Half an hour later, they broke through the clouds and arrived at the mountain peak.

A towering mountain gate, supported by two massive stone pillars, welcomed them upon breaking through the clouds. The pillars were so large that it would take more than ten people to wrap their arms around one of them.

Two bold, powerful characters were written above the gate—Sword Sect.

The calligraphy seemed to cut through the air like a blade, radiating an intimidating aura.

"How grand!" Yang Yian gasped in awe.

Ye Guan smiled at the sight. He then took her hand and led her toward the gate.

They entered a wide stone path about a hundred meters across. The path guided them farther up into the skies to a grand hall at the end of it.

Just as they were about to step inside, a crisp sword slash echoed above them.

Everyone looked up but saw only a streak of sword light cutting across the sky, leaving a long trail of light behind.

"Wow!" Everyone marveled at the sight, envious gazes filling the air.

Sword Travel!

Only swordsmen with a sword intent could use Sword Travel, but of course, that wasn't the only requirement. One also needed a certain sword technique that could only be obtained from clans and aristocratic families.

Thus, ordinary people would never be able to fly on their swords.

Yang Yian gazed at the sky in admiration. "That's incredible."

"Once I've mastered it, I'll take you to the clouds. It'll be fast; we'll be back in Qingzhou City before you know it."

Yang Yian glanced at Ye Guan but didn't respond.

Soon, they arrived at the grand hall. Just as they were about to enter, a young swordsman stepped forward and said, "Brother, please wait."

Ye Guan turned to the young man.

"Are you both here for the primary test?"

Ye Guan nodded.

The young swordsman shook his head. "Brother, your cultivation base is too low. You don't meet the criteria. As for this young lady, she's not even a cultivator, so she cannot participate in the test."

Ye Guan remained silent.

The young man explained, "Although it's just a primary test, it can still be dangerous. You are only a Ninth Realm cultivator; you won't be able to withstand it. For your safety, I suggest you leave."

"Is there no way to participate?"

The young man shook his head. "No, the rules are strict."

"I understand," Ye Guan said with a smile.

With that, he gently took Yang Yian's hand and led her to the side.

The young man was slightly confused. However, he frowned upon thinking of something. After a few moments of hesitation, he turned toward another swordsman and said, "Cui Shu, take over me for a moment."

Cui Shu looked puzzled. "Where are you going, Qi Cang?"

"I think that young man might act impulsively," Qi Cang said without looking back. "I'm going to take a look."

"Haaa..." Cui Shu sighed. "What's there to look at? Stop playing the hero and let people make their own decisions. Let fate guide them."

Ye Guan led Yang Yian around the grand hall and toward a tall tower.

It was known as the Sword Tower, and it had nine floors.

The Sword Tower served as both a training facility and a testing venue.

Ye Guan had done his research about the Qingzhou Sword Sect. The Main Sword Sect had a rule that every branch of the sect had to have such a tower to ensure that the tests were fair and that no true talent would go unnoticed.

If someone passed the Sword Tower's test, they could directly join the Sword Sect.

The Sword Tower was connected to the Wanzhou Sword Tower, meaning that if someone performed exceptionally well during the assessment, the entire region would hear it.

However, such talents were rare, and it had only happened twice so far—Ye Zhuxin from Qingzhou and someone from Nanzhou not too long ago.

There were dozens of people at the base of the Sword Tower. Ye Guan was surprised, and he wondered whether they all felt that the assessment was unfair.

He patiently waited in line while Yang Yian stood by, unsure of what Ye Guan intended to do. However, she didn't question him and simply followed him, as she had faith in his decisions.

Just then, the first person in line entered the tower, but he was ejected as soon as he walked inside. Shockingly, his arm was severed!

Shocked exclamations filled the air.

The man writhed on the ground, crying out in agony as blood poured from the stump of his arm.

The Sword Sect disciples nearby arrived on the scene and carried the man away for treatment.

The others in line exchanged uncertain glances before leaving one by one, clearly deterred by the incident.

In the end, only Ye Guan and Yang Yian were left.

Ye Guan shook his head with a smile and made his way toward the Sword Tower. Just as he was about to enter, an elder nearby asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Ye Guan turned to see the elder staring at him, and he nodded quietly.

The elder looked at him with a mixture of concern and skepticism. "Every day, many people enter this tower thinking they're capable, convinced that the Sword Sect's tests are unfair or that there's some hidden agenda.

"Unfortunately, for every ten of them, nine of them would either die or end up severely wounded."

Ye Guan smiled slightly. "Thank you for the warning, but I still want to give it a try."

The elder sized him up before nodding. "Alright."

Ye Guan smiled again and made his way into the Sword Tower.

The elder shook his head and sighed softly. He never slacked when it came to giving out warnings, but no one had listened to him so far. The man earlier was also warned, but he refused to heed the elder's advice.

The good thing was that he was fortunate enough to escape with only a severed arm.

However, Ye Guan was... just a Ninth Realm cultivator! Had he come to seek his own death? The elder frowned and stared at the Sword Tower in confusion. Ye Guan had entered the tower moments ago, but he had yet to come out.

Was he a wolf in sheep's clothing?

***

Upon entering the Sword Tower, a puppet swordsman immediately charged at Ye Guan. The attack was both fast and lethal. Even a cultivator from the Truth Realm[1] would have a hard time defending themselves against such an ambush.

However, Ye Guan merely moved slightly to avoid the attack. Then, he tapped the puppet's throat with his fingers.

Boom!

The puppet froze before vanishing into thin air.

A glowing screen appeared on the wall, and a voice echoed throughout the room. "Congratulations, you've broken the fastest clear record for the first floor. You cleared it in one shot. You may leave your name or remain anonymous."

"Anonymous," Ye Guan said without hesitation.

The screen flickered, and a phantom appeared on it.

The words "anonymous" were written beneath the phantom. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Swoosh!

A teleportation array appeared beneath Ye Guan's feet, transporting him to the second floor.

Immediately upon arriving, Ye Guan saw two streaks of sword light flying toward him. The attackers were two puppets, and their realms were similar to the one on the first floor, but Ye Guan had to fight two instead of just one.

Ye Guan decisively stepped to the side. With a quick pinch of his fingers, he stopped one sword in midair. Then, he stole the sword and slashed out, chopping off the puppet's head while tapping the throat of the second puppet.

The two puppets disappeared into thin air.

"Congratulations, you've broken the fastest clear record for the second floor. You cleared it in one shot as well. Will you leave your name, or are you going to remain anonymous?"

"Anonymous."

The screen flickered and disappeared.

Swoosh!

Another teleportation array whisked away Ye Guan to the third floor. Upon arrival, three streaks of sword light flew toward Ye Guan. Ye Guan turned to the side, and the three sword lights vanished along with the three puppets.

"Congratulations, you've broken the fastest clear record for the third floor. You cleared it in one shot as well. Will you leave your name, or are you going to remain anonymous?"

"Anonymous."

A deafening silence descended. Then, a voice reverberated. "My dear, Little Ai advises against remaining anonymous. I've confirmed that you are an absolute genius.

"Once your identity is revealed, you will surely attract the attention of the great clans and aristocratic families in your region..."

Little Ai? Ye Guan froze for a moment. Did the Immortal Treasures Pavillion make this tower?

"Would you like to—"

"Anonymous." Ye Guan replied

"Hey, you fucker!" the voice roared, leaving Ye Guan utterly confused.

1. this is four realms higher than the Ninth Realm ☜