Supreme Sword Exalt

Outside the Yuqing Sect’s mountain gate.

Two people were locked in an intense duel on a blue stone stage several thousand zhang wide. They were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

All around, the area was crowded with people from the Ten Nations’ Martial Academies. Cheers and shouts of encouragement rose and fell in an endless stream. Compared to the other nine nations, the people from Great Qi Martial Academy all had their heads hung low, too ashamed to even lift them.

Aside from He Zhong, almost everyone had been completely eliminated. This was partly due to the demonic beast riot, but also to Great Qi Martial Academy’s inherently weak foundation.

Not far away, Elders Wu and Feng shook their heads secretly. If those two had been here, would the Great Qi Martial Academy have suffered such humiliation?

***

In a corner unnoticed by the crowd, a girl looked at Yang Ying, her eyes misty with tears. “Brother, my essence crystals and pills are enough. Y-you don’t need to give me any more.”

Yang Ying’s face was full of doting affection. Without another word, he stuffed the storage ring into her hand. “Silly girl, those essence crystals have too many impurities, they’re not good for your cultivation. Don’t be reluctant to use these spirit sources. Have you forgotten? Your brother is from Qingyun Pavilion, earning essence crystals is easy!”

The girl choked up a bit. “Brother...”

Yang Ying ruffled her hair. “What are you crying for? Let me tell you some more good news. You don’t need to take the entrance test. Once the grand competition ends, you can return to the sect with me.”

The girl was stunned. “Really? Brother, don’t lie to me! Getting into the Yuqing Sect is so difficult! Only people like Chu Kuang can skip the test, right?”

Yang Ying smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Would I ever lie to you? No one dares to defy Luo’s words.”

The girl seemed to think of something, her gaze dimming. “But even if I enter the sect, mother is still there...”

Yang Ying took a deep breath. “Just wait a bit longer. When I’m a bit stronger, we won’t have to fear them anymore. When the time comes, we’ll bring mother back, too. We can completely break free from them once our family is reunited.”

The girl believed him without a doubt. From childhood, Yang Ying had never let her down. She still had a maiden’s heart, and her despondency lasted only a moment. “Oh, also, this time, besides Chu Kuang, are you testing another person too?”

Yang Ying nodded. “His name is Gu Han, from Great Qi Martial Academy. Unfortunately, he isn’t here today.”

The girl was full of curiosity. “Then how does he compare to Chu Kuang? Chu Kuang is the number one genius of Great Chu—mo, of the Ten Nations’ Martial Academies. He definitely can’t compare, right?”

Yang Ying shook his head, his gaze turning towards the area behind the mountain gate. “Not true. Chu Kuang is very strong, but compared to Gu Han, he’s still lacking a bit.”

The girl looked skeptical. “Is that so?”

After all, in everyone’s hearts, Chu Kuang was invincible.

***

Halfway up the Yuqing Sect’s mountain, two young men stood side by side, immersed in a conversation. One, dressed in a blue robe, was tall, broad-built, and stone-faced. He was Yuan Gang, the person in charge of Qingyun Pavilion.

The other, dressed in white, had a face like carved jade, red lips, and white teeth. He was none other than Chu Kuang.

Yuan Gang glanced at Chu Kuang beside him. “So?”

Chu Kuang was calm, as if the small-scale fights below weren’t even worth his attention. “This is child’s play. It’s quite meaningless. Senior Brother Yuan, where is Gu Han you mentioned before?”

Yuan Gang turned cold. “He’s not here. This kid is too cocky. Regardless of the reason, daring to be absent on the day of the grand competition shows he doesn’t take the Qingyun Pavilion seriously. Hmph! To think I somewhat valued him before...”

Chu Kuang shook his head. “Senior Brother, there’s no need to be angry. He’s young. Having some ability leads to willfulness and frivolity. It’s quite common if you think about it. We just need to find an opportunity to let him suffer a bit, and teach him a proper lesson.”

Yuan Gang laughed. “Junior Brother, you’re not too young yourself.”

Chu Kuang smiled. “Me? I’m an exception, Senior Brother. You might as well consider me an old monster.”

Yuan Gang was in a much better mood. “Fine then, since that’s the case, I’ll—hm? Elder Zheng?”

He stopped mid-sentence. A streak of light suddenly rose from within the Yuqing Sect and sped away into the distance. It was clearly heading for the Great Qi.

Yuan Gang furrowed his brow again. “That’s strange. What is he going there for? Could it be to seek revenge for Elder Du? Hah, he’s disrespecting Senior Brother Luo!”

Chu Kuang was somewhat curious. “What happened?”

Yuan Gang sneered. “Let’s go. Since we have nothing better to do, I’ll take you to see some excitement. Might as well see how some people dig their own graves.”

At this moment, the martial academy crowd also noticed the anomaly.

Elder Wu looked puzzled. “That’s strange. Why is he going to Great Qi? Could it be—”

Before he could finish, the ground began to shake violently.

The two elders were greatly alarmed. “What-what’s going on?!”

A booming voice suddenly came from behind them. “Old men, are you from Great Qi Martial Academy?”

The two turned around and saw the incredibly burly Murong Yan with her giant Purple Golden Hammer. They were instantly dumbfounded. For a moment, they had the same thought as Gu Han did that day. This warrior is actually a woman?

Whoosh!

The giant hammer almost slammed into their faces.

“I’m asking you, are you from Great Qi or not!” she demanded.

“Y-yes...”

“Is Brother Gu at your place?”

The two were baffled. “G-Gu who?”

Although Murong Yan’s strength didn’t surpass theirs, her oppressiveness was too overwhelming, so much so that their brains couldn’t quite keep up for a moment.

Murong Yan was growing impatient. “Gu Han! You’re not deaf or mute, how many times do I have to repeat myself?!”

Right at that moment, Shen Xuan also appeared before the two elders, shouting, “Junior Sister, don’t be rude!”

Murong Yan reluctantly put away her weapon. “Hmph!”

Shen Xuan cupped his hands, subtly bowing in apology. “Gentlemen, Junior Sister has a temper, please don’t take offense. It’s just that Gu Han is our good friend. Why isn’t he here today?”

Elders Wu and Feng understood that these two were disciples of Yuqing Sect, and they seemed to hold quite high status. They didn’t dare put on airs.

“None taken at all. Gu Han, he’s missi—”

Before they could finish half a sentence, Murong Yan’s thunderous roar reached everyone’s ears. “WHAT?! Brother Gu is missing???”

She was full of rage. No longer paying any heed to the two elders, she strode away with large steps, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Shen Xuan was frantic. “Junior Sister, where are you going?!”

Murong Yan looked back. “To Great Qi, to find Murong Chuan! What the hell is he doing?! He knew that token was given by me, yet he let my Brother Gu be bullied like this? I’m going to hammer him to death!”

Shen Xuan had a headache. “Wait! I’m coming with you!”

He knew Murong Yan too well. If he really let her go alone, she would probably tear down the imperial capital.

Behind them, only Elders Wu and Feng remained, staring at each other.

Elder Wu thought for a moment. “Should we go and take a look too?”

“Alright!”

After exchanging a glance, the two instantly soared into the air. As for the students, they didn’t even give them a second look.

In the distance, the young girl looked at Murong Yan’s retreating figure, feeling a lingering fear. “Brother, who is that?”

Yang Ying warned her solemnly, “Little Sister, that’s a madwoman. Remember, after you enter the sect, absolutely don’t get too close to her.”

“Brother, is she very powerful?”

Yang Ying was speechless. Although Murong Yan’s cultivation level was high, it wasn’t actually top-tier within the Yuqing Sect. What was truly terrifying was her almost peerless brute strength, and her explosive temper that could be ignited at the slightest spark.

As he was thinking of that, he subconsciously rubbed his right arm. It still hurts a little...