I Have A Sword

Chapter 1076: I'll Kill Them All

In that special spacetime, Ye Guan fell silent for a long time as he listened in on the conversation between Yang Ji and Yang Yue.

He had once been at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and the Ye Clan had once been a tiny power. At the time, he had yet to be exposed to the upper echelons of society and had no idea about the rules of the world, let alone human nature.

After inheriting the family business, he still had no need to engage with or understand such things, as he was the one in power. He was the one who set the rules.

As he watched Fang Yu and Yang Ji, he realized that his train of thought was too simple. Yang Ji was right; the people following him weren't there because they shared his beliefs; they were there for the profits.

Was that wrong? Not at all.

If they were not doing it for personal gain, why would they follow him?

The problem wasn't with them; it was with Ye Guan. His mindset had been too simple and naive.

All these years, he had been doing nothing but subjugate outside forces. While it seemed that he was making the Guanxuan Academy stronger and stronger, in reality, he hadn't changed the rules at all. In fact, he probably worsened some of it.

Human nature!

Ye Guan suddenly remembered his plain-skirt aunt's words. "In this world, the hardest things to change are human nature and the human heart."

One had to measure the strength of the Guanxuan Universe not by the number of its top-tier experts or its boundless wealth but rather by whether those at the bottom of the hierarchy had any hope of surviving or not.

Ye Guan sighed deeply. His desire to establish a fair order was not wrong, but his mistake lay in his failure to prepare adequately for his plans.

He turned to look at the expressionless Clan Leader Jing beside him. Then, he retracted his gaze and looked at Yang Ji and Yang Yue before casting his gaze on Fang Yu, who had just returned to his own quarters.

As soon as Fang Yu stepped into his hall, an elderly man hurried in.

Fang Yu was a bit surprised. "Clan Leader?"

The visitor was none other than the Clan Leader Fang Ting of the Fang Clan, and his expression was grim as he asked, "Little Yu, what on earth happened? What exactly is going on?"

Fang Yu explained the entire situation in detail.

Fang Ting was silent for a long while, and then he let out a deep sigh. "I see. No wonder, no wonder..."

Fang Yu asked, "Clan Leader, what's wrong?"

Fang Ting sighed again and explained, "Just a short while ago, the Evaluation Department suddenly notified us that our residence didn't pass the inspections, so we're no longer allowed to live there.

"The two guaranteed Academy admissions for Fang Yun and Fang Ling have been revoked as well, as they apparently don't meet the requirements. And..."

Fang Ting hesitated.

A bad feeling crept into Fang Yu's heart. "What else?"

"The Yue Clan has visited us to break off the engagement."

"Break off the engagement?"

"It seems that you've offended someone influential. Now, nobody dares to come near the Fang Clan, fearing that they'll get caught in the backlash."

"Clan Leader, I'm sorry."

"They wanted to bring you over to their side. After all, you've met the Academy Master himself. If you had joined them, they would have obtained a great advantage, but you refused to join them.

"Little Yu, you have to understand—even though you've met the Academy Master, to them, it's just that: a single meeting. They don't really consider you and the Academy Master as true brothers. Do you understand this?"

Fang Yu nodded. "I understand."

Fang Ting was suddenly a bit perplexed. "Then why did you still do it?"

Fang Yu remained silent.

"Little Yu, you must be aware that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our clan. We probably won't get a chance like this in ten thousand years. If we had seized it, the Fang Clan would have risen in status and become a prominent clan.

"The next generation of our clan would have had more opportunities. This was a chance for us to change the destiny of our entire clan. Did you not realize it?" Fang Ting said, his voice trembling with a hint of anger. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Fang Yu replied softly, "I know."

Fang Ting's eyes reddened slightly. "Then why did you do it?"

Fang Yu said, "Clan Leader, do you remember the first time I participated in the Guanxuan Guards recruitment exam? That time, with my ability, I should have been able to pass, but you know what happened? I had to make way for others because all the passers were already decided in advance.

"Do you know how hopeless I felt back then? I had the ability, so why couldn't I go forward? Just because I didn't have the connections? Just because I lacked those ties, my fate was already decided?"

Fang Yu shook his head and clenched his fists. "Clan Leader, I was only able to join the Guanxuan Guards later on because the Academy Master gave me a chance—a fair chance.

"On that day, as he sat with me on the steps of the Guanxuan Hall, he patted my shoulder and said, 'Brother Fang, we all need to keep working hard. We shouldn't let the young cultivators of the Guanxuan Universe lose hope for the future.'"

"Foolish! Foolish!" Fang Ting yelled, filled with frustration and pain. "Little Yu, you're being so naive. Do you really think the Academy Master considers you a brother? You're completely mistaken.

"Someone like the Academy Master can sit down to chat with you and call you brother, but that doesn't mean he truly sees you as an equal.

"Think about it—you're not an exceptional talent; your background isn't great, so you won't be able to bring him much benefit. Why would he genuinely consider you his brother? How could you not see something so obvious?"

Fang Yu stood in silence for a long time, and then he chuckled softly. "Even so, it doesn't matter. I see him as a brother."

Fang Ting shook his head. "You're hopeless."

Fang Ting then turned around to leave, but as he reached the doorway of the hall, he paused and said, "I've decided to take the Fang Clan back to Yongzhou... Our family has become a laughingstock in this city and even in Yongzhou.

"Little Yu, you're on your own now."

Left all alone, Fang Yu stood at the entrance of the hall, silent for a long time.

Just then, Yang Yue approached him and asked, "Do you regret it?"

Fang Yu shook his head. "No. No, I don't."

"Why not?"

"The world isn't so great right now, but I believe the Academy Master will one day make it a better place."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Yang Yue stood in silence for a moment, and then he laughed to himself. "Brothers? Really, so foolish and naive. How could someone as extraordinary as the Academy Master truly treat someone like you as a brother?"

With that, he turned around and left as well.

Ye Guan fell into contemplation for a long time. Then, he turned to look at Clan Leader Jing.

Clan Leader Jing looked back at him and said, "I lost this time."

Boom!

Ye Guan's sword aura erupted uncontrollably, and a torrent of sword intent rushed out of him. The spacetime churned before being annihilated. Even the residual temporal energy within him was wiped away by his sword intent.

"Wow, that's great!" Little Pagoda exclaimed. "Quick! Bring out the Qingxuan Sword!"

Although puzzled, Ye Guan compiled and pulled out the Qingxuan Sword.

Little Pagoda sounded thrilled. "Feel anything?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "No."

Little Pagoda said excitedly, "Channel your sword intent into the Qingxuan Sword."

Ye Guan did as he was told. As his sword intent flowed into the sword, nine small squares suddenly appeared on the blade, with light surging in the first two. Astonished, he asked, "Master Pagoda, what are these lights?"

Little Pagoda chuckled softly and explained, "The Nine Realms of Swordsmanship! Your aunt set up these nine realms within the Qingxuan Sword for you.

"Simply put, if your sword intent can light up all nine squares, your sword intent will be on par with the Qingxuan Sword by then.

"In other words, you will no longer need the sword. Your sword intent alone will be powerful enough to shatter anything. Other than the most powerful beings in existence, no one would be able to break your sword intent."

Ye Guan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. "Really? My sword intent will become as powerful as the Qingxuan Sword once all the squares have lights in them?"

"Yes, that's right! Isn't that incredible? Haha!"

"Master Pagoda, how come you haven't told me anything about that until now?"

"Well, because it would have been meaningless, as you were too weak. However, you've just ignited two squares, which means your Sword Dao has reached a level that's certainly not beneath Fu Wu's."

"That's great, but why did my Sword Dao advance from out of nowhere?"

"It's because of Clan Leader Jing. She's too powerful, and your Dao and hers are in opposition. However, she has just slightly acknowledged your Dao.

"If you earn her recognition, you'll become unstoppable, just like when the Unfettered Swordsman recognized your grandfather, launching your grandfather to the top overnight. Quick, conquer her!"

Before Ye Guan could respond, Clan Leader Jing looked at Ye Guan's abdomen and uttered, "Shatter."

Crack!

Fissures instantly spread across the tiny pagoda.

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Clan Leader Jing looked at Ye Guan and said, "Let's make a bet."

Ye Guan replied, "What kind of wager?"

Clan Leader Jing said, "That boy surprised me a little, but he basically changed nothing. Here's what I want you to do—retrace your steps and start from the very beginning of your order. Start from the bottom and ask no one for help; you can't make use of your cultivation base and strength as well.

"If you make it through the darkness while still holding onto the light..."

Ye Guan finished her sentence, "Then you'll help me build and perfect my order."

Clan Leader Jing asked, "What if you fail?"

"Then—" Ye Guan started.

"Destroy the Guanxuan Universe with your own hands. Let there be no order left in this world," Clan Leader Jing interrupted.

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Afraid?" asked Clan Leader Jing with a sneer.

Ye Guan clenched his fists slowly and said, "I still have enemies outside."

Clan Leader Jing said, "Until our bet is complete, I'll kill anyone who dares to interrupt it."

"But the Multiverse Emperor's strength is—"

"If he dares to set foot in the Guanxuan Universe, I'll have him kneel before you."

Ye Guan stared at her for a while before finally saying, "It's a deal."