Cultivation was a lengthy process. It had already been a month since Ye Guan started training in the tower. He was currently on the sixth floor, and there were an additional six layers of gravity acting on the sixth floor.

The sixth floor made Ye Guan feel as if he were carrying the entire weight of a mountain on his shoulder. His breathing grew ragged. He even found it difficult to breathe, but he persevered.

No pain, no gain!  Ye Guan cultivated with that mantra in mind. 

Without hard work, how could he expect a reward? The process was tough, but the sense of achievement he would feel whenever he managed to reach a goal despite the hardships was addicting. 

Ye Guan had to spend three full days before getting used to the gravity on the sixth floor, and he could finally start practicing his sword arts once more.

He was focusing on speed, but Ye Guan knew that the power of his attacks would also improve if they became even faster. 

He was well aware of the time constraints, so he decided to become an expert in the field of speed. I’ll become as fast as possible!

Three days later, Ye Guan completely acclimatized to the spacetime gravity on the sixth floor, and the speed of his sword was now equivalent to its speed in the outside world.

Ye Guan sighed and sat down. 

He rested for two hours and decided to head to the seventh floor. 

The gravity on the seventh floor was only slightly stronger compared to the sixth floor, but the pressure was immense. Each breath of air made him feel like there were needles going through his lungs, and he almost collapsed.

Ye Guan’s expression soured. Goodness, it seems that it really becomes more absurd the higher I go.

Just then, Little Pagoda’s voice rang in his head, “This is pretty much your limit with your cultivation base. I suggest you stop here.”

Ye Guan took as much air as he could into his lungs and asserted, “I want to test my limits!”

A determined light flashed in Ye Guan’s eyes as he pulled out his sword. As expected, his sword was significantly slower here compared to on the sixth floor and in the outside world.

Ye Guan performed one move, and he broke out into a bucket of sweat once he was done performing it. However, he wiped the sweat off of his face and continued his training.

The more sword moves he performed, the faster his sword moves became. 

Ye Guan wanted to go beyond his limits.

Four days later, Ye Guan had become noticeably faster than before, but there were only twenty days left before the martial contest.

Ye Guan seemed like he had no intentions of leaving the tower anytime soon as he continued to train on the seventh floor. 

He achieved a commendable result. The speed of his sword move was slowly catching up to the speed of his sword moves in the outside world. Evidently, he was starting to get accustomed to the spacetime gravity on the seventh floor.

Soon, Ye Guan’s sword on the seventh floor was finally as fast as his sword in the outside world. He collapsed, utterly exhausted. Then, he burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter while on the ground. 

Success! I went beyond my limits!

“It feels great, right?” Little Pagoda suddenly asked.

Ye Guan grinned. “It feels awesome!”

Little Pagoda asked, “Are you going to the eighth floor?”

Ye Guan asked back, “Why not?”

Afterward, Ye Guan took a good rest. 

Two hours later, he stepped onto the eighth floor.  

As usual, the powerful spacetime gravity bored down on Ye Guan. However, his expression didn’t turn ugly. He was excited to take on another challenge.

Ye Guan trained like a madman once again, and he performed his sword moves one after another. His rate of progress was surprisingly faster here compared to his progress on the seventh floor, and on the tenth day, he had completely acclimatized to the spacetime gravity on the eighth floor.

Ye Guan was stunned upon reaching the ninth floor, and it was because the spacetime gravity on the ninth floor was exactly the same as that on the eighth floor. 

What is going on?

A shining door manifested in the distance, interrupting Ye Guan’s train of thought.

Ye Guan’s heart started to beat even faster from the adrenaline. 

Perhaps there will be a sparring?

The shining door opened, and a phantom emerged from the door.

It was carrying a sword.

A swordsman! A wave of exhilaration struck Ye Guan, and his eyes flashed in excitement. The phantom was a Spacetime Realm cultivator as well.

The phantom pulled out its sword, and there was a flash of light. 

Ye Guan’s eyes narrowed, and he instinctively sidestepped. He managed to dodge the phantom’s attack by a hair’s breadth. 

Ye Guan quickly retaliated by creating a sword made out of sword energy and swiping it at the phantom.

Shrieeek!

The air shrieked as Ye Guan’s sword energy tore through it, but the phantom could no longer be seen.

It’s fast! Ye Guan’s heart tightened in disbelief.

The phantom in the distance flickered and split into many afterimages.

Ye Guan’s pupils constricted, and he went beyond pallid. He didn’t expect that the phantom would be extremely fast. Ye Guan thought about running away, but the phantom’s sword was already in front of him before he could even move.

The phantom’s sharp sword dug half an inch into his skin. Fresh blood was drawn, but that wasn’t the only wound Ye Guan ended up suffering. A few seconds later, tiny wounds appeared all over him, drenching him in his own blood.

At the sight, the phantom stopped and slowly disappeared. 

The trial towers were meant to help the students cultivate and practice their techniques, so there was no way a phantom would kill a challenger. It would be weird if the Guanxuan Academy allowed their students to die in the middle of training.

Ye Guan stood rooted.

Little Pagoda asked, “Were you surprised?”

Ye Guan shook his head and answered, “No. I’m just regretful that I didn’t immediately go all out and even beyond that.”

Ye Guan decided to go down to the eighth floor and sprint back up to the ninth floor.  

As expected, the phantom emerged to face him once again.

Ye Guan didn’t hesitate and decisively pointed with his finger. 

A sword suddenly manifested in front of the phantom, but the latter vanished before the sword could move.

Swoosh!

The sword ruthlessly sliced through the air.

Meanwhile, the retreating phantom went on the offensive. It moved like water and approached Ye Guan. However, Ye Guan saw through the phantom’s movement, and he sidestepped in time. Unfortunately, the phantom’s sword abruptly changed directions in mid-air, and it drew a bloody line on Ye Guan’s neck.

He failed. Ye Guan was silent as the phantom vanished.

“Master Pagoda, why did it feel like it outsmarted my outsmarting?” exclaimed Ye Guan.

Little Pagoda corrected him. “No, it wasn’t that complicated. It was just much faster than you. Once you get used to that phantom’s speed, you’ll be invincible against cultivators in the same cultivation realm as you.”

Ye Guan closed his eyes and pondered over it. 

“What’s the point of being invincible against those in the same cultivation realm as me? I want to be invincible against those above me as well! I want to be stronger than anyone else!” said Ye Guan.

There was a moment of silence, and Little Pagoda eventually said, “Fight it more.” 

With that, Ye Guan went down to the eighth floor and sprinted back up to the ninth floor. The phantom emerged to face him, and Ye Guan immediately attacked the phantom. 

Ye Guan’s attacks were truly fast, but his reaction speed was significantly slower than his attacks. 

His sword struck nothing but empty air once again, and the phantom practically teleported in front of him. Ye Guan successfully dodged the phantom’s first attack, the second, and the third…

Squelch!

The phantom’s sword dug half an inch into Ye Guan’s chest. 

The phantom soon vanished after doing its job. Ye Guan stood unmoving for quite a while before he eventually turned around and went down to the eighth floor before going back up to the ninth floor.

Let’s do this again! 

Ye Guan repeated the routine multiple times, and he would always stand up to challenge the phantom once more every time he failed. 

Just like that, ten days passed. The first time he stepped onto the ninth floor, Ye Guan couldn’t even dodge the phantom’s attacks, but now, he was capable of dodging at least a few dozen attacks. 

There were only seven days left before the martial contest.

Ye Guan was thrilled as he trained in the trial tower. His fights were a whirlwind of movements, and it was indeed exciting. After each fight, he would reflect on his mistakes and make sure to work on fixing them in the next fight. 

Ye Guan was practically a new and improved version of himself compared to his previous fights.

Three days passed, and Ye Guan could finally stand toe-to-toe against the phantom. 

Their swords would produce resounding clangs in every collision, and each of their movements was calculated with precision. The two cultivators were fighting without holding back. The tiniest mistake would decide the victor between the two.

The two fought for two days straight, and the sound of metal clashing against metal had never ceased during the past forty-eight hours. Unbelievably, they were still at their peak despite the long hours of fighting.

On the third day of their nonstop battle, the phantom made a mistake, and Ye Guan immediately took advantage of it. His sword drew a beautiful arc in the air, creating a mesmerizing display of art and brutality as it drew a long cut on the phantom’s back.

Thwack!

The phantom abruptly stopped moving. Moments later, the phantom raised its sword to its forehead and bowed toward Ye Guan. It faded away shortly afterward, leaving Ye Guan in the desolate silence of the ninth floor. 

Ye Guan couldn’t celebrate his victory at all, and there was a solemn atmosphere throughout the ninth floor. 

Just then, the shining door in the distance started vibrating, and a woman soon emerged from the door.

Ye Guan was surprised because she could recognize the woman. She was the same woman who had emerged from the shining door on the ninth floor of the Guanxuan Academy of Nanzhou’s trial tower.

The woman was the perfect example of grandeur as she walked over to Ye Guan with a sword sheath on her back.

Ye Guan asked, “Senior?” 

The lady woman smiled and said, “I didn't expect to meet you again so soon! Congratulations, you surpassed yourself!” 

Ye Guan asked quizzically, “I surpassed myself?” 

The woman replied, “That’s right! I designed this floor myself, and the phantom you fought was you. It represents your limit, and defeating it means defeating yourself. You have surpassed yourself, so I guess you’ve become a Sword Emperor!”

A Sword Emperor? Ye Guan was stunned. 

The woman blinked in confusion and asked, “Are you not happy?” 

Ye Guan asked, “Senior, is there any reward?” 

Sword Emperor? Can I eat that? It’s just a title. 

If it were Sword Immortal rather than Sword Emperor, Ye Guan reckoned that he would be more excited. 

A reward! The woman shook her head and chuckled. “You brat!” 

She flipped her palm over and revealed an emblem. 

Ye Guan’s expression darkened, and he asked, “Can you give me some money instead of this?” 

The woman pondered over his question, but she ended up apologizing. “I’m sorry, but I can only give you an emblem. The emblem is the reward rather than cultivation manuals or even money. Anyway, I really didn’t expect that you’re poor enough to choose money rather than this emblem!”

Ye Guan stiffened. 

The woman continued. “This emblem is extraordinary. It represents the conqueror of a trial tower. It is an honor to possess this emblem!” 

Ye Guan was silent. 

He didn’t need the glory that came along with the emblem—he needed money!

The woman felt helpless as she explained, “This emblem will prove useful to you in the future. Trust me; this emblem is priceless.”

Ye Guan could only sigh. 

He accepted the emblem and said, “Senior, can I make a suggestion? I suggest you change the rewards of your next towers to money or cultivation manuals. Emblems… they can’t be exchanged for meals or cultivation resources!”

The woman was stunned. 

Ye Guan seemed dissatisfied, but he still expressed his gratitude.

“Anyway, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Senior!” 

The woman finally recovered, and she proceeded to smack his head before bursting into a peal of laughter, “Work hard, I’m looking forward to the day of your arrival at the Main Academy!” 

With that, she disappeared. 

Ye Guan shook his head and sighed before turning around to leave. 

He was excited to head outside and find out how normal gravity felt compared to the gravity on the ninth floor. Ye Guan was also certain that he had grown tremendously stronger than before. I’m so excited to go outside!

Just then, Little Pagoda spoke, “You would have easily killed that phantom if you had used the Path Sword.”

Ye Guan shook his head and said, “I didn’t want to use it.” 

Little Pagoda asked, “Why?” 

Ye Guan said, “If I were to keep relying on external tools, I would eventually lose sight of my true identity. I’ll lose confidence in my own prowess, and I’ll eventually become afraid of fighting others without external tools!” 

Little Pagoda didn’t say anything in response.