Ye Guan felt as light as a feather upon leaving the trial tower, and it took him quite a while to get used to the gravity in the outside world. He was also thrilled to discover that he could move ten times faster in the outside world. 

His sword had also become ten times faster than before. He could finally kill someone in an instant—he could kill them in the blink of an eye! Ye Guan closed his eyes. Was he already at his limits? 

No, Ye Guan felt that he could still become faster. Unfortunately, his current speed was the limit of his understanding of spacetime. He turned around to look at the trial tower behind him, feeling slightly emotional. 

Little Pagoda asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I often feel like I've hit my limit, but when I put in the effort, I realize that I can still grow stronger by working even harder,” said Ye Guan. He paused for a few moments before asking, “Master Pagoda, does someone’s potential really have a limit?”

“Some have limited potential while some are limitless,” replied Little Pagoda.

Ye Guan chuckled. “I see…”

“I’m not trying to discourage you here, brat, but I’ve seen too many talented and hardworking people. I’m just trying to say that you must never become complacent.

”I want you to remember that there are always stronger people out there,” said Little Pagoda.

“I understand.” Ye Guan nodded before asking, “Master Pagoda, were you once an extremely powerful existence?”

Little Pagoda calmly replied, “I was okay.”

Ye Guan blinked. “Okay?” 

Little Pagoda said, “Under three swords, I was invincible. Above three swords, it was one-for-one.” 

The mysterious voice didn’t know what to say.

Ye Guan’s curiosity was piqued. “Three swords?”

Little Pagoda answered, “It’s another story for another time!”

Ye Guan had more questions, but a woman was walking toward him. 

He was taken aback to see that the woman was Luo Zhaoqi! 

Luo Zhaoqi walked over to Ye Guan and smiled before asking, “Young Lord Ye, did you just come out from the tower?”

Ye Guan nodded and asked, “Lady Luo, did you come here to cultivate?”

Luo Zhaoqi smiled and replied, “Yes.”

Ye Guan smiled as well and politely said, “Then, I shall not keep you busy. I’m taking my leave, goodbye!”

With that, he started walking away.

“Young Lord Ye, wait!” Luo Zhaoqi called out to him.

Ye Guan turned around. 

Luo Zhaoqi was still smiling as she asked, “May I ask what floor you managed to reach?”

“The ninth floor.”

Luo Zhaoqi was stunned. She soon composed herself and shook her head. 

“Since Young Lord Ye doesn’t wish to tell me the truth… forget I asked,” she said.

Ye Guan stared at her for quite a while before saying, “Goodbye, then.”

With that, he left the trial peak. 

Luo Zhaoqi stared at his departing back and frowned slightly. Ninth floor? Impossible! 

She had never been able to escape the clutches of the eighth floor, and she was aware of just how terrifying the gravity was on the eighth floor of the trial tower. 

In other words, acclimatizing to the gravity on the ninth floor was like ascending a towering, vertical mountain—it was an extremely difficult task.

Luo Zhaoqi was convinced that Ye Guan simply didn’t want to tell her anything. With that thought in mind, she walked away and entered the trial tower.

…

When Ye Guan returned to the Siao Residence, Siao Ge, Sun Xiong, and Nalan Jia were still busy with their cultivation. It wasn’t strange because there were still three days before the martial contest. 

Fei Banqing suddenly appeared in front of Ye Guan. She examined him from top to bottom and asked, “Are you done cultivating in the tower?”

“Yes.”

“How much progress have you made?”

“A lot!”

Fei Banqing was taken aback. “A lot?”

“Yes,” Ye Guan said with a nod.

“Great,” Fei Banqing nodded before asking, “Are you aiming for the top ten?” 

Ye Guan blinked and said, “I’m aiming for first place.”

Fei Banqing shook her head and smiled, “I wasn’t serious, you brat. Don’t be too pressured; getting into the top ten is enough. You’re going to break the record of our Guanxuan Academy by getting into the top ten.”

Ye Guan smiled and replied, “I’ll do my best.”

“Great!” Fei Banqing said. “Do you know how the contest is going to be held?”

Ye Guan shook his head and replied, “No, I don’t.”

“The martial contest will be split into three rounds. The first round will eliminate the majority of the participants. It is an endurance test, and those capable of lasting for an hour will enter the second round. The first round’s goal is to eliminate eighty percent of the participants.”

Ye Guan frowned. “Eighty percent?”

Fei Banqing nodded and said, “Yes. For most people, the martial contest is a ticket back to their hometowns.”

“The second round is ruthless because you have to survive in the Endless Demon Domain,” said Fei Banqing.

“The Endless Demon Domain?” asked Ye Guan.

Fei Banqing nodded and explained, “The Endless Demon Domain belongs to the Demon Realm, and it’s a domain filled with many different powerful demonic beasts.

”A hundred participants entered the domain in the previous martial contest, but less than twenty of them emerged at the end of the contest. The Endless Demon Domain is a ruthless and dangerous domain. There’s a high chance that you’ll die there.”

Ye Guan nodded slightly and asked, “What about the third round?”

“The third round is even more ruthless, and the objective is to capture a flag in a wasteland. The wasteland has ten flags, and each flag represents a placing.

”The flagn the middle of the wasteland houses the first-place flag. On the right and left of the first-place flag are the second-place and third-place flags, respectively. A state can only capture one flag,” explained Fei Banqing.

“Retrieve the token that corresponds to the ranking that you want to achieve in the martial contest,” said Fei Banqing.

Ye Guan nodded slightly. “I understand.”

Fei Banqing nodded and continued. “The third round is ruthless because there are no holds barred. The participants can use any method to get what they want.”

”You can use any spiritual artifacts. You can also summon powerful demonic beasts, but you need to have established a contract with those beasts before you are allowed to bring them with you.”

“Really?” asked Ye Guan. He was surprised by the revelation.

Fei Banqing explained, “The third round will test not only your strength as an individual but also your arsenal, your family background, and your backers.”

Ye Guan fell into silence. 

“Wouldn’t that be unfair for some people?” he asked hesitantly.

“Do you really think that this world is fair?” retorted Fei Banqing.

Ye Guan went silent once more. 

Fei Banqing saw that and continued. “There’s a quite popular saying from the Sword Master: ‘Spiritual artifacts and treasures, family background, and backers are also part of a cultivator’s prowess.’”

Ye Guan and Little Pagoda were rendered speechless.

The mysterious voice couldn’t help but ask, “Did he really say that?”

Little Pagoda replied, “What do you think?”

The mysterious voice went silent.

Meanwhile, Fei Banqing added, “This world is unfair, and your existence is unfair as well. It’s unfair that you have a sword dao inheritance while they do not. Qingzhou has many trump cards up its sleeves, and it’s unfair. Why do they have trump cards while you do not?”

Ye Guan nodded and muttered, “I see…”

Fei Banqing smiled and said, “I was serious when I said that getting into the top ten is good enough. Don’t force yourself to go against Qingzhou. It’s important to be alive more than anything.”

Ye Guan’s heart became filled with warmth.

“Yes, I understand,” he said, reassuring her.

Just then, Nalan Jia walked over to them. 

Fei Banqing smiled upon seeing her. “Little Jia!”

Nalan Jia bowed slightly and said, “Teacher!”

Fei Banqing examined her as well and asked, “How do you feel?”

“I feel awesome.”

“Great!” Fei Banqing smiled. 

She flipped her palm open, and two white jade bottles appeared in front of Ye Guan and Nalan Jia.

Ye Guan asked, “Tutor Fei, what are these?”

Fei Banqing explained, “They contain Sky-grade pills. I’m sorry, but the academy’s finances are tight. We can’t afford to give you better pills or a spiritual artifact.”

Ye Guan peeked at the pills in the jade bottles.

“Tutor Fei, these pills are good enough,” he said.

With that, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia stored the jade bottles away.

Nalan Jia smiled and said, “Teacher, you should get ready. Our Guanxuan Academy will become famous in the martial contest!”

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia left. 

Song Fu appeared next to Fei Banqing. He stared at the departing figures of the two students and muttered, “They’re extremely talented. It’s a pity that our academy is too impoverished to give them better pills or even an artifact.”

Fei Banqing replied, “They’ll step onto a much better stage for their growth once the martial contest is over.”

Song Fu nodded, but he was also unwilling to part with Ye Guan and Nalan Jia. It had taken them many years for them to produce two heaven-defying talents. 

Unfortunately, Song Fu and Fei Banqing were also aware that those two would only lose out if they were to stay in Nanzhou.

Talent wasn’t good enough in this world…

Family background, backers, and an excellent stage to stand on were also necessary. Fei Banqing was aware of that, so she said, “Their family backgrounds aren’t that great, so we can only allow them to step onto a better stage.” 

Song Fu nodded in agreement.

… 

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia slowly walked through the garden. 

Nalan Jia asked, “How much progress have you made?”

“A lot!” replied Ye Guan. 

Nalan Jia blinked and asked once more, “How much?”

“I’ve improved by leaps and bounds,” said Ye Guan.

Nalan Jia shook her head and smiled. 

Ye Guan asked her, “What about you? How much progress have you made?”

Nalan Jia almost immediately replied, “A lot!”

The two stared at each other for a moment before laughing at the same time.

The pair continued their stroll while chatting and laughing together as the sun started to set above them. There was a warm and peaceful air between them.

Time passed by, and the day of the martial contest finally arrived. On the daybreak of the martial contest, a loud noise echoed throughout Shang City. The talents from all three hundred and sixty states took to the skies and headed for Yun City.

Hundreds of people soared into the sky at the same time, creating a surreal view. 

The four representatives of Nanzhou’s Guanxuan Academy—Ye Guan, Nalan Jia, Sun Xiong, and Siao Ge—were among the many people in the sky. Soon, more than a thousand people pierced the clouds and arrived in front of Yun City. 

The walls of Yun City were more than thirty meters high and hundreds of meters wide. The gates were just as tall as the majestic walls, and they gave off a magnificent and imposing aura.

Everyone excitedly gathered in front of the city gates.

All of a sudden, a massive crystal orb rose and hovered over the city. 

“Look! Isn’t that a Cloud Projection Orb?”

At the same time, a massive curtain hovered in the skies above the Guanxuan Academies of the three hundred and sixty states. It wouldn’t take a genius to deduce that the martial contest would be broadcasted live to every Guanxuan Academy throughout the three hundred and sixty states.

Luo Zhaoqi appeared in front of the city gates. She swept her gaze across everyone and smiled before saying, “Everyone, welcome to the Guanxuan Academy! I am here to declare the start of the martial contest!”

Her words rang loud and clear, and the city gates behind her slowly creaked open.

…