The city gates were finally opened, and the crowd rushed into the city. 

The entire city was empty, and there weren’t any buildings.

Ye Guan and the others were excited as well. 

The martial contest was held only once every decade, and it would be broadcasted live across all three hundred and sixty states. 

Ye Guan lifted his head to look at the Cloud Projection Orb. The Ye Clan of Nanzhou had to be watching the martial contest as well.

Luo Zhaoqi appeared once more. 

She smiled at everyone and said, “You have trained hard over the past ten years, and it is about time you make your name known to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, fight for your family, fight for yourself, and fight for honor! All the best!”

Luo Zhaoqi turned around and left.

Fight for your family, fight for yourself, and fight for honor!

Everyone’s blood started to boil in excitement. 

What were they hoping to gain from cultivating for so many years? 

They wanted to become famous and profit from the martial contest, but they all had the same goals down the road—they all wanted to be free and live for a long time. 

The excitement of the crowd boiled over. They couldn’t wait to achieve something in the martial contest and become a hero of their own states.

Who wouldn’t want to make a name for themselves? Who wouldn’t want to be the subject of everyone’s admiration? They all wanted to be famous, and today was the day they would become one of the most famous people in the world!

The clouds above them parted, and a terrifying pressure bored down on them.

Thud!

A hundred people were forced to their knees right there and then. Everyone’s faces changed. The overwhelming pressure was like a bucket of cold water that extinguished everyone’s excitement out of the blue.

If they wanted to become famous, they would have to show people that they were worthy of admiration.

Those who were forced to their knees couldn’t get up at all. Out of the remaining people that were still standing, many of them looked like they were having difficulty resisting the pressure. Soon, more people collapsed to the ground.

Ye Guan remained calm. He couldn’t feel anything at all. Nalan Jia and Siao Ge looked calm as well, but Sun Xiong seemed to be having some trouble.

However, it seemed that there was more where the pressure had come from because it got even heavier, demoralizing those who thought that they had a chance of surviving the first round. 

They despaired and collapsed to the ground.

The weaker ones were pinned to the ground, and they forfeited upon realizing that they couldn’t resist the pressure at all. Upon forfeiting, a mysterious force teleported them away to a safe location.

The number of people who were still standing dwindled as time went by.

Ye Guan glanced at Mu Yunhan and Ao Han. They were calm, seemingly unaffected by the pressure. A young man wearing a brocade robe was standing in front of them with his hands behind his back. 

His eyes were closed, and he looked like a meditating monk. 

Many people were looking at him, and it seemed that he was the mysterious talent of Qingzhou.

Ye Guan looked away and observed Zuo Fu.

Zuo Fu’s eyes were shut. His hands were hidden in his sleeves, and he was chanting in an ancient language while giving off a mysterious aura.

All of a sudden, Zuo Fu opened his eyes and looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan was stunned.

The mysterious young man from Qingzhou also opened his eyes to look at Ye Guan.

Ao Han also looked at Ye Guan and asked, “An Mu, is there something wrong?”

A Mu closed his eyes once again and replied, “It’s nothing.”

Meanwhile, the number of participants continued to dwindle. It hadn’t even been half an hour since the first round started, but there were only less than a hundred people remaining. 

The first round was truly ruthless but effective. The first round eliminated those who would definitely be eliminated down the road for being too weak, so it essentially saved everyone’s time.

Ye Guan closed his eyes, and he was still completely unaffected by the powerful pressure. He wasn’t daring enough to say that his willpower was unmatched, but he was as sturdy as a boulder. 

It would take more than this pressure to disturb him.

Siao Ge and Nalan Jia were still doing well, but Sun Xiong was visibly struggling. It wasn’t strange because he was the weakest of Nanzhou’s representatives. However, he was still trying his best because he didn’t want to return to Nanzhou so soon.

Time went by, and more people collapsed to the ground. 

Those who were still standing were pretty much the cream of the crop. To some people, every second felt like a year because the pressure was getting stronger as time went by.

The faces of some participants turned pale, and their foreheads were soon covered with sweat. They were trying their best to hold out. This was a once-in-a-decade opportunity, so they weren’t going to give it up so easily. 

Giving up meant abandoning the chance to become a student of the Upper Realm’s Guanxuan Academy as well as abandoning the chance to go to Zhongtu Divine Continent.

If one wanted to go to the fabled Zhongtu Divine Continent, one had to be a student of the Upper Realm’s Guanxuan Academy before anything else. However, the Upper Realm’s Guanxuan Academy would only accept the cream of the crop.

One had to prove their worth to be enrolled!

The participants were aware that this might be their one and only chance to prove their worth. The further they got into this martial contest, the higher their chances of being accepted by the Upper Realm’s Guanxuan Academy.

Time ruthlessly passed by, and the mysterious pressure finally disappeared. 

Those who were still standing let out sighs of relief, and they soon beamed in excitement because they clearly passed the first round.

Ye Guan looked around and saw that there were only eighty-two participants remaining. There were more than a thousand of them, but now, there were only eighty-two participants. 

He had to admit… the elimination rate was terrifying.

Soon, Luo Zhaoqi appeared once again. She was wearing a long red dress that made her look like an alluring scholar. She immediately attracted the eyes of the men who were watching the martial contest at the moment.

She swept her gaze across everyone and smiled. “Congratulations on passing the first round! I believe that your loved ones in your hometowns are already celebrating your achievement.”

The participants looked up at the Cloud Projection Orb. Their loved ones were definitely watching them right now. 

Ye Guan looked up and stared at the Cloud Projection Orb as well. A group of students in Nanzhou’s Guanxuan Academy erupted into cheers. 

“Ye Guan! He’s looking at us!”

Ye Xiao was also looking at Ye Guan. He couldn’t help but start trembling when his gaze met Ye Guan’s gaze. He held Ye Nan’s hand tightly, and his voice was trembling as he muttered, “It’s Little Guan! Look, it’s Little Guan…”

Song Ci had personally gone over to Ancient Desolate City to escort the Ye Clan to the Guanxuan Academy. Ye Guan, Siao Ge, and Nalan Jia were Nanzhou’s greatest rays of hope, so their families were treated with the utmost respect. 

“Yes, I see it! It’s Little Guan!” Ye Nan exclaimed in excitement.

The members of the Ye Clan were also thrilled to see Ye Guan. 

The calm and reserved Second Elder was even grinning while staring at the projection above them.

Ye Guan wasn’t just representing Nanzhou’s Guanxuan Academy but the entire Ye Clan as well.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan looked away and smiled. He knew that the Ye Clan was watching him right now. He took a deep breath and decided. I’ll fight! I’ll fight for first place! Why should the first place belong to Qingzhou? Are they entitled to it because Qingzhou is the birthplace of the Sword Master? So what?

Ye Guan respected the Sword Master and even regarded him as his role model, but he believed that fear and respect were two different things. He could respect someone, but he didn’t have to be afraid of that someone.

Fear would make one treat a certain someone as if they were a god. Hero-worshiping a certain someone would become an obstacle in one’s own path because one would surely treat their god’s words as gospel.

Ye Guan’s thoughts gave him a newfound understanding, and he started to relax. 

Moments later, the Path Sword within him quivered ever so slightly, and a strand of sword intent threatened to flow out of him. 

Ye Guan’s expression abruptly changed. He hurriedly suppressed the sword intent, and it gradually calmed down. However, Ye Guan could vividly feel that the sword intent within him had become even stronger than before. 

Ye Guan was baffled, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Master Pagoda, what happened just now?”

Little Pagoda explained, “The strength of a swordsman’s sword intent depends on their mental state. A mental breakthrough means that your sword intent will become even stronger, which will make you a stronger swordsman overall.

”Anyway, congratulations! You’ve become a more powerful swordsman. If I were to gauge you using the sword cultivation realms, I’d say that you’re a half step away from becoming a Sword Saint.”

Ye Guan frowned and asked, “I’m a half step away from becoming a Sword Saint? What are the sword cultivation realms?”

“Swordsmen are given titles according to their sword cultivation realm—Sword Apprentice, Sword Cultivator, Sword Exalt, Sword Emperor, Sword Saint, Sword Immortal, Great Sword Immortal, and finally, Sword Sovereign.

“The Tianyun Sword Sovereign you’ve mentioned is a Sword Sovereign. Honestly, she’s strong enough to be considered beyond a Sword Sovereign, but the peak of the sword cultivation realms is Sword Sovereign,” explained Little Pagoda. 

Little Pagoda paused before continuing. “Of course, a Sword Sovereign is just a title, and it doesn’t mean that they’re the strongest cultivators out there. There are a few powerful swordsmen that do not care about such titles at all.”

Ye Guan was agitated. “Master Pagoda, since I’m already half a step away from Sword Saint, doesn’t that mean that I’m progressing too quickly? Sword Immortal is the next one after Sword Saint, right? That means I just have to reach the next realm, and I’ll become a Sword Immortal—a Sword Immortal!”

Little Pagoda was silent for quite a while before it said, “It’s just a title. Don’t get carried away!”

However, Ye Guan was still agitated. “Master Pagoda… I think I stand a chance at becoming a Sword Immortal!”

Little Pagoda immediately went silent. It wanted to say more, but the mysterious voice warned it.

“Stop talking! You should give him some hope to fuel his ambition,” said the mysterious voice.

Little Pagoda obliged and went silent.

Ye Guan was thrilled. Sword Immortals were legendary figures, but he actually stood a chance to become a Sword Immortal? How could he not be excited about it?

Siao Ge glanced at Ye Guan and saw the latter’s excitement. 

What is going on? We just passed the first round, so what’s up with Brother Ye? Why is he so excited?

Meanwhile, Luo Zhaoqi’s voice echoed. “After a short break, we will teleport all of you to the Endless Demon Domain. Your task is simple—cross the Endless Demon Domain and reach the endpoint to pass the second round.”

Luo Zhaoqi swept her gaze across everyone and warned. “A friendly reminder—the demonic beasts in the Endless Demon Domain have an appetite for humans. Be extra careful if you come across one.”

Everyone’s expression turned grim. The ruthless first round made it clear to everyone that the difficulty of the martial contest couldn’t be underestimated.

The teleportation arrays spurred into action.

Nalan Jia pulled Ye Guan and said, “Come here!”

Ye Guan walked over to the teleportation array in front of Nalan Jia.

“A teleportation array can only bring two people away, and it’ll drop you off at a random location,” Nalan Jia explained. She turned to look at Siao Ge and Sun Xiong before saying, “Let’s find a way to group up later.” 

Siao Ge nodded and said, “Be careful!”

The teleportation arrays activated, teleporting everyone away.