Chapter 101: I'll Scram If He Doesn't Scram
He wanted to see the Sword Master.
Outsiders were not allowed to roam the confines of any Guanxuan Academies, but Ye Guan had come from the Martial Tower, so he was within the confines of the Guanxuan Academy.
No one took notice of him as he silently made his way to the Study Hall.
The Study Hall was one of the academy’s great halls. A staircase with a thousand stone steps led to the Study Hall, and innumerable squares paved with bluestones were at the bottom of the staircase. Those squares were often used by the students to cultivate.
As expected, Ye Guan saw a few students cultivating while sitting cross-legged within the squares. Ye Guan looked around and had to admit that the students of the Zhongtu Divine Continent’s Guanxuan Academy were indeed impressive.
The weakest student he had seen was a Space Shattering Realm cultivator, and he even saw a few Minor Tribulation Realm cultivators.
The school was filled with tigers and hidden dragons. Ye Guan honestly had no bad feelings toward the academy. This world was simply too pragmatic. Weak people would get looked down on, while experts would be bootlicked to no end.
There was even a popular proverb: the farts of the rich are fragrant.
It was depressing, but it was the reality.
Ye Guan soon found a statue that resembled the Sword Master. The statue was grand and lifelike, and it was more than thirty meters in height. The statue had a sword hanging by its waist, and it was looking upward with a collected look.
Ye Guan stared deeply at the statue before bowing slightly. He greatly admired the Sword Master. Ye Guan’s goal was to become a powerful figure like the Sword Master. He wanted to establish order and peace throughout the universe!
Of course, he was aware that the journey to his goal would be extremely difficult, and it made him admire the Sword Master even more. The Sword Master had done what others wouldn’t even dare to think of trying.
“You should give him a kowtow,” said Little Pagoda.
A kowtow? Ye Guan was stunned, but he soon shook his head and said, “I can’t!”
“Why not?” Little Pagoda asked, seemingly confused.
Ye Guan replied, “I still haven’t kowtowed to anyone! I admire the Sword Master, but I think kowtowing to him is a bit too much. A man should only kowtow to his parents!”
Little Pagoda remained silent.
Ye Guan made a sidelong glance at the Sword Master’s statue. He smiled wryly and asked, “Master Pagoda, why does it seem like the Sword Master and I resemble each other? What do you think? We look alike, right?”
“A bit,” Little Pagoda remarked.
Ye Guan chuckled before turning around to leave.
“Brother Ye!”
Ye Guan stopped in his tracks and turned to find Yun Chen.
Yun Chen was the tenth placer of the Martial List.
Yun Chen quickly walked up to Ye Guan and smiled. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”
“Brother Yun,” Ye Guan said with a smile.
Yun Chen was a bit surprised. “Why are you here, Brother Ye?”
Yun Chen was aware that Ye Guan wasn’t a student of the Guanxuan Academy.
Ye Guan replied, “I came here to see the Sword Master.”
“I see!”
“Yeah—” Ye Guan started.
“So you’re that Ye Guan!” shouted someone from the side.
Ye Guan turned and saw a young man walking toward him. The young man was handsome, and he was clad in a fancy brocade robe. He was smiling as he walked toward Ye Guan while holding a folding fan.
He was a handsome young man with a parade of ten people behind him consisting of both women and men.
The young man attracted the gazes of everyone.
“Young Lord Mo!” exclaimed a woman.
Yun Chen turned to Ye Guan and exclaimed, “Young Lord Mo is from the Profound Clan of the Guanxuan Universe. There’s a high chance that he’ll become one of our Student Representatives based on his connections.”
Ye Guan was bewildered, and he asked, “He’s from the Guanxuan Universe? Why is he here, then?”
Yun Chen smiled and replied, “Anyone from the Guanxuan Universe with the slightest bit of ego or strength wouldn’t bother to come down here. I think this bastard isn’t doing so well up there, so he decided to come down here to show off!”
The young man arrived in front of Ye Guan by the time Yun Chen was done with his explanation.
Ye Guan wordlessly looked at the young man.
Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered around them, and it was a crowd made out of mostly female students. At first, the female students had come here to take a closer look at Young Lord Mo. However, the female students’ gazes veered away from Young Lord Mo and landed on Ye Guan.
The female students could see that Ye Guan wasn’t inferior to Young Lord Mo at all!
Ye Guan wasn’t holding a sword, but his figure alone was like an unsheathed sword. His eyes were sharp, but they contained a hint of calmness and restraint.
The students reckoned that Ye Guan was capable of becoming a bastion for the weak, but he could also slaughter his enemies like a raging tsunami. The huge gap between his two temperaments inadvertently attracted the female students’ attention.
Young Lord Mo frowned in dissatisfaction upon noticing the attention that Ye Guan was receiving. It couldn’t be helped. He had always been the center of attention upon arriving here, so Ye Guan’s presence made him feel threatened.
Young Lord Mo smiled and said, “Young Lord Ye, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you’re a student of this academy.”
“Indeed, I am not here,” Ye Guan said with a nod.
Young Lord Mo’s eyes narrowed. “In that case, I don’t think you should be here.”
Ye Guan pondered over something for a few moments before saying, “The Sword Master is the reason why the world has enjoyed many years of peace, so I admire him a lot. I’ve come here to express my admiration for him.”
Ye Guan paused and added, “If my actions have caused you displeasure, I apologize for my actions, Young Lord Mo. Please do not pick on me. I’m just a lowly swordsman. I can’t afford to offend an important figure like you. I’ll leave… I’m leaving right now!”
Afterward, Ye Guan actually turned around and left.
Yun Chen was stunned. Since when did Brother Ye become so patient?
He made a sidelong glance and saw a visibly upset Young Lord Mo.
The onlookers frowned as well. He went too far. Ye Guan was just here to pay respects to the Sword Master. Was there any need for him to be so rude?
Everyone’s gazes on Young Lord Mo turned cold.
Young Lord Mo’s face darkened.
“Wait!” he called out.
Ye Guan stopped in his tracks.
He turned to face Young Lord Mo and asked, “How may I help you, Young Lord Mo?”
Young Lord Mo chuckled and said, “You’ve misunderstood me, Young Lord Ye! I had no intention of chasing you away.”
Ye Guan nodded and replied, “Is that so? I understand. I shall take my leave, then.”
He turned around to leave, but Young Lord Mo stopped him by shouting, “Young Lord Ye! I happen to be Lady An’s acquaintance.”
Ye Guan turned to look at Young Lord Mo.
Young Lord Mo chuckled and said, “I heard that you’ve offended the An Clan. I just thought that I should remind you that Lady An’s temper isn’t that great.
”You must be careful in the upcoming Destiny Contest. Of course, that is if you’re gutsy enough to join the contest!”
Young Lord Mo was trying to humiliate him using someone else’s prestige.
Ye Guan sighed and said, “Everyone, Young Lord Mo has mentioned Lady An, so I think I should say a few words. I’m sure everyone here knows that I’m the champion of the recent martial contest on the Upper Realm.
”I fought a fair battle against An Mu, but the An Clan decided to intervene in the fight. I still managed to kill An Mu and become the champion, but from then on, the An Clan had been treating me as their clan’s sworn enemy.”
Ye Guan paused before continuing. “I’m sure everyone here knows how unfair the world is if one doesn’t have enough connections or backing. The An Clan has interfered once more to bring the Destiny Contest forward.
”They clearly don’t want me to grow any further. They want to kill me as soon as possible!”
Ye Guan chuckled bitterly and said, “My family background isn’t great, and I don’t have a Dao Protector to protect me. I can’t beat the An Clan by myself, and the Guanxuan Academy isn’t willing to uphold justice for me.
“I am rather insignificant compared to the An Clan, and no one would dare to offend the An Clan for my sake!”
Everyone fell silent. They were aware of the details behind the issue between Ye Guan and the An Clan, and that was exactly why the onlookers were sympathetic toward Ye Guan.
Academy Chief Gu was secretly watching Ye Guan from afar. Academy Chief Gu’s gaze turned cold upon seeing Young Lord Mo. Discipline Department Head Li Qiu was also watching the scene with a frown.
The two of them immediately made their way over to the Sword Master’s statue upon hearing that Ye Guan had decided to visit the statue. Their reaction wasn’t strange because they had to keep tabs on Ye Guan’s actions.
Ye Guan stared deeply at Young Lord Mo. He sounded wronged and serious as he said, “Young Lord Mo, I do not wish for the Guanxuan Academy to stand up for me or to resolve my grievances for me, but please don’t kick someone when they’re already down. If my visit to the Sword Master has somehow offended you, I apologize. I shouldn’t have come here. Your displeasure is my fault.”
“What are you saying, Brother Ye?” Yun Chen chimed in. “Our academy has never prohibited outsiders from visiting the Sword Master’s statue here. You’ve come here to pay respects to the Sword Master, and no one has the right to criticize you for it!”
The onlookers nodded at Yun Chen’s words, and they directed their displeased glares at Young Lord Mo. This is really going too far! Why is he bullying such an honest and kind-looking swordsman?! This is too much!
Young Lord Mo glared at Ye Guan. You’ve set me up!”
Ye Guan chuckled bitterly and said, “I wouldn’t dare, Young Lord Mo. You’re from a great clan within the Guanxuan Universe, and you’re Lady An’s friend. I’ve also heard that it’s only a matter of time before you become a Student Representative here, so I wouldn’t dare to set you up!”
Ye Guan paused for a few moments before continuing. “However, I understand where you’re coming from, Young Lord Mo. Lady An is such a brilliant woman from a great clan, so it’s understandable that you would like to get into her good books.
”My visit must have been the golden opportunity that you’ve been waiting for. There’s enmity between the An Clan and me, so you would definitely get into the An Clan and Lady An’s good books by stepping on me.”
The onlookers’ gazes darkened, and they turned to glare at Young Lord Mo. The onlookers were smart, so they had been wondering why Young Lord Mo had decided to pick on him.
So it’s all for the sake of getting into the An Clan’s good books? What a bootlicker! It will be a disgrace if he becomes one of our Student Representatives.
Young Lord Mo’s face turned ugly.
He glared furiously at Ye Guan as he stammered. “Y-y-you…!”
Academy Chief Gu shook his head and said, “Tell him to pack up and leave!”
“Are you sure?” asked Discipline Department Head Li Qiu before saying, “The Profound Clan sent him here, and he’s also the academy’s—”
“I’ll scram if he doesn’t scram!” Academy Chief Gu shouted fiercely. He turned around and left while muttering to himself, “A dumbass like him actually wants to become a Student Representative? I might as well replace him with a pig! What a stupid piece of shit!”
…