A Great Sword Cultivator?
Of course, he wasn't truly a Great Sword Cultivator. The reason his sword emitted sword energy was primarily because he had activated the One Sword to Decide Life and Death technique, and the sword energy was a unique characteristic of that technique.
He himself had not yet reached the level of a Great Sword Cultivator, though he was not far from it.
When the spirit sword in Ye Xuan's hand emitted a faint glow, the room suddenly fell silent!
The powerful individuals who had approached Ye Xuan paused, their eyes filled with shock and seriousness.
Sword cultivators were rare, but regular sword cultivators weren't that uncommon. However, a Great Sword Cultivator was a different story!
How many people were there in the entire Jiang Country?
There were fewer than a hundred Great Sword Cultivators on record, and even more astonishing, the young man before them was only how old?
What kind of terrifying power could nurture such a young Great Sword Cultivator?
The veiled woman suddenly glanced at the two corpses on the ground. "Throw these two bodies overboard to feed the dogs. And as for the one who ran away earlier, capture him, beat him to death, and throw him off the Cloudship!"
She then looked at Ye Xuan. "Prepare a special-class cabin for this young master, and do not neglect him!"
With that, she turned and left.
In the room, the guards bowed slightly to Ye Xuan before leaving. One of the guards said respectfully, "Young master, please follow me."
After a moment's hesitation, Ye Xuan took Ye Ling and followed.
Led by the guard, the siblings arrived at the special-class cabin. When they entered, they were stunned.
It was big!
Very big!
The entire special-class cabin was at least ten times larger than their previous room. It was luxuriously decorated, almost like a palace, and even the floor was covered in a soft animal skin of unknown origin.
The guard behind them bowed slightly and then retreated.
"Wow!"
Ye Ling looked around in amazement. "Brother, this room is so big and so beautiful!"
Ye Xuan gently rubbed Ye Ling's head, smiling without saying a word.
Ye Ling seemed to think of something and looked up at Ye Xuan. "Brother, is it because you're a Great Sword Cultivator that they're treating us like this?"
Ye Xuan nodded.
"Why?" Ye Ling was puzzled.
Ye Xuan smiled. "Because of reality."
Ye Ling was about to ask more when the door suddenly knocked. Ye Xuan turned around. "Come in!"
The door opened, and a woman walked in.
It was the veiled woman in the purple dress from earlier!
The veiled woman sat to the side and gestured. "Young master, please sit."
Ye Xuan sat across from her, while Ye Ling obediently sat nearby, staring at the veiled woman with curiosity.
The veiled woman poured tea for Ye Xuan. "This is Lingxian Bamboo Tip Tea—please have a taste, young master."
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. "Thank you, miss."
He took a sip, and the tea was sweet and cool, soothing and delightful!
Good tea!
Ye Xuan set down the cup and looked at the veiled woman. "I am Ye Xuan, from Qingcheng."
The veiled woman glanced at him. "My name is Han Xiangmeng."
Ye Xuan smiled and said nothing more. The woman only gave her name, clearly unwilling to reveal too much.
Han Xiangmeng took a small sip of tea, then said, "Young master, you have become a Great Sword Cultivator at such a young age. I assume you were trained by a prestigious sect. May I know which sect?"
She was probing his background!
Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile.
Seeing this, Han Xiangmeng frowned slightly. "What do you mean, young master?"
Ye Xuan looked directly at her. "Miss Han, forgive my bluntness—when you befriend someone, do you look at their background?"
Han Xiangmeng narrowed her eyes, clearly not expecting Ye Xuan to speak this way.
Ye Xuan continued, "Miss Han, when making friends, sincerity is key—not playing games or judging based on family status. Of course, if that's how you make friends, then I won't accompany you."
He stood and looked at Ye Ling in the distance. "Let's go!"
Ye Ling obediently ran to Ye Xuan's side.
Ye Xuan showed no hesitation as he turned to leave. But just as the siblings reached the door, Han Xiangmeng suddenly said, "Please wait, young master!"
Ye Xuan paused, and Han Xiangmeng spoke softly. "I was being presumptuous earlier. Please don't take offense, young master."
Ye Xuan turned back to look at her. "Miss Han, you didn't hold me accountable for the earlier killing—I will remember this favor and repay it in the future."
With those words, he made it clear they were keeping their distance.
Han Xiangmeng understood his meaning, but she didn't explain further. She nodded slightly. "It's late—please rest early, young master."
With that, she turned and left the cabin.
Outside, an old man appeared behind Han Xiangmeng. "Miss?"
Han Xiangmeng stopped. "He's a sword cultivator indeed, with a rather unpleasant temper."
The old man nodded. "Sword cultivators are solitary, and many have strange temperaments. You revealed your name earlier—that was sincere enough, yet he thinks you're arrogant. Truly..."
Han Xiangmeng shook her head. "It's fine. His direct personality, though annoying to some, is much better than those who are deceitful. Send my orders—until they reach the Imperial Capital, they will stay in the special-class cabin, and everything they receive must be of special-class treatment. No negligence is allowed!"
With that, she disappeared into the distance.
In the cabin.
"Brother, is being a Great Sword Cultivator amazing?"
"It should be quite amazing!"
"Brother, aren't you a Great Sword Cultivator?"
"Of course, your brother is a Great Sword Cultivator—almost one!"
"Wow, brother, you're lying..."
"Hmph... you know too much—I'll have to silence you!"
"Heehee, I'm not afraid at all..."
Half an hour later, after tucking in the already asleep Ye Ling, Ye Xuan entered the Prison Tower.
Training!
Only the strong are respected!
Reality constantly reminded him of this truth!
He was now at the peak of the Qi Transformation Realm and was also at the peak of a junior sword cultivator. His speed, strength, and reflexes had almost reached their limits.
Though he was in the Qi Transformation Realm, his strength was far beyond what an ordinary Qi Mastery Realm cultivator could handle. As for those in the same realm, he couldn't claim invincibility, but he was certainly among the top.
However, he understood that martial cultivation was like rowing against the current—if he didn't advance, he would fall behind. So he dared not slack off for even a moment!
Now, when he sparred against the shadow in the Prison Tower, he could fight to a draw. But he wasn't satisfied—his goal was to defeat the shadow!
In the Prison Tower, Ye Xuan was alone, but he was used to it. As for the mysterious woman, she rarely spoke, and Ye Xuan never bothered her—he knew she wouldn't engage in small talk with him.
Training was both dull and lonely.
Two hours later, Ye Xuan stopped, standing with his sword in hand, his entire body soaked in sweat.
Looking at the Lingxiao Sword in his hand, Ye Xuan asked, "Senior, why is it that each time I spar with the shadow, I feel like I've reached my limit, but then the next time I spar, I feel the same again? Have you been strengthening the shadow?"
After a moment, the mysterious woman's voice echoed. "The fact that you feel this way means you're improving every time. As for limits, there are none. Your foundation is decent, but only in places like Qingcheng and Jiang Country. In the larger nations and major sects, you'd be considered average. So staying in the Qi Transformation Realm for a while longer is beneficial, but don't stay too long. You'll have to figure out the spirit sword issue yourself."
Ye Xuan nodded. "Understood."
What he needed to do was improve in every aspect before reaching the Qi Mastery Realm.
After finishing his training, Ye Xuan washed up and rested.
Training required moderation—overdoing it could be fatal!
After one and a half hours, Ye Xuan awoke!
Ye Ling had also woken up!
Soon, someone brought them breakfast—a variety of dishes, which the siblings devoured.
After living in poverty for so long, having such a good meal was a rare treat—they couldn't waste it!
After eating, Ye Xuan took Ye Ling out of the cabin and went up to the Cloudship's deck.
The Cloudship was already in the air, at least several hundred feet above the ground.
Many people were gathered on the deck. The siblings made their way to the bow of the ship—a spot reserved for those in special-class cabins, with the best view.
Ye Xuan looked up. In the distance, mountains surrounded them, and birds occasionally flew across the sky.
"Wow!"
Beside him, Ye Ling exclaimed excitedly, "Brother, look! The mountains are getting smaller."
Ye Xuan gently patted her head, then gazed into the distance. As he looked at the distant green mountains and white clouds, he became lost in thought.
On the ground, his view had been limited. But now, in the sky, what he saw was entirely different, and what he thought about was different too.
Qingcheng was small—the world was vast!
He was small—the heavens and earth were immense!
Seeing Ye Xuan's expression, Ye Ling fell silent. She knew her brother was deep in thought, so she quietly moved to the side, holding onto the railing and marveling, "It's so beautiful!"
"What a bumpkin!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice came from beside her. Ye Ling turned to see a boy around her age, dressed in luxurious clothes, though he was so overweight that his eyes were nearly buried in his flesh.
Ye Ling turned away—she didn't want to cause trouble for her brother.
But the boy walked up to her, glancing at her with disdain. "Look at your clothes—there are even patches. Can you not afford a decent set of clothes?"
Ye Ling said indifferently, "Clothes are just clothes—as long as I can wear them, it doesn't matter. I only need my brother."
The boy patted his clothes proudly. "Do you know what this is made of? This is the skin of a spirit fox—it could buy a hundred thousand sets of your clothes!"
Ye Ling glanced at his outfit and said, "I don't care. I have my brother."
The boy took out a crystal-clear jade, and Ye Ling's eyes were immediately drawn to it.
The jade was pure and flawless, very beautiful!
Seeing that Ye Ling was interested, the boy said smugly, "This is top-quality spirit jade, worth a fortune. Do you have anything like it?"
Ye Ling snorted. "I have my brother!"
The boy snapped, "Can you stop talking about your brother?!"
Ye Ling ignored him, instead looking up at the distant sky, murmuring softly, "I only have my brother..."