Other than the elusive Sky of Freedom, the next most mysterious existence in the Firmament was probably the Sword Hut.
The palaces of the God Monarchs were known for their grandeur and splendor, but the God Monarch of the Sky of Heavenly Sword lived in an ordinary-looking straw hut.
“Monarch…”
A middle-aged man walked into the Sword Hut to report something, but he was interrupted before he could finish his words.
“I have heard. A genius who specializes in swordsmanship has appeared on the Celestial Mountain.”
“Y-yes, that’s the case…” the middle-aged man nodded in response.
“I have seen his swordplay, and it’s indeed remarkable. He has achieved a level of conceptualization that’s almost on par with ours… But he’s not someone we are looking for,” a calm voice sounded from within the straw hut.
“But the Bell of Conferred Kings has sounded…”
The middle-aged man was taken aback. He exclaimed in a fluster, “If we don’t hurry, the other powers might just beat us to it. That would mean that our Sword Hut will receive fewer slots in the next Flood of Spiritual Energy, and we will have our territories taken away from us as well…”
“Are those important to us? Our Sword Hut aims to nurture sword practitioners to forge a Sword Intent and conceptualization that belongs to them and them alone. It’s not about charging ahead and learning blindly,” the voice in the straw hut said.
“No matter how well one leams, the highest level one can reach will just be a mere reflection of what others have already achieved. There’s no need to worry about the Flood of Spiritual Energy. The person I am waiting for has already appeared, and I’ll be paying a visit to him personally very soon.”
“I understand…”
Seeing that the God Monarch had his own plans, the middle-aged man lowered his posture and backed out of the room respectfully.
“Sigh!”
Shortly after the middle-aged man left, a deep sigh echoed within the straw hut. A quiet, lamenting mutter sounded, “I really don’t know whether it was the right decision for you to do that.”
On a towering mountain concealed amidst clouds, a tall elder gazed upon his disciples standing right in front of him.
Profound words reminiscent of symphonic music flowed out of his words, delighting his disciples. Absorbing the knowledge that was being imparted to them, the disciples found their cultivation growly swiftly.
“Let’s stop here today!”
But all of a sudden, the elder stopped his lecture and turned his sights toward a certain direction.
Noticing that something was amiss, a middle-aged man amidst the crowd stood up and clasped his fists before asking, Teacher, did something happen?”
His teacher believed deeply that the impartation of knowledge was crucial to the betterment of the world, and he was devoted to that cause as well. As such, he would always ensure that the lesson was complete before concluding it. Yet, he chose to halt halfway through this time around…
It was clear that something major had happened.
“That person of the Sky of Freedom has decided on the date. The battle will be held on the fifteenth of the next month,” the elder said with a faint smile on his lips.
It was almost as if he was talking about someone else instead of himself. He showed no hints of stress as a result of that battle.
“The Sky of Freedom is the center of the Nine Skies, and its monarch is the supreme ruler of the myriad worlds… Teacher, I fear that your battle with her will…”
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but feel deeply apprehensive about the battle that would be held not too long away from now.
He trusted in his teacher’s capabilities, but no matter what, the enemy was the strongest individual of the Firmament. Even the other God Monarchs bowed in the presence of that person…
It would surely be a tough battle even for his teacher.
More importantly, the battle between them would be a life-and-death duel, unlike the ‘casual spars’ his teacher had with the other God Monarchs.
“It’s fine,” the elder replied as he stroked his beard. “Since it’s a battle, there’s bound to be a victor and a loser. No one can win all his life. It’ll be fine as long as I give it my all.”
“But… In order to deal with you, that person descended to the lower worlds to find the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn so that she could gain a deeper understanding of your powers! I’m afraid that the real reason why she’s accepting your challenge is because she already knows your abilities… In a battle between two equals, understanding the abilities of one’s opponent can make a world of a difference!” the middle-aged man remarked anxiously.
His teacher had challenged that person of the Sky of Freedom for some time now, but there had been no response all this while. Recently, however, they heard that that person descended to the lower worlds some time ago, and as soon as she returned, she immediately set the date of the duel.
This could be taken as a sign that she was fully prepared and was confident of victory.
In a battle between two equally powerful individuals, the factor that determined the winner was often the asymmetry of knowledge. If that person really knew about his teacher’s abilities, that would mean that his teacher was in an extremely dangerous position.
“So what if she knows about my abilities? It won’t be easy for her to defeat me!” the elder looked at the middle-aged man and smiled calmly.
Despite his leisurely tone, the elder’s voice carried deep confidence. After defeating so many God Monarchs, his strength had already reached the peak of the Firmament as well.
“I have no doubt in teacher’s strength, but I’m just a little bit confused… Why do you have to fight with the monarch of the Sky of Freedom, and why does it have to be a life-and-death duel?”
The middle-aged man simply couldn’t make sense out of this.
His teacher had already received the acknowledgement from eight of the current God Monarchs, and he had already gained widespread recognition as the Tenth God Monarch of the Firmament. So, was there really a need for him to fight against the monarch of the Sky of Freedom?
Was it something that was worth having him put his life down for?
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This is an inevitable fate that neither of us will be able to avoid. You won’t be able to understand that…” the elder sighed with a shake of his head.
Then, he looked at the middle-aged man quietly for a moment before saying, “If I were to lose my life in the duel, I want you to wait quietly. Don’t make any moves. Wait for my successor to appear and heed his words.”
“Successor? Teacher’s successor?” the middle-aged man asked in bewilderment.
He had been following his teacher since a very long time ago, and a step at a time, they had climbed to the top of many worlds. But he had never heard of his teacher having a successor before!
“Indeed. He’s from the Master Teacher Continent as well, and he possesses capabilities on par with mine,” the elder said with a faint smile.
“May I know what is the name of teacher’s successor then? How can we identify him?” the middle-aged man asked anxiously.
“You will know him once you see him,” the elder replied with a deep look in his eyes. “As for his name… I guess I can tell it to you. His name is Zhang Xuan!”
Meanwhile, in a certain room in the Sky of Freedom…
Thick puffs of steam filled the room, hindering one from seeing what was within.
Huala!
The sound of water splashing resounded in the room, and a beautiful and flawless figure rose from a pool in the middle of the room.
Silky black hair paired with skin that was so delicate that it seemed as if it would crumble at a touch, that figure was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that someone like this could exist in the world.
With a graceful wave of her hand, she covered her body in a thin layer of silk.
Young Mistress!”
A green-robed lady quickly walked up to the beautiful lady to pass a comb over to her.
The beautiful lady unfurled her hair and began to comb it slowly. Her movement was so graceful and natural that it was pleasing just to look at it.
“Have you passed down the news?” the beautiful lady asked.
“I have,” the green-robed lady nodded.
“The response?”
“None at the moment,” the green-robed lady shook her head. She pondered for a moment before adding on, “However, Young Mistress, we have managed to uncover what you asked for.”
“Oh?”
The eyes of the beautiful lady twinkled. She stopped combing her hair and turned her gaze over, gesturing for the green-robed lady to continue on.
“A young man named Zhang Xuan has appeared in Twilight City. He and his disciples are rather talented, such that while they were scouring the Celestial Mountain for the Aura of Divinity, they managed to trigger quite a few Bells of Conferred Kings!” the green-robed lady replied.
“It’s indeed him…” the beautiful lady muttered as a sweet smile subconsciously blossomed on her lips.
“Young Mistress, are you intending to meet him?” the green-robed lady asked.
The sweet smile faded to a frown. The beautiful lady hesitated with a conflicted look on her face before shaking her head, “There’s no need for that. I need to prepare for battle over the next few days, so I won’t be meeting anyone, especially him… I’m afraid that I might lose my determination…”
“Young Mistress, pardon me for saying this, but if you are already wavering… why don’t you just back out of the fight? The Heaven Subjugation Monarch is powerful enough to defeat the other eight of the God Monarchs. I’m worried that…” the green-robed lady said.
The Young Mistress possessed strength that was at the peak of the world, but the enemy she was going to face was not weak either.
In just forty short years, that man had managed to make himself a place amidst the top echelons of the Firmament, becoming an existence that no one didn’t know of.
He challenged the other eight God Monarchs, and even though no one knew the details of the battles, from the fact how they eventually recognized him as the Tenth God Monarch, it was apparent that he was the victor in those battles.
His achievements had opened up a new chapter in the history of the Firmament.
It might appear to be a cowardly decision, but escaping from the fight was always an option. Besides, even if they had to fight with one another, it shouldn’t be a big deal who won or lost the battle. Was there a need to make it a life-and- death duel?
“It is an inevitability. I have to kill him with my own hands. There are no other paths I can take… This is the mission the world has given to me, and I can’t shirk away from this responsibility,” the beautiful lady replied solemnly.
“But..”
“You need not say more. This matter has already been decided, and nothing will change it,” the beautiful lady said with a wave of her hand. “Alright, I’ll be going into seclusion to cultivate…”
Leaving behind those words, the beautiful lady turned around and walked away.
“Young Mistress…”
The green-robed lady didn’t think that her master would be so obstinate. Even though she was unhappy with how things were going down, she heaved a deep sigh and decided to keep her opinions to herself.