Volume One: The Emperor's Sword Chapter 118: Who Is Short and Small

Page (1/3)

The sword aura descended very slowly, slow enough to be avoided. As long as one could withstand it, anyone could draw more of it onto their body.

Yet no one dared do so.

Even the chief sword disciples of the various academies only dared summon, at most, four rings of sword aura. Any more, and they could easily find themselves unable to endure it.

The rings of sword aura came from the Burial Grounds of Swords.

Though the wooden tower transformed them enough for Qi Refining cultivators to condense sword-aura bamboo hats and straw rain capes, they remained exceedingly dangerous.

In previous years, there had been no shortage of greedy people who tried to make their sword-aura rain capes sturdier by absorbing more rings of sword aura. Without exception, those avaricious disciples of the Sword Palace were wounded by the sword aura. They could not even enter the Burial Grounds of Swords and had no choice but to withdraw from the Ten-Thousand-Blade Tower to recuperate.

One person had even died on the spot, torn apart by the excessive sword aura within the Ten-Thousand-Blade Tower.

Over the years, four rings of sword aura had become the universally acknowledged limit.

Absorbing too many rings of sword aura was considered an exceptionally dangerous act. One careless mistake could lead to utter ruin. Yet at that moment, more than twenty rings of sword aura had gathered around Yun Que, completely enveloping him!

The madness of his actions left everyone dumbfounded and incredulous.

Chu Hu gave a series of cold laughs, convinced that Yun Que was doomed this time and that there was no need for him to make a move in the Burial Grounds of Swords.

Yan Xu cast him a contemptuous glance before looking away. He was certain that Yun Que would die this time with no chance of survival, saving him the trouble of seeking revenge later for his junior fellow disciple, Xuan Wenyan.

Huan Zhi gave a silent sneer, revealing a mouthful of newly fitted silver teeth. He had originally planned to kill Yun Que personally in the Burial Grounds of Swords, but it seemed there would be no need now.

Quite a few disciples from the Southern Academy sighed inwardly in regret. The reward for the elders’ mission was simply too generous: whoever found Yun Que in the Transformed Realm would receive two supreme-grade magical artifacts.

As for whether the mission could be completed, they had never doubted it.

He was merely a sword servant. How could he possibly be a match for a sword disciple? The Southern Academy’s new mission required no strength at all—only luck. It was like winning a prize.

A spectacle never before seen in the Ten-Thousand-Blade Tower drew cries of alarm from every direction.

Most people had only one thought in mind.

Yun Que was courting death!

No one could possibly withstand more than twenty rings of sword aura.

If he forcibly condensed them, he would surely end up dismembered by ten thousand blades.

Mu Qingyao immediately grew anxious, her delicate brows drawing tightly together. Zhou Yuanliang could not make sense of the situation for a moment, and his expression fluctuated between astonishment and doubt.

Han Jiao was so shocked that she held her breath. Yi Hongwen’s eyelids twitched wildly. Wu Dachuan and the other disciples of the Northern Academy had been frightened senseless by Yun Que’s actions, each of them frozen in place like wooden statues.

Luo Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened. Her little mouth drooped, and she looked as though she were about to start mourning.

All of Yun Que’s friends held their breath for him.

Page (2/3)

No one could have imagined that Yun Que would make such a reckless move. With so much sword aura descending upon him, he would either die or be grievously wounded.

After his initial shock, Ning Ji threw back his head and roared with laughter.

“Hahaha! The Northern Academy truly is full of fools! He actually dares to take on dozens of rings of sword aura. His life is as good as over! Northern Academy, get ready to collect his corpse!”

Amid Ning Ji’s gloating laughter, Yun Que was not torn apart by the sword aura. Instead, he gradually condensed a sword-aura bamboo hat that seemed almost solid, along with a sword-aura rain cape enveloping his entire body!

The complete rain cape that even the chief sword disciples of the various academies had yet to finish condensing had actually been formed by Yun Que first!

Ning Ji’s laughter stopped abruptly, like a quacking drake suddenly strangled by the throat. His weathered face flushed crimson.

“How is this possible!”

Ning Ji roared in disbelief. “How could a mere sword servant condense a complete sword-aura rain cape?”

Ning Ji was not the only one who could not believe it. No one dared believe what they were seeing.

Mu Qingyao finally relaxed. Zhou Yuanliang secretly gave an approving thumbs-up. Han Jiao at last exhaled the stale breath she had been holding for half the day. Wu Dachuan, Luo Xiaoyu, and the other Northern Academy disciples burst into cheers.

At last, they could straighten their backs and shout that the Northern Academy was not without talent!

The sneer froze on Chu Hu’s face. Yan Xu’s contempt became astonishment. Huan Zhi’s wide-open mouth looked as though he had swallowed a duck egg, and for a moment he could not close it. His face was filled with shock.

More than twenty rings of sword aura had descended upon Yun Que, yet not only had he failed to die, he had not even been injured. He had even condensed a complete sword-aura rain cape!

Impossible!

Chu Hu, Yan Xu, Huan Zhi, and the others simultaneously arrived at the same conclusion.

Absolutely impossible!

Yet the truth was right before their eyes. Beneath the cover of dozens of rings of sword aura, Yun Que had forcibly condensed an entire sword-aura rain cape.

But what happened next was even more astonishing.

After the sword-aura rain cape took shape, the rings of sword aura surrounding Yun Que continued to condense.

One ring after another revolved around his body and dissipated, transforming into layer upon layer of rain cape and bamboo hat.

In the end, what Yun Que wore was no longer a bamboo hat and rain cape, but a suit of heavy armor formed entirely from condensed sword aura!

Sword-aura heavy armor!

The cheers of Wu Dachuan and the others gradually faded away. A crowd of Northern Academy disciples stared blankly at Yun Que, their minds emptied of all thought.

Others condensed rain capes, while you forged a suit of heavy armor?

What kind of divine technique was this!

Ning Ji’s eyes went vacant. He stood there with his mouth hanging open, unable to utter a word, as though countless sledgehammers were pounding his skull.

Page (3/3)

The Ten-Thousand-Blade Tower opened every year, and sword-aura bamboo hats and rain capes could be seen every year. But no one had ever heard of anyone condensing sword-aura heavy armor!

Mu Qingyao and Han Jiao were equally stunned, but after the shock came delight.

As long as Yun Que was safe and sound, it did not matter what he had condensed.

Chu Hu and Yan Xu’s expressions had already turned incomparably grim, as though they had witnessed the emergence of a formidable rival. Huan Zhi even kept rubbing his eyes. He refused to believe that what he was seeing was real and assumed he must be hallucinating.

After Yun Que condensed the final ring of sword aura, he stepped forward and shouted at Ning Ji:

“Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look. Which one of us is short and small now?”

Clad in sword-aura heavy armor, issuing a clear and resounding challenge, a sword servant of the Northern Academy stood there with an unyielding, proud bearing!

At that moment, Yun Que’s presence had climbed to its peak. He was like a supreme Sword God looking down from on high, questioning an ant on the ground.

Startled by his shout, Ning Ji stumbled backward again and again before dropping heavily onto the ground. His eyes were vacant, and he could not utter a word.

A moment ago, he had mocked the Northern Academy for being short and small, sneering that they could not even condense a proper sword-aura bamboo hat. Now the tables had turned, and Yun Que was wearing sword-aura heavy armor while asking him who was short and small.

Was there any need for comparison? Even if the half-length rain cape on Ning Ji’s body were multiplied tenfold, it still could not compare with Yun Que’s armor.

The one who was short and small was obviously Ning Ji himself.

He who humiliates others will in turn be humiliated.

Every disciple present was shaken by Yun Que’s astonishing state.

Even though they knew he was merely a sword servant, that strange suit of sword-aura heavy armor was enough to make them tremble.

The disciples from the Southern Academy who had been tempted by the new mission were especially uneasy. One after another, they felt a chill beneath their legs, and their apprehension soared.

What if, in the end, they failed to take Yun Que’s balls and instead lost their own? That would be a terrible bargain.

Two supreme-grade magical artifacts were certainly enticing, but they were merely external possessions. If they lost them, they could earn more. But if they lost their balls, they would never get them back.

The three rounds of sword aura came to an end.

Radiant light shimmered across the staircase leading to the second floor. The clouds and mist began to disperse, revealing the outline of the upper level.

Yun Que was the first to ascend the stairs without hesitation. The moment he stepped onto the second floor, his figure vanished into a mass of radiant light.