Volume One: The Emperor's Sword Chapter 126: The Genius of Robbery

On the first floor of the Wanren Tower, three elders sipped tea while observing the battle on the tactical sand table.

Half a day had passed, and two or three hundred of the small cyan flags representing the Yan Kingdom Sword Palace had fallen, with more continuing to drop. These flags were scattered across various terrains—some under trees, some on mountains, some in the wilderness, and others beside brooks. Each fallen flag signified that the corresponding disciple had been killed or wounded, effectively removed from the fight.

Quan Yu and Chu Chen frowned imperceptibly.

"The disciples from the various academies are truly pathetic this year," Quan Yu said, clearly dissatisfied. "It’s only been half a day, and we've already lost nearly half. At this rate, by the time the day-long limit is up, we won't have half our disciples left in the Sword Palace."

"Perhaps the disciples are being too reckless, insisting on venturing into dangerous zones. They won't learn to turn back until they've suffered," Gu Shaoyang said, unfazed by the casualties in the Transformation Realm.

"It must be the new batch of disciples recruited this year, especially those sword servants—they are brazen! They dared to enter the Transformation Realm without any cultivation base. It’s good they died; it saves the Sword Palace some food," Quan Yu retorted with a cold snort.

"Where did the 'Fat Flag' go? I was counting on him to deflate the arrogance of those three other sword palaces," Gu Shaoyang mused, scanning the sand table.

Quan Yu curled her lip but said nothing. She had previously assumed the "Fat Flag" was her own disciple, Mu Qingyao. Now that the figure had vanished, it was clear something had gone wrong. She was happy to claim credit for successes, but she wanted no part in embarrassing failures.

"Some disciples are plundering others," Chu Chen suddenly remarked, pointing to a wooded area on the sand table.

In that area, three flags had converged. They seemed to be locked in a fierce battle when a small flag approached with astonishing speed. In a single encounter, the three original flags were knocked about and promptly fell. The swift flag then departed immediately, approaching another, only to knock it over and down as well.

Gu Shaoyang and Quan Yu watched that flag for the duration of a tea break, witnessing at least ten flags defeated by its hand. Each victory was achieved in a single encounter, leaving the victims no time to even counterattack. The two elders’ expressions shifted. The flag was indeed plundering, and at an alarming speed!

"This flag started an hour ago. By my rough count, he has already plundered nearly a hundred people," Chu Chen said, dropping a bombshell.

"What!"
"No way!"

Quan Yu and Gu Shaoyang were both stunned. Plundering was permitted in the Sword Burial Ground and had been a tradition for years; most "Sword Children" had done it. However, the sheer volume was impossible. The Transformation Realm was fraught with danger, filled with ferocious beasts; even if one focused solely on robbing others, it was rare to succeed more than ten times in a day. To do so nearly a hundred times in half a day was unheard of.

Gu Shaoyang looked at the swift flag and chuckled, "This guy isn't here to compete for the title of Sword Child; he’s here to make a fortune! A true genius at robbery!"

Quan Yu’s face went cold. "Hmph, using one's cultivation to wantonly harm fellow disciples... don't let me find out who it is, or I will deal with them severely!"

She knew the flag couldn't be her prize pupil, Mu Qingyao, as Mu Qingyao would never resort to robbing others. With her pride and her floral spirit roots, she would simply hunt for treasures in the Transformation Realm and return with a bountiful harvest.

"It seems he hasn't killed anyone, look," Gu Shaoyang pointed to the three flags in the woods. Two were already wobbling back to their feet. Falling meant either death or being incapacitated, but rising again meant they had merely been defeated, suffered no life-threatening injuries, and could continue their exploration.

"The rogue has a code of conduct, it seems. When did the Sword Palace produce such a character? Interesting. I wonder whose disciple this is," Gu Shaoyang laughed, settling back to enjoy the show.

While the elders could not identify the plunderer, a shocking reputation began to circulate within the Transformation Realm.

Near a low mountain, two groups of Sword Palace disciples met. Both were in a sorry state, each holding an empty storage bag.

"Senior Brother Lin! You were robbed too?"
"Indeed. Some old woman is specifically targeting Sword Palace disciples. She knocked all three of us down in one go."
"An old woman? That’s not right. The one who robbed us was an ugly demon—incredibly hideous! Fierce as a ghost!"
"An ugly demon? There are no ugly demons in the four academies."
"And there are no old women in the Sword Palace!"
"Are we seeing things?"
"Who is so hateful? My savings of many years! Don't hold me back, let me cry my heart out!"

As the number of victims grew, the rumors about the plunderer became increasingly bizarre—some said an old woman, others an ugly demon, and some even claimed it was a beautiful woman. The stories were legendary. The disciples, now stripped clean, discovered a humiliating truth: their sword-qi cloaks remained, but all their valuable artifacts, pills, and spirit stones were gone. Nothing was more tragic than dying and leaving money behind—except, perhaps, living and losing all one’s money. How were they supposed to explore the realm now?

Consequently, a spectacle never before seen appeared on the sand table in the Wanren Tower. The defeated flags spontaneously gathered together, growing into a massive group—one team even exceeding forty people.

The three elders stared at the forty-plus flags huddled together, speechless. Quan Yu slammed the wooden table, fuming, "What is the meaning of this! Are they here to compete for the Sword Child title or to hold a picnic? Are they gathering to discuss philosophy?"

Gu Shaoyang and Chu Chen dared not laugh, glancing away with awkward expressions.

The main doors opened, and the Sword Chief, Qin Shangzhang, stepped into the tower. The three elders rose to greet her.

"I hear this year’s Sword Child competition is quite interesting." Qin Shangzhang sat on the vacant side of the sand table and gestured for the others to sit. A single glance at the sand table caused her elegant brows to twitch.

She ignored the losses of the Yan Kingdom Sword Palace, her gaze fixing on the largest cluster of red flags on the table. Following her gaze, the three elders looked over as well. Their expressions changed.

The survival rate of the Savage Sword Palace disciples was shockingly high. After half a day, only thirty or fifty red flags had fallen! The remaining three thousand-plus red flags were spread across half the Transformation Realm, most gathered in groups of dozens, forming a truly imposing sight.

"Why is the Savage Sword Palace so quiet this year? In the past, they always had the highest casualties," Quan Yu remarked.
"Perhaps they have learned some combined-attack techniques. Though they look chaotic in their groups, it’s far better than their usual headless-chicken approach," Gu Shaoyang said.
"A pack of wolves hunting; nothing worth mentioning," Chu Chen replied dismissively.

While the Savage Sword Palace’s method of exploring in groups of dozens gave them a high success rate against beasts, the competition wasn't just about hunting—it was about individual gains. With so many in a group, even after killing many beasts, there wouldn't be much benefit to go around. The only advantage was safety.

"Each of the four sword palaces has its own methods, not to be underestimated. However, our disciples are no slouches either. Let us wait for the good news," Qin Shangzhang said softly. The elders nodded in agreement and returned to watching the battle.

It wasn't just the elders in the Wanren Tower who found the Savage Sword Palace’s behavior strange; Yun Che, currently inside the Transformation Realm, was equally baffled.

He was particularly puzzled by a young savage girl. Yun Che was crouched on a Sword-Bone Tree, looking down at a small clearing. In the clearing, a girl with blue hair and blue paint on her face, wearing exotic attire, was performing a strange dance. She clapped her hands, stomped her feet, and let out rhythmic, eerie cries. She danced with great vigor and intensity, choosing to perform right in front of an anthill.

At the edge of the clearing was a sandy pit where many Iron-Wood Ants crawled about. Yun Che had killed savages and seen shamans before, but never a girl like this. Curious, he watched to see what she was doing. Was she summoning companions, or was this some kind of sacrificial ritual?

After the girl finished her strange dance, she did something unexpected. She walked up to the anthill, squatted down, and waited silently.

Yun Che was bewildered. Iron-Wood Ants were no ordinary insects; they fed on beast carcasses. Individually weak, they could merge into an Iron-Wood Beast. If one appeared now, the defenseless girl would be killed instantly. Were these savages really this reckless?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a large, plump, white maggot crawled out of the anthill.