Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Sword Master of the Human Realm.

 

Qingzhou.

The news about the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy also reached Qingzhou. In the hall, Deputy City Lord Zhou Yuan and Manager Lao Mo from the Treasure Pavilion both wore extremely unpleasant expressions.

They had just released Ye Lin, the patriarch of the Ye family, and now suddenly learned that Ye Tianming had offended the entire Xiao family and the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy.

Damn it, isn’t this playing games with people?

Lao Mo suddenly said, “Should we lock Ye Lin up again?”

Zhou Yuan stared at him, “And offend Ye Tianming again by doing so?”

Lao Mo slapped his thigh, “Then what should we do? Old Yuan, our master has already received news that the Xiao family is determined to kill Ye Tianming. They won’t spare anyone associated with him. Tell me, can small figures like us afford to offend the Xiao family?”

Old Yuan said gravely, “Your ancestor and the Sword Master of the Human Realm were at least brothers…”

“That’s useless!”

Lao Mo shook his head, “Different rulers, different ministers. Although my Mo family’s ancestor once had a connection with the Sword Master of the Human Realm, you know very well that the Sword Master hasn’t appeared for many years. In these years, it’s already quite fortunate that my Mo family has managed to barely survive.”

As he spoke, he sighed softly, “In the days when the Sword Master of the Human Realm was active, my Mo family also had its glory. But now… how many people in the world still remember the Sword Master? The era of the Sword Master has truly ended!”

Zhou Yuan fell silent. The Sword Master of the Human Realm… this name had become very, very unfamiliar to everyone.

A moment later, Zhou Yuan suddenly stood up, “Do you dare to gamble?”

Lao Mo looked at Zhou Yuan in confusion, “Gamble… on what?”

Zhou Yuan stared intently at Lao Mo, “Old Mo, we have no way out. If we go arrest Ye Lin again now, damn it, what would that make us? We’d become the laughingstock of the entire Qingzhou, never able to hold our heads up again. Moreover, we would offend the Ye family again… Since that’s the case, why not take a chance and bet on the Ye family?”

Lao Mo said with a trembling voice, “How… how do we… gamble?”

A fierce look flashed in Zhou Yuan’s eyes, “You and I will jointly write a letter to directly complain to the Outer Hall of the Guanxuan Realm, saying that the Ye family has suffered a great injustice, that there are too many problems with this relocation matter, and request the Outer Hall to thoroughly investigate!!”

“No, no!”

Lao Mo quickly stood up, trembling, “Old Yuan, you’re playing too big a game! If we play like this, even my Mo family’s ancestors won’t be able to protect me…”

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, “Old Mo, we really have no way out. We can either live cowardly lives, but I tell you, with the Xiao family’s temperament, they definitely won’t spare us two. Since that’s the case, we might as well fight them gloriously. Anyway, I’m going all in, do as you please!”

With that, he walked outside.

Left behind, Lao Mo remained silent for a very long time. Then he gritted his teeth, “Damn it, let’s do it! Either die trying or bring glory to our ancestors!”

As he spoke, he looked up at the sky, “Ancestor, please bless me just this once!”

After saying this, he strode outside.

Yongzhou, Guanxuan Academy.

Ye Tianming and Nan Ling Zhao arrived at the Yongzhou Guanxuan Academy. On the way up the mountain, Nan Ling Zhao looked up at the academy at the top and said, “Although Yongzhou’s Guanxuan Academy can’t compare to Qingzhou’s, among the ten thousand states, they currently rank tenth, and their overall educational resources are very good.”

Ye Tianming was somewhat curious, “Is this ranking based on strength?”

Nan Ling Zhao nodded, “Of course. The Ten Thousand States Competition is not only used by the Guanxuan Headquarters to select talents but is also a form of competition between the states. After each competition, the states are re-ranked, and this ranking is extremely important for each state because it serves as an evaluation for the academy principals and elder councils. The principals and elder councils of the top five ranked states are guaranteed to be promoted to the Guanxuan Realm, and the principal of the top-ranked state is guaranteed a position in the Outer Hall…”

As she spoke, she turned to look at Ye Tianming, “The reason why Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy wanted the Xiao family to replace your special recruitment spot, besides wanting to do the Xiao family a favor, is that the Xiao family’s genius is very likely to help Qingzhou achieve a higher ranking. Because in their view, a child from a lowest-tier family could never compare to one from a second-tier family. Therefore, they were willing to break the rules to do such a thing.”

Ye Tianming remained silent.

Nan Ling Zhao continued, “What they didn’t expect was that you could pass through the Guanxuan Path. But people are often like this – when a mistake occurs, instead of admitting they were wrong, they try to erase the ‘mistake.’ Only when your strength far exceeds theirs, making them afraid, making them fearful, will they admit they were wrong. Of course, at that point, they don’t truly believe they were wrong; they’re just afraid of death.”

Ye Tianming said, “Miss Zhao, logically speaking, shouldn’t people with higher strength and status be smarter?”

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “Some people are indeed like that. In the Guanxuan Realm, I’ve had the fortune to meet many truly intelligent people, especially among the young ones, like those children from first-tier families. They’re as cunning as foxes, very formidable. But that’s only if your status and strength are equal to theirs, if you’re in the same circle. Otherwise, towards you… they’ll certainly be polite, courteous, cultured on the surface, but in their hearts, they truly look down on you and ignore you.”

Ye Tianming remained silent.

Nan Ling Zhao continued, “And some people, the higher their strength and status, the more arrogant they become. Actually… I can be arrogant too.”

Ye Tianming turned to look at Nan Ling Zhao, somewhat surprised.

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “Hard to believe?”

Ye Tianming said seriously, “In my heart, you are an excellent person.”

Nan Ling Zhao laughed, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I’ll tell you, I have indeed been arrogant, especially when I first became an inspector. Do you know how much power an inspector has in the local areas? Let me give you a simple example: those officials I met in the local areas, when they saw me, they practically wanted to kneel on the ground when speaking to me, humble to a degree you cannot imagine.”

Ye Tianming stared at Nan Ling Zhao, “Did you like that feeling?”

Nan Ling Zhao shook her head, “I didn’t like that feeling, but that feeling can make you arrogant. Simply put, power makes you arrogant because, for me, I could determine their life or death with just a word, or even just a look. That’s power…”

As she spoke, she looked up at the mountaintop and said softly, “When a person gains power, the first thing they should do is suppress their desire for power…”

Ye Tianming said, “That must be extremely difficult.”

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “Of course it’s difficult, because it means fighting against your own human desires. You just asked if I liked that feeling. Let me tell you, personally, I don’t like that feeling, but you know what? It doesn’t matter whether your superior likes it or not; what matters is that you must be subservient. They can dislike it, but you can’t not do it. If you don’t, you’re finished. That’s human nature.”

Ye Tianming said softly, “Is this what officialdom is like?”

Nan Ling Zhao continued, “People need to have beliefs. Without beliefs, it’s easy to lose yourself in power and desire.”

Ye Tianming turned to look at Nan Ling Zhao, somewhat curious, “Lady Zhao, what is your belief?”

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “Don’t call me Lady Zhao anymore. You can call me Nan Ling Zhao like my friends do. As for my belief, it’s to make this world better, and also to become someone like Master Fang Yu from the past.”

Ye Tianming nodded slightly, not speaking anymore.

Nan Ling Zhao suddenly said, “We’ve arrived.”

Ye Tianming looked up and saw a very magnificent gate in the distance, with large characters in the center: Yongzhou Guanxuan Academy.

Just then, an old man suddenly appeared. The old man bowed slightly to Nan Ling Zhao, “Lady Zhao, the principal requests your presence.”

He didn’t mention Ye Tianming.

Nan Ling Zhao was about to speak when Ye Tianming suddenly said, “I’ll wait for you here.”

Nan Ling Zhao looked at him, “Alright.”

With that, she followed the old man into the distance.

Soon, Nan Ling Zhao was led to a small courtyard where an old man was watering flowers. This old man was the current principal of the Yongzheng Guanxuan Academy: Yang Jie.

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “Uncle Yang.”

Yang Jie turned to look at her and smiled, “You’ve come to see me about Ye Tianming’s matter?”

Nan Ling Zhao nodded, “Yes.”

Yang Jie said directly, “No chance.”

Nan Ling Zhao said solemnly, “Uncle Yang…”

“Girl.”

Yang Jie put down the watering can and sighed softly, “I supported you when you came to dispatch the Guanxuan Guards before because what you did wasn’t wrong, but now…”

Nan Ling Zhao asked, “Am I wrong now?”

Yang Jie said, “You’re not wrong now either, but this matter has now become a political issue.”

Nan Ling Zhao frowned.

Yang Jie explained, “Think about it. If I accept Ye Tianming now, wouldn’t that be like slapping the Xiao family in the face? They would fight me to the death over such a matter. And not only would I offend the Xiao family, but also the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy… Over the years, although we’ve all been competitors, we’ve maintained face. But if my Yongzhou does this, without a doubt, the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy will use all their connections to isolate my Yongzhou Guanxuan Academy, plus with the Xiao family helping them… Girl, do you think your Uncle Yang can withstand that?”

Nan Ling Zhao said solemnly, “Uncle Yang, I understand everything you’ve said. I didn’t come here to trap you. I truly believe this is an opportunity for you and the entire Yongzhou. Ye Tianming has come this far without any resources – how extraordinary is that? If Yongzheng is willing to devote all resources to help him, his achievements would be unimaginable. As long as he ranks in the top five, or even the top three in the Ten Thousand States Competition, then you, Uncle Yang, could enter the Outer Hall…”

Yang Jie said, “Girl, I know you’re not here to trap me, because I know that Ye Tianming is very extraordinary. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have been able to pass through the Guanxuan Path. But as I just said, this is a political issue. If I accept him, I might not even last until he participates in the Ten Thousand States Competition before I’m removed. Really… your Uncle Yang can’t withstand this.”

Nan Ling Zhao fell silent. She knew that if he really stood firm, he could withstand it, after all, he was the principal of a state academy. Of course, it was very risky, extremely risky, so she also understood.

Nan Ling Zhao nodded, “Uncle Yang, I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Yang Jie said, “Girl, you mustn’t be upset.”

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “How could I be? I’m not that unreasonable. I completely understand your concerns and difficulties.”

Yang Jie looked at Nan Ling Zhao, “Girl, your father and I are close friends, so I regard you as half a daughter. Forgive your uncle for being nosy, but do you like that young man?”

Nan Ling Zhao was slightly startled, then smiled, “Just because I’m helping him?”

Yang Jie said solemnly, “For his sake, you not only confronted the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy but also the Xiao family. It’s hard not to think that way.”

Nan Ling Zhao smiled, “They can think whatever they want, I can’t control that.”

Yang Jie shook his head, “Girl, you can ignore what others think, but you can’t ignore what your family thinks.”

Nan Ling Zhao said, “My father said I can make my own decisions about marriage.”

“Nonsense.”

Yang Jie gave her a look, “Do you even believe that yourself? What he really meant was, if you find someone of equal status, he would definitely support you unconditionally and not be the villain affecting your father-daughter relationship. But frankly speaking, if you choose someone from a lowest-tier family… do you believe he wouldn’t immediately change his tune and deny ever saying such a thing?”

Nan Ling Zhao thought for a moment, then said, “Uncle Yang, what you say makes sense, but for me, I’ve never thought about matters of the heart. Of course,I also don’t want to talk about this matter. What confuses and puzzles me is, why doesn’t anyone think highly of Ye Tianming? Does being from a lower-class family necessarily mean having no prospects or future?

Yangjie shook his head, “It’s not that we don’t think highly of him, but rather… girl, your Nanling clan has developed for a thousand years, and countless talented prodigies from the Nanling clan have struggled their entire lives just to become a second-tier family today. What makes you think that he, Ye Tianming, alone can match the efforts of so many generations of your Nanling family?”

Nanling Zhao remained silent. Although she didn’t have so-called class prejudice, in this world, the preconceptions in people’s hearts were like mountains, not something she could resolve.

Yangjie continued: “This is reality, and this is fact. Of course, Uncle doesn’t want to discuss this matter with you. I just want to remind you, if you like Ye Tianming, then your affection will undoubtedly harm him. If you don’t like him, then you should stay away from him even more, because the closer you get to him now, the more likely your Nanling family will be displeased with him… This is a class issue. The upper class can be polite and gracious to the lower class, but will never easily accept them. This is not a problem you can change at present.”

Nanling Zhao remained silent.

Yangjie continued: “You’re so smart, you should know these things. At the same time, girl, you need to understand that you’re already in quite deep. Because of your special status, neither Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy nor the Xiao family dares to openly target you to death, but that doesn’t mean they won’t target you secretly. You know how deep the waters of officialdom run.”

Nanling Zhao suddenly smiled and said: “Thank you for the reminder, Uncle, but I want to ask, is Ye Tianming at fault?”

“Of course he is at fault.”

Yangjie stared at Nanling Zhao, “And gravely so. Being weak and having no backing is the biggest fault.”