Chapter 540 - 325: The Doubt of the Broken Sword (2)

Chapter 540: Chapter 325: The Doubt of the Broken Sword (2)

Yu Fei was stunned. "Exiled? To another world?"

"To the black fog on the other side."

"Hiss... Old man, you’re too ruthless!"

Ye Shuping was unconcerned. "In the end, I was very satisfied. You always maintained goodwill toward your friends and classmates, but not without restraint. You didn’t accept Zhang Hu and his group, which was good. When it comes to choosing like-minded companions, one time is enough.

With Yu Wen Baji, you didn’t use your strength to hunt him down and kill him. Instead, you prioritized the battle’s outcome. Very good.

When you reach the pinnacle of power, it becomes even more important to prioritize the bigger picture and tolerate people you dislike.

And your handling of Yan Sea was quite excellent. You even dared to challenge me about it afterward, demanding to know the reason."

Yu Fei was speechless. ’I thought I was paranoid, but this old codger is even worse. He was actually planning to exile me. Unbelievable...’

This was why he could never fully trust the old man. Their relationship was already so good, yet he was still being tested.

"Don’t blame me. To be honest, your very existence has always been a hidden concern for me. With your abilities, you will sooner or later stand at the pinnacle of martial power, far surpassing your predecessors. When you become a Martial Saint, your current spatial abilities would genuinely give you the power to slaughter the entire martial world by yourself.

But you’re too unpredictable. You always have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Since I’m the one who personally trained you, I must be responsible for the martial world. If you have a problem with it, you can beat me up in the future when you’re strong enough."

Ye Shuping said shamelessly.

"Master, you..."

"I wouldn’t have told you all this originally. My biggest worry was that you’d be deceived by someone in the future, fall into their schemes, and stubbornly do something foolish. But now that you can see things with preternatural clarity—even if you’re a bit foolish, you can still tell who needs to be cut down—I can finally rest easy."

As if thinking of something amusing, Ye Shuping’s face crinkled into a smile.

"Sigh..."

Yu Fei downed three cups in a row, trying to dispel the frustration in his heart.

"Master, you haven’t been following me around this whole time, have you?"

"I was always there. Your senior martial brother was looking after Yan Sea’s side. When you finally found that small cave, if you couldn’t handle it, I would have personally stepped in to help Yan Sea overcome his trial as my compensation to him. But you did well."

Ye Shuping was especially calm at this moment, answering whatever Yu Fei asked.

"What about the classmates who died in the war?"

Yu Fei wanted to confirm if the "accidental" deaths in the Celestial Pride Classes had been arranged.

Ye Shuping replied coolly, "They deserved to die. I can show you the relevant files, but you can’t publicize them.

Shenhan, Chongming, and Wanren Mountain have always had such a mechanism. The other universities do not."

Seeing that Yu Fei wanted to press the matter, Ye Shuping shut down the inquiry.

"This was a joint decision by the three military academies. There are many unreasonable aspects to it, and there have been some innocent sacrifices, but rules are rules—rules that have been in effect for over a hundred years. If you think it’s wrong, you can change it when you’re strong enough in the future.

Don’t be deceived by all the rules and regulations in the current martial world. The martial path is transcendent, and strength reigns supreme. The current situation is the result of a balance of power between all parties. The rules must serve the strong."

Yu Fei let out a heavy breath. "I understand now."

Ye Shuping smiled. "So, let’s wait for Feiming. We can talk about Sima Hong’s matter together. I still find it hard to believe that resurrection is possible in this world."

Yu Fei continued.

"Master, there’s something I have to tell you. When I was advancing to the Inner Qi realm, Sima Hong’s remnant soul used the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed to make a move against me. I was actually forced to change my Calamity Sword foundation..."

Since Zhuo Feiming hadn’t arrived yet, Yu Fei told him everything, also confessing his ability to use Divine Sense.

Ye Shuping listened quietly. He was very pleased with Yu Fei’s actions in the Demon Mountain Realm. This young disciple was only a step away from becoming a Grandmaster. If his predictions were correct, after becoming a Grandmaster, not even a Martial Saint—including himself—could hold him back.

"From the sound of it, Sima Hong really isn’t dead. When a Martial Artist dies, they’re dead. There should be no residual will left behind, at least not at our current realm.

But... you’re saying you’ve grasped Divine Sense ahead of time?"

Yu Fei nodded, which greatly surprised Ye Shuping.

"But how did you manage that? When did it happen?"

"When I advanced to the Inner Qi realm, my spiritual soul underwent a qualitative change, and my Innate spiritual light coalesced. But it was just a tiny speck back then. As for the reason, I have another ability that enhances my soul quality by one tier."

Ye Shuping’s eyes suddenly lit up, his expression filled with excitement.

"Doesn’t that mean that when you advance to the Grandmaster realm, your spiritual soul will undergo another qualitative change? You might even acquire a spiritual soul characteristic that surpasses a Martial Saint’s!"

"That depends on how fundamental the difference is between the spiritual souls of the upper three martial realms," Yu Fei said uncertainly.

Ye Shuping waved his hand. "Compared to a Grandmaster’s, a Martial Saint’s spiritual soul is like a child growing into an adult. There’s no fundamental difference between them."

"If you can acquire a spiritual soul characteristic beyond the Martial Saint realm ahead of time, it would be unprecedented news for the entire martial world."

Ye Shuping was thrilled by this. He had searched bitterly for the path forward for many years to no avail, only to find a clue from Yu Fei about what lies beyond the Martial Saint realm.

As the two were discussing, Zhuo Feiming finally arrived.

A fiery rainbow streaked across the sky like a Vermilion Bird descending upon the world. The flames receded, and Zhuo Feiming stepped out.

"Master. Junior Brother, how long have you been here?"

"I’ve been here about half a day."

Yu Fei respectfully served her tea.

"Your spatial ability is truly enviable. One step, and you’re in another realm, saving yourself from countless hardships."

Ye Shuping deeply agreed.

"His ability is too much of a cheat. He’s hardly like a Martial Artist."

"Exactly. It feels more like the superpowers described in works of fiction."

Zhuo Feiming made a direct comparison to the novels she had read. Ye Shuping looked blank; when he was young, the mortal world’s internet industry hadn’t yet emerged, and he had only paid slight attention to broad trends later on.

"Superpowers? What are those?"

Zhuo Feiming explained briefly, giving the old man a quick lesson.

Unexpectedly, Ye Shuping was quite receptive to the idea.

"Now that you mention it, that does make sense. I remember it was recorded in the *Three Elements Martial Chronicles* that in the year 257 of the Jingyuan era, there was a man in Feng City who could breathe fire at the age of seven. He was hailed as a prodigy at the time and was taken in by a local sect to practice martial arts. Unfortunately, even in his thirties, he was still stuck at the first realm. His fire-breathing ability just grew a bit stronger, allowing him to fight second-realm opponents. Sadly, that’s where he stopped."

Yu Fei listened with interest. "Master, can people really be born with the ability to breathe fire?"

"So the chronicles record. It’s a story from the old calendar. I doubt anyone would fabricate a false story to be recorded in the chronicles. Looking at it now, it might have been a talent from another transcendent system, one that fits the definition of a superpower quite well."

A look of longing appeared in Zhuo Feiming’s eyes. "Do you think a transcendent system of superpowers really exists?"

Yu Fei, however, was reminded of the source of his own spatial talent: the Illuminati member named Cheng YuanYu. His martial arts talent was abysmal, which was why he had walked the evil path of the Illuminati’s blood sacrifices. Yet, he possessed a spatial talent and had even developed a small storage space, about a cubic foot in size. If he had been on a different transcendent path, would he have been a rare genius?

Thinking of this, he shared the story.

"That’s entirely possible!"

Ye Shuping was rather inclined to agree.

"Alright, weren’t we supposed to be discussing Sima Hong’s feigned death? Yu Fei, hurry up and take out that broken sword."

Zhuo Feiming cut off the increasingly tangential conversation. She knew that even without bringing up superpowers, the strange and bizarre enemies in the border realms were proof enough that other transcendent systems existed in this world. Humanity had only gained an advantage in local wars for a few hundred years, and Tianwen University was already focusing on transcendent power through technology.

Once a technological breakthrough was achieved, like mastering the power of a Martial Saint-level mechanical body, perhaps they could even fight their way out despite the Cangyun Constant.

Yu Fei beckoned with his hand and took out the broken Cyan Lotus Sword.

Ye Shuping and Zhuo Feiming each took a piece to observe.

"This is..."

Ye Shuping casually flicked the blade. Under the force, the blade bent to a heart-stopping angle but didn’t break. The old man’s control over his strength was breathtaking.

"A mere fourth-realm cultivator from some heretical sect could never have broken this demonic sacrificial weapon."