"Iāll let Overlord Bai know that youāre here," Kelan said as he sent a message to Senior Bai through his communication jade slip.
Meanwhile, Yuan began recalling his experience at the Holy Sword Clan and the Holy Sword Temple. The others didnāt have much to talk about since they spent all of their time training.
"Although weāre spending all of our time training now, weāll be leaving the sect to train outside and gain real experience soon," said Wang Ming.
Kelan nodded and said, "Donāt worry, Iāll make sure to have some experts accompany them."
"Iām not worried about them," Yuan said with a smile, and he continued, "But I am worried about the trouble they might cause."
"Youāre one to talk!" Shi Lang immediately said.
"Right? Youāre always getting into trouble, Yuan. At least thatās what it seems like from the stories you tell us," said Wang Bingbing.
"As much as I love you, I have to agree with the others." Chu Liuxiang shook her head with a smile on her face.
Meixiu quietly nodded her head.
Seeing this, Yuan burst out laughing.
"Youāre right, but itās not like I am purposefully looking for trouble. They just somehow come to me."
Some time later, a familiar figure approached from a distance, descending gracefully and landing right in front of them.
"This makes it our first time seeing each other outside of the Myriad of Techniques," Senior Bai said to Yuan with a warm smile on his face.
Yuan returned the smile and said, "Yes, it does. Thank you for always taking care of me."
"Since youāre here... does that mean youāve learned Supreme Sword Aura?" Senior Bai then asked.
Kelan had only mentioned Yuanās arrival and nothing else, so Senior Bai could experience the same surprise heād felt.
Yuan nodded.
"Yes, I have already qualified for the Sword Emperor Qualifications."
He revealed the medallion he received from the Sect Elder.
Senior Bai chuckled and said, "I heard. I also know that you broke the crystal, causing us to delay the event for a whole month."
"Sorry..."
"Itās fine."
Yuan then asked, "Is Sister Xu here?"
Senior Bai shook his head.
"No, sheās too busy to come down to the Seventh Heaven, but sheāll be watching it."
"I see..."
"Anyway, I have to return to work now. Letās talk again later. If you need anything, just ask Kelan," said Senior Bai before flying away.
Shortly after he left, Senior Bai made a quick announcement to the people there.
"Due to some unexpected circumstances, we have to delay the Sword Emperor Qualification for a month. We apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may have caused and hope for your understanding."
Surprisingly, there were no complaints from the audience, or there were so few that it was unnoticeable.
"The crowd is more calm than I had expected," Wang Ming commented, as heād anticipated some complaints."The Sword Emperor Qualifications can easily last several years, so everyone here is already prepared for a long stay. An extra month is nothing," Kelan said.
"Several years?! What about our training?" Xi Murong exclaimed in shock, as heād only anticipated spending a few weeks or months at most at this event.
Kelan shrugged and said, "Youāre free to leave at any time you want. The whole thing will be recorded anyway, so you wonāt miss anything but the experience."
"..."
A few years may seem like nothing to Immortals or those who have already lived thousands of years. However, for Xi Murong and the others who have only lived for a few decades, a few years was a lot of time, and they were still at a point where their progress could be seen quickly.
"You donāt have to force yourself to stay here," Yuan suddenly said. "Just stay as long as you want."
"Iām staying for the entire event," Chu Liuxiang said firmly. "A few years mean nothing in the grand scheme of thingsābut missing such a pivotal moment in my partnerās life? Thatās unthinkable."
"Me too," Meixiu added. "But you donāt have to force yourself to stay because we choose to stay. We all have different priorities, after all."
"I guess weāll see how things go," said Wu Zao. "If itās entertaining enough, Iāll stay. Otherwise, Iāll just return to my training."
"Me too," said Hong Xiuquan.
"You canāt even take a small break? And you call me a training addict?" Li Jinxi shook her head.
Wang Bing chuckled and said, "Weāre all training addicts."
In the end, everyone but Li Jinxi, Meixiu, and Chu Liuxiang decided to watch until they couldnāt anymore.
Time passed, and two weeks later, while Yuan was chatting with everyone, a figure descended onto their area.
Kelan raised an eyebrow after seeing this individual, and he asked, "What are you doing here, Sword Empress Huang?"
"I donāt have business with you," she said before pointing to Yuan.
"Since we have some time, letās spar."
"No." Yuan immediately refused, which took her by surprise.
"W-Why not?!"
"Why should I? The Sword Emperor Qualification is about to begin, and you want me to waste my energy sparring with you? If youāre trying to help those two, donāt bother." Yuan shook his head.
"What? Are you talking about the Holy Sword Maiden and the Holy Sword King? Iām not asking for a spar because I want to help those two. I just want to experience your Supreme Sword Aura myself," she defended herself.
However, Yuan refused again, "If you want to spar, we can do it after I become a Sword Emperor."
Sword Empress Huangās eyes widened.
"You speak as if youāve already won. Do you really think the Sword Emperor Qualification is that easy?"
"I hope not, or it wouldnāt be fun."
"Fun...? You think this is a game?" Sword Empress Huang frowned, clearly offended by his words.
For the rare few swordmasters granted the chance to participate, the Sword Emperor Qualifications represented the pinnacle of their livesāan opportunity to carve their names into history. Yet Yuan spoke of it as if it were nothing more than a casual pastime.
Any swordmaster would have taken offense, as this was a sacred trial, not something to be taken lightly or treated as entertainment.