Ye Wushuang smiled faintly and said softly, "Experiencing the sword moves and sword intent is fine, but forget about the divine swords."
"For the two of you, I have at least the sage swords on the final level in mind." A trace of dominance seeped through his words.
Ye Kongling and Ye Yanling both smiled with happiness.
Knowing that Ye Wushuang thought of them, that they held a place in his heart, was enough.
They also secretly resolved to serve His Highness well and not let his thoughtfulness go to waste.
They understood that merely being able to follow His Highness was already the greatest of honors.
As for marrying His Highness, they knew their own limitations. With their talents and status, they were naturally unworthy.
And after spending a long time around Ye Wushuang, they would probably never think of marrying anyone else.
No one else would ever catch their eye.
They only wished to remain by Ye Wushuang's side, even as slaves or maids.
Ye Kongling murmured softly, "To follow His Highness, I have to work hard to grow stronger."
Her figure was petite, yet her eyes revealed unwavering determination.
After Ye Wushuang walked away, Ye Yanling put away the seductive look on her face.
She said solemnly, "Your Highness, in this lifetime, Yan'er will bloom for you alone."
Seeing Ye Wushuang speak so confidently to the two women, Nie Qingcheng could not help glancing his way.
"Keep me, please." Nie Qingcheng blinked her large eyes and smiled slyly.
"That depends on your performance, little phoenix." Ye Wushuang lowered his head to meet Nie Qingcheng's gaze.
Recalling their intimate moment earlier, Nie Qingcheng blushed all over.
Damn it! This fellow-I wanted to tease him, but he ended up teasing me instead. Nie Qingcheng secretly stamped her foot.
She had failed to tease him and been flirted with instead. (Failed to show off and got shown up instead.)
"Keep me, please."
Imitating Nie Qingcheng, Xie Qianli blinked his simple, guileless eyes hard and revealed the honest, unpretentious smile of a straightforward man.
"Scram."
Hearing that single-word reply, Xie Qianli smiled awkwardly. "How come my result's different from Sister Qingcheng's? You won't even give me a chance to perform."
"I'm done playing. I'm going to take a look at this Ten Thousand Swords River." Xie Qianli also headed toward the river.
Up ahead, many cultivators had already gathered. A disciple from an ordinary Lineage flew out over the river.
In the blink of an eye, Sword Qi crisscrossed without end. He wanted to escape, but it was already too late.
Before that man could even scream, the layers of Sword Qi tore him apart, leaving him smashed to pieces.
The Sword Qi vanished, and the Ten Thousand Swords River fell quiet again.
At that moment, disciples from ordinary Lineages and minor factions kept swallowing, caught in an atmosphere of panic.
Some cultivators paced back and forth, unable to help putting away their little schemes of fishing in troubled waters.
They weighed whether they could break through those layers of Sword Qi and retreat unscathed.
They had better not end up losing their lives without obtaining any inheritance.
A disciple from a fairly powerful Lineage pinched the bridge of his nose and sneered.
"Ants who can't even withstand the Sword Qi, without a shred of self-awareness-do you still dream of obtaining an inheritance?"
His arrogant words drew angry glares from some ordinary cultivators, yet none dared talk back.
A masked sword cultivator sighed. "Most of us Rogue Cultivators have long since lost our edge. How can we possibly carry forward the keen spirit of sword cultivators like this?"
Disciples of great Lineages were born with favorable conditions and considerable strength, giving them greater ability to compete when an inheritance appeared.
Ordinary people lacked such favorable conditions to support them. Even after cultivating diligently for years, they would be kicked aside by disciples of great Lineages like stray dogs by the roadside.
The rather powerful disciple looked toward the masked sword cultivator, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled.
"So you have quite the insight, do you? Why don't you let me see your strength?"
Before he finished speaking, his sword unleashed a shadowy streak of Sword Qi. He intended to take advantage of the masked sword cultivator's inattention and kill him outright.
The masked sword cultivator paid it no mind. He stood with his arms folded, showing no intention of attacking.
That shadowy streak of Sword Qi seemed to meet a wall. Upon reaching the masked sword cultivator, it was annihilated.
Ye Wushuang leaned lazily against Nie Qingcheng's shoulder, his eyes brightening. "An interesting fellow."
Beside him, Nie Qingcheng bit her lower lip. Though shy, she did not push him away, and said softly, "What a peculiar ability. This ability should be called a domain, right?"
The masked sword cultivator remained calm. "When you call others ants, have you ever considered that, in someone else's eyes, you are an ant too?"
With that, a sword condensed from Vast Righteous Qi flew toward the offending disciple.
In the blink of an eye, the shadowy Qi dissipated, and the disciple was killed outright, unable to escape his fate of death.
The disciples of the other factions looked at the masked sword cultivator with some surprise. To think there was someone this powerful among Rogue Cultivators.
On the Nine Nether Imperial Dynasty's side, Ming Ye toyed with his fingers, a sinister look appearing on his face. "Heh heh heh, Vast Righteous Qi? What an unpleasant presence."
Ming Ye lowered his head and instructed several disciples, "Kill that masked sword cultivator if you get the chance."
Vast Righteous Qi was the bane of all sinister and evil powers under heaven, especially adept at dealing with the power they cultivated.
Some followers beside Ming Ye also fawned over him.
"An ant of a Rogue Cultivator like him has merely obtained a few opportunities. How could he possibly compare to Your Highness? We will deal with him ourselves if the opportunity arises."
Up ahead at the Ten Thousand Swords River, several people tested it in succession. Though their lives were not endangered, none were outstanding enough to draw out a sword or resonate with a sword intent.
They advanced only a few steps above the river before they could go no farther and were forced back in disarray.
At last, some disciples from great Lineages also began to move.
A sturdy man, his entire body brimming with a sense of strength, advanced dozens of steps with his physical body alone.
The many cultivators watching were all shocked. He had gone the farthest of anyone so far.
Several swords flew out as well, but the sturdy man ignored them and made no move to take them.
The sturdy man felt that these first few swords were all too ordinary. They were not his goal.
As he was about to reach a hundred steps, he seemed to encounter tremendous pressure. His footing became unsteady, and he could not advance another inch.
Then he roared, took out a massive sword, summoned all his strength, and swung it fiercely.
Relying on that surge of Sword Qi, he charged forward and abruptly took another ten steps. At a hundred and ten steps, he could advance no farther.
An enormous heavy sword flew out of the river of swords and landed beside him. He took it and actually began practicing a sword art right there.
Seeing the sturdy man remain where he was, some cultivators were puzzled. "He got a sword, so why has he started practicing with it there instead of coming back?"
Nie Qingcheng glanced ahead, and her clear, cool voice rang out.
"That big fellow's luck is pretty good. He obtained a heavy sword and resonated with a sword intent, gaining the inheritance of that sword intent's owner."
Disciples from great Lineages began trying one after another, and most gained something of their own.
Some obtained swords, while others resonated with sword intents and learned sword moves.
Yet no one broke past the hundred-and-ten-step mark.
An ethereal presence drifted over as Ye Kongling flew into the air above the Ten Thousand Swords River.
Like a little sprite, Ye Kongling walked steadily, step by step, seemingly under no pressure.
At a hundred steps, she had not even been forced to use her sword arts. She simply continued activating her Ethereal Dao Body and crossed the hundred-step threshold.
Along the way, swords even rose together and circled around her.
Below, the disciples of the various great Lineages were also entranced. Not only did this peerless woman possess such a cool, elegant bearing, but her talent was also this terrifying.
"If I could win this fairy's favor, I'd be willing to stay home every day and never step outside."
A cultivator spoke, his eyes filled with infatuation.
Some cultivators recognized her as the favored daughter of the Ye Lineage. Looking at the lovestruck faces around them, they scoffed.
"Stop dreaming your grand dreams. She's Ye Kongling, the favored daughter of the Ye Lineage, and she possesses the Ethereal Dao Body.
"And you want her to favor you? You'd be lucky if she even glanced at you. Ask yourselves whether you're worthy first."