Warblade Emperor

"Then let me start with the tenth rank."

As Gu Qingfeng's voice fell, a beam of light descended from the sky. When the light dissipated, a woman clad in purple robes appeared in the arena. Her skin was fair, and her presence was divine, like a goddess descended from the heavens.

"Sixth-generation disciple of the Sword Sect, Yan Caidie. Cultivation: Peak Human Yuan Realm. I seek your guidance."

The purple-robed woman spoke with an indifferent expression, neither joy nor sorrow on her face.

Gu Qingfeng's eyes lit up. The Sword Sect truly produced beauties—what a shame she was just a projection.

Clang!

Yan Caidie drew her sword, and in the next moment, a dazzling purple radiance erupted from her body. The surrounding temperature soared instantly, making it seem as though a purple sun had risen from the horizon.

"Is that the Purple Sun Sword Body? As expected, anyone who ranks in the top ten must possess a special physique."

Sssshhh!

A streak of purple sword energy tore through the air, leaving scorched earth and waves of blistering heat in its wake. The power of this single strike had reached the peak of the Earth Yuan Realm!

Unfazed, Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, and behind him, a thousand divine swords materialized out of thin air, each radiating boundless divine light.

"Thousand Swords Formation!"

He employed the most basic sword formation to face Yan Caidie. The reason? He was representing the Sword Formation lineage.

Elder Lin's true demand was to bring glory to the Sword Formation lineage. Gu Qingfeng wasn’t sure if the Sword Tower had specific rules—what if defeating an opponent with his fists didn’t count as a victory for the Sword Formation lineage? That would render his efforts meaningless. To be safe, he decided to use a sword formation.

Of course, the formation was just for show. With his current cultivation—only at the fifth level of the Human Yuan Realm—he could at best contend with an early-stage Earth Yuan cultivator. There was no way such a formation could defeat Yan Caidie.

Thus, as countless sword lights served as his backdrop, Gu Qingfeng threw a single punch through the storm of blades.

Boom!

The purple sun formed by Yan Caidie shattered into fragments before vanishing completely.

At the same time, the golden stele outside erupted with a brilliance far more intense than before, dyeing the entire vicinity of the Sword Tower in a golden hue.

Every disciple present, even those in the surrounding areas, was momentarily blinded by the radiance, causing a commotion.

"What’s happening? Such powerful golden light! The last time this happened was when the Sword Sect’s top genius, Chu Jingchen, broke into the top ten of the Heavenly Yuan rankings. Could it be… someone else has entered the top ten?"

"Who?! Who could it be? To think that after decades, we’d witness the rise of another prodigy like this!"

"Back then, when Chu Jingchen reached the tenth rank on the Heavenly Yuan list, it shook the entire Sword Sect. Even the Sect Master was moved and personally took him under his wing for guidance."

"The Sword Sect is about to be shaken again."

In that moment, all the disciples present rushed toward the stele, eager to see who this prodigy was.

Even those not at the Sword Tower were drawn by the golden light, flocking to satisfy their curiosity.

Even Nangong Xue and Ling Fei'er couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

"Could it be… Uncle Gu?" Ling Fei'er murmured, her rosy lips parting slightly in astonishment.

Though she had verbally expressed confidence in Gu Qingfeng, deep down, she hadn’t truly believed he could break into the top ten—his cultivation was simply too low. If he were at the peak of the Human Yuan Realm, perhaps it might have been possible.

Nangong Xue’s expression also wavered. "It shouldn’t be… the gap is too vast."

"But if not him, then who? There haven’t been any rumors of a new prodigy emerging in the Sword Sect recently."

Just then, exclamations erupted from the crowd gathered around the stele.

"It’s the Twin Sacred Physique!"

"It’s actually Gu Qingfeng!"

Someone even read aloud the information displayed.

"Tenth rank on the Human Yuan list—Gu Qingfeng of the Sword Formation lineage! Cultivation: Fifth level of the Human Yuan Realm!!!"

"What?! It’s really him? How is this possible? He’s only at the fifth level of the Human Yuan Realm!"

"Even with the Twin Sacred Physique, this is absurd! This is the tenth rank among all the prodigies in the Sword Sect’s history!"

"I know of Yan Caidie—in her era, she was known as the Purple Sun Sword Sovereign, dominating her generation. Later, she even reached the Heavenly Venerate Realm!"

Gasps of shock filled the air as disbelief and awe colored the expressions of everyone present.

Hearing the news, Nangong Xue and Ling Fei'er were left speechless.

Had Gu Qingfeng been at the peak of the Human Yuan Realm, defeating the Purple Sun Sword Sovereign might have been somewhat acceptable. But he was only at the fifth level!

What did this mean?

It meant his potential surpassed even that of the Purple Sun Sword Sovereign. A genius like this, so long as he didn’t perish prematurely, was destined to reach the Heavenly Venerate Realm—perhaps even the Heavenly Supreme Realm wasn’t out of reach.

A Supreme! In an era where Heavenly Emperors were absent, Supremes were synonymous with invincibility.

Even in the current Sword Sect, not a single Supreme existed.

Inside the Sword Tower, Gu Qingfeng remained unaware of the uproar he had caused. Instead, he felt as though he had been bullying a child.

Yan Caidie was indeed a peerless genius, but geniuses had limits—cheaters didn’t.

Even a young Heavenly Emperor, at the Human Yuan Realm, could never possess combat power comparable to a Heavenly Human Realm expert. That defied all logic.

"Tower Spirit, I’ve entered the top ten. Now, I wish to challenge the Sword Heavenly Emperor."

Gu Qingfeng’s interest was piqued. He was curious—what did the mightiest of the mighty look like? What kind of presence did they possess?

This time, the Tower Spirit made no further demands, simply stating, "As you wish."

As the Tower Spirit’s voice faded, no beam of light descended. Just as Gu Qingfeng grew puzzled, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

The very fabric of the world seemed to shift in an indescribable manner.

It was as though something had descended.

Frowning slightly, Gu Qingfeng turned his gaze toward the distance. There, standing on the earth not far away, was a figure clad in black robes who hadn’t been there before.

It was a youth with an ordinary face—utterly unremarkable, the kind who would disappear in a crowd.

He exuded no aura of power, appearing no different from a mortal.

The only thing that set him apart was his eyes.

They were eyes of purest clarity—burning with intensity, yet devoid of any impurity. The eyes of a seeker of the Dao, as though nothing existed within them but the pursuit of the Great Path itself.

Gu Qingfeng knew—this black-robed youth was the projection of the young Heavenly Emperor, the Sword Heavenly Emperor!

He did not underestimate the youth because of his plain appearance. Instead, he sensed a profound simplicity, a return to the origin.

As the saying went, the Great Dao was simple.

"Sword Sect, Sword Heavenly Emperor. I seek your guidance."

The black-robed youth’s voice was calm, detached.

Then, he drew the sword at his waist.

The moment his hand grasped the hilt, the youth transformed. An unimaginable sword intent surged into the heavens, shaking the very fabric of the world. A mysterious Dao rhythm enveloped him, rendering his figure both illusory and majestic.

He was no longer an ordinary youth.

He was the Sword Heavenly Emperor.