Chapter 2: This World Doesn’t Need a Second Harem King!

It was already deep into the night, and Miss Vilyric, who had just climbed into bed, was about to rest when her gaze suddenly caught sight of a figure that had just exited the cabin onto the deck below from her high room.

Oh? It seems someone else was even more troubled than her, unable to sleep in the middle of the night.

After a moment’s thought, the Priestess got up, put on her shoes, and pushed open the window, taking a shortcut straight down from a height of more than ten meters above the deck.

“Thud~”

Landing effortlessly on the ground, the Black-haired Girl, who already recognized the identity of the person below, mimicked her actions, resting her hands on the ship’s rail, but her gaze drifted directly over the vast, deep sea in the distance, wearing a faint smile.

“The sea breeze at night is quite chilly, be careful not to catch a cold.”

The gaze that had been drawn back slid past the Priestess, and the Swordsman named Hong Yan was momentarily taken aback, before nodding and forcing a somewhat stiff smile onto her face.

It was apparent she wasn’t very accustomed to doing such things.

“Aren’t you going to rest so late, Senior?”

“I’ve told you not to call me ‘Senior’… Why are all the stubborn ones coming from the Ancient Spirit Realm, with each one so set in their ways…?”

Seeing the Black-haired Girl’s exasperated expression, Hong Yan let out a light chuckle, her lips curving into a much softer and natural smile.

“Miss Vilyric, you’re quite a peculiar person. ‘Senior’ is clearly a term of respect, why do you feel so averse to it? Is this part of a fairy’s uniqueness?”

After a moment’s thought, the Swordsman revealed a hint of nostalgia.

“Speaking of which, my master doesn’t like others calling him ‘Senior’ either, but unlike Miss Vilyric, he prefers to refer to himself as a ‘great hero,’ haha. It seems that the stronger someone is, the odder their temperament.”

Upon hearing this, the originally leisurely Miss Vilyric became a bit curious.

“Master? Is he the one who taught you swordsmanship?”

“Yes, Miss Vilyric should have heard of him, the Master of Ten Thousand Swords, Wan Chen. He participated in the war during the recent Evil Demon Crisis, and I managed to see him one last time before departing, so it felt like I wrapped up a knot in my heart.”

“Your master is actually the Master of Ten Thousand Swords…”

That title was indeed a legendary figure in the Ancient Spirit Realm.

Not only Hong Yan, but the wind-swept swordsman Miss Vilyric had met previously also seemed to be his disciple. Even before in the mouth of the Soul, the Priestess had heard similar words more than once, indicating the depth of his legend’s influence.

On the top hundred list of the Ancient Spirit Realm, the first belonged to the Crownless Sovereign, the Spiritual Fox Priestess, the second was the mysterious Heavenly Mysterious Holy Venerable, and the third was this Master of Ten Thousand Swords. It was said that the top few had authority akin to a Pseudo-God or above, and this fellow should not be an exception.

It was rumored that the Master of Ten Thousand Swords was notoriously elusive, taking disciples based on personal preference. Trying to seek him out to learn was no less difficult than reaching Lingyin Fairy Island.

That said, he had accepted numerous disciples, many of whom achieved great success, but it was said his personality was quite difficult, never teaching the same disciple for too long—at most a year or so before he’d pack up and leave, and how much one learned depended entirely on the disciple’s understanding.

So, being a disciple felt more like a situation of “Old man sees that we are fated, so I’ll sell you this book at a low price.”

Miss Vilyric didn’t really care much about that so-called top hundred ranking, nor had she ever seen the Master of Ten Thousand Swords in person. But anyone who could shape a talent comparable to a legendary figure with just a few pointers made it understandable why the Soul once sought him out as a teacher.

“So, how did you meet him? What did that guy teach you?”

Upon hearing this, Hong Yan couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“My encounter with my master was completely coincidental. When I was fifteen, I left home alone to search for the whereabouts of someone, asking around for ways to leave the Ancient Spirit Realm for the ‘Outside World.’ During this process, I happened to bump into my wandering master nearby.”

“At that time, I didn’t even know he was the legendary Master of Ten Thousand Swords. He was quite curious about my intentions and asked why I wanted to leave the Ancient Spirit Realm. I told him it was to cut off a heart demon and return a sword.”

The Gray-haired Girl lifted the sword she always carried, which seemed to be her only valuable possession, and showed it to Miss Vilyric.

“This one.”

“My master took a look at the sword he left behind and seemed to find it quite interesting, so he really pointed me towards a clear path, saying that the simplest and most direct way to leave the Ancient Spirit Realm was to go to Lingyin Fairy Island and make a request to the fairies there.”

“I was surprised and excited at the time but immediately felt powerless. The fairy island was elusive and hard to find; seeking fairies is no easy task. Not to mention, the ‘Four Saints Selection Tournament’ had just ended, and the next one was who knows how many years later. Even if it really did happen, what could I possibly use to compete for that fairy destiny?”

“I thought this was just a dead end, but my master soon told me that within five years, a new tournament would be held again. If I was willing to endure hardship, he could teach me how to use a sword, but I needed to acknowledge him as my master, and he would only teach for a year. After a year, regardless of how much I had learned, he would directly leave.”

Glancing at the obviously valuable sword in Hong Yan’s hand, which was well taken care of, Miss Vilyric suddenly realized.

“So you agreed and really came to participate in this new ‘Four Saints Selection Tournament’?”

“Indeed. It turns out my master wasn’t spouting nonsense, as I’m currently standing on the ship heading to the Outside World, aren’t I?”

“Five years… Those guys actually started preparing so early.”

To be honest, Miss Vilyric truly hadn’t anticipated that the real purpose Hong Yan joined the tournament was this; originally, based on her sword-focused demeanor, the Priestess had thought the girl merely aimed to enhance her own swordsmanship.

Although she had vaguely guessed who the girl was trying to find and the nature of their relationship, Miss Vilyric didn’t bring these points up, merely nodding lightly.

“Once you find him, what do you plan to do?”

Hong Yan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a question to be raised. She then lowered her gaze and fell silent for a moment.

“I don’t know… If I truly find him, perhaps I would challenge him to a battle. I want to break free from his shadow and influence, to prove to him that I am not someone who would collapse without him, but…”

Seeing the girl’s conflicted expression, Miss Vilyric suddenly understood.

It seemed that the reason for her heavy heart was actually due to a sense of confusion about the path ahead after achieving her anticipated goal. The fear of heading into an unfamiliar world, uncertainty of whether she could find him, uncertainty about how to face him, and so on…

It appeared that this particular guy was very important to her, and perhaps Hong Yan had been resisting this idea all along, but the fact that she traveled thousands of miles to another world to seek someone already spoke volumes.

Eh, saying this makes it sound like I got tangled up in another protagonist’s script. This strange sense of déjà vu… A harem addition?

Wow, this can’t be a twist of fate, right…

But back to the point, in terms of raw strength, Hong Yan was indeed a bit lacking compared to that suspicious guy who loved to carry around seven swords.

After all, she was only under level 40 in her peak state, while that guy had already grasped a small amount of Illusory Essence, having trained for many years and securely positioned at the legendary level; the gap was still quite evident.

Hmm… I need to think of a way to change the script, or it’ll be way too cliché.

First, she must take him down, because her goal is to sever ties to the past. If she loses or draws, she will definitely fall into a scenario of not wanting to lose and getting entangled in repeated battles, ending up fighting on the bed like in some over-the-top plot…

Only by achieving a clean and decisive victory can she let go of so many past grievances and step into a new life with a reborn mindset.

Yes, indeed! This world doesn’t need a second Min Chen!

As her eyes rolled around, the Priestess immediately came up with a brilliant idea.

“Hey, Hong Yan, can you still replicate that sword strike you used against me before?”

“?”

The girl, who was lost in memories and complex thoughts, blinked slightly, then quickly lowered her head with a hint of embarrassment.

“To be honest, no. I can only vaguely recall that abstract state, but without the terrifying pressure and life-or-death situation Miss Vilyric imposed back then, I simply can’t reach it again.”

“I see, that seems normal.”

If the Illusory Essence could be so easily mastered, it wouldn’t possess such terrifying power capable of momentarily reaching the immunity threshold of “Feather Clothes: Gloraria” even for those under level 40.

As if thinking of some interesting scenarios, the Black-haired Girl’s lips gradually formed an almost imperceptible smile.

“No worries, I’ll teach you how to use it, um… and no need for a master-student tie~”

“…Huh?”

   

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