[Vol. 7] Chapter 2: This World Doesn’t Need Another Harem King!
It was already late at night. Violet had just climbed into bed, ready to rest, when her gaze suddenly caught sight of someone stepping onto the deck from the ship’s cabin below.
Oh~? Looks like someone else has a lot on their mind and can’t sleep either.
After a brief moment of thought, the priestess got up, slipped on her shoes, and opened the window. Instead of taking the stairs, she simply took a shortcut. Jumping directly from the high ledge, over ten meters above the deck.
“Tap~”
She landed effortlessly, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Without hesitation, the black-haired girl casually leaned against the ship’s railing, mimicking the posture of the person next to her. However, her gaze wasn’t on the girl beside her but rather on the endless, dark sea stretching out before them. Her lips curled into a half-smile.
“The night sea breeze is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill.”
The girl standing beside her, Hongyan, snapped out of her thoughts and glanced briefly at Violet. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she gave a small nod, forcing a stiff, awkward smile.
It was clear she wasn’t used to casual conversations like this.
“Senior Violet, why are you still awake at this hour?”
“I told you not to call me ‘Senior’… What is it with people from the [Ancient Spirit Realm]? Are you all just naturally stubborn or what?”
Seeing Violet's exasperated expression, Hongyan let out a soft chuckle, her stiff posture finally relaxing a little. The smile on her lips became more natural.
“You really are an unusual person, Violet. ‘Senior’ is supposed to be a sign of respect, isn’t it? Why do you dislike it so much? Is this just how immortals are?”
After a brief pause, Hongyan’s gaze grew distant, as if she was reminiscing about something.
“Now that I think about it, my master didn’t like being called ‘Master’ either. But unlike you, he preferred to call himself some kind of ‘great hero’ or something. Haha… I guess the stronger a person is, the weirder their personality becomes.”
Hearing this, Violet, who had only come over for a casual chat suddenly became curious.
“Your master? You mean the one who taught you swordsmanship?”
“Yeah. You’ve probably heard of him, the [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign], Zun Wanchen. He also joined the war when the demonic invasion resurfaced. I was able to see him one last time before I left… I guess that gave me some peace of mind.”
“Wait… your master is the [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign]?”
That title was truly legendary in the [Ancient Spirit Realm].
Not only Hongyan, but even that swordsman Violet had encountered before in the competition seemed to have been taught by this same person. And long ago, she had heard this name mentioned more than once by Mr. Dead Soul, further proving the extent of his influence.
In the [Ancient Spirit Realm’s Top 100] Rankings, the undisputed first place belonged to the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden, the second to the mysterious Sage, and third place was held by [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign]. It was said that the top few ranked individuals had power close to or even surpassing that of pseudo-gods, and this guy was likely no exception.
The [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign] was known for being elusive, taking in disciples purely based on his whims. Seeking him out to formally become his student was said to be as difficult as ascending Spirit Veil Immortal Island.
That said, he had actually taken in quite a number of students, many of whom had gone on to achieve great things. However, his notoriously difficult personality meant he never trained any student for long. At most, he would teach them for a year or so before vanishing without a trace. How much they learned depended entirely on their own talent.
So while people called them his disciples, the relationship was more like, "Hmm, I see potential in you! Here, I'll sell you this legendary technique at a bargain price!"
Violet didn’t particularly care about the Top 100 Rankings, nor had she ever seen the [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign] in person. But if a few casual lessons from him could shape warriors strong enough to become legends, it was no surprise that Wraith had once wanted to seek him out as a mentor.
"So, how did you meet him? And what exactly did he teach you?"
Hearing the question, Hongyan smiled faintly.
"Meeting my master was purely a coincidence. When I was fifteen, I left my home alone to search for someone. I asked around for a way to leave the [Ancient Spirit Realm] and travel to the ‘Outer Realm’. During that journey, I happened to run into Master, who was traveling nearby."
"At the time, I had no idea he was the legendary [Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign]. He was curious about my goal and asked why I wanted to leave. So, I told him. I needed to sever a lingering regret and return a sword."
The gray-haired girl lifted the treasured sword from her waist, the only valuable-looking thing she carried, and showed it to Violet.
"This is the one."
"When Master saw the sword he had once left behind, he seemed amused. So he actually pointed me toward a path, saying that the simplest way to leave the [Ancient Spirit Realm] was to ascend Spirit Veil Immortal Island and present my request to the immortals there."
"At that moment, I was both excited and shocked. But then, I felt powerless. Spirit Veil Immortal Island is elusive and nearly impossible to find. Not to mention that the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] had just ended. Who knows how many decades it will be before the next one? And even if it did happen again, what qualifications would I have to compete for that chance?"
"I thought it was a dead end. But Master told me that within five years, a new ceremony was bound to be held. If I was willing to endure hardship, he could teach me the way of the sword, but only for a year. After that, no matter how much I had learned, he would leave immediately."
Violet glanced at the sword in Hongyan’s hand. It was clearly a treasured weapon, meticulously maintained, and at least a rare-grade or higher. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.
"So you agreed and now you've actually made it into the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony]?"
"That's right. Turns out, Master wasn’t just making things up. Because now, I’m already on a ship headed for the Outer Realm, aren’t I?"
"Five years…" Violet murmured, her expression unreadable. "So those guys really started preparing this early, huh?"
To be honest, Violet hadn’t expected Hongyan’s true reason for entering the competition to be this. Given how dedicated she seemed to the sword, Violet had assumed the girl simply wanted to push her skills to the next level.
She had a pretty good guess about who Hongyan was looking for and what their relationship was. But instead of saying it outright, she simply nodded and asked,
"And once you find him, what do you plan to do?"
Hongyan froze, as if she hadn’t expected that question. She lowered her gaze, staying silent for a moment before answering.
"I don’t know… If I do find him, maybe I’ll challenge him to a duel. I want to break free from his shadow, to prove that I’m not just some follower who can’t stand on my own without him. But..."
Seeing her hesitation, Violet immediately understood.
So that’s what was weighing on her mind. She had been so focused on achieving her goal that now, standing at the edge of it, she felt lost. The fear of stepping into an unfamiliar world, the uncertainty of finding him, the question of how to face him when she did. All of it was making her doubt herself.
It was clear now. That guy held an incredibly important place in her heart, whether she admitted it or not. And the fact that she was willing to cross worlds just to find him? Well, that spoke for itself.
…Wait a minute.
Why does this feel like I just got dragged into someone else’s protagonist storyline?
This kind of setup. An intense personal quest, deep emotional conflict…
…Another harem member unlocked?
Whoa, hold on. This isn’t turning into some sibling romance plot, right…?
But back to the main point.
When it came to pure strength, Hongyan was still a step behind that guy, who carried seven swords everywhere and seemed suspiciously like her older brother.
After all, she was only at the [Peak Ascension] realm (Lv40), whereas Mr. Dead Soul had already mastered some aspects of the [Void Energy], gained years of real combat experience, and firmly secured his place as a legendary-level individual. The difference in their power was clear.
Hmm… I need to tweak this storyline a bit.
Otherwise, this would turn into a ridiculously overdramatic mess.
First off, Hongyan has to beat him completely.
If she loses or even ties, she’ll just end up going down that cliché stubborn-rival route. You know, the one where she keeps challenging him, refuses to back down, and somehow, through all the fighting… ends up in bed with him.
Absolutely not.
A clean, decisive victory was the only way to free her from the past and let her move forward with a fresh mindset.
Yes. That’s it. This world doesn’t need another Minchen.
Violet's eyes gleamed mischievously as an absolutely brilliant idea popped into her head.
"Hey, Hongyan. Can you still reproduce that sword strike you used against me in our match?"
"Huh?"
Snapped out of her thoughts, Hongyan blinked in surprise, then quickly lowered her head with a hint of embarrassment.
"To be honest… no. I can vaguely remember the feeling, but without the life-threatening pressure you put on me back then, I just can’t reach that state again."
"Makes sense."
If [Void Energy] was something you could just master on a whim, then even someone below Lv40 wouldn’t have been able to temporarily break past [Feather Robe Graria]’s immunity threshold like she had.
Violet's lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smirk as a rather entertaining scene played out in her mind.
"No problem. I’ll teach you how to use it properly and you don’t have to become my disciple~"
"Huh?!"