Chương 70: Disappointing battle, departure

On the top of the Sword Tower, the nine Sword Supremes had swapped positions with the doppelgangers they created in the Sword Tower for convenient travelling. They had expected someone to make it to the top this time, either the Sword Scholar who cultivated the Emperor law or Cody who has never revealed his true strength.

To their dismay, the person who made it to the top didn't just break the record for the shortest time achieved of just thirteen days, it was a young boy who was still stabilizing his foundation unlike others.

To make it this far, that young boy must have been through lots of ups and downs in life, experiences which could cause even the cultivators with the strongest mental fortitude to crumble and lose their sanity.

"To be honest, I'm amazed that such a young boy actually made it to the top within such a short period of time without a single scratch on his body."

"It may just be me, but it seems as though he's trying to rush through the different floors in the Sword Tower to meet us, should we invite him in now?"

"Before we invite him in, shouldn't we decide on the person to spar against him?"

"I'll do it." The person who stepped out was the leader of the nine Sword Supremes. Long hair flowed down like a waterfall, resting on her shoulders gently. The cold expression on her face made people wonder if she was alive or dead.

Her identity was a secret to everyone excluding the higher echelons of the Sword Court who could be fully trusted and the other eight Sword Supremes present.

Seeing her step out, the other Sword Supremes dropped the notion of sparring with the young boy, outsiders might not know about this fact, but she herself was the one who built up the entire Sword Court while wearing a mask that concealed her identity.

The true leader and controller of the Sword Court was a female whose cultivation stood at the apex, in terms of her comprehension of the sword path, even the other eight Sword Supremes might not be able to suppress her with their strength combined.

She was on a totally different level despite standing at the peak, if the mountain was the peak most Great Saints were on, then she would be soaring the nine skies looking down on everyone who would never meet her expectations.

Her rivals were those that belonged to the generation before them and even earlier.

Sharon, that was her name. The oceanic queen who controlled the torrents and storms to cause havoc and destruction at her own will. Things that are in her way would be bent beyond distortion till they followed her rules.

That was the life motto she had been following since the first day she stepped into the cultivation world.

"Go ahead Sharon, no one will compete with you over him." One of the Sword Supremes stood out and voted for her to spar against Ace before taking his leave.

The others followed in his action before returning to the Sword Court as though nothing happened.

Against this woman, there was nothing they could do to change her mind, if they tried to, then they would only be endangering the bottom half of their lives.

*Creak*

The doors opened to the side as Ace stepped into what seemed like a chamber which has just been refurbished, polished and cleaned.

"You must be the young boy the other guardians have been commending about." Sharon said the moment Ace stepped into the room, surprise filling her face when she noticed that Ace wasn't being affected by her beauty.

With just this alone, Ace had already given Sharon enough information to deduce his personality while leaving behind a good first impression that she would remember.

"If there's no one else as young as me, then I should be the one the guardians were speaking of." Ace changed the words slightly, behaving modestly as he unsheathed his sword.

"Please, I came here to spar against one of the Sword Supremes to seek what I was lacking." Ace requested for a duel politely with the tip of his sword pointing towards the velvet carpeted ground.

"Very well." Sharon replied briefly as she took out her sword, a sword which shocked Ace even though he was prepared to see a unique weapon which exceeds his very imagination.

She was using the dual swords, with each hand wielding a sword which was forged with the best craftsmanship.

The handle of each sword was a reflective blue in colour while the tip was made from sapphire which has been reinforced again and again to be more durable than any other substance of its tier.

This sword itself deserved to stand at the peak, to be more exact, it was the dual swords that complemented each other that deserved to be commended.

"You've lost." Before Ace could even capture the moment of the female guardian before her eyes, her sword had already stopped before his neck.

"How?" Ace couldn't help but ask the question in his mind.

That attack wasn't even fast, it just appeared before his neck alongside with a step from the female guardian, as a sword master, he was also sure that this was a pure sword fight in which his opponent was above him in terms of skills and experience.

"I made use of the lines in the space around us by making use of my sword heart, it may sound like I was relying on external support, but since the sword heart is already a part of me, all I did was take a step and arrive before you with the sword raised in advance."

Her sophisticated words made Ace remain perplexed by the true meaning behind her words, but this wasn't enough to crush his confidence just yet. Time waits for no one and for the answers he needed, he would obtain them through his own hands regardless of the method used.

"Guardian, please grant me the opportunity at another battle. Against you and the space lines you exploited against me." Ace requested politely with a slight bow.

Sharon didn't reveal a single expression on her face, but deep down, she was already amazed by the maturity in handling such matters Ace had despite his young age.

"Even if it means putting your life on the line?"

Ace shook his head with a sigh before turning towards the portal which was most likely the exit without the slightest hesitation, he may desire to have this battle, but that doesn't mean he was going to lose his life just yet. He still has those that care for him awaiting his return, especially Charlotte.

Charlotte...please forgive me for making you wait this long.

"Wait a moment, draw your sword." Sharon called out before Ace could leave through the portal as she sealed it off with a barrier of wind.

Ace stopped in his tracks and turned around, his eyes demanding an answer as he withdrew his sword and got into position for another sword fight.

"Same rules apply, you may make the first move."

Ace nodded his head as his slaughter law gathered into his sword while he tried to surround himself with a ring of Nascent flames. It was a gift he obtained and he would make full use of it in this battle.

What's with those flames of his? Sharon was surprised, but this was far from enough to distract her as she once again made use of the lines in the space to arrive behind Ace immediately.

"I expected this." Ace said in a deep voice as the ring of flames around him suddenly expanded and forced Sharon to back off. Making use of this once in a lifetime opportunity, Ace stabbed his sword toward her without the slightest bit of hesitation.

If there was one way to describe his attitude right now, it was the fact that he was determined to win this battle even though the chances are slim and his method seems foolish.

He had the talent, the bravery and even determination with a strong heart, but if there was one thing he lacked besides time and combat experience, it was his comprehension of the sword path.

It wasn't as simple as having a passion for the sword, it was a path of thorns which would require utmost willpower from him to see the other side, hacking the thorns in his way while taking one step at a time.

*Clang*

But being the legendary figure she was, there was no way Sharon would fall just because of that mistake which could be considered fatal.

Making use of the space lines around her, she appeared before Ace and before he could even react, her sword was already on her chin as she descended onto the ground softly from above. Thud. She landed with her toes touching the ground first with an elegant spin in the air.

Ace opened his mouth to speak the moment Sharon pulled her sword back and returned it to its sheathe.

"Thank you for the battle, but compared to the ninth guardian who left behind an unforgettable impression in me, that battle between us wasn't even worth mentioning." Ace spoke from the deepest of his hearts before stepping through the portal.

He didn't demand any reward or cared about the feelings Sharon had without giving her a chance to explain herself.

"No wonder my husband expected you to rise above him in the future. With just that heart of yours, the apex for others is only the beginning of your brand new journey.��

If Ace had remained, he would be surprised by how Sharon looked like right now. But, he had already left the Sword Tower, it was about time he stabilized his Foundation Tower and returned to the sect.