Chapter 100: Demon‑Slaying Treasure Sword

But after the blade was forged, Ye Liuyun was stunned, because the sword had no grade!

A sword without a grade is something even a Martial Cultivator wouldn't use! He had originally thought it could at least be refined into a Mysterious Tier prime.

He, angry, slammed the sword against the side wall of the Cave.

To his surprise, the blade went straight into the ground, and in an instant it lodged up to the hilt.

His and Lei Ming's eyes widened instantly.

He pulled the sword out and repeatedly tested it on the rocky wall; whether chopping or thrusting, the rock was like tofu, offering almost no resistance.

Ye Liuyun took out his own Dragon‑slaying Sword to try, and found that the Dragon‑slayer required force to work.

But the newly forged sword, upon seeing the Dragon‑slayer, immediately radiated a fighting spirit.

He tried cutting with both swords, and the newly forged blade, as if slicing tofu, whooshed and sliced the Dragon‑slayer cleanly!

Ye Liuyun exclaimed, "It's a treasure sword! But why does it have no grade?"

"What does the grade matter? As long as it works! Quickly give the sword a name." Lei Ming, of course, didn't understand forging; she only knew the sword was powerful!

"Let's call it 'Demon‑Slayer'!" Ye Liuyun invoked the mission bestowed by the Ten Thousand Gods Command. "Foreign Tribe invasion, protect the Archaic World…"

"Demon‑Slayer! Sounds good!" Lei Ming mused.

"Indeed, I'll use it to slay demons and monsters, to command the world!" Ye Liuyun raised the sword, speaking with high spirits.

Lei Ming, however, leapt in front of him, claws gripping his round waist, and said irritably, "Demon‑slaying is fine, but monster‑slaying isn't!"

Ye Liuyun burst into laughter, immediately rephrasing, "Indeed, monster‑slaying won't do! Then let's make it 'Eradicate Evil, Demon‑Slayer, Command the World!'"

Lei Ming finally nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it! I'm hungry, quickly roast some meat for me; you haven't rewarded me for the Golden Crow Holy Fire's merit yet!"

"Alright, roasting right away!" Ye Liuyun, having obtained the Demon‑Slayer Treasure Sword, was thrilled. He didn't mind Lei Ming's gourmand request, and immediately took out plenty of beast meat and began roasting.

The two ate their fill and only then left the Cave.

Ye Liuyun couldn't resist testing the sword, so he drew the Demon‑Slayer and slashed toward the Cave.

"Split the mountain!"

As the blade left, he let out a loud shout.

His sword intent was already domineering, and with the blade's inherent sharpness and the embedded thunder and flame power, a single strike ripped the entire Cave apart.

A fierce chasm, nearly a yard deep, was hewn into the mountain wall, and the internal flame and thunder forces blackened the rock.

Ye Liuyun and Lei Ming, man and beast, stood rooted with mouths agape, staring in amazement.

After a while, Lei Ming clawed Ye Liuyun's shoulder. "That strike is truly comparable to a Sea Transformation master's blow!"

Ye Liuyun also nodded deeply. The power of that slash far exceeded his expectations!

He knew it must be thanks to that unnamed iron lump or the mysterious black stone; he himself could never have cleaved such a powerful strike.

The two admired Ye Liuyun's masterpiece for a while, then released the Bald Vulture, hurrying toward the Northern Branch Institute.

Ye Liuyun remained exhilarated along the way, unable to settle down to cultivate, constantly pulling out the sword to feel it.

He had long ago transmitted the map to the Bald Vulture via Divine Sense. The Bald Vulture also renewed an equal pact with him, to facilitate communication and information transfer.

Thus the journey required no attention from him. Half a day later, the Bald Vulture descended outside the Northern Branch Institute.

Being new and unfamiliar with the academy's rules, Ye Liuyun coaxed and persuaded Lei Ming into the Storage Ring. Then he himself walked toward the branch's entrance.

This is the branch's jurisdiction; he no longer worries about being pursued by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even the Great Zhou Dynasty dares not provoke such a great Sect. Not only do they refrain, they also curry favor with its figures.

To a great Sect, a dynasty is merely a secular ruling body; they can send an Elder over and cause the whole realm to change dynasties.

Thus each dynasty maintains countless ties with the major Sects, sending their own youths to the academy for training, to later serve their families.

The Profound Heaven Saint is actually a family disciple sent by the Great Zhou Dynasty to the Holy Martial Academy's Main Institute for cultivation; he merely reached the Yuan Dan Realm and became an Elder.

But to claim that a single Elder can shield the heavens with one hand is far from true in the academy! m.

Moreover, even if he is an Elder of the Main Institute, his reach cannot extend to the branch.

These Heavenly Luck Kings have spoken with Ye Liuyun, so he has a rough idea. He also knows that at first, he cannot match such great figures.

The outer area of the Holy Martial Academy's Northern Branch is an endless abyss, shrouded in mist.

The abyss and mist resemble a suddenly appearing massive black hole, seemingly capable of devouring everything, instilling dread in anyone who sees it.

Ye Liuyun used his Illusion Pupil to scan the mist, discovering countless Formations arranged within.

He hasn't studied Formations much, but knows that being caught in so many would make escape difficult; at present he lacks that ability.

Through the mist he looked opposite and saw an isolated range of mountains, complete with streams and lakes. On and below the peaks stood all sorts of structures, with academy disciples bustling about.

This branch is so vast; how many people live inside! Ye Liuyun thought silently, surprised.

The entire branch is far larger than a county town!

Ye Liuyun circled the abyss and found the academy's entrance.

In front of the entrance lay a rock road several miles wide, identical to the outside.

At this moment the mountain gate was wide open; at the gate stood an inner‑sect disciple of Sea Transformation, accompanied by six disciples of True Essence Ninth Layer on guard.

"What a genuine vital energy faction! Sea Transformation and True Essence Ninth Layer guarding the gate! In Tianyun County, those are roles for kings and palace guards!" Ye Liuyun mused inwardly.

When he approached the guards, he proactively presented his Token. The guards, aware of the academy's recent recruitment, without hesitation assigned someone to lead Ye Liuyun toward the residence of the entrance‑test participants.

Ye Liuyun was curious about everything along the way, asking here and there, but the guard ignored him entirely.

Ye Liuyun's cultivation realm was too low, and his rustic, unsophisticated appearance convinced the guard he was just a tall lad from a small town.

Such people are usually expelled after the trial, so the guard didn't even bother speaking to him.

After taking him to the residence, they registered him, assigned lodging, instructed some rules, and then left.

Ye Liuyun released his Divine Sense, scanning the entire test‑takers' residence, but did not find Song Yi and Li Mengxi.

"Seems they haven't arrived yet. I wonder if they'll encounter danger on the road."

However, he noticed that over two hundred people already lived here, all youths under twenty, the youngest only twelve or thirteen.

The Holy Martial Academy only recruits disciples under twenty; those over the age are no longer admitted.