Chapter 37: Possessors of Face-Giving and Presumptuous Physiques!

Ever since obtaining the Sword-Nurturing Art, Qin Xuan had carried the Great Que Sword on his back day and night, nourishing it with his Sword Intent.

As Qin Xuan’s very first sword, even though the Great Que Sword was only a Heavenly-grade weapon, a level long surpassed by Qin Xuan’s current strength,

Qin Xuan still held a special affection for it.

Thus, he used the Sword-Nurturing Art, continuously bathing the sword in his Sword Intent.

His hope was that one day, he could wield this merely Heavenly-grade Great Que Sword,

to slay a powerful Marquis-Level Expert, or even a King Realm Expert!

Though the Great Que Sword might shatter after that single strike, unable to bear the immense Sword Qi,

its fragments would be stained with the blood of a Marquis or even a King!

To send off such a Heavenly-grade sword with the blood and life of a Marquis-Level or King-Realm Expert—

that was the ultimate respect Qin Xuan could give it!

So, the moment Gu Xianghan sought to take Qin Xuan as his disciple,

Qin Xuan seemed to feel a sense of resistance emanating from the Great Que Sword.

It was as if the sword was saying: this person before you is utterly unworthy to be your master.

Because this person… could not withstand its single stroke!

That was why Qin Xuan first patted the scabbard, soothing the restless sword.

Of course, even without the Great Que Sword, Qin Xuan wouldn’t have bowed to Gu Xianghan.

A sixth-level Divine Treasure Realm Marquis?

Even without unleashing Great Que’s strike,

by using his other hidden strengths and the three layers of Sword Intent enhancement, Qin Xuan believed he could very well fight on equal footing!

His own formidable strength was Qin Xuan’s most solid foundation.

So why would he need the protection promised by an Elder he wasn’t even certain he couldn’t defeat?

And lowering his status by a generation in the process? He’d never do it.

“What? Am I hearing wrong? He… he… he actually refused Elder Gu’s offer to take him as a disciple!”

“Holy crap! What is he thinking? That’s Elder Gu! A sixth-level Divine Treasure Realm Marquis-Level Expert, one of the top-ranked among the Elders!”

“Damn this kid! He’s practically spitting on offered kindness!”

“Exactly! Reaching the peak of Second-Layer Sword Intent is impressive, sure, but he can’t be this arrogant!”

Hearing Qin Xuan refuse Gu Xianghan, the disciples outside the hall erupted in indignation.

Unaware of Qin Xuan’s true capabilities, they all thought he was unbearably arrogant.

With just some talent, he dared look down even on Marquis-Level Experts!

Not just the disciples; even the other two Elders inside the hall wore expressions of shock.

As for Hai Bonan and Liang Ting, their moods reversed dramatically—one turned dark, the other bright.

“This… Qin Xuan, you…” Hai Bonan looked at Qin Xuan, wanting to persuade him, but Gu Xianghan waved him to silence.

“You truly have no wish to join my tutelage?” Gu Xianghan’s expression remained placid, neither sad nor angry, his gaze sharp like torchlight as he asked Qin Xuan again.

“No!” Meeting Gu Xianghan’s gaze, Qin Xuan replied with calm certainty.

“Good! Sword cultivators should be upright and razor-sharp in spirit! Unwilling is unwilling. Speak plainly without forcing yourself!”

“However, since you refuse my tutelage, I shall not offer you resources or protection out of mere admiration. You will bear these consequences of your choice!”

“As for any concern you might harbor that an old man like me might turn spiteful and scheme against you in shadows—dismiss such worries.”

“I’ve trained with the sword for three hundred years, always walking the bright path. I have never engaged in dirty deeds. Set your mind at ease.”

Seeing Qin Xuan’s unwavering gaze and utterly calm, unflustered tone,

Gu Xianghan did not blame him for the refusal. He spoke to Qin Xuan calmly, as conversing with a peer.

“Rest assured, as well,” Qin Xuan responded. “I bear responsibility for the consequences of my own actions.”

Gu Xianghan’s words caused a flicker of surprise in Qin Xuan’s heart.

He’d thought such a public refusal, especially directed at a Holy Land Elder who was a Marquis-Level Expert,

would surely provoke anger, perhaps even immediate retaliation right then and there.

Yet, Gu Xianghan spoke with such principled candor. It made Qin Xuan’s estimation of Elder Gu Xianghan rise considerably.

“IMPUDENCE!” Before Gu Xianghan could act, however, Liang Ting lunged forward like a rabid old hound. “Elder Gu benevolently offers to take you as disciple! As a disciple of this Holy Land, you dare refuse? Have you any respect for your Elders at all?”

Hearing this, Qin Xuan couldn’t help but turn his head. Freezing light flashed in his star-bright eyes.

Perhaps… using this old dog’s head as a celebratory token upon joining the True Martial Sacred Land?

The sword qi within Qin Xuan stirred restlessly at the thought.

Just then, Hai Bonan stepped forward.

“Liang Ting! Stop twisting matters! Don’t try to force on him that crime! Elder Gu has nothing to say, so what exactly are you?”

“PRESUMPTUOUS! Hai Bonan, you grow TOO PRESUMPTUOUS!!!”

BOOOOOOM!

The words “what exactly are you” almost shattered Liang Ting’s composure.

He erupted with the sheer pressure of a Marquis-Level Expert, blasting it towards Hai Bonan.

Hai Bonan refused to back down. The phantom image of a cavern briefly manifested as he unleashed his own full power, meeting the pressure head-on.

“Ah now! What’s this about? I told you to stay civil!” A far more powerful aura exploded forth abruptly, instantly suppressing the energies of both Liang Ting and Hai Bonan.

The source? The short, yellow-robed Elder. Though he wore a mild smile, there was undeniable authority within it.

“Holy crap! Elder Pang’s that strong? His pressure is suffocating me!”

“Obviously! What did you expect? Think he could mediate conflicts and keep order among the Elders if he were weak?”

“Right? Did you think ‘Physique of Face-Giving’ was a joke?”

“‘Physique of Face-Giving’?”

“Oh, that’s just a running gag in the Sect. Every time Elder Pang mediates a dispute, he asks both sides to ‘give him face.’”

“After so long, folks started saying he’s the ‘Possessor of the Face-Giving Physique’—one whose face must be respected!”

“Pfft! Then Elder Liang must be the ‘Possessor of the Presumptuous Physique’! Ever since he became an Elder, ‘PRESUMPTUOUS’ hasn’t left his mouth!”

“Exactly! Let us celebrate the True Martial Sacred Land gaining another mighty physique possessor!”

Hearing the chatter outside, and also sensing the overwhelming energy surging from that short Elder Pang,

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: the Sacred Land’s foundation was indeed deep and unshakable.

Every Elder was a force to be reckoned with… except maybe that conniving, rabid ‘Possessor of the Presumptuous Physique’, Liang Ting.

“Hmph!”

Liang Ting recovered his spluttering rage, directing it back towards Qin Xuan. “This whelp is nothing but insolence! I personally find it intolerable!”

“If you insist on granting him the status and privileges of a Core Disciple, fine! But first! He must prove his strength by sparring with Yang Yun!”

“Let’s see if he genuinely possesses power worthy of a Core Disciple!”

“Otherwise! How could he command the respect of the disciples? This is a guy who hides his true cultivation level, flaunted only a bit of Sword Intent, and now gets elevated? Unacceptable!”