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Chapter 586: Divine Academy

What does it mean to be an ordinary mortal?

It meant being the most ordinary of individuals. However, how could he be considered ordinary when he had once been adorned in divine attire with divine artifacts in hand?

The realization shed light on why his Mortal Physique had reached a standstill at ninety percent. The essence of being a mortal was in embracing mortality at its core. To embody mortality, one needed a mortal\'s heart.

Ye Guan looked down at himself. A seemingly boundless mortal power was flowing within him; it shone brightly and was akin to an endless starry sky; it was so terrifying that it was awe-inspiring.

Ye Guan\'s mortal power had undergone a qualitative change. He deduced that only a fully awakened Mad Demon Bloodline could rival its strength.

Gently subduing the tumultuous surge of the Mortal Bloodline within him, Ye Guan left the world inside the tiny pagoda and proceeded toward a towering divine tower.

The tower served as the cultivation ground of the academy\'s students—a sanctuary accessible only to Divine Courtyard’s students. Ye Guan could use the tower for free.

Stepping into the divine tower, Ye Guan was met with a myriad of illuminated screens. Each screen offered a distinct training method that would allow the students to train in that particular discipline.

After contemplating for a while, Ye Guan\'s gaze settled on the second-to-last screen to the right, which said, "The greatest adversary lies within oneself."

The greatest adversary lies within oneself! Ye Guan transformed into a streak of light and entered the light screen. He was instantly transported into an expansive starry sky, and he found himself facing a solitary stone pillar.

Approaching the pillar, Ye Guan extended his hand, causing the structure to tremble lightly. Soon afterward, a divine light enveloped him, and he closed his eyes in introspection.

Moments later, Ye Guan saw a phantom standing not too far away from him.

And that was when the phantom suddenly disappeared...

Swoosh!

A sharp sword light made a beeline for Ye Guan, and the phantom then slashed out with its sword, performing ten Heavenrends containing a thousand stacks each, which was condensed into just one sword move.

Ye Guan decided not to use any intricate swordplay and opted for a straightforward thrust as he decided to meet the attack head-on.

The collision sent him hurtling thousands of meters away, but the phantom wasn\'t done just yet. It rushed toward Ye Guan and performed another Heavenrend.

This time, Ye Guan deflected it with a horizontal block of his sword.

Bang!

Ye Guan staggered back. In the blink of an eye, he had retreated thousands of meters away from his original spot; he was being overpowered by himself. The phantom before him was his own reflection, albeit with only eighty percent of his strength.

He could easily defeat the phantom using his sword moves and bloodline, but he deliberately refrained from doing so. He wanted to gauge his "true" strength, which was his strength without any sword moves, divine artifacts, and bloodline power.

A series of explosions echoed throughout the starry expanse, and Ye Guan soon found himself on the defensive. He did not use the Xuanyuan Sword but a plain sword made out of sword energy.

Once Ye Guan was a hundred thousand meters away from the stone pillar, the phantom ceased its attacks and returned to the stone pillar.

Observing from a distance, Ye Guan wiped away the blood from his lips and revealed a self-deprecating smile. He was surprisingly weak without his bloodline power and sword moves.

This was the true him—the "true" Ye Guan. A swordsman\'s true strength lay not in his fleshly body, sword moves, and external tools but in his sword intent and heart.

Ye Guan closed his eyes and set aside his sword moves, bloodline power, and external tools. He emptied his mind and inspected himself. Weakness was not necessarily a flaw; rather, it signified boundless growth potential.

Glancing at the distant phantom, Ye Guan’s figure blurred, and he transformed into a streak of sword light that charged at the phantom.

The phantom responded by disappearing into thin air.

Bang!

A burst of sword light shattered the air as Ye Guan was once again sent flying away. However, he charged at the phantom immediately afterward. His training objective was to seek out his weaknesses through combat.

For instance, his Heavenrend had improved, all thanks to his spacetime layering technique. He hadn\'t been able to find any flaws to it, but it was understandable, as it was often difficult for one to recognize their own shortcomings.

Just like that, half a month passed by...

Ye Guan became increasingly more adept at combat, but he was still being suppressed by his own phantom. Fortunately, he could now avoid the phantom\'s Heavenrend and was no longer forced to block it.

Ye Guan made significant improvement, and he had never resorted to using any sword moves. Of course, he had never used his bloodline power or any external tools as well. He relied purely on his Sword Dao.

As Ye Guan fought himself, he became more and more aware of his own weaknesses, which facilitated his rapid growth. And just like that, another half a month ticked by.

Ye Guan was now evenly matched with the phantom. His swordsmanship was exceedingly simple, but each stroke was precise and effective. The philosophy of minimalism and simplicity had been applied to his Sword Dao.

Bang!

Ye Guan swung his sword, sending the phantom flying away. The phantom managed to force itself to come to a halt, but its balance remained unsteady. Stepping forward, Ye Guan thrust his sword once more—a simple, straightforward thrust. The phantom responded with Heavenrend.

Bang!

When the two swords met, a kaleidoscope of sword lights erupted. The phantom was forced to retreat once more. While it was retreating, it failed to notice a sword flying toward it from the side, and the sword managed to pierce its glabella.

Boom!

The phantom shattered into pieces.

Ye Guan stood quietly with his sword in hand. He had won!

Just a month ago, he had been utterly powerless against the phantom. Now, he had effortlessly defeated it.

What did that mean? It meant that he had always been capable of greater feats, but his reliance on his sword moves, bloodline power, and divine artifacts had been hindering him from realizing his true potential.

He had just witnessed his true self!

The current him was the "true" him!

Taking a deep breath, Ye Guan felt liberated, and his sword intent surged crazily.

Ye Guan waved his sleeve, and his sword intent vanished.

Just then, a hoarse voice echoed from the starry sky, "Divine Academy’s Intra-academy competition is about to begin. All students are to leave the trial grounds immediately."

Intra-academy competition? Ye Guan was momentarily taken aback. Then, he recalled that the Divine Academy did have intra-academy competitions, which allowed the students from the different courtyards to fight against each other.

He and Ye An were both Divine Courtyard students, so they were considered top-tier geniuses within the academy. However, there were many students within the academy who were considered as powerful as them.

Ye Guan couldn\'t help but feel a bit excited.

Were there even more exceptional individuals within the Divine Academy?

If Ye Guan\'s assumption was right... why would he be afraid of them?

Bring it on! With a hearty laugh, Ye Guan left the divine tower.

...

Upon returning to the Divine Academy, Ye Guan took note of the unusual buzz of activity. Every single student outside had made sure to return to the academy today.

It couldn\'t be helped, as the intra-academy competition was important to every single student. It offered substantial rewards and opportunities for advancement. Outer Courtyard students could become Inner Courtyard students, while Inner Courtyard students could become Divine Courtyard students.

Thus, the intra-academy competition was a highly anticipated event in the Divine Academy. The Inner Courtyard students were particularly excited, as they had always been proud and competitive.

The competition was a chance for them to challenge the Divine Courtyard students and was a chance for them to become Divine Courtyard students. Of course, they had to defeat Divine Courtyard students to become one themselves.

Just as Ye Guan stepped out of the divine tower, an elder clad in divine robes appeared before him. He was none other than Elder Su Yuan, the only elder in the Divine Courtyard.

Above Elder Su Yuan were two elders—the Left Bishop and the Right Bishop. Of course, the Academy Chief of the Divine Academy was above everyone. Ye Guan had never met any of those three figures, especially the Academy Chief.

Apparently, the Academy Chief was from the same generation as the First God.

Ye Guan had encountered Su Yuan once when he had just entered the academy.

Su Yuan saw Ye Guan and asked, "Where\'s your sister?"

"She\'s cultivating," Ye Guan replied.

Su Yuan nodded slightly and said, "During today\'s intra-academy competition, you will represent the Divine Courtyard to compete against the Inner Courtyard’s students.”

Perplexed, Ye Guan asked, "Why me?"

Su Yuan pondered for a moment before responding, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Of course, I want to hear the truth," Ye Guan replied.

"Because you\'re the weakest," Su Yuan said.

Ye Guan\'s expression darkened. "Really?"

Su Yuan nodded.

Ye Guan remained calm. "I beg to disagree."

"Then prove yourself by defeating the students of the Inner Courtyard. Once you\'ve defeated them, you can rise up the ranks among the Divine Courtyard students by defeating your fellow Divine Courtyard students," Su Yuan explained.

Curious, Ye Guan asked, "How many Divine Courtyard students are there?"

"There aren\'t many of you. Just five, including your sister," Su Yuan replied.

Five? Ye Guan frowned. "There are just five of us?"

Su Yuan nodded and explained, "The Divine Courtyard accepts only those who are qualified. If there are no qualified students, the Divine Courtyard will not accept any students. In fact, it\'s been a very long time since the Divine Courtyard had students."

"Really?" Intrigued, Ye Guan inquired, "How many students have been admitted to the Divine Courtyard so far throughout the Divine Academy\'s history?"

Su Yuan pondered for a moment before responding, "There were only a few. I\'m not sure of the exact numbers, but... it\'s been a thousand years since I entered the academy, but I\'ve seen only nine qualified individuals so far."

Only nine qualified individuals in the past one thousand years? Ye Guan thought, falling silent. Su Yuan was indeed not lying when he said that there were only a few Divine Courtyard students throughout the history of the Divine Academy.

Just then, Su Yuan looked up and said, "Two of your fellow students have just returned."