All over the Sword Gate in the Divine Palace Sect, thousands of disciples gathered in a vast arena. It was the Arena of the Trial of the Sword.
Ever since its construction, it had only been used three times, with the last instance occurring 12 years ago when a Core disciple molested a fellow female disciple.
Back then, the Sword Gate Master wanted to sever his head from his body, but she was cautioned against it. Instead, she punished him through the challenge of the Sword Trial.
He lasted only seven matches before his head was cut off. However, due to the special formation in the arena that prevented death, when he reappeared outside, she administered the same punishment as she had to the two before him.
His cultivation was crippled, and he was expelled.
The Gate Master, a Level 8 Root Transcendent, is the second strongest in the Sect and highly skilled with the sword. Therefore, for her to punish Kent was a matter to be taken seriously.
However, instead of viewing it as a punishment, Kent saw it as an opportunity to gain fame and complete a valuable quest.
Now, everyone in the inner section of the sect, and even some Core disciples, had gathered to witness the downfall of the disciple of their idol—the Sword Saintess, Selene.
“I can’t believe I finally get to watch a Trial of the Sword… The last time it happened, I was just a Root Awakened who had only just discovered the sword,” a disciple said, a blissful expression on his face, looking genuinely happy.
“Me too. But I learned from my sister, who was a Core disciple back then. She said the trial was one of the most eye-opening experiences a swordsman could witness,” another disciple replied.
“How so?”
“She said that if you want to know where you’re lacking, and you can’t challenge, then you have to watch. According to her, watching this trial taught her a valuable lesson…”
“And that was?”
“Never allow yourself to enter this trial as the challenger… lol.”
“Fuck you, Martin. I thought you were about to say something profound.” Some of the disciples nearby laughed, overhearing the conversation between the two.
“No need to get angry, Knull. We all know this is a chance to see who will officially become the disciple of the Sword Saintess,” Martin smiled.
“So, you’re dismissing the challenger, huh? Have you forgotten the lesson we learned in Elder Hans’ class? Never underestimate your opponent, even if you are far stronger than them,” Knull asked.
“I am not underestimating him; I just don’t want to think of him at all. Haven’t you checked? All 10 Sword Geniuses in the Inner Section are on the list. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see this mysterious Kent winning even a single match.”
“Plus, all five disciples of the Gate Master are on the list. Are you telling me the disciple of the Sword Saintess is better than the disciples of the Gate Master?”
Knull nodded. “When you put it that way, it indeed doesn’t seem like he has a shot.”
The two continued their conversation as did many others, and at every turn, no one believed Kent could win even a single match.
In the sect, some of the most powerful sword geniuses had awakened sword qi and sword intent at very young ages.
They had also completed some of the most dangerous missions in the academy. So, no matter what, a nobody who happened to be the disciple of their Sword Idol wouldn’t stand a chance of winning even a single match.
A few hours after they entered the arena, the Sword Saintess appeared with Ingrid, another genius in the sect.
Ingrid was the disciple of the Spear Saintess and one of the most powerful Core Disciples in the sect.
Many knew her to have a good relationship with the Sword Saintess, mainly because she was one of the three people permitted to enter her home.
Still, they never expected her to appear in the arena. Of course, her fans began shouting her name alongside their idol, the Sword Saintess.
A few minutes after the Sword Saintess appeared, the Gate Master arrived with her five disciples: Zayd, Lancen, Penn, Zhen, and Ava.
The crowd went wild when they appeared, cheering loudly for them.
The five disciples were like celebrities. In the sect, aside from the Saintess and the Core Disciples, these five were the most popular and famous.
They had been chosen as disciples immediately after joining the sect.
Strangely enough, they all joined on the same day, making it seem like a package deal delivered to the Tower Master, who had since been training and guiding them.
Rumour had it that after her first disciple became a Saintess, the Gate Master was determined to cultivate five more prodigies. Because of this, all five of her disciples, while undeniably arrogant, were also driven to become the best of the best.
As they entered, more famous faces in the sect were recognized among the crowd.
The Gate Master walked straight to the Sword Saintess. With eyes blazing with anger, an emotion only Selene could recognize, she asked:
“Where is that arrogant disciple of yours?” Her tone was cold.
‘Keep being cold; sooner rather than later, you’ll be screaming in his bed,’ Saintess Selene thought about saying that, but she valued her life. Instead, she smiled and said something more agreeable.
“He will come, Gate Master. No need to be alarmed.”
“Tsk, who is alarmed? I just hope he can maintain his arrogance when he’s getting crippled.” After saying that, she moved to her section of the seats, not even giving Selene a chance to reply.
Selene wasn’t offended. She knew her uptight master… hell, she had even learned most of her uptightness from her, so she didn’t take it personally.
She continued talking to Ingrid, whom she had finally managed to bring outside after some much-needed convincing. She’d had to sacrifice the sex magazine Kent had given her before she managed to get her to come out.
A few minutes after the interaction with the Gate Master, Spear Saintess Neomi also arrived and sat beside Selene and her disciple, Ingrid.
Of course, she said hi to the Gate Master, who was surprisingly chummy with her—for the first time ever.
Selene immediately realized that perhaps she was trying to get her on her side now that she was spoken for. She just laughed inwardly. She knew all her plans would soon come crashing down…
When the time came, an elder stepped into the arena.
“Welcome, everyone, to the Fourth Trial of the Sword.” The crowd quieted down.
“Today, Challenger Kent Madson, a Level 8 Root Grandmaster, has challenged 100 Grandmaster Swordsmen from the Inner Area of the Sword Gate to a duel. While it may sound arrogant, you should all know that Kent is the disciple of none other than our very own Sword Saintess.
“Now, if you are still not convinced, know this: the one who manages to defeat him will receive a Heaven-Grade Sword Skill, 100 million spirit stones, and the chance to become the disciple of the Sword Saintess…
“That is, assuming her disciple ends up crippled, of course.”
“Now, while this is already known, death in this trial is not permanent, so to all challengers, don’t hold back.
Also, from the Gate Master, the one who manages to defeat Kent Madson will have a chance to enter the Sword Garden for two days.”
Everyone went wild, regardless of whether they were spectators or challengers. The perks were just too enticing.
Nobody would want to miss out on that… In fact, if the first three perks weren’t there, just having a chance to enter the Sword Garden was enough to make them go all out.
Not even the Sword Saintess could boast of having a chance to enter the Sword Garden… the most sacred place in the sect. And now, it’s being offered for two days to whoever manages to take down Kent.
“Without further ado, let’s welcome our challenger, Kent Madson!”
Everyone quieted down and waited for Kent to appear. They finally wanted to see who the bastard looked like. However, even after ten minutes of waiting, nobody appeared.
Everyone, including the Gate Master, became enraged. This wasn’t something they had all expected… Kent is running away before the Trial…
Kent running was a bummer and a rather shameful act that could affect the Sword Saintess.
Well, that was what they all expected until a sneer entered everyone’s ears…
“What a bunch of uptight people… Don’t you all eat before trials like this?”
Kent appeared, holding an apple in his right hand and a sword inside a golden sheath in his left. Following him were two lolis, Gaia and Akira, who pleaded to come and cheer for him.