Chapter 1039: Long Time

Chapter 1039: Long Time

Commander Shi and his men were completely dumbfounded.

What was going on? Why was Pavilion Master Nalan here?

After the initial shock and confusion, Commander Shi quickly led the Guanxuan Guards to kneel, and their voices were trembling as they exclaimed, "Greetings, Pavilion Master!"

They knelt and pressed their heads on the ground.

Nalan Jia, however, ignored them and walked over to Ye Guan.

"You're back."

Today, Nalan Jia was dressed in a long cloud-white gown, and her abdomen was bulging slightly. Her peerless beauty radiated a glow of maternal warmth that Ye Guan had never seen on her face.

Ye Guan's appearance returned to normal. He held Nalan Jia's hand and smiled gently. "Yes, I'm back."

At the sight of Ye Guan's face, Commander Shi's pupils contracted. His knees gave up on him, and he collapsed to the floor.

Nalan Gu collapsed to the ground and lost control of his bladder, but he was still awake.

The rest of the Guanxuan Guards turned ashen and slumped to the floor.

Ye Guan!

The Ruler of the Guanxuan Universe!

Ye Guan paid no attention to the unconscious Commander Shi or Nalan Gu. He held Nalan Jia's hand and led her outside.

Countless powerful figures knelt in unison, shouting, "Greetings, Academy Master!"

Their voices boomed like thunder, shaking the skies.

Ye Guan smiled lightly. "Rise, everyone!"

The powerful figures stood up, looking at Ye Guan with overwhelming excitement.

Ye Guan!

In fact, this group of experts was unfamiliar with the Sword Master, as the Sword Master had disappeared a long time ago. However, these powerful figures had either been nurtured by Ye Guan and the Nalan Clan or recruited by Ye Guan from the outside, so they felt a closer connection to Ye Guan.

However, Ye Guan had been away for many years, rarely staying in the Guanxuan Universe. As a result, those who had just joined the Guanxuan Academy had never met him, so some of them looked at him with curiosity.

Ye Guan turned to the side and saw a lady in white standing a bit farther away.

An Qinghan was a supreme genius who had become the Head of the Martial Department, but she could only stand at the edge of the group.

The core members of the Guanxuan Universe and the Immortal Treasures Pavilion stood next to Nalan Jia; they were individuals whose personal power or family backgrounds were terrifying, such as the leaders of great clans like the Sword Sect.

An Qinghan smiled slightly upon meeting Ye Guan's gaze.

Ye Guan chuckled, asking, "Did you discover my identity?"

He hadn't informed Nalan Jia, so someone else had to have figured it out, and only An Qinghan could have done so.

An Qinghan stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Yes."

"How did you figure it out?"

An Qinghan suddenly opened her palm, and a wisp of sword intent floated out of her glabella and landed in her hand.

Seeing the wisp of sword intent, Ye Guan laughed. It was the sword intent he had left with An Qinghan a long time ago. He hadn't expected it to be the reason she recognized him.

Ye Guan opened his palm, and the sword intent flew into his hand, trembling slightly. Smiling, he willed the sword intent to evolve, and then he handed the transformed sword intent back to An Qinghan. "Take this. I hope it will help you."

Upon hearing this, An Qinghan immediately knelt down, reverently accepting the sword intent with both hands. The sudden gift made her feel overwhelmed.

Ye Guan was like a mentor to her.

Ye Guan then looked at an elderly man standing not far from Nalan Jia and smiled. "Elder Zhang, it's been a while."

Elder Zhang smiled back. "It's good to see you home, Young Master."

Ye Guan smiled warmly. As he scanned the crowd, he saw many familiar faces, but he couldn't greet everyone individually as countless influential figures were rushing toward them. The Guanxuan City[1] was in complete chaos.

Ye Guan smiled. "Brother Fang."

Fang Yu snapped out of it and tried to kneel, but a gentle force held him up.

Ye Guan smiled. "No need for that."

Fang Yu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Brother Yang... Academy Master Ye..."

Naturally, Fang Yu was overwhelmed with excitement. He was staring at the legendary Academy Master of the Guanxuan Academy. Even the old man beside him could annihilate his family a thousand times over with a mere glance, so what could the Academy Master do?

Ye Guan chuckled. "Just call me Brother Yang. My family name is indeed Yang, so you weren't wrong."

Fang Yu still seemed hesitant.

Ye Guan walked over, patted his shoulder, and smiled. "Don't be so stiff."

Seeing Ye Guan's warm and approachable demeanor, Fang Yu relaxed a bit and smiled. "Brother Yang..."

The old man standing nearby glanced at Fang Yu but said nothing before quietly stepping aside.

Ye Guan laughed heartily. He took out two bottles of wine and handed one to Fang Yu. "Let's chat!"

Ye Guan's lack of formalities made Fang Yu relax. He grinned and exclaimed, "Sure!"

The two sat at the entrance of the hall and chatted with each other. Ye Guan asked about what had been happening so far, as he knew that only someone like Fang Yu would truly understand the darker realities and the unwritten rules.

Fang Yu held nothing back. He could tell that Brother Yang was planning reforms.

The two chatted for several hours.

The old man nearby silently took notes.

When dawn finally approached, Ye Guan stood up and looked at Fang Yu with a smile. "Brother Fang, the Guanxuan Guards will hold another examination next month. Go back and prepare. Then, come again next month. Don't worry; there isn't going to be anything shady any more next time."

Fang Yu quickly cupped his fist and replied, "Alright!"

"We'll meet again!"

"Brother Yang, until we meet again!"

After Fang Yu left, Ye Guan softly said, "Elder Zhang, I have a goal now."

Elder Zhang looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled and said, "I hope that one day, every youngster out there will feel hopeful for the future. We can't let the youth feel disappointed in this world, not under the rule of the Guanxuan Universe."

Elder Zhang looked at Ye Guan and smiled.

***

After leaving the main hall, Fang Yu set off for Yongzhou, as he needed to prepare and also wanted to bring more of the Fang Clan's disciples to participate in next month's examination.

Thanks to the teleportation array, the journey from the Guanxuan Universe to Yongzhou took less than fifteen minutes.

Upon returning to the Fang Clan, Fang Yu was immediately surrounded by a group of Fang Clan members. A man in elegant robes stood at the helm and smiled before asking, "Brother Yu, I heard the Academy Master is back. Is it true?"

Fang Yu smiled. "It's true!"

The elegantly dressed man quickly asked, "Did you see him? Did you?"

The Fang Clan members looked at Fang Yu with anticipation.

Fang Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I did. Not only did I see him, but I drank with him!"

The elegantly dressed man blinked. "You drank with the Academy Master?"

"We even became sworn brothers!"

The elegantly dressed man hesitated for a moment before chiding, "Keep bragging like that, Brother Yu, and I'm never going to talk to you again."

Fang Yu had no idea what to say.

1. Little Guan City and Guanxuan City are the same; the author just uses both terms sometimes to refer to one place ☜