Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

There were no walls without leaks.

And—

Some things could be done but not brought up for discussion publicly.

Like a killer going mad and suddenly slaying tens of thousands of people.

—This was the rule of the Human World.

Lady An suddenly felt some regret.

Why did she have to come here today?

She steadied herself and said, "I\'m not very clear about this matter, it seems that Police Chief Luo\'s sister is looking into it."

People turned their gaze toward Xiao Mengyu.

"Congratulations, I heard you are about to be engaged, but why are you with him?" Lady An asked with a tone of surprise.

Xiao Mengyu curtsied slightly and replied softly, "I\'ve met Lady An, I am not engaged."

Lady An smiled and said, "But I have heard—"

Shen Ye immediately interrupted her, "You always bring up hearsay; just now it was me, now it\'s her. Do you think it\'s good to indiscriminately spread such unfounded gossip?"

Lady An was caught off guard.

As the heir to the Jiangnan Song Family, how long had it been since anyone had spoken to her with such a tone?

Before she could react, Shen Ye turned to Xiao Mengyu.

"Hey, Lady An said you were investigating, do you know who the mastermind behind the scenes is?"

—No matter what\'s said, truth or lies, the right to speak must be in our hands, and not let others ramble on!

The crowd held their breath.

Countless eyes converged on Shen Ye and Xiao Mengyu.

The Normal candidates still didn\'t understand the situation, looking puzzled, whispering to each other, wanting to know the details.

The clinking of glasses ceased.

The music began.

The sound of the orchestra rose melodiously in the banquet hall, bringing a cheerful and joyful atmosphere.

Yet no one went out to dance.

The well-dressed Clan Young Masters no longer flaunted their wits to one another.

They looked at Shen Ye in confusion.

Such straightforward words were indeed discomforting—

After all, aren\'t such matters supposed to be communicated under the table?

This was a banquet!

No—

They dared not say it.

Unless one wanted to be ostracized by the family, to become an enemy of the scions of Nobility, no sane person would ever utter such things.

Xiao Mengyu smiled, her eyes looking into the distance, and said softly:

"It\'s not convenient to speak of this now."

"Ah? It\'s inconvenient? Then never mind," Shen Ye quickly said.

—He hadn\'t intended for her to say anything in the first place, he was merely diverting the topic, not wanting Lady An to attack her over the engagement matter.

"That\'s right, it\'s indeed not convenient," said Xiao Mengyu.

In the ensuing silence,

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Suddenly.

A loud voice rang out from afar:

"The Luo family\'s daughter is virtuous and generous, knows the bigger picture, and discerns right from wrong; she would not engage in spreading unfounded rumors with you."

"As for the engagement, she\'s a young girl and might not be clear on the family\'s arrangements."

"—She is indeed about to be engaged."

The crowd turned back to look.

They saw a dignified-looking middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the hall.

He also had a long sword at his waist, and the faint lingering murderous aura on the sword made one wonder how many people had been killed to give it such a presence.

Lady An chuckled, "Luo Erlang, how did you get here?"

The middle-aged man known as Luo Erlang looked serious and glaring at Xiao Mengyu, he barked, "I clearly told you to go home; why didn\'t you leave?"

"I\'ve met Uncle, I\'m here to take the examination, so I didn\'t go back," Xiao Mengyu replied with a bow.

"You indeed have an engagement arrangement, it\'s the family\'s decision. Lady An meant well; you shouldn\'t misunderstand her," Luo Erlang said.

"Alright," said Xiao Mengyu.

"Come with me," Luo Erlang said.

"Where to?" asked Xiao Mengyu.

"I just told you, it\'s about the engagement," Luo Erlang said.

"Did Grandfather agree? What about my father? Did he agree?" Xiao Mengyu inquired.

Luo Erlang faltered, then said thoughtfully, "The Patriarch will soon be informed of this matter, and as for your father, he is still unconscious—but this is a good thing, perhaps he would only be happy to hear about it."

"My father would be happy? He would be furious... Tell everyone, how old is my betrothed this year?" Xiao Mengyu sighed.

Luo Erlang\'s eyes became fierce, and he sharply exclaimed, "Stop your rudeness in public and come with me!"

Xiao Mengyu shook her head and said:

"Grandfather hasn\'t agreed, and neither has my father given his consent; how dare you decide for me?"

Her demeanor was more carefree and unconstrained than ever before.

In that instant,

Shen Ye suddenly realized her Evaluation Entry above her head was no longer blurry.

An unrivaled sharpness emanated from her, shadowed by two extremely succinct words:

Sword Saint.

"Evaluation Entry effect:"

"Resonance with the Sword Artifact increases by 10 points."

"All Attributes increase by 5 points."

"Swordsmanship\'s lethality doubles."

"—A thousand truths, a myriad of saints, this is but the entrance."

Shen Ye\'s pupils dilated.

He himself had received a prompt before, "Obtain 20 points in All Attributes to be titled a True Person."

So "True" and "Saint" are parallel professional levels?

Enraged by her words, Luo Erlang drew his sword and said:

"This is the family\'s will, and if you dare defy it—"

Clang.

A wild wind suddenly burst forth, and a blurred shadow swept across dozens of meters, followed by the sound of a sword being sheathed.

A hand holding a sword fell to the ground.

Luo Erlang was sent flying, crashing far away into the wall of the palace, emitting a piercing scream.

Xiao Mengyu stood in the spot where he had been, speaking softly:

"To arrange a marriage for a relative without informing his parents or obtaining the family head\'s consent—"

"—Uncle, you have overstepped your bounds."

"This Luo Shui Sword is a symbol of the family\'s chief steward and a Divine Artifact worshiped by our Luo family; you are unworthy of wielding it."

Xiao Mengyu gestured with her hand.

"Luo Shui, would you like to follow me and keep my Remnant Snow Sword company?"

The long sword on the ground trembled like a Spirit Snake, shaking off the severed arm, before flying up and landing in Xiao Mengyu\'s hand.

This scene caused a stir among the crowd.

Common disciples had never seen such a sight, while the young masters of noble families were filled with envy and jealousy.

Shen Ye thought for a moment and instantly understood.

If this sword is a Divine Artifact with a spirit and represents the authority of the Luo family, then from this moment on, the authority of the Luo family was in Xiao Mengyu\'s hands!

Because the Divine Artifact had recognized her!

At the same time, the rankings began to change instantly.

On the pyramid-shaped list, Xiao Mengyu jumped up, now on par with Nangong Sirui at the apex!

Tied for first place!

The entire banquet hall was in an uproar.

Xiao Mengyu, however, paid no heed, as if unaffected by anything, patted the long sword at her waist and shot Shen Ye a "don\'t mind it" glance.

—It\'s because of the Divine Artifact, not because I\'ve gotten stronger.

That was the message she wanted to convey.

Shen Ye didn\'t speak.

But he knew it was not that simple.

—If her conviction hadn\'t become strong, she would not have been able to do what she did, and she would not have been recognized by the Divine Artifact.

As for Nangong Sirui—

As a favored descendant of a great clan, he certainly had some treasures hidden on him.

So this ranking was not just about personal strength.

—It also included the enhancement of one\'s equipment and resources.

However, when it comes down to it, I am quite poor, only making it into the Five-Star rank with my "Frosty Moon Shocking Sky" Swordsmanship, which actually seems much more genuine.

So it\'s right for me to hide my ranking.

The scions of noble families, who knows how many treasures they have in hand.

If I have to fight, at least let them remain in the dark about my real capabilities.

On the other side.

The medical team had quickly sprung into action, rushing to stop the bleeding and heal Luo Erlang.

The severed arm was taken away as well.

"Xiao Mengyu, you dare to forcibly seize a family Divine Artifact, you\'re finished!"

Luo Erlang said with a ferocious expression, "Without the family head\'s consent, this is rebellion and disrespect; you will be beaten to death with clubs and expelled from the family!"

Xiao Mengyu didn\'t even look at him, slowly walking towards Shen Ye, and without turning her head, said:

"Driven by greed, you wield a Divine Artifact, yet you couldn\'t catch even one of my strikes. I wonder what grandfather would think of you."

Luo Erlang was like someone suddenly strangled, incapable of uttering another sound.

He was carried away on a stretcher.

Xiao Mengyu, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, walked leisurely to where Shen Ye stood and smiled:

"It wasn\'t the right time to speak before, but now it is."

Shen Ye snapped out of it.

—What does this girl mean?

Oh.

Right, I had asked her just now if she knew the truth about the incident.

Could it be that she…

Xiao Mengyu spoke with extreme seriousness:

"Your friend has died, and so has my brother. I\'ve investigated the whole matter."

"But do you really want to know? You should be aware, there\'s no turning back after hearing it."

No turning back.

Meaning—

Are you afraid of death?

Shen Ye naturally understood her implication.

"Afraid? What\'s there to be afraid of," Shen Ye grinned, "Nothing will come crumbling down from speaking—if you\'ve found out the truth, then tell me; but if you\'re not sure, then don\'t say a word."

—I\'m not afraid, what about you? If you\'re scared, you don\'t have to say it.

Xiao Mengyu\'s eyes brightened even more.

Despite being an untrained youth without the rigorous mental discipline or advanced education of a family.

He had this sort of ruthless determination.

If you all want to deal with us, to ruthlessly hunt one down and force the other into marriage—

Then let\'s make a big scene out of it, one that cannot be subdued.

Life and death be damned!

Xiao Mengyu\'s mood was touched, and she chuckled with a bell-like laughter.

She transferred the two swords from her left to her right hand, quickly tied them to her waist, and while caressing the hilt and trying out the motion of drawing the sword, scanned the human faces illuminated by the splendid lights.

From this moment on, no amount of desires and malevolence could stop her from doing certain things.

Because she no longer cared about some things.

And some things mattered more than life or death.

"So, shall I really tell you?" she asked, squinting her pretty eyes, in a casual tone.

"Tell me," Shen Ye decided.

Xiao Mengyu quickly continued:

"Did you know, Lady An\'s niece Song Qingyun said she liked you, and then a bunch of clan young masters got jealous and hired assassins to trouble you."

"Those assassins killed my brother."

"They also killed your best friend."

"—They killed tens of thousands of people."