Chapter 1376: No Madness, No Life

To Ye Yuan's surprise, Qin Shao did not enter the Sword Grave.

It seemed... he was waiting for him.

"Ye Yuan, how about we have a match?" Qin Shao said with his back to Ye Yuan.

Qin Shao was somewhat cold and aloof; his taking the initiative to speak surprised Ye Yuan.

But Ye Yuan felt that Qin Shao was not the same type as Qin Peiyu, whom he had encountered before.

At least, he didn't find him annoying.

At this moment, he sensed a strong fighting spirit from Qin Shao!

Clearly, this top scholar already regarded Ye Yuan as a formidable opponent.

Ye Yuan stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qin Shao, and said, "How shall we compete?"

"The Sword Grave has eighteen layers; the deeper you go, the stronger the sword intent! Let's see who can last longer in this first layer! If both last a month, it's a tie!" Qin Shao said.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Since it's a bet, what's the wager?"

Qin Shao said, "The loser pays the winner's points for the next entry into the Sword Grave."

Ye Yuan nodded and said, "Small bets are fun, big bets hurt! Haha, not a bad idea."

Qin Shao's face stiffened, recalling how Jia Chong had bet with Ye Yuan and lost everything.

That incident had become a joke among their cohort.

Presumably, Jia Chong would be troubled by points for a long time.

At the time, he too thought Ye Yuan would surely lose, but never expected Ye Yuan to casually rush to the eighteenth mark.

It was precisely because of this that he became extremely wary of Ye Yuan.

"Let's go!"

Qin Shao leaped and directly entered the Sword Grave.

Ye Yuan did not hesitate and followed closely.

Upon entering the Sword Grave, it was as if entering another world!

A world of swords!

Sssss...

Caught off guard, Ye Yuan's body was instantly slashed with several cuts.

Countless chaotic fragments of sword law filled this space.

Qin Shao was not much better off than Ye Yuan; though not immediately injured, he was also flustered.

"Such strong sword law! Every sword here probably has a story. They repel each other yet form an organic whole! This is truly an excellent place to comprehend the sword!" Ye Yuan exclaimed.

Sss!

Another sword law fragment cut across, leaving a gash on Ye Yuan's face.

On the other side, Qin Shao had already drawn his long sword, dancing it impenetrably, fighting against those sword law fragments.

Qin Shao's strength was indeed formidable; sword qi surged around him, matching the sword law fragments blow for blow.

"Kid, if you don't draw your sword, these sword law fragments will cut you to pieces," Wu Chen reminded.

But Ye Yuan looked toward Qin Shao, lost in thought.

"How can one comprehend the sword by keeping these sword law fragments at bay? I want... to test the sword with my body!" Ye Yuan said.

Wu Chen choked at this and said, "You madman!"

Ye Yuan laughed heartily and said, "No madness, no life!"

Sssss...

Those sword law fragments showed no mercy, leaving sword marks all over Ye Yuan's body.

Ye Yuan frantically activated the Tyrant Dragon Rebirth Art, repairing each sword wound.

Ye Yuan realized this was a violent world of swords.

Comprehending the sword here was different from comprehending techniques and martial skills.

Every sword here, every fragment of sword law, was the condensed life's work of a martial artist.

To learn from the strengths of many and create his own sword path, Ye Yuan needed to understand these sword laws.

Fighting against these sword law fragments like Qin Shao would never allow one to grasp their true meaning.

Thus, he chose to test the sword with his body!

To learn to hit, one must first learn to be hit.

That was the principle.

Although the Tyrant Dragon Rebirth Art was powerful, the sword law fragments here were too many and too strong; Ye Yuan's consumption grew, and the wounds deepened.

As days passed, Qin Shao's consumption also increased, and he gradually weakened.

"I heard the previous top scholar's first entry into the Sword Grave lasted twenty-three days. I've already lasted twenty-six days—that's a good result, right? Ye Yuan's actual combat ability is lacking; he must have given up long ago," Qin Shao thought.

The sword law here was too powerful; once started, Qin Shao couldn't spare attention for Ye Yuan, focusing entirely on coping.

In the assessment, Ye Yuan had performed brilliantly in the first and third rounds, but mediocrely in the second.

So Qin Shao judged that Ye Yuan's actual combat ability was lacking.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Shao had lasted twenty-six days and was at the end of his strength.

If he persisted, he would be cut to pieces.

Qin Shao leaped back and exited the Sword Grave.

The moment he landed, his eyes suddenly narrowed!

Ye Yuan was still inside the Sword Grave!

Sss!

A sword qi directly cut a gash on Ye Yuan's body, deep enough to show bone!

Ye Yuan's body was already drenched in blood.

"This guy, how... how did he manage? Did he endure like this for all twenty-six days?" Qin Shao's eyes showed disbelief.

He knew very well how powerful these sword qi were; even he couldn't last three days if he were like Ye Yuan.

But Ye Yuan had actually lasted a full twenty-six days!

"This guy, could it be just to win the points for the next entry into the Sword Grave? No, absolutely impossible!"

Qin Shao's first reaction was that Ye Yuan was trying to beat him.

But soon, he dismissed that thought.

Though he didn't know Ye Yuan well, he could sense that Ye Yuan would never do such a thing for such a trivial reason.

Moreover, Ye Yuan didn't lack points.

Qin Shao's expression was grim; he hadn't expected to lose in this way.

"Ye Yuan, you've won!" Qin Shao called out loudly.

However, Ye Yuan seemed not to hear him at all, still stubbornly holding on.

Qin Shao could sense that Ye Yuan was at his last gasp, but he couldn't understand what Ye Yuan was persisting for.

Did taking blows like this help in cultivation?

Qin Shao felt it had no benefit except to worsen his injuries!

He didn't leave immediately but watched Ye Yuan quietly from outside.

He noticed that Ye Yuan's body repaired very quickly!

Though the speed was slowing down, Qin Shao could still perceive it.

Qin Shao knew that Ye Yuan had relied on this skill to hold out until now.

"Ye Yuan must have a deeper purpose in doing this! This guy is truly unfathomable! It seems I was too arrogant before! This Ye Yuan might well become my greatest rival in the future!" Qin Shao thought.

On the thirtieth day, Ye Yuan, his body covered in wounds, emerged from the first layer of the Sword Grave.