I Have A Sword

Nan Xiao brought Ye Guan to the Temple of Gods City[1]. The city was truly magnificent, built atop a towering mountain that pierced the clouds.

Behind this mountaintop were endless chains of mountains, and the city walls of the Temple of Gods City extended continuously, stretching along the mountain range into the horizon.

The buildings in this city were larger than any Ye Guan had ever seen. Skyscrapers stood tall everywhere. Walking among them, people looked as small and insignificant as ants in a human city.

The Temple of Gods City housed over ten billion beings. Beyond that, in the surrounding star fields, there were hundreds of thousands of other cities, all vassals to the Temple of Gods City.

Within the city streets, Ye Guan curiously observed the surrounding architecture, which bore the marks of time and history.

No one knew exactly how long the Divine Will's civilization had existed; even Nan Xiao was unaware of it. He only knew that the history of the Temple of the Gods extended tens of billions of years.

Even more shocking was what Ye Guan learned next—the Temple of the Gods here was only a branch. There were actually five Temples of the Gods here. Nan Xiao's branch was called the South Gods Temple.

There were the North Gods Temple, the West Gods Temple, the East Gods Temple, and the Central Gods Temple. Among them, the Central Gods Temple was the strongest and was located farther away.

The revelation shocked Ye Guan. He had clearly underestimated the scale of the Temple of Gods.

Moreover, the Temple of Gods Star System had a complete, sound structure. It had its own system, laws, and civilization.

What shocked Ye Guan the most was that this system employed both a promotion and an elimination system.

In other words, even becoming a Main God wouldn't guarantee stability. There were assessments, and if one failed, one could be eliminated from the position.

It wasn't just the Main Gods, even the Temple God had to work hard to stay in his position..

If one couldn't advance, one had to retreat! It was an incredibly competitive environment!

The assessment was straightforward: conquer universes and obtain the faith of more living beings. Faith in the Divine Will had to be propagated.

Of course, they didn't want the weak. They sought those with great potential, beings with the hope of becoming "gods." Especially Fate Gods, those were exceedingly rare, and recruiting even one was a huge achievement.

For newly discovered civilizations, they would usually start by offering benefits. Tempting them with the Divine Will, hoping they would willingly join. If they refused, then force would be used.

Through his conversations with Nan Xiao, Ye Guan also came to understand the difference between heretics and blasphemers.

Heretics weren't followers of the Divine Will; they had their own beliefs and civilizations. However, they never really opposed the Divine Will outright. They were hoping for peace.

In the eyes of the Temple of the Gods, heretics weren't unforgivable. They could be pardoned if they were willing to embrace the Divine Will.

Blasphemers were different. Blasphemers were those who openly opposed the Divine Will and sought to overthrow it.

In the Temple of the Gods, that was a capital offense!

Strictly speaking, Ye Guan was a blasphemer.

However, only Nan Xiao was aware of that. Ye Guan's oath record was on Nan Xiao, and Nan Xiao had destroyed it.

In other words, Ye Guan was now clean!

The final say depended on Nan Xiao...

Nan Xiao valued Ye Guan highly. Although he had powerful backers, he knew he needed to build his own power. As for Ye Guan, Nan Xiao aimed to recruit him, believing that not only was it good for himself, but it was also good for the Temple of the Gods and the Divine Will as a whole.

After all, Ye Guan's uncle was terrifyingly powerful.

If they could bring Ye Guan's uncle into the Temple of the Gods...

Just the mere thought of it was exciting.

Thus, he didn't hesitate to break the divine laws and erase Ye Guan's oath record. In his heart, he believed it was for the greater good.

Surely the Divine Will would forgive him!

On the streets, Nan Xiao suddenly said, "Brother Ye, to avoid unnecessary trouble, I will appoint you directly as my Chief Envoy. This is an official post, with a monthly salary of thirteen thousand Void Crystals. It's a low rank, but I hope you won't mind.

"Don't worry, with your strength and talent, you might even become a Fate God."

Ye Guan smiled and replied, "Mind it? I don't mind it at all, Brother Nan. I'm only worried that my identity might cause trouble for you..."

Nan Xiao laughed, "Don't worry. Your oath record has been destroyed. You are completely innocent. If anyone dares call you a blasphemer, sue them for slander. With me backing you, you'll win every time!"

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

Nan Xiao had his own mansion in the Temple of Gods City, and it was huge. He personally brought Ye Guan there and, as requested, he moved all the books in the mansion into Ye Guan's courtyard.

Nan Xiao smiled, "Brother Ye, all the books are here."

Ye Guan thought for a moment and said, "Brother Nan, how about this? In private, we address each other as brothers. But in front of others, I'll call you 'Lord.' That should help us avoid unnecessary trouble."

Nan Xiao looked at Ye Guan and thought,This guy's young, but he's really skilled at navigating people and politics.

He nodded. "Alright. Then we'll be brothers in private."

Ye Guan smiled. "Good!"

Nan Xiao said, "If you need anything, just command the servants. I need to report to work and will return later."

Ye Guan nodded, "Alright."

Left all alone, Ye Guan began reading the books. He needed to understand the Temple of the Gods and the Divine Will Civilization. Every powerful civilization had its unique strengths. His task wasn't to conquer civilizations but to study and learn from the best to improve his own.

The Guanxuan Universe was no longer in the expansion phase. It needed development.

***

After preparing himself, Nan Xiao went to the Main God Temple. There were seven Main Gods, and each one had their own temple. This time, he went to the Executive Main God's temple.

All seven Main Gods were equal in rank, but not in power.

The Executive Main God was the assistant to the Temple God and wielded the greatest authority, overseeing all high-ranking gods.

Upon entering, Nan Xiao felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. The temple was vast and open, and there was a lone chair in the distance.

The Main God Seat!

This was no ordinary seat; it was a Supreme divine artifact.

Once a Main God had taken their seat, their power would be boosted tenfold compared to others of the same level.

It was known as the Power of the Institution!

Nan Xiao bowed respectfully to the seat and began reporting on this year's work.

Of course, he concealed some matters, especially the death of a Main God. He merely mentioned encountering some heretics, who had already been dealt with.

After finishing, he waited but received no response.

After a while, Nan Xiao said, "Executive Main God, I have another matter to report. I've heard that I've been nominated to become a new Main God. I'm deeply grateful for the recognition, but after careful consideration, I've decided to decline."

After a brief silence, a voice asked, "Why?"

Nan Xiao said, "My decision is not based on impulse. It's based on my personal development, the overall stability, and the interests of the Temple of the Gods.

"Currently, our South Temple is lagging in performance. A Main God has just fallen. If internal strife arises now, it'll be extremely harmful. Moreover, I only wish to do my duty and stay out of internal strife.

"Hence, for my own sake and for the sake of the Temple of the Gods, I've decided to withdraw from the Main God candidacy."

After a pause, the voice replied, "I understand your concern. I will consider it. You may go."

Nan Xiao bowed and left. As he left, he glanced at the Executive Main God's Temple from the corner of his eye.

There were record-keepers here; it was official business, so it had to be documented. He knew it wouldn't be long before the news of his withdrawal became public.

Outside, Nan Xiao took a deep breath. He wasn't entirely confident in Ye Guan's predictions.

If his withdrawal ended up profiting the other two contenders instead... He'd be screwed.

At least for the next thousand years, his chances of advancement would be considered zero.

Still, he chose to trust Ye Guan. He was betting everything!

If he won, great. If he lost, well, he wouldn't die from it. More importantly, he believed Ye Guan had a point.

***

The voice of the Executive Main God echoed. "Thoughts?"

"On the surface, he's looking at the bigger picture, but..." a Main God immediately replied, "To not compete is a form of competition. By staying out, he becomes the impartial observer, watching others fight. A clever move."

The Executive Main God said, "Your opinion?"

"Let's agree for now. Let him withdraw. Apply pressure and observe his response. Let's see if he can stay composed. More importantly, we have to observe how the other two candidates would react. Then, we're going to choose the best."

The Executive Main God's voice echoed again. "Approved."

1. Veela: No joke, this is the name of the city even in the raws ☜