The crowd stared at his sword, thinking that he was actually making sense. 

He didn’t kill anyone from start to finish; the murderer was actually the sword. However, how could anyone actually blame this sword?

It killed whenever it wanted with wanton regards. An accuser must be confident in surviving a slash. This progenitorial sword had reached a sentient level and had immense power so it would be quite tough to stop.

Goldpython and Stonecarver gave Li Qiye a dirty look filled with bloodthirst. They clearly wanted to kill since he did the same to their disciples after a simple agreement. Retribution was essential to maintain their authority.

“How is this brat going to survive this?” One student snorted.

Everyone below could read the emperors’ expression right now. The two of them combined should be able to swiftly deal with this guy. Many students experienced schadenfreude at Li Qiye’s expense.

On the other hand, the stronger students began to think about how to take advantage of this situation and seize the Sword of Repentance.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qiushi and his peers were horrified, sweating for Li Qiye’s sake. Their heart nearly jumped out of their throat from anxiety.

Two emperors together! In their mind, this realm was untouchable and could destroy their academy with a single hand.

Li Qiye was stuck in a perilous situation after offending two. No one would be able to save him.

Everyone held their breath under the might of two emperors, thinking about what’s going to happen next.

“Forget it, climbing up that high will be tiring, will have to change the method then.” Li Qiye shrugged and ignored the two emperors. He turned around and headed down.

The crowd didn’t expect this sudden reversal at all.

“See, I told you, he was only looking for an excuse to not try.” One student sneered.

“Right, what a contemptible wretch.” Another insulted.

“Shouldn’t that be obvious? He’s from Repentance City, so how can he be a good person? The descendant of sinners abandoned by the light, being contemptible and lowly is normal for them. There’s no honor to speak of here.” One more laughed.

Zhou Qiushi’s group was furious but they couldn’t do anything. This prejudice was pervasive in the entire system.

“You said you wanted to pick a few for a taste, why look for an excuse now?” A student mocked Li Qiye.

“Can’t you see that my way is blocked?” Li Qiye said.

“Not a bad excuse at all, seems like you’ve come up with it way early.” The student continued: “Just stop boasting if you’re not capable. Having an ancestral weapon alone doesn’t make you an invincible emperor with peerless talents. It’s all a matter of luck like a dog opening its mouth randomly and a fly flies in, hmph.” 

He spoke with disdain but one could hear the jealousy and envy in his voice.

“Indeed, I got lucky enough to find an ancestral weapon. Do you have one too? No? How pitiful, it must suck to be a tramp subjected to destitution.” Li Qiye retorted.

“You!” The student turned red from anger, speechless. It was hard to argue against someone with a progenitorial sword.

“Stop wasting time, go pick the fruits already, prove yourself! The sword is not omnipotent, it can’t do everything for you.” One more listener jumped in.

“That’s right. Get the hell out of here if you can’t do anything to avoid further embarrassment.” More students chimed in.

“Can’t you see that I’m changing the method?” Li Qiye smiled and got off the tree.

“Change the method? You mean to come back in a few years?” A student looked at him with disdain.

“No, I think climbing up there is too problematic, a big waste of time. I’m just going to chop it off and bring it home.” Li Qiye said.

No one expected this response from him.

“Hahaha!” Next came waves of laughter like an unstoppable flood full of derision.

“Are you out of your mind?” One student looked at him as if he was an idiot: “Who do you think you are? A supreme progenitor? You must be daydreaming because no one can cut down this tree.”

“Ignorant boy, don’t you know what this tree is? You can try for a lifetime and still won’t make a mark.” A different one guffawed.

“Oh? A tree that I can’t cut? That’s impossible because I’m holding the Sword of Repentance.” Li Qiye acted surprised.

“Junior Brother, the supreme tree was planted by the progenitor, it’s not inferior to your sword.” Zhou Qiushi tugged on Li Qiye’s sleeve while whispering: “Let’s leave already.”

“I see.” Li Qiye looked enlightened but still didn’t care: “It’s fine, my sword is super sharp. I’m sure I can cut it down after a few chops.”

“So ridiculous. The supreme tree is divine and has illuminated for generations. If you actually manage to cut it down, the sun will be rising from the west and I’ll call you grandpa.” One student sneered.

“Just a frog under the well, zero self-awareness.” Another instantly added.

“See, no one believes you.” Li Qiye patted the sword and said: “What should we do? Can you really call yourself a sword if you can’t chop down a single tree? Just this supreme tree is nothing. You’re Desolate Saint’s personal sword and had massacred the myriad realms. Stop calling yourself a sword if you can’t chop this tree down, okay?”

“Clank!” A hymn sounded as if the sword protested the comment just now while expressing that it could cut down the tree.

“Did you all see that? My sword indicated that it’s possible.” Li Qiye put on a happy expression and clapped.

A few students became afraid after hearing the sword hymn and started thinking.

No one gave a damn about Li Qiye but the sword was another matter. Even if it couldn’t cut down the tree, a full power slash would be quite frightening.

“Go for it then, we’ll all call you grandpa if you can actually use this sword.” A student laughed.

“No thanks, I’m too young to have this many grandchildren. It’ll shorten my lifespan.” Li Qiye shook his head. [1]

The student turned red and uttered coldly: “Go chop it then, don’t be all talk. You said you were going to pick the fruits, now you want to cut the tree?”

“Okay, I guess we have to prove everyone wrong then.” Li Qiye walked up to the tree and unsheathed his sword.

Everyone here including the two emperors watched him unblinkingly, or rather, his sword.

Stonecarver True Emperor was especially focused because he had tried to take the sword before, aware of its power.

In fact, the reason why they didn’t attack him earlier was because they were unable to see through this sentient sword and its power ceiling.

The two of them exchanged glances. The dead members of their factions didn’t matter that much, only this sword.

A progenitorial sword was too tempting. Even an emperor couldn’t resist.

1. Li Qiye is making a joke that really only makes sense in Chinese. I can’t translate it literally in English because the cultural concept isn’t there. Hopefully this version makes sense ☜