Baseless Accusations

"Greetings, Jun Xilei. This King would like to borrow a moment of your time."

"What would you want from me?"

"Uh... not much. Just a few words." Aerion chuckled. "Would you like to reach the peak of the Divine Master Realm after three thousand years? If so, I can definitely assist you... for a price."

Damn, that sounds shady on my part. "I have plenty of resources which could maximise your talents... of course, they will not be free. In exchange, you will have to swear your fealty to me and assist me in completing my ambition."

Aerion decided to be blunt.

"My freedom in exchange for a few resources? Are you trying to swindle me, Aerion Targaryen?"

Aerion laughed. "No, not at all. As your King, I'd treat you well and you would be as free as a bird once my conquest ends. All I ask for is your sword... if you agree, I will help you grow immensely in exchange. Honestly, I believe this offer to be fair."

"Decide before the Profound God Convention comes to a close. It would be unfortunate if you were to decline... hmm, here, you can have this. This is just one of the countless resources I have accumulated."

Aerion took out a special pill and threw it in her direction. She caught and inspected it. "A pill?"

"I put some effort into that one. You might just breakthrough into the Divine King Realm..."

"The Divine King Realm..." Jun Xilei's eyes met with Aerion's lilac eyes.

Understandable, she doesn't quite trust me yet.

"It's worthless to me considering my veins but to you, it is comparable to a blessing from the heavens."

She decided to swallow the pill and, after some time, she realised that Aerion was stating the truth. Her cultivation strength took one giant leap and broke through into the Divine King Realm. "How much for that pill?"

"It's free for you, Xilei and there's plenty more to come if you join me."

"I will consider it if you can defeat me in terms of sword skill."

That's not enough!?

Aerion sighed. "Alright, if I beat you purely based on sword skill then you will accept my proposal."

"Then it is agreed, you will match your profound strength to my own and never go above it. I will determine the victor."

You will... how in Seven Hells is this fair?

Aerion shrugged and took out Blackfyre. The moment it left its sheath, a tyrannical aura was released upon the surroundings. Everyone within a ten-kilometre radius who was not named Aerion Targaryen could feel the immense pressure. It was comparable to a mountain being dropped onto them.

It is the Sword of Kings, after all.

"Your sword... it is admittedly stronger than my Misty Light but this advantage does not mean anything."

Aerion nodded as he suppressed his strength to a level slightly below Jun Xilei's. "Let's begin."

Blackfyre stood guard while Misty Light fired off a sword beam in the direction of Aerion. He dodged the attack and moved closer.

"You won't get any closer."

Could this be... the Undistracted Sword Domain?

His surroundings turned grey with countless bright stars shining in the sky. Those stars looked pretty but Aerion was sure that they would turn on him in due time... and he wasn't going to wait for that to happen.

I suppose it's time I bring out my Boundless Sword Arts... hehehe.

He pointed Blackfyre towards the sky and an immensely powerful blue profound energy started to cover it. As the moments passed, this aura grew stronger... then the blue profound energy suddenly shot upwards into the sky.

Boundless Sword Art... Sky Collapsing Sword!

The extremely long sword beam was sent downwards while also tearing through the Undistracted Sword Domain.

"Impossible... how could this be true? What was that profound skill just now?" Jun Xilei questioned Aerion.

"The Sky Collapsing Sword. I doubt you have a single profound skill which is even remotely close to its strength."

"Hmph."

Hmph?

~Many hours later~

Jun Xilei's heavy breathing was more than apparent an hour ago... now it could be heard many meters away. Aerion had used his Boundless Sword Art to completely annihilate Jun Xilei while also embarrassing her a couple of times with the Boundless Counter. His superiority in the Way of the Sword was obvious and, at last, Jun Xilei admitted defeat.

"I will swear fealty to you... if you do one more thing for me."

"And that is?"

"Teach me your sword art, some of it, at the very least."

"Then it's a deal." Aerion smiled. "After the preliminaries are over, I'll come to you."

Aerion concealed himself and disappeared.

Man, that lady was stubborn.

~End of the second round~

Aerion had managed to get Lu Lengchuan to agree on his offer. He decided to leave Shui Yingyue for the later rounds. Eventually, the intense second round had come to a close. The top one thousand were determined at last. The victors were all sent to the Eternal Heaven God Realm.

Most of the Eastern Divine Region's experts and quite a few from the West and South had already gathered there beforehand.

"Eh, is that the mighty Aerion Targaryen?" One of the top one thousand disciples stated.

"Those are the Snow Song Realm's robes... who would've thought that this monster of our generation could be this handsome!"

"If I looked like that, I would be getting every girl I ever wanted."

Luo Changsheng approached him first. "I have to thank you for protecting me while I was... unconscious."

Aerion smiled. "There's no need to thank me. It was the natural thing to do."

"You not only look like a saint, but you also act like one as well. I have not forgotten what you told me and neither have I changed my decision, you may rest assured." Luo Changsheng walked away.

That's good to know.

"Wasn't that Luo Changsheng?" Robb asked.

"It was."

"I knew it... My Lord wasn't going to waste those three days doing nothing."

"You haven't been hunting for any women... or have you?" Izanami inquired.

"Well, not especially, but I see some potential."

"Hmph, I couldn't help but think that was the case."

"You wouldn't mind another sister, would you, Izanami?"

"It would not be the worst thing... as long as I find her acceptable."

The mighty Divine Master Realm existences from above scanned through every single one of the disciples to find someone truly extraordinary. Most of their eyes stopped on Jun Xilei while the stronger Divine Masters stopped on Aerion Targaryen. The Dragon Monarch felt some sort of familiarity from his aura.

"The silver-haired Divine King Realm disciple... what is his name?"

"The Divine King Realm!?" Many Realm Kings responded to the comment in shock since they couldn't sense Aerion's true cultivation strength. It was empty as a void to them, after all.

"I would like to know as well, he seems to be leagues above everyone else in many ways." Cang Shitian, a God Emperor from the Southern Divine Region, added. "For someone so young, he gives off an air of supreme authority... that is extremely rare."

"I believe he is none other than Aerion Targaryen, the disciple who placed first. That would only be natural." The Eternal Heaven God Emperor replied. "Three disciples from the Snow Song Realm have made it to the top one thousand... that is a shocking surprise. A Divine King, peak Divine Spirit and... the late stages of the Divine Tribulation Realm?"

"How could a late-stage Divine Tribulation Realm profound practitioner make it this far?" The Star God Emperor frowned.

"The Eternal Heaven Pearl deemed it so." Cang Shitian laughed. "Indeed, how could a late-stage Divine Tribulation Realm profound practitioner make it this far?"

"Qu Hui!" The Eternal Heaven God Emperor called forth.

Qu Hui nodded and landed on the Conferred God Stage, where all one thousand geniuses stood. The 'heaven chosen children', in other words. He looked directly towards Robb.

"You there, come out."

The heaven chosen children swiftly made way for Robb, making him easily distinguishable. Aerion remained beside him, however. It looked like the heaven chosen children were greatly pressured by Qu Hui's presence which was to be expected.

"What's the meaning of this?" Aerion confidently questioned. "Are you planning on rewarding my dear friend for his brilliant performance?"

"No... he should know for himself. A late-stage Divine Tribulation Realm profound practitioner should not have made it this far."

"Are you implying that he cheated?" Aerion laughed. "Those are baseless accusations! However, the truth can easily be proven. Robb, go choose one of those heaven chosen children and beat them to a pulp."

"Hmm?"

Several of the heaven chosen children stepped forward. Lu Lengchuan led this group "He did not cheat... I fought him once myself and he is a formidable opponent."

Those are some brave disciples... wait, them as well?

"I believe in Aerion Targaryen's word, he would not lie about a matter of such importance." Jun Xilei added.

"Although, I have not seen the disciple fight, I trust Aerion Targaryen and what he says. A noble person like him wouldn't spout nonsense." Luo Changsheng agreed.

Qu Hui was at a loss on what to do.

"Let the next round of the preliminaries decide whether or not he cheated." The Dragon Monarch stated. "With this much support, it is unlikely that he did 'cheat' in the first place."

The Dragon Monarch's on my side, oh, what a surprise...

"Yes... this Aerion Targaryen doesn't look like the type to lie nor do the God Children supporting him." Cang Shitian agreed.

"I suppose my suspicions were misplaced... in that case, this disciple is truly a heavenly talent to defeat so many Divine Spirit Realm profound practitioners. The truth will surely be revealed in the next round."

"Aerion Targaryen... like a shining star in the dark, empty, sky." Qianye Ying'er focused her eyes on him. She was relatively far away from the other spectators and the closest person to her was Gu Zhu, her underling.

"Could Miss be interested in the disciple?" Gu Zhu asked.

"Perhaps... even if we do not find the Nine Profound Exquisite Body, I believe that this trip may not be a waste in the end."

The two people around him seem to be extraordinary as well...

"I see."