Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Death Planet.

Yu Jing City.

Breath Soil High School.

Xiao Mengyu was dining in the cafeteria.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Picking it up, a look of surprise washed over her face; she wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up to leave.

"Mengyu, aren't you finished eating? Why are you leaving?"

A girl she was with couldn't help but call out.

"I have something to take care of," Xiao Mengyu said curtly.

"Do you need help? I can come with you," the girl offered.

"No need," Xiao Mengyu replied.

She walked out of the cafeteria, and with a flash, disappeared from the doorway.

On the other side of the campus.

At the top of the academic building.

A girl with twin ponytails squatted on the railing, sucking on a lollipop, observing the entire school.

Xiao Mengyu landed softly behind her and said indifferently,

"I didn't expect you to seek me out."

Without turning her head, the twin-ponytailed girl said, "You're a Sword Cultivator, can you really fight comfortably in a skirt?"

Xiao Mengyu looked down at her black long skirt, her tone turning cold,

"If you've come just to comment on my attire, then I won't entertain you."

"Don't be like that. We don't really have any grudges against each other, besides—"

The twin-ponytailed girl snapped her fingers.

Ripples of techniques spread out.

Voices of several girls echoed from the void:

"Xiao Mengyu, why did she leave?"

"Who knows? I heard her swordsmanship is so good because she gets rooms with those high-level masters and exchanges favors to learn their skills."

"Ah? Really? I heard that too."

"I never thought she was like that in private. Honestly, such strength isn't at all enviable."

"Right, you should tell others too, so no one gets deceived by her appearance."

The twin-ponytailed girl snapped her fingers again.

The voices disappeared.

"Did you hear that? That's what your 'good sisters' were saying about you after you left the cafeteria," the twin-ponytailed girl said with a touch of glee.

Xiao Mengyu remained silent.

"Not even a reaction?" the twin-ponytailed girl said in surprise.

Xiao Mengyu still didn't speak.

This upset the twin-ponytailed girl.

She jumped down from the railing, strode up to Xiao Mengyu, grabbed her by the collar, and shouted loudly,

"You are so meek, letting others bully you like this? It's infuriating!"

Xiao Mengyu peered closely at the girl's exceptionally beautiful face, at her anger-filled expression, at the rage shimmering in her eyes like pearls.

Smack.

Xiao Mengyu brushed her hand away, speaking softly,

"Song Yinchen, you needn't concern yourself with my affairs."

Song Yinchen walked over to the railing, made a hand sign with a huff, and said,

"I will concern myself! I can't stand to see it! This isn't for you, but for my own peace of mind."

—Technique completed.

Vibrations from the void grew stronger, gathering into a forming technique—

Song Yinchen's hands were held still.

Immediately after.

A sword cry pierced the heavens, instantly streaking across the void, flying toward the cafeteria.

The Flying Sword Art!

The long sword carved an arc through the cafeteria, whistling as it passed between several girls, and with a "thunk," embedded itself into the wall.

The girls stood stunned.

Only then did they see a cell phone pinned to the wall by the long sword.

Voices from Kunlun resounded from the phone:

"Per Xiao Mengyu's request, I declare that all her daily activities are within the campus, all movements verified by the headmaster's signed confirmation, with Kunlun as the witness."

"Given Miss Xiao Mengyu's abilities and current status, should there be any further slander or defamation—"

"You will be expelled."

Clang.

The long sword, carrying the cell phone, flew out of the cafeteria and vanished in a flash.

It was only then.

The girls realized they each had a faint trace of blood on their necks.

Their phones simultaneously played Kunlun's voice:

"I'm delivering a message on behalf of Miss Xiao Mengyu—'Don't force me to kill.'"

Once the message ended, all the phone screens went out simultaneously.

The girls looked at each other in stunned silence.

Only at this moment did they finally quell their jealousy and malice, feeling a true sense of fear from the threat of death for the first time.

Elsewhere.

On the academic building.

The Luo Shen Sword flew back and Xiao Mengyu sheathed it.

"I know I can kill them with the sword in my hand, even all those who support them—"

"—but my sword wasn't honed to slaughter the weak."

She looked down, caressing the sword, her eyes as clear as the sky:

"I've been thinking about how to resolve this issue, and you happened to come, so let's handle it."

Song Yinchen looked at her, finally cracked a smile, and nodded slightly but then immediately felt she was too agreeable, quickly crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and coughed lightly,

"That's more like it. Barely worthy of my attention."

"Now tell me," Xiao Mengyu said calmly and serenely, "why did you come looking for me?"

"Do you know Dantai Mingyue?" Song Yinchen asked.

"I don't know her; who is she?" Xiao Mengyu inquired.

"Oh, come on, you really—never mind, I'll explain it to you in detail."

Song Yinchen had already extracted the full story of what happened to Shen Ye from Dantai Mingyue.

She spilled everything all at once now.

After listening, Xiao Mengyu mused,

"Let me ask Teacher Xu to capture that Saintly Honor and bring it here. I'll use a term to reduce its strength, then you and I team up to slaughter it?"

"That won't work," Song Yinchen hastened to wave off the idea, "It represents the interests of the Cosmic Alliance. If we can't kill it in one go and word spreads, then the Death Planet is doomed."

"Then what do you suggest?" Xiao Mengyu asked with a hint of surprise.

"I'm worried about Shen Ye being alone in the higher universe, I was thinking of asking you to go find him with me," Song Yinchen proposed.

Xiao Mengyu shook her head, turned, and began to walk away, saying,