Since Li Ye had already manifested his bloodsoul, Li Yating's Soul Amassing Pill was no longer necessary.
"Brother Li Ye, I'll still give this to you. I don't have any use for it, anyway. You might find this useful if you need money in the future."
Soul Amassing Pill! Although it only increases the chance of a person manifesting their bloodsoul, Li Ye was well aware that it would easily fetch tens of thousands of gold coins if that pill was put on auction!
It was known that not everyone in Cloudveil Continent could awaken their bloodsoul. Some ordinary individuals did not have powerful cultivators as their ancestors, thus making it very difficult for future generations to awaken their bloodsoul! The possibility of failing to awaken bloodsoul was even present in some of the great clan's descendants!
The previous 'Li Ye' was a good example of that!
Therefore, once a small alchemical medicine appeared, people would be driven into madness.
"It's too valuable!" Li Ye's heart trembled, but he shook his head.
However, Li Yating pouted a little, and said disappointingly, "Is Li Ye shunning Yating?"
Those words made Li Ye smile bitterly. He no longer insisted on returning it to her and put it away instead. In any case, the pill could be regarded as Li Yating's affection for him. Unless he was forced to, he would not actually sell it off for money.
The two then talked quite a fair bit. Li Yating constantly asked about Li Ye's situation in recent years. Fortunately, Li Ye fusion with the previous soul had amalgamated both their memories. Li Ye might be nervous, but he was nonetheless capable of answering everything smoothly.
"Those bastards! How could they treat Brother Li Ye like that!"
Li Yating got rather angry after hearing the bitterness that he suffered from in the past few years. She clenched her fist and waved it about, leaving Li Ye rather surprised.
"She's still a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl, after all."
Li Ye also posed general questions to Li Yating about her situation in the Dark Heaven Sect. Her responses were very short however, which made Li Ye slightly worried. Her life within Dark Heaven Sect was obviously not as happy as it seemed, and Li Ye could faintly sense that.
Not long later, Xiao Qing appeared. Despite the brutish crassness of Xiao Qing's character, Li Ye knew that people like Xiao Qing were the best candidates to strike up a friendship.
Compared to that modest-looking and gentlemanly Li Xuan, Xiao Qing was more likely to care sincerely for Li Yating.
"Apprentice-Sister Li, time is running out. The sect didn't give us long this time. We have to go back as soon as possible."
Hearing Xiao Qing's words, Li Yating pouted and was somewhat reluctant to leave, though it was clear that she knew the consequences of doing so. She could only tug at Li Ye depressingly. The traditional mindset of being too intimate with a member of the opposite gender did not seem to bother her, even when in front of an outsider like Xiao Qing. She was obviously emotionally attached to him.
"Be good! I'll go to Dark Heaven Sect to find you sometime later."
"Really?! Promise! You're a little puppy if you lie!"
Li Yating held out her little finger in excitement. Li Ye shook his head, gave her a pinky-swear, then smiled bitterly.
Xiao Qing's frown however, went unnoticed. He did not seem very optimistic that their promise would come to fruition.
Two days later, Li Yating and Xiao Qing headed back.
Early the next morning, Li Ye had just gotten up when he heard someone knocking on the door. Upon opening it, the knock turned out to be from Li Yuanjia.
"Li Ye, the Council of Elders are convening."
Li Yuanjia said excitedly once the door swung open.
"The Council of Elders are convening?" Li Ye's heart thumped a beat. He then nodded as though he had realized something. "Wait for me, I'll come right away."
After grooming himself quickly, Li Ye followed Li Yuanjia and went to one of the clan's halls. There, he noticed that several people had already arrived.
One person stood in front of everyone. He looked arrogant, squinting his eyes as if he was not fit to be with the crowd.
Li Mo!
Of course, in addition to Li Mo, he saw almost all the top inner disciples there, including the exemplary Li Yijian, Li Datou, and Li Yu!
"Li Ye!"
A cold, murderous snort was heard, Li Ye looked over and saw Li Yue, who had been absent from the inner disciples' battles for a few days!
The minute he spotted Li Ye, his expression turned vicious, like an angry beast.
Li Ye was slightly shocked after seeing Li Yue. He found that he could not see Li Yue clearly. It was evident that the injuries sustained during the last battle took him to a higher level!
Li Ye ignored him. More than ten people had arrived in the hall, all of which were among the higher-placed disciples, whose strength was at least peak Level Six and rather close to a Martial Master's level.
Li Yijian and the other two were considered relatively weak, but not by much.
The crowd soon saw several clan elders appearing in front of them. Among them was the Third Elder Li Huangran, whom Li Ye was most acquainted with. There were other old seniors there as well, but no one dared to underestimate any of them. Every single person, including the likes of Martial Masters such as Li Yuanjia, dared not make a peep.
Li Ye also saw Li Hounian and Li Xuanji among the elders, with the former making eye contact with him as though he was hinting at something.
"I believe each one of you knows why you are summoned here today."
Someone spoke in a dignified tone. In a stately and imposing manner, he took his seat at the first seat of the elders.
Li Ye's expression froze. Although it was the first time he actually saw that person, the scenes in his memory made him feel hostile toward the person, although he suppressed that hostility quickly.
"Head Elder summoned us here because Wu Prefecture City's annual Prodigy Summit will be held in ten days."
One of the inner disciples remarked immediately and could not contain the excitement on his face.
"Yes, it's the annual Prodigy Summit!"
Prodigy Summit! Li Ye understood as soon as he heard it. Every resident of Wu Prefecture City knew what the summit was. Li Yuanjia, who was beside him, then said softly, "In every year's Prodigy Summit, the Three Great Clans and a few other small clans will send their most talented disciples to do battle. Last year, Li Mo won third place and was known as the one of Wu Prefecture City's Four Prodigies."
Li Ye nodded. He did not actually need Li Yuanjia to explain all that.
The so-called Prodigy Summit was when the great clans of Wu Prefecture City gathered together all their best young talent, who were then allowed face-off with each other and prove their worth.
Of course, whatever its original purpose was, it had evolved into a secret competition among the Three Great Clans.
The better the next generation fared for the clan, the more direct its implications in the general trend of Wu Prefecture City for the next decade.
"In general, Wu Prefecture City's annual Prodigy Summit was always held by individuals from the Three Great Clans. Very few smaller clans will appear in the top ten."
Clans of different sizes existed by the dozen in Wu Prefecture City, but only the Three Great Clans had such illustriousness.
After all, there is a big difference in the strength of their bloodlines, as well as cultivation resources and other miscellanies.
It paralleled the Li clan, with the huge disparity between the main family members and extended family members. Few impressive prodigies appeared from an extended family.
"This year is the same as the previous year. Each of the Three Great Clans can send twenty people. I hope you will learn the lessons from last year. Our Li clan must get at least four spots in this year's edition of the Prodigy Summit this year!"
The elder asserted, making everyone tremble slightly.
Li Ye also felt that arrow-like voice pierce into his ears. His eyes suddenly turned cold, as the Head Elder made it a point to flaunt such dictatorial strength!
"Old fart!" Li Ye cursed in his heart. The Head Elder was Li Yue's grandfather and the substitute for Li Ye's father, the Patriarch. Of course, Li Mo was brother to Li Yue too. Danger was thus lying in wait for Li Ye in every nook and cranny of the Li clan.
A total of twenty people participated in the battle, with practically all of them coming from the strongest twenty inner disciples. Li Ye was no exception too!
"Unfortunately, Li Yating had to return to the Dark Heaven Sect. She would definitely be able to compete with the last edition's Four Prodigies!"
Someone made that remark, irking Li Mo and making his expression turn cold. He huffed softly and said, "Hmph! Li Yating will simply be defeated by me! Her entrance into the Dark Heaven Sect is down to nothing more than just pure luck and beauty!"
The crowd did not dare to refute him, but many people did not agree with what he said.
" Li Mo is too arrogant. He really thinks he's invincible."
Li Yuanjia sneered slightly. Li Ye shook his head in secret, and whispered, "Li Mo may be strong, but it's such a pity that he's so arrogant. Sooner or later, someone will surpass him."
Instinct led him to believe that Li Yating was not inferior to, and perhaps even capable of surpassing, Li Mo. It was such a shame that Li Yating had to return to the Dark Heaven Sect and could not participate in the upcoming Prodigy Summit.
After briefing them, the Head Elder left with the other elders. Soon, some of the inner disciples also left with their respective cliques.
Li Ye just happened to be with Li Yuanjia. Li Yue watched from behind as they left and had a strong killing intent in his eyes.
"Brother! Leave Li Ye to me! During the Prodigy Summit, I'll show him what it means to look forward to death!"
A resentful voice came out of his mouth. Li Mo smiled coldly at exactly the same time with a nonchalant expression.
"If you can't even handle this piece of trash, you're not worthy of being my brother!"
Li Mo was equally bitter and mean toward his younger brother, prompting flashes of anger from Li Yue's eyes.
On the other side, Li Yuanjia and Li Ye went off together and talked while they walked.
"How did we do last year?"
As one of Wu Prefecture City's Three Great Clans, there was a sort of equilibrium with all of their states. Li Kainian—born more than twenty years ago—was the only one who broke the status quo, and he remained the only person who had done so for nearly a hundred years.
Over the years, the top ten places of past Prodigy Summits were where the Three Great Clans competed the most.
"Not that good. Other than Li Mo getting third place last year, only one other person in our Li clan entered the top ten. He won the ninth place."
Li Ye was rather shocked to hear that. Seeing Li Yuanjia's bitter smile was what made him believe it, but he still asked, "Is it really that bad?"
"It's more than bad. It's our clan's most humiliating episode in so many years."
During the past year's Prodigy Summit, Li Mo had actually lost to Yuwen Wushuang in less than ten moves. Injuries then forced him to third place. The other person who made it into the top ten was Li Ji, the second-ranked inner disciple.
Meanwhile, none of the other inner disciples entered the top ten!