Training Ground.
Yang Ye and Elder Qian walked side by side. Although it was night, the moonstone illuminating the training ground made it appear as bright as day.
Suddenly, Elder Qian stopped and looked at Yang Ye. He asked, "Yang Ye, when I demoted you to a menial disciple, did you resent me?"
Yang Ye shook his head and replied, "Elder Qian, if it weren't for you, my sister and mother would likely have fallen into the hands of the Liu family. I have some resentment in my heart, but it's directed at myself. It was my own incompetence that caused both you and me to be ridiculed. I disappointed you."
Yang Ye would never forget the scene of the Outer Sect Elders mocking him and Elder Qian. When he failed to reach the Profound Realm within a year, those Elders not only gave him a derogatory title, but also mocked Elder Qian for his failing eyesight, as he had brought back a waste disciple for the Sword Sect.
He could be considered the laughingstock among the Outer Sect disciples, and Elder Qian became a laughingstock among the Outer Sect Elders because of him.
Upon hearing Yang Ye's words, Elder Qian patted his shoulder and smiled. He said, "Alright, those things are in the past. There's no need to dwell on them. I never expected you to possess the Five Elements Profound Qi, and even more so, the Gold attribute. Come, let's go to the Outer Sect Peak. I will restore your identity as an Outer Sect disciple, and let's see who dares to call you worthless!"
"Elder Qian, I want to participate in the Outer Disciple Assessment that will take place in a month. I will use my strength to show them that I'm not a waste. Elder Qian, you have the best judgment in the Sword Sect!" Yang Ye said earnestly as he looked at Elder Qian. If he truly possessed the Five Elements Profound Qi, he might actually go with Elder Qian. But the question was, did he really possess it? He didn't want others to know the secret of the little vortex!
Upon hearing this, Elder Qian was momentarily surprised, but he soon laughed and said, "Good, good, you have ambition."
The Sword Sect recruited Outer Sect disciples in two ways. The first was that Outer Sect Elders could recruit three disciples of their own choice because they were allocated three slots for Outer Sect disciples. The second way was through the Outer Disciple Assessment, which was the normal method of recruiting disciples for the Sword Sect. Those who reached the sixth level of the Profound Realm before the age of seventeen were eligible to participate in this assessment.
The strength and status of the disciples who came out of the Outer Disciple Assessment were higher than those who were recruited by the first method. This was because the assessment was rigorous, requiring not only strong power but also great comprehension and talent.
It could be said that the first method was a backdoor approach, while the second method relied on one's own strength to become an Outer Sect disciple. Therefore, in the Sword Sect, those who came through the second method held a much higher status than those who came through the first.
After pondering for a moment, Elder Qian took out a small bag from his pocket and handed it to Yang Ye. He said, "Yang Ye, you have ambition, that's good. Here are ten energy stones and protective meridian pills. The energy stones will help you absorb Profound Qi quickly, and the protective meridian pills will protect your meridians from damage."
Looking at the small bag, Yang Ye hesitated for
a moment, then accepted it and said seriously, "Elder Qian, rest assured, this time I won't let you down." He didn't refuse Elder Qian's goodwill because he truly needed cultivation resources at the moment. Without them, it would be impossible for him to reach the sixth level of the Profound Realm by the age of seventeen with his current cultivation speed.
Elder Qian nodded with a smile and said, "I believe you. Those who possess the Five Elements Profound Qi have a fast cultivation speed. I didn't know what happened to you before, but now it seems that your body is no longer an issue. Focus on your cultivation and strive to achieve a top ten ranking in the Outer Disciple Assessment. Let those old fellows who ridiculed you before see who the real waste is!" As Elder Qian spoke, there was a hint of anger in his voice. Despite his good temper, he couldn't help feeling annoyed when he thought of the faces of those Outer Sect Elders from before.
"Top ten?" Yang Ye murmured.
"What's wrong? Don't you have confidence?" Elder Qian laughed.
Yang Ye shook his head. How could he lack confidence? Becoming an Outer Sect disciple wasn't his true goal; his ultimate goal was to become an Inner Sect disciple. Before, he didn't dare to hope for that, but now, with the mysterious little vortex in his dantian and his own efforts, he believed that he could become an Inner Sect disciple. Of course, he had to become an Outer Sect disciple first in order to qualify for the Inner Disciple Assessment!
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Ye said, "Elder Qian, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
"What is it?" Elder Qian asked curiously.
Yang Ye explained the situation regarding the Liu family's intention to harm his sister. Initially, he wanted to handle the Liu family on his own with his abilities, but now, he realized that his strength was still insufficient, and he needed more time. Therefore, he could only ask Elder Qian for assistance.
After hearing Yang Ye's words, Elder Qian fell silent for a moment and then said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Outer Sect disciple named Liu Qingyu should be from the Liu family. That's why the Liu family dared to disregard my warning and started targeting your family."
"Liu Qingyu?"
Upon hearing this name, Elder Qian's expression grew slightly solemn, and he said, "He is a disciple of the Liu family. He recently ranked third in the Outer Disciple Assessment and became an Outer Sect disciple. Within a month of cultivation, he has already reached the twenty-ninth position on the Outer Disciple Rankings. It is said that some Inner Sect Elders have started paying attention to him."
"Twenty-ninth on the Outer Disciple Rankings?" Yang Ye's expression also turned serious.
The Outer Disciple Rankings were a ranking list of the strength of Outer Sect disciples in the Sword Sect. There were thousands of Outer Sect disciples, among whom there were countless strong individuals. It was rumored that the top ten ranked disciples on the Outer Disciple Rankings were not weaker than some Outer Sect Elders. The fact that Liu Qingyu reached the twenty-ninth position within such a short time demonstrated his talent and strength!
"Don't worry, I will go to An Nan City!" Elder Qian said, "Liu Qingyu is not an Inner Sect disciple yet, so the Liu family still has to give me some face. However, if he becomes an Inner Sect disciple through the Inner Sect Trial in three months' time, then the Liu family might no longer care about me."
Upon hearing this, Yang Ye bowed to Elder Qian and said, "Thank you, Elder Qian." Yang Ye knew that once Liu Qingyu became an Inner Sect disciple, the identity of an Outer Sect Elder would hold no authority over him. At that time, with the cultivation resources available to Inner Sect disciples, Liu Qingyu's strength would undoubtedly improve even faster. The Liu family in An Nan City would become even more reckless!
If he wanted the Liu family to be wary, he had to possess a stronger power and identity than Liu Qingyu. In other words, he only had three months to achieve this. If he couldn't surpass Liu Qingyu in three months, the situation for his sister and mother would be in danger.
"Young man, if Liu Qingyu can enter the twenty-ninth position on the Outer Disciple Rankings, it means he has become an Innate Expert. You must work hard, or else, not only will you be unable to protect your family, but even your own life will be at stake," Elder Qian said in a deep voice.
Innate Expert!
Yang Ye's pupils constricted, and his hands clenched tightly. It was well known that those below the Innate stage were considered Mortal Realm cultivators. There was a significant gap between the Mortal Realm and Innate Experts. Once one reached the Innate stage, not to mention anything else, even the protective barrier of Innate Profound Qi was something that Mortal Realm cultivators couldn't break through!
"Innate stage, huh? It looks like I'll have to work twice as hard!" Yang Ye clenched his fists, his expression resolute.
Seeing that Yang Ye wasn't frightened by the Innate stage, Elder Qian nodded with a smile. The reason he had given his quota to Yang Ye was not only because of Yang Ye's loyalty but also because of his resolute character. On the path of martial arts, in addition to strong talent, one also needed a character and temperament like Yang Ye's.
After bidding farewell to Elder Qian, the night grew late. Instead of continuing to cultivate in Qingfeng Valley, Yang Ye returned to his own room and took out the "Five Elements Rune Art" to study. If he could craft talismans, it would undoubtedly greatly assist his strength. After all, the functions of those talismans could be quite extraordinary.
As Yang Ye read the descriptions of the talismans in the "Five Elements Rune Art," he grew more and more astonished. Some of the talismans' effects were incredibly powerful.
For example, there was a talisman called the Gathering Spirit Talisman in the Five Elements Rune Art. This talisman could allow a person to quickly absorb Profound Qi for one or two hours. Although it was only for a short duration, it was already quite powerful. There were also powerful talismans that could multiply a person's strength several times within an hour, and many more...
After reading for a while, Yang Ye couldn't resist the temptation and decided to make a talisman. He didn't choose the more difficult ones but instead chose the "Enhancement Talisman."
The idea was good, but Yang Ye soon discovered that making talismans was much more difficult than he had imagined. However, he didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he kept trying again and again.
In the following days, due to Elder Qian's influence, the newly appointed steward of the menial disciples wisely refrained from assigning any tasks to Yang Ye. As a result, Yang Ye had more time on his hands. He spent his days either practicing diligently in Qingfeng Valley or studying the Five Elements Rune Art.
On this particular day, while Yang Ye was studying the Five Elements Rune Art in his room, a fellow menial disciple came to visit him. The disciple's expression was solemn as he said, "Yang Ge, I have something to inform you."
"What's the matter?" Yang Ye asked, puzzled. He didn't recognize the person standing before him, although the menial disciples had been respectful towards him due to his relationship with Elder Qian, he didn't have much interaction with them.
The disciple hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yang Ge, it seems that Du Xiu's cousin is coming back."
Due to Yang Ye's influence, the group of disciples who used to oppress Du Xiu and others were no longer able to do so. These menial disciples had a favorable impression of Yang Ye and didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
"Du Xiu's cousin?" Yang Ye furrowed his brows. He knew that Du Xiu's cousin was an Outer Sect disciple. Could it be that he was coming to cause trouble for him?
The disciple nodded and continued, "Yang Ge, everyone wanted me to inform you. It is said that Du Xiu's cousin is already a Profound Expert at the eighth rank. If he finds out that Du Xiu and the others were sent to the Star Mining Mountain because of you, he will surely come looking for trouble. Be prepared!"
"Profound Expert at the eighth rank?" Yang Ye's eyes narrowed, and after contemplating for a moment, he took out fifty gold coins and handed them to the disciple before him. "Thank you for your concern. Take these fifty gold coins, don't refuse. If there is any important news in the future, please inform me."
The menial disciples in the sect were spread throughout various places, and they had access to a lot of information. If these disciples became his sources of information, it would undoubtedly be of great help to him.
Accepting the fifty gold coins, the disciple was excited and said, "Yang Ge, rest assured. If there is any news regarding you or any significant events, we will definitely inform you first!" With that, he left the room.
As he watched the disciple leave, Yang Ye's eyes narrowed, and he muttered under his breath, "Profound Expert at the eighth rank... I'm only at the fourth rank of the Profound Realm. Looks like I have to continue working hard!"