Chapter 47: Ye Jingyong's Backup Plan
The moonlight shone brilliantly, reflecting off the bright full moon in the sky, casting its light down upon the training grounds, making it as bright as day.
Ye Jingcheng was puzzled by the intensity of today's family competition. The level of competition in the Ye Clan was significantly higher than in previous years. The battles continued into the night, filling Lingyun Peak with lively excitement.
The air was filled not only with the sounds of combat but also the glow of magical lights and the roars of beasts.
The matches for mid-stage Qi Refinement resumed, and Ye Jingyong took the stage once again. This time, his opponent was another Qi Refinement sixth-stage cultivator from the "Xing" generation.
His opponent had two spirit beasts, while Feiyun Leopard struggled against them, finding it difficult to fight two beasts at once. However, Ye Jingyong remained overwhelmingly powerful. His Kuoyun Sword created enormous sword beams, slashing continuously, while his Kaishan Seal bided its time, waiting for the right moment.
At a critical juncture, the Kaishan Seal emitted a yellowish glow, freezing his opponent in place, sealing Ye Jingyong's victory. This was a technique Ye Jingyong had never shown before, surprising everyone, as he had always been brash and straightforward in his previous battles.
Ye Xinghe declared Ye Jingyong the victor.
The second match began shortly after, and it ended predictably with a Qi Refinement fifth-stage cultivator being eliminated.
The third match pitted Ye Jingcheng against Ye Jingli.
"Jingcheng, I hope you'll go easy on your sixth brother. My Green-scaled Python is still quite young..." Ye Jingli said bitterly as he entered the arena.
The Green-scaled Python was quite large and armored with scales, making it formidable in beast battles. However, Ye Jingcheng's Chiyan Fox was no less impressive and specialized in fire magic, making it difficult for the python to get close.
"Jingcheng has just broken through. I hope Sixth Brother will show some leniency!" Ye Jingcheng responded, matching his brother's humility with his own. He didn't underestimate Ye Jingli, knowing full well that a master of weapon refinement could always pull out new tricks.
Ye Jingcheng began by forming a seal, but instead of immediately commanding Chiyan Fox to shoot fireballs, he activated his Ironwood Token. Vines burst forth, surging toward Ye Jingli.
Ye Jingli deftly dodged, keenly watching to see if Ye Jingcheng had hidden any ice talismans or other surprises among the vines. With Chiyan Fox's powerful fireballs, being caught off guard would spell certain defeat.
Ye Jingli drew out a broad nine-ring sword, slashing through the vines, and then threw out a silver-ringed weapon in an attempt to entrap Chiyan Fox. But having once been trapped by the Sky Bell, the fox was particularly vigilant, deftly dodging and retaliating with several fireballs, forcing the Green-scaled Python to retreat.
During this distraction, Ye Jingcheng unleashed nine silver snow needles, using his enhanced spiritual awareness, a result of his breakthrough to the sixth stage, to control them skillfully.
The needles targeted the joints of the python's segmented scales, restricting its movement. Simultaneously, Chiyan Fox launched a fireball, sending the python flying.
Despite still having several weapons at his disposal, Ye Jingli admitted defeat. He knew that Ye Jingcheng also had a Golden-scaled Beast. Though it wasn't as strong as the Chiyan Fox, facing both beasts would only hasten his loss.
[Translator: sauron]
"Pity, I didn't even make you summon your Golden-scaled Beast," Ye Jingli said regretfully in a telepathic message to Ye Jingcheng, not revealing the latter's spirit beast to the audience.
Only Ye Jingli, Ye Jingyun, and Ye Xingyu knew about the Golden-scaled Beast. However, Ye Jingcheng didn't care whether Ye Jingli mentioned it or not; in his mind, there was no need to use it yet.
"Ye Jingcheng, victorious!" Ye Xinghe declared.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Ye Jingcheng expressed his gratitude before descending from the stage. His attention shifted back to the late-stage Qi Refinement battles.
At that moment, the match between Ye Jingyu and Ye Jingteng was nearing its end. The two spirit beasts, Gold-feathered Eagle and Feiyun Leopard, coordinated from the sky and the ground, harassing Ye Jingteng. But he defended himself with a brilliant display of Qingyuan Sword Technique, with sword light swirling protectively around him.
Neither the Gold-feathered Eagle nor Feiyun Leopard could close the distance.
Ye Jingyu, determined, brought out his wind banner, paired with Fire Serpent and Fire Rain talismans. Flames, carried by gusts of wind, swept towards Ye Jingteng.
Watching the scene unfold, Ye Jingcheng realized that if he were in his elder brother's place, he wouldn't be able to withstand such a barrage.
However, Ye Jingteng summoned three flying swords simultaneously. The Qingyuan Sword light converged into one massive Qingyuan Sword, which slashed down with all his might. This move drained almost all of his spiritual energy.
The sword cut through everything in its path—fire, wind, and talismans were obliterated—and it hurtled toward Ye Jingyu, who barely managed to block it with a top-grade magic sword, courtesy of Ye Haiyi.
"Ye Jingteng is victorious!" Ye Haiyi announced.
Ye Jingteng looked at his younger brother, saying, "Fourth Brother, relying on spirit beasts will only slow down your cultivation. Focusing on personal strength is the true path!"
Ye Jingyu remained silent, quietly withdrawing his spirit beasts and leaving the stage.
Ye Jingcheng hadn't expected such a result but knew that Ye Jingyu surely had more tricks up his sleeve. With Beast Taming Runes, he could cast fireball spells just like Chiyan Fox. With his Gold-feathered Eagle, Ye Jingyu's potential was far greater than what he had shown today.
His eldest brother, however, seemed highly individualistic. Ye Jingcheng frowned.
But there was no time to dwell on it; the next round of mid-stage Qi Refinement matches was about to begin. Ye Jingyong was to sit this one out. When Ye Jingcheng took the stage, his opponent immediately conceded, unwilling to face his Chiyan Fox.
Thus, Ye Jingyong stepped forward, knowing that if Ye Jingcheng won, he would be declared first place.
"Please, Second Brother, go easy on me!" Ye Jingcheng said respectfully.
Ye Jingcheng fully acknowledged Ye Jingyong's strength. Most importantly, he had a feeling that Ye Jingyong had another spirit beast up his sleeve.
"Jingcheng, I have no right to go easy on you. This time, let's settle things and let Second Brother see how talented our family's alchemist truly is!" Ye Jingyong said, smiling.
Behind him appeared a massive crimson-armored beast—one that Ye Jingcheng recognized as a Red-armored Beast.
This beast, resembling a fire-red pangolin, excelled at both earth and metal escape techniques. Even in the arena, it could move unpredictably. Most notably, this Red-armored Beast was a fully matured, late-stage first-tier spirit beast.
Its appearance caused a stir among the audience. Even though Ye Jingyong hadn't used the beast against Xing-generation cultivators, he had summoned it now to face Ye Jingcheng—clear evidence of the respect he held for his younger brother's abilities.
(End of Chapter)