The treasure refining seminar lasted for several months. As expected of the Jinshi Sect, a prominent sect in artifact crafting, the experts within showcased their unique insights. Through mutual discussions, everyone learned from one another and gained new knowledge. Guo Xingyue also benefited greatly from this experience. At the end, he exchanged communication jade tokens with the Lingxu and Dongxu elders before returning home with Ye Mingcheng.
Ye Mingcheng's wife, Huang Ying, was a virtuous woman, petite with exquisite features. (Cultivators who reach the Yuanying stage can adjust their appearance according to their wishes, which is why most female cultivators tend to beautify themselves, while male cultivators are more casual about their looks.) At this moment, she greeted Ye Mingcheng and Guo Xingyue with a warm smile as they descended from the sky, leading their three children to welcome them.
Huang Ying approached quickly and said, "Uncle, you've come a long way; please come in and rest." Guo Xingyue hurriedly returned the greeting, saying, "I'm Guo Xingyue, nice to meet you, sister-in-law. Eldest brother often praises your gentleness and virtue, and it truly shows today." Ye Mingcheng playfully patted Guo Xingyue on the shoulder, laughing, "Second brother, your sweet talk could kill someone. Let's not just stand at the door; let's go inside and chat." Guo Xingyue chuckled, "I'm just speaking the truth. Back on Jujiao Star, eldest brother praised sister-in-law a lot!" The two shared a hearty laugh.
As they sat casually on the futons in the house, Huang Ying served them each a cup of green liquid, saying, "Uncle has traveled a long way and we don't have much to offer; this is the flower brew I made, and it's quite tasty. Please try it." Guo Xingyue picked up the cup, and a faint, refreshing fragrance filled his heart. After taking a sip, the delightful taste lingered in his mouth, prompting him to take a bigger gulp. "This is excellent! I've never had such a delicious drink. Sister-in-law's skills are truly remarkable!"
Huang Ying smiled gently, "Since you like it, feel free to drink more; I have plenty." Ye Mingcheng chuckled, "Second brother, of course, sister-in-law's flower brew is fantastic. I usually scheme to drink a few more cups, but she never lets me enjoy it. You come along and make her happy; now I can indulge too!" Everyone burst into laughter again.
Ye Mingcheng had two sons and a daughter: the eldest son Ye Xing, the second daughter Ye Yue, and the youngest son Ye Kai. Though the time Ye Mingcheng spent with Guo Xingyue was short, their friendship was profound. The names of the eldest son and second daughter were derived from Guo Xingyue's name, representing "star" and "moon." Ye Mingcheng thought Guo Xingyue had perished and deliberately named them to commemorate him. Although Ye Mingcheng didn't state it outright, Guo Xingyue understood his brother's intentions the moment he heard the names, feeling deeply moved.
Ye Xing led his siblings to pay their respects to Guo Xingyue. With a sweep of his divine sense, Guo Xingyue discovered that Ye Xing had reached the mid-Yuanying stage, Ye Yue was at the early Yuanying stage, while Ye Kai was still in the early Jindan stage. Ye Xing was composed and dignified, resembling Ye Mingcheng; Ye Kai was quiet and taciturn, not fond of talking, and although his nature was metal, he possessed the best spiritual vein among the three; Ye Yue, however, was quirky and spirited, showing no resemblance to her parents. She seemed to still hold a grudge about being teased by Guo Xingyue earlier. After completing the formalities, she turned her eyes and said, "Uncle, I've paid my respects, but you haven't given me a welcome gift yet!"
Before Guo Xingyue could respond, Ye Mingcheng quickly interjected, "You little troublemaker! Always causing a ruckus! Your uncle just sat down, and you're already asking for a welcome gift!"
Guo Xingyue couldn't help but laugh: so this girl had indeed caused her fair share of trouble outside. Despite Ye Mingcheng and Huang Ying being steady individuals, how did they end up with such a quirky daughter? It was truly amusing. He grinned and said, "I do have some gifts, but I wonder what Yue'er wants? Anything your uncle has, I will definitely give you."
Ye Yue, seemingly unafraid of Ye Mingcheng, stuck her tongue out at him and rolled her eyes, which frustrated him to no end. Then she cheerfully looked at Guo Xingyue and said, "The more, the better! I want everything Uncle gives me!"
Seeing that Ye Yue was a fire attribute cultivator, and noting her early Yuanying stage yet wielding a top-grade flying sword, Guo Xingyue understood that Ye Mingcheng and his wife must dote on her. Generally, only disciples at the Out of Body stage or above could use mid-grade magical artifacts, and although the Jinshi Sect was a major artifact refining sect, it wasn't extravagant enough to allow early Yuanying disciples to wield top-grade magical artifacts. Ye Mingcheng himself only used a mid-grade flying sword, so he must have given his top-grade artifact to this little girl.
Guo Xingyue then flipped his hand, bringing forth a red flying sword from within his body, drawing it into his hand. After withdrawing his divine sense and removing his mental imprint, he handed it to Ye Yue, saying, "This is the flying sword I used, it's quite good, so I'll give it to you."
Ye Mingcheng glanced at it and hurriedly advised, "Second brother, you shouldn't. This top-grade artifact is hard to come by; how can you give it to this girl so casually?" Guo Xingyue chuckled, "It's no trouble at all. I have plenty of artifacts, and I have no shortage of various ores. Refining them is not difficult." Ye Yue didn't care for such matters and grabbed the flying sword, admiring it with excitement, saying distractedly, "Thank you, Uncle! This flying sword is so pretty!"
"Pretty?" Guo Xingyue was taken aback: how did this top-grade artifact become just a beautiful trinket in this girl's eyes? Ye Mingcheng also shook his head with a bitter smile, clearly at a loss for how to deal with her. Huang Ying, seeing enough of this, pulled Ye Yue away and said, "Yue'er, you and your brothers go play downstairs for a bit."
As Ye Xing was about to lead his siblings out after giving his respects, Guo Xingyue waved his hand and said, "Wait a moment! I haven't given you gifts yet." With a hand gesture, Guo Xingyue took out two artifacts left by Haotian from his storage ring: a Celestial Measuring Ruler and a Primordial Shield. The Primordial Shield was an earth attribute artifact, which he gave to Ye Xing. Ye Xing thanked Guo Xingyue before accepting it, appearing pleased but maintaining composure. Guo Xingyue secretly nodded: this child was pure-hearted, undisturbed by honor or disgrace, and did not take delight in treasures. He had great potential for the future.
The Celestial Measuring Ruler was a metal attribute attack artifact, which Guo Xingyue intended to give to Ye Kai. However, Ye Kai shook his head, refusing the artifact. Guo Xingyue, surprised, asked, "If you don't like this Celestial Measuring Ruler, then what do you want? I'll give you anything your uncle has." Ye Kai's eyes lit up as he said, "I want to be your disciple!"
Guo Xingyue was momentarily taken aback, pondering for a moment: he truly hadn't considered taking on disciples. Although his cultivation had reached the initial stage of Dividing Spirit, and he was a master in both artifact crafting and alchemy, capable of establishing his own sect, he had never thought about this aspect. Now, seeing Ye Kai look at him with eager anticipation, and Ye Mingcheng's face filled with hope, he recognized Ye Kai's decent aptitude. So, he nodded, saying, "Alright, uncle agrees, but I have a requirement."
Ye Kai nodded, "Uncle, please tell me; I'm listening."
Guo Xingyue said, "Uncle is a martial artist; one must endure hardship to become exceptional. You are currently in the early Jindan stage, and switching to martial arts will mean starting from scratch. The hardships you'll face will be considerable. Can you endure it?"
Without hesitation, Ye Kai bowed deeply to Guo Xingyue and said, "Disciple Ye Kai greets my master; I will not disappoint you!"