As the villagers' gazes shifted to the two opposing youths in the center of the arena, their curiosity piqued. They were eager to discover whether the fallen genius of Leaf Village could reclaim his former glory as the best talent after his ascension to warrior status.
Among the crowd, Ye Meng was visibly elated, chattering incessantly, exclaiming, "My son has finally become a warrior! Hahaha..."
Beside him, Ye Ba wore a sullen expression. Casting a sidelong glance at Ye Meng, he scoffed, "What does it matter if he's become a warrior? He's a step behind my son; defeat is inevitable."
"Your son just declared that if my son becomes a warrior, he'll eat that test stone!" Ye Meng's retort left Ye Ba fuming, prompting him to turn away and ignore Ye Meng.
Ye Feng observed their quiet rivalry with satisfaction, but his heart was still filled with astonishment.
"I never imagined this young man would actually ascend to warrior status. Although there's a slim chance of reawakening one's martial spirit after a failed awakening, who would have thought it would happen here in Leaf Village? Is this a sign that our village is destined to produce a powerful warrior?" Ye Feng's gaze was suffused with joy.
Not far off, Village Chief Ye Shi, the elders from the Bai Wu Pavilion, and other village elders engaged in their own discussion.
"Who do you think will win between these two boys?" Ye Shi asked, his interest particularly directed at the elder from the Bai Wu Pavilion, clearly eager for his opinion.
The elder from Bai Wu Pavilion replied with a faint smile, "Once Ye Tian broke through to warrior status, he entrusted me with his secret."
"This boy aims to make a grand entrance!" Ye Shi chuckled at the elder's words, which, while vague, were crystal clear to him.
"However, since Ye Wei stepped into the warrior realm first, his cultivation must be deeper; this challenge seems unwise!" remarked an elder with a furrowed brow.
"Not necessarily. They've both recently ascended to warrior status and are at the first level; the outcome will depend on their skills," another elder countered.
"That may be true, but Ye Wei has already advanced in the warrior realm and undoubtedly possesses a better grasp of it than Ye Tian," another elder chimed in.
"Well, since no one can say for sure, let's just wait and see!"
Ye Shi concluded, his eyes fixed on the two young men confronting each other in the arena, his interest piqued.
The elders ceased their discussions and turned their attention to the center of the arena.
…
At this moment, both Ye Tian and Ye Wei had raised their auras to their peak.
Ye Tian stood confidently, exuding the aura of a first-level warrior as he coolly regarded Ye Wei across from him.
"That kid has only been a warrior for a month or two, and he merely possesses an orange martial spirit. I doubt his cultivation surpasses mine!" Observing Ye Wei's menacing grin, Ye Tian silently scoffed, feeling utterly disdainful.
With both having the same warrior rank, Ye Tian's experience as a former special forces soldier meant he could easily dominate Ye Wei. Their combat experience was simply not on the same level.
It was akin to a soldier wielding an AK-47 facing off against a special forces operator with the same weapon; the latter, a seasoned warrior honed through countless battles, would clearly have the upper hand. While Ye Wei might be a first-level warrior, he likely hadn't even taken a life; how could he possibly compete with Ye Tian?
From the moment they stepped into the arena, the victor had already been decided, though the onlookers remained unaware.
"Caw! Caw!"
As he regarded Ye Tian, who stood nonchalantly, Ye Wei grinned malevolently. He slowly clenched his fists, drawing forth a surge of energy that pulsed through his body and into his fists, producing a series of ominous cracking sounds.
"I've reached the late stage of first-level warrior. Even if you've truly become a warrior, do you even comprehend the difference between the late and early stages of first-level?"
A cold smile played on his lips as he abruptly stomped his foot into the ground, causing the earth to tremble. With a burst of speed, he lunged toward Ye Tian, swinging his fists through the air, producing a sharp wind.
This punch was merely a display of his late-stage first-level warrior strength, something Ye Tian had anticipated; Ye Wei had not reached the third warrior level and thus couldn't learn yellow-grade martial techniques.
Yet, even without martial techniques, Ye Wei's punch was formidable enough to leave Ye Niu, watching from a distance, dumbfounded and filled with concern for Ye Tian.
Ye Tian's father, Ye Meng, also clenched his fists, his face taut with anxiety.
Whoosh!
As the punch's wind rushed toward him, Ye Tian moved with calm precision. He raised his palms steadily, channeling his peak first-level warrior energy, and thrust them forward forcefully.
"Boom!"
With a resounding clash, Ye Wei's fists collided violently with Ye Tian's palms, producing a muted grunt.
"To compare strength with me is tantamount to seeking death..." Ye Wei sneered, but his smile quickly faltered as he noticed Ye Tian's serene demeanor. Ye Tian simply looked at him and gently shook his head.
In the next moment, an overwhelming force erupted from Ye Tian's palms, akin to a torrential flood surging forth. Ye Wei's expression shifted to one of terror, and before he could let out a cry, he was sent flying by the sheer force.
"Boom!"
Ye Wei crashed heavily onto the ground not far away, struggling to rise, but was unable to suppress a spurt of blood.
Everyone witnessing this scene erupted in astonishment!
The battle had concluded far too swiftly for them to comprehend.
"You've lost!"
Ye Tian slowly approached, gazing down at Ye Wei from his elevated position, and spoke indifferently.
"Pff!" Upon hearing this, Ye Wei's face turned pale, and with a look of unwillingness, he shot a glare at Ye Tian before spitting out another mouthful of blood, promptly losing consciousness.
"Wei'er!" Ye Ba, amidst the crowd, rushed over, lifting Ye Wei in a panic, his face etched with concern as he called out loudly.
"Don't worry, he merely fainted; he'll be fine in a few days!" Ye Tian replied nonchalantly, explaining that his blow hadn't seriously injured Ye Wei. The latter's fainting spell was merely due to a fit of rage, which had caught Ye Tian off guard.
"Hmph!" Ye Ba let out a cold snort, casting a deep glance at Ye Tian before striding away, cradling Ye Wei in his arms.
"Tiān'er!"
"Ye Tian!"
Not far away, Ye Meng and Ye Niu hurried over, their faces brimming with excitement.
At this moment, the crowd was already in an uproar, all eyes fixated in disbelief on Ye Tian standing at the center of the arena. Each person's expression was filled with astonishment, as if they were meeting Ye Tian for the first time.
Even Village Chief Ye Shi, Elder Bai of the Martial Arts Pavilion, and the other elders in the village wore expressions of shock.
"Peak of the first rank of warriors? He truly just advanced to this rank a month ago?" Ye Shi, suppressing his surprise, looked questioningly at Elder Bai.
Elder Bai, equally astonished, stammered, "When he came to the Martial Arts Pavilion, I verified his rank. At that time, he was merely at the early stage of the first rank; it seems he truly has just advanced to warrior status."
"To advance from the early stage of the first rank to the peak in just a month… unless he has consumed some rare elixirs, then his martial soul…" an elder inadvertently remarked before suddenly freezing in shock.
Ye Shi and Elder Bai's eyes widened in realization, both standing up with ecstatic expressions.
"Could it be a high-grade martial soul!"
"At the very least, it must be a yellow-grade martial soul!"
Ye Shi and Elder Bai exclaimed in unison, exchanging glances filled with joy.
The other elders, hearing this, were equally thrilled. As the village's elders, they understood the immense advantages that a powerful martial soul could bring, as it could almost guarantee the rise of a formidable warrior from Ye Jia Village.
"Let's go! We must ask him!" Ye Shi contained his elation and, along with the other elders, made their way towards Ye Tian.
At this moment, Ye Tian found himself surrounded by the villagers, who showered him with admiration, envy, and awe.
"Ye Meng, you have a remarkable son!"
"Ye Tian is undoubtedly the number one talent of Ye Jia Village!"
"I told you, Ye Tian would eventually rise!"
...
The villagers chimed in with their praises as Ye Meng laughed heartily, his face aglow with pride. He felt that today was the happiest day of his life; his son had brought him glory!
Yet, Ye Tian remained remarkably composed, engaging in quiet conversation with the visibly excited Ye Niu. He looked around at the villagers with a calm demeanor, feeling no surge of exhilaration. He had witnessed such scenes before, but after the news of his failure to awaken a martial soul, all had dissipated.
Now that this scene had reappeared, Ye Tian felt strangely indifferent. He understood all too well that this was a world where strength reigned supreme; only power held eternal significance.
"Ye Tian!"
A venerable voice suddenly pierced the crowd, prompting a gradual calm among the onlookers. Ye Shi and the group of village elders slowly approached, heading straight for Ye Tian.
"Village Chief!"
"Elders!"
The villagers greeted, their faces reflecting deep respect. It was these elders who had helped establish Ye Jia Village as one of the three major villages in Baiyun Town.
In Ye Jia Village, no one dared to show disrespect to these elders.
"Village Chief!"
"Village Chief!"
Ye Tian and Ye Meng bowed respectfully.
"Good, good, good! Let's skip the formalities," Ye Shi said, his face radiating joy, even more so than Ye Meng. He stepped forward, patting Ye Tian's shoulder, and praised, "Well done! You truly have not disappointed me; you have finally become a warrior. Now, tell me, what rank is your martial soul?"
Upon hearing this, everyone perked up, their curiosity piqued as they looked eagerly at Ye Tian.
In the land of Shenzhou, the rank of a person's martial soul indicated their future achievements. Hence, the saying went: "The martial soul is everything to a warrior."
The villagers of Ye Jia were immensely curious about Ye Tian's martial soul rank. After all, being able to defeat Ye Wei meant he must at least possess an orange-grade martial soul.
As for a yellow-grade martial soul? Such thoughts were beyond their imagination, as there were but a handful in Baiyun Town; each one was either a genius or a formidable warrior.