In the depths of the mountains, the members of the Ye Family Village's hunting team emerged with great joy, each bearing a substantial prize from their recent expedition.
On Ye Tian's back rested a magnificent purple leopard, the elusive Ziyun Leopard.
Many of the hunters gazed at Ye Tian's silhouette with a mixture of admiration and awe.
"Wow, the captain's strength has grown immensely; he even dispatched the Ziyun Leopard with a single strike to its throat!"
"That was undoubtedly the most incredible blow I've ever witnessed—so swift, so powerful!"
"I'm truly curious; how could the captain's blood knife sever the leopard's throat from such a distance?"
…
As he listened to the hunters' discussions, a faint smile crept onto Ye Tian's lips.
A month of arduous training had enhanced his mastery over the blade's intent, allowing him to vanquish even the pinnacle of the ninth-level Ziyun Leopard.
It is worth noting that the Ziyun Leopard is exceptionally swift; without the cultivation of a tenth-level warrior, one cannot hope to defeat it.
Yet Ye Tian had triumphed.
This served as a testament to his prowess, placing him on par with Village Chief Ye Shi, making him the second strongest in Ye Family Village.
"Captain, we've arrived at Ye Family Village!"
A team member's voice broke through his thoughts.
Ye Tian lifted his gaze to see the outline of Ye Family Village not far ahead, and the familiar walls sparked a warm feeling within him.
"Let's pick up the pace; it's time to head home for dinner!" Ye Ba called out with a grin.
The rest of the team burst into laughter.
At that moment—
"Clop, clop, clop…"
The sound of galloping hooves from the direction of Ye Family Village caught their attention.
"Hm?" Ye Tian frowned as he glanced toward the village's entrance. What kind of cavalry could that be?
The hunters were equally intrigued.
Soon, a group of more than ten men, dressed distinctly from the villagers, emerged from the village. Their eyes gleamed with vitality and confidence, clearly powerful warriors, mounted on exceptional steeds, far superior to the lowly horses of Ye Family Village.
"They're from Wang Family Village!" Ye Meng said in a low voice beside Ye Tian.
The others immediately furrowed their brows.
Wang Family Village represented the power of Baiyun Town, housing the only warrior of the town, making it the strongest village in the region.
More importantly, Wang Family Village harbored great ambitions, always seeking to unify Baiyun Town, a fact well known to all other villages, including Ye Family Village, which remained wary of their intentions.
"What could they want in Ye Family Village?"
Ye Tian asked, furrowing his brow.
At that moment, from within the approaching Wang Family group, a dark-skinned man bellowed, "Three days from now, on the eighth day of August, Village Chief Ye must not forget! Ha ha!"
"Wang Hu, rest assured, we from Ye Family Village will be punctual for the feast on the eighth of August!" came the deep voice of Village Chief Ye Shi from within the village walls.
"Good!" The dark-skinned man cupped his fist toward the walls before turning his horse, commanding, "Let's move out."
"Clop, clop, clop…" The group of ten galloped away, swiftly vanishing down the road.
The hunters watched them depart, curiosity evident in their eyes.
"Three days from now? The eighth of August?" Ye Tian's face showed signs of confusion.
"The eighth of August—could it be the village chief's birthday?" Ye Ba raised an eyebrow, a look of realization dawning upon him.
"Birthday?" Ye Tian turned to Ye Ba.
Ye Ba elaborated, "The eighth of August marks the village chief of Wang Family Village's birthday. Every year on this date, he hosts a grand banquet to celebrate, and all the villages in Baiyun Town are obliged to send representatives."
"Oh!" Ye Tian nodded, having heard of this tradition but momentarily forgotten.
"Humph, it's merely a display of power, an attempt to intimidate the other villages of Baiyun Town," Ye Meng scoffed dismissively.
"Enough! Let's return; this is a significant matter, and the village chief will certainly want to discuss it with us." Ye Ba waved his hand, and the hunting team quickened their pace toward Ye Family Village.
…
Upon their return to Ye Family Village, Ye Tian, Ye Ba, Ye Meng, and several other strong members of the hunting team were summoned by the village chief.
In the chief's home, a long table was surrounded by numerous figures, with Ye Tian, Ye Feng, and others prominently present.
Village Chief Ye Shi sat at the head of the table, with Ye Feng to his left and Ye Tian to his right. Behind them were the elder of Baiwu Pavilion, Ye Ba, and others.
These positions were not arbitrary; each seat reflected the standing of the individual within Ye Family Village.
The assembly comprised the village's elite, each a warrior of at least level seven, totaling fifteen in all. They represented the backbone of Ye Family Village, the foundation of its status as one of the three major villages in Baiyun Town.
Ye Tian, at sixteen, found himself in this esteemed gathering—an unprecedented feat in the village's history. Yet, no one harbored jealousy or surprise, for Ye Tian's prowess merited his position.
Ye Shi surveyed those present, a glimmer of pride in his aged gaze. Since his succession as village chief, Ye Family Village had flourished; the number of participants had risen from eleven under the previous chief to fifteen under his leadership, filling him with immense pride.
Especially noteworthy was the emergence of an extraordinary talent within Ye Family Village's current generation.
Contemplating this, Ye Shi cast a sideways glance at the quietly focused Ye Tian, nodding subtly, a smile brightening his eyes. He cleared his throat, reining in his expression, his serious gaze sweeping over the assembly as he prepared to address them.
Instantly, everyone's attention sharpened, awaiting the village chief's guidance.
"Just now, the Black-Faced Mad Tiger from Wang Village has arrived. In three days, it will be August 8th; you should know what day that is," Ye Shi's deep voice resonated.
Ye Tian perked up his ears, pondering: the Black-Faced Mad Tiger? Could it be that dark-skinned man? Truly, he lives up to his name.
He had heard his father, Ye Meng, mention that there were four formidable warriors in Wang Village. The strongest among them was the martial master Wang Xu, the village chief, whose prowess alone could intimidate all the villages in Baiyun Town.
Beneath Wang Xu stood the captain of Wang Village's beast-hunting team, a formidable warrior known as Wang Tian, who was at the pinnacle of the tenth level.
Furthermore, the beast-hunting team had two vice-captains, both at the ninth level: one known as the Poisonous Woman with Evil Eyes, Wang Hong, and the other the so-called Black-Faced Mad Tiger, Wang Hu.
"Ninth-level warrior? Hmph, this Wang Hu is no match for me," Ye Tian thought to himself, brimming with confidence.
At that moment—
Ye Shi lifted his cup and took a gentle sip of water, squinting as he continued, "You are no strangers to Wang Xu's birthday celebrations. Ever since he broke through to the martial master level, he has held this banquet annually to gauge the strength of the other villages in Baiyun Town, as well as to intimidate them."
Everyone nodded; since Wang Xu's ascension to martial master five years ago, this banquet had been held five times, and Ye Family Village had sent representatives to each, so they were quite familiar with it.
It was merely a matter of discussing who would attend the birthday celebration.
"Village Chief, shall it be Brother Feng and me who go to extend our congratulations this time?" Ye Ba stood up to ask, as he and Ye Feng had been the representatives last year.
It should be noted that there were specific considerations for attending such celebrations; the representatives should neither be too powerful nor too weak.
If Village Chief Ye Shi were to lead the delegation, it was a foregone conclusion that he would not survive, as Wang Village was eager to eliminate him.
Wang Village had long harbored ambitions to unify Baiyun Town, but even with a martial master among them, they could not target so many villages at once.
Although martial masters are powerful, Wang Xu had only recently ascended to that level. While he could certainly kill Ye Shi, the Ye Family Village had more than just Ye Shi to contend with. Faced with a united assault, even a martial master like Wang Xu would likely meet his end.
However, if Ye Shi were to voluntarily leave Ye Family Village, Wang Xu would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to eliminate him, as such a chance would not be missed.
Thus, Ye Shi could not attend the celebration.
Similarly, the chosen representatives could not be too weak; otherwise, not only would the dignity of Ye Family Village be undermined, but they would also be ridiculed, causing the village to lose face.
Hence, it was customary for the strongest warriors, just below Ye Shi, to attend. Previously, Ye Feng and Ye Ba were undoubtedly the best choices, having performed admirably at their last appearance.
But things had changed now, as Ye Family Village had produced a Ye Tian, which was why Ye Ba hesitated and sought Ye Shi's opinion.
Others turned to look at Ye Shi as well.
Ye Shi waved his hand, indicating for Ye Ba to sit down. Once he had done so, he spoke slowly, "This time, Ye Feng will not be going. I have discussed it with him and decided that Ye Tian will replace him and accompany Ye Ba to Wang Village for the birthday celebration."
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng nodded, evidently having reached an agreement with Ye Shi earlier.
"Me?" Ye Tian exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone else wore expressions of astonishment; the village chief was actually willing to send Ye Tian out. After all, Ye Tian was the prized possession of Ye Family Village; if anything were to happen to him, the entire village would be concerned. How could the village chief entrust him to go to Wang Village?
Noticing the bewildered gazes, Ye Feng explained, "I have lost an arm, and this must not be known to Wang Village. The only one who can take my place at the celebration is Ye Tian."
Only then did the others come to understand; indeed, the matter of Ye Feng's lost arm could not be revealed to outsiders. Otherwise, they would surely believe that Ye Family Village had suffered a setback in strength, leading to dire consequences for the village.
"Ye Tian, what are your thoughts?" Ye Shi asked, looking at Ye Tian.
At that moment, Ye Tian had regained his composure. He smiled and nodded, saying, "I have no objections!"
He was quite interested in the only martial master in Baiyun Town, curious about the disparity between their strengths. Moreover, he yearned to venture outside, as staying in the small confines of Ye Family Village had become somewhat monotonous.
"Ye Tian, your talent must not be exposed; thus, during this journey, you must heed Ye Ba's commands. We cannot allow others to know of your abilities, for that would place you in danger," Ye Shi stated solemnly. He intended for Ye Tian to gain experience and broaden his horizons, but he also wanted to ensure his safety.
It was only logical to deduce that if Wang Village learned of Ye Tian's talents, they would not hesitate to snuff him out in his cradle.
"Understood," Ye Tian nodded. He was no fool and grasped the implications of the situation.