In the stone chamber, the formidable members of Ye Family Village gathered around the familiar long table.
At this moment, each person's expression was gravely somber, weighed down by the news brought forth by Ye Ba and Ye Tian.
Ye Shi's face was serious as he turned to Ye Tian and inquired, "Is this true? Has Lin Family Village truly conspired with Wang Family Village in secret?"
"Indeed, I heard it with my own ears," Ye Tian affirmed, nodding gravely.
Instantly, the gravity of the situation deepened for those present.
The peace of Baiyun Town had always rested upon the united front of Ye Family Village and Lin Family Village against Wang Family Village, creating a delicate balance. Now, with Lin Family Village's betrayal and collusion with Wang Family Village, that balance had been shattered. Ye Family Village suddenly found itself at the epicenter of a brewing storm, the situation becoming increasingly perilous.
Ye Shi surveyed the somber faces around him, his expression solemn. "You all understand the implications of this news. We must discuss how to confront the impending crisis."
"Regardless of whether the cause of Lin Fei's death has been exposed, the fact remains that Ye Tian has killed Wang Hong, and Wang Family Village will undoubtedly seek retribution. We are on the brink of facing a direct threat from them, and a conflict between the two villages may erupt," Ye Feng analyzed coolly.
"Conflict is inevitable; since Wang Family Village has allied with Lin Family Village, our village is their target. Ye Tian's slaying of Wang Hong has merely expedited this battle. Fortunately for us, they have lost Lin Fei and Wang Hong, significantly diminishing their fighting capability," the elder of Bai Wu Pavilion scoffed.
Ye Shi nodded in agreement. "Exactly! In truth, the ambitions of Wang Family Village are common knowledge. I have long anticipated that we would eventually confront them. This is a fight for survival; we cannot evade it and must face it head-on."
"If we cannot avoid it, then let us fight to the bitter end. Ye Family Village now boasts three level-ten martial artists; when the time comes, we cannot predict the victor!" Ye Ba retorted with determination.
"Village Chief, please, tell us how we shall engage in battle! We will heed your every command!" Ye Meng urged.
At once, all eyes turned to Ye Shi.
With a grave countenance, Ye Shi rose and scanned the assembly, his gaze resolute. "Very well! I hereby command that all members of Ye Family Village's beast hunting team cease their hunts from this day forth. All martial artists in the village must prepare for battle; we shall increase our night watch and dispatch reconnaissance teams to monitor the movements of Wang Family Village and Lin Family Village…"
One by one, commands flowed from Ye Shi's lips, and the strong warriors of Ye Family Village nodded in unison.
Ultimately, everyone dispersed to execute their assigned tasks.
Ye Tian entrusted the matters of the beast hunting team to Ye Ba and Ye Meng, while he himself went to Bai Wu Pavilion in search of some texts, eager to examine the information regarding the green crystal he had absorbed.
Ye Shi did not issue any special instructions to Ye Tian, simply advising him to focus on his training in preparation for the impending conflict.
**Bai Wu Pavilion.**
"Ye Tian, the miscellaneous texts you requested are here," the elder of Bai Wu Pavilion declared, placing a large bundle of animal skin scrolls upon a table. He looked at Ye Tian curiously and asked, "What do you intend to do with these?"
"Ah, just browsing," Ye Tian replied with a smile, promptly seizing a scroll and studying it intently.
Observing this, the elder of Bai Wu Pavilion shook his head, deciding not to disturb him further, and sat quietly to the side.
Ye Tian was deeply engrossed, hoping to uncover any information about the green crystal within these miscellaneous texts. He read from afternoon until dusk, and the pile of sheep skin scrolls dwindled to just a small fraction.
"This boy doesn't even pause for dinner!" The elder of Bai Wu Pavilion glanced at Ye Tian, who remained absorbed in his "reading," and shook his head as he left the pavilion alone.
He refrained from waking Ye Tian, knowing that the young man disliked being interrupted while he was focused. Given the current situation, it seemed Ye Tian had no intention of leaving until he finished reviewing the texts.
…
Time passed, and suddenly Ye Tian opened his eyes, a glimmer of excitement shining within them.
"The Martial Soul Crystal… this is it!" Ye Tian exclaimed, clutching a scroll with an expression of exhilaration.
Within this scroll, detailing historical accounts, was a section about the Martial Soul Crystal. It was said that when a martial artist with a green martial soul or higher perished, their martial soul would not dissipate after three days. Instead, it would coalesce into a crystal the size of a fist, known as the Martial Soul Crystal.
The Martial Soul Crystal harbors pure martial soul energy, serving as an unparalleled treasure that can gather the essence of heaven and earth, thereby accelerating a martial artist's training speed. The higher the level of the martial soul crystal, the greater its value.
However, Martial Soul Crystals are exceedingly rare, as there are very few martial artists with high-level martial soul talents. Consequently, those that remain in the world are even scarcer.
Thus, each Martial Soul Crystal is a priceless gem, beyond the measure of mere currency.
"I never imagined such treasures existed. Does this mean that if I acquire enough Martial Soul Crystals, my martial soul level can increase rapidly?" Ye Tian mused inwardly, though he was also aware that such treasures are rare and not easily obtained.
"I shall head to Xueyu City to seek my fortune!"
Ye Tian set down the scroll, observing the now darkened sky. He tidied his belongings and departed from Bai Wu Pavilion.
Upon returning home, Ye Tian hastily ate dinner before retreating to his room to practice.
Now possessing a green martial soul, his training speed had accelerated tenfold. Feeling the rich essence of heaven and earth pouring into him, Ye Tian's heart brimmed with excitement.
"Given the current circumstances, I will undoubtedly break through to level ten within a month," Ye Tian thought to himself.
It should be noted that he had only recently advanced to level nine; achieving another breakthrough would typically be quite challenging. Even with the talent of his previous yellow martial soul, it would have taken him half a year to accomplish such a feat.
However, with the evolution of his martial soul to a green one, his training speed had increased tenfold, effectively reducing that time to a mere month.
If this news were to spread, it would undoubtedly send shockwaves throughout Baiyun Town.
If red martial souls are considered ordinary, orange martial souls are commonplace, while only yellow martial souls are deemed as genius.
As for green martial souls, there is no one in Xueyu City who possesses one. Only in larger cities or within sects can one find geniuses with talents exceeding green martial souls.
Wang Village
Wang Xu stared grimly at the headless corpse before him, his expression a portrait of dismay.
The formidable members of Wang Village surrounding him wore equally somber faces.
The death of Wang Hong struck them profoundly; he had been a promising talent with the potential to break through to the tenth level of martial prowess and perhaps even aspire to the rank of a martial master in the future.
Although the villagers were not particularly fond of Wang Hong, they recognized the value of his strength—only with more powerful warriors could Wang Village thrive.
Now, the very genius they had invested their hopes in lay brutally slain.
"Village Chief, we must seek vengeance!" someone growled through clenched teeth.
"Let us bloodily eradicate Leaf Village!" another roared.
"Yes! Let us wash Leaf Village in blood!" Many voices joined in the fervent chant.
Even those who typically harbored disdain for Wang Hong now displayed fiery indignation in their eyes.
"Village Chief!" Wang Tian turned to Wang Xu, his gaze questioning. As the second most powerful figure in Wang Village, he remained remarkably composed.
Wang Xu immediately rose, and a heavy silence fell over the assembly, all eyes fixed on him.
"Since they have dared to provoke us, how can we not oblige?" Wang Xu snorted coldly.
"Hmph!"
At his words, a sinister smile spread across the faces of the Wang Village warriors, each one radiating an aura of lethal intent.
"Obey my command! From this moment forth, all martial practitioners of Wang Village are to prepare for battle!" Wang Xu bellowed.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The warriors of Wang Village responded in unison.
"Wang Tian, take the Beast Hunting Team and eliminate Lin Village first, then rally the full might of Wang Village to obliterate Leaf Village. Once these two villages are vanquished, no one in Baiyun Town will stand in our way toward unification," Wang Xu instructed.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Wang Tian furrowed his brow in confusion. "Village Chief, Lin Village is our ally. Are we truly to destroy them at this juncture?" He considered the plan unwise, believing it would weaken their own forces.
"I have just received word from Wang Hu. Though Lin Xiong harbors doubts about Leaf Village, he is also beginning to question us. He is unlikely to assist us against Leaf Village," Wang Xu replied.
"Hmph! With Leaf Village now bolstered by the tenth-level warrior Ye Feng, if we engage them in battle, we may triumph but suffer significant losses. If Lin Village aligns with other smaller villages at that point, they could become a grave threat to us. Therefore, we must eliminate them first."
Wang Xu's voice was laced with finality.
Realization dawned on Wang Tian, and he nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, those smaller villages lack tenth-level warriors, and their lack of unity poses no threat. But with Lin Village's backing, they could band together against us."
"Thus, while Wang Hu is still within Lin Village, we can use him as our inside man. We will strike with lightning speed to annihilate Lin Village and then turn our full might on Leaf Village. This way, we shall have no fear of any threats from the smaller villages," Wang Xu concluded with a sneer.
"Village Chief, you are wise!"
The warriors of Wang Village shouted in unison.
This was destined to be an unrestful day, as Wang Tian led the Beast Hunting Team of Wang Village in a night raid on Lin Village.
Under the cover of night, Wang Hu and several warriors from Wang Village stealthily slipped out, evading the night patrols of Lin Village, killing the guards, and quietly opening the gates.
At once, brutal slaughter commenced, plunging Lin Village into a bloody massacre.
Wang Tian confronted Lin Xiong, the village chief of Lin, who, bereft of Lin Fei, found himself unable to withstand Wang Hu and the formidable warriors of Wang Village.
"Wang Tian, how dare your village turn against us! I will haunt you as a ghost!" Lin Xiong cried out despairingly, regret burning in his eyes. He cursed himself for having heeded Lin Fei's counsel to ally with Wang Village.
To conspire with a tiger is to seek one's own doom!