Time flows like water, slipping silently through one's fingers when least expected.
The tranquil night is swiftly replaced by the clamor of daybreak, golden rays filtering through the window crevices, casting their light upon Ye Tian's face.
Upon his bed, Ye Tian sensed a shift, slowly opening his eyes to reveal two piercing glimmers.
"Ha!"
Ye Tian took a deep breath, gradually withdrawing his energy as waves of rich spiritual essence from heaven and earth were drawn into his body with each movement. The robust main meridian surged with ferocious true energy, akin to mighty rivers cascading tumultuously.
"Incredible! After just one night of cultivation, I've made such remarkable progress. Truly, the green martial spirit is extraordinary. At this rate, I'll surely break through to the tenth level of martial artist within a month," Ye Tian exclaimed, joy illuminating his features.
Through this night of practice, he fully realized the power of the green martial spirit, its astonishing cultivation speed leaving him in awe.
Ye Tian brimmed with confidence; within a month, he was certain he could reach the tenth level of martial artist, and within half a year, ascend to the martial master realm.
With the green martial spirit by his side, the confines of Baiyun Town no longer held him captive.
After hastily rising for a modest breakfast, Ye Tian returned to his room to continue his cultivation. With the crisis looming over Ye Family Village, achieving a quicker breakthrough to the tenth level would bolster his ability to defend it, prompting him not to squander a single moment of practice.
At this juncture, the villagers of Ye Family Village were also on high alert. Many awaited news from the reconnaissance team; the moment any sign of movement from Wang Family Village appeared, they would be on high alert.
Ye Ba and Ye Meng were busy orchestrating the beast-hunting team's construction of defensive positions, while some villagers crafted arrows, throwing spears, and other wartime tools. These might seem trivial, but in a critical moment, a barrage of arrows could prove decisive—only martial masters could shield themselves with true energy; others would be utterly defenseless.
As midday approached, the reconnaissance team returned with a young girl, bearing a shocking revelation.
Ye Shi, Ye Feng, and others were left speechless.
"Lin Xue, what on earth happened? Didn't your Lin Family Village ally with Wang Family Village? Why did conflict arise?" Ye Shi asked, looking at the girl brought back by the reconnaissance team.
Had Ye Tian been present, he would have recognized this girl as Lin Xue, the second daughter of Lin Xiong.
At that moment, Lin Xue appeared dazed, her face pale with fear, prompting quiet sighs from the surrounding villagers of Ye Family Village; they understood she had endured a profound trauma and was momentarily in shock.
"Sister, what has happened to Father and Mother?" Shortly after, Lin Wei arrived with Lin Jiao. The sisters instantly embraced, weeping bitterly.
Perhaps finding solace in family, even in her most despised elder sister, Lin Xue's terrified demeanor gradually softened, allowing her to share her story.
"They're dead—everyone is dead. I saw them kill Mother. Uncle Shan brought me and my younger sister to escape."
"The enemies pursued us, and Uncle Shan held them off but died. My sister and I were captured."
...
Lin Xue spoke in fragmented sentences, still far from composed, her eyes clouded with lingering dread.
Beside her, Lin Jiao clutched her tightly, weeping without a trace of her usual arrogance; in a single day, their world had been shattered, a devastating blow to the two sisters.
The villagers of Ye Family Village fell into a somber silence. The parallel Lin Family Village had perished overnight, evoking a sense of shared sorrow among them.
"Village Chief, we rescued her from three individuals of Wang Family Village," stated the leader of the reconnaissance team, a seventh-level martial artist.
Ye Shi nodded and waved his hand, instructing Ye Wei to take the two sisters away.
"I never expected Wang Family Village to be so ruthless, betraying even their allies," Ye Feng remarked, his brow furrowed, the destruction of Lin Family Village taking him by surprise.
Ye Ba scoffed, "Bargaining with a tiger is bound to lead to such an end; Lin Xiong has truly lost his senses."
"I suspect it's not so simple. If they intended to annihilate Lin Family Village, why bother with an alliance? What is that old rascal Wang Xu plotting?" Ye Meng pondered aloud, his confusion evident.
The others shook their heads, unable to decipher the intentions of Wang Family Village.
"Regardless, I am about to confront Wang Family Village directly. Everyone, stay sharp and prepare for battle!" Ye Shi commanded.
The group nodded in unison.
"Village Chief, should we inform Ye Tian?" Ye Meng suddenly asked, fully aware of his son's lingering feelings for Lin Tingting. If he learned of her capture, it could complicate matters.
"Well..."
Ye Shi furrowed his brow at the words, contemplating for a moment before shaking his head and declaring, "We cannot allow Ye Tian to put himself in danger at this juncture. We must absolutely keep this news from him; if he wishes to lay blame later, let him blame this old man."
Ye Meng nodded in agreement, knowing his son's temperament well. If Ye Tian learned of this, he would undoubtedly rush to rescue, thereby falling into Wang Family Village's trap.
"Continue to investigate the movements of Wang Family Village. As soon as they make a move toward Ye Family Village, return immediately to report!" Ye Shi instructed the leader of the reconnaissance team.
The leader nodded and then, accompanied by several others, vanished beyond the borders of Ye Family Village.
Ye Shi, Ye Feng, and Elder Bai Wuge exchanged glances, each reflecting the weight of the situation. This was a grave crisis for Ye Family Village, one that, if not navigated successfully, could lead to their utter annihilation.
A somber atmosphere enveloped them all; none dared to be careless, each harboring the resolve to fight to the death.
As time flowed slowly by, days turned into nearly two weeks with no signs of movement from Wang Family Village, leaving the villagers of Ye Family Village perplexed.
They wondered why, at such a critical moment, Wang Family Village had not seized the opportunity to obliterate them but instead remained dormant.
In contrast, Baiyun Town experienced a complete upheaval due to this incident.
Numerous small villages united, forming an alliance, clearly in vigilance against Wang Family Village.
While this alliance lacked any martial artists above the tenth level, it boasted dozens of ninth-level warriors and hundreds at the eighth level, representing a formidable strength.
In terms of raw power, this alliance far exceeded both Wang Family Village and Ye Family Village.
However, without a tenth-level warrior to lead them, none would yield to the others; commands remained unheeded, possessing intimidation without any offensive capability.
Neither Wang Family Village nor Ye Family Village regarded this alliance with any seriousness.
...
While the atmosphere in Baiyun Town grew tense, Ye Tian continued his training within his quarters.
During this period, he had ventured out a few times, but due to the deliberate concealment by Ye Meng, Ye Feng, and others, he remained oblivious to the happenings in Baiyun Town, including the destruction of Lin Family Village.
Ye Tian had not considered that they might deceive him. Seeing Ye Family Village unharmed, he focused solely on his cultivation, knowing he was at a critical juncture.
After more than ten days of training, Ye Tian experienced rapid progress; the potential of the green martial spirit exceeded his expectations.
At this moment, his cultivation had reached the late stage of the ninth level, merely a step away from its peak; within days, he would achieve a breakthrough.
Seated cross-legged on his bed, Ye Tian's breathing gradually steadied, aligning with the rhythm of his heartbeat, creating a serene order to his inhalations and exhalations.
In the room, waves of dense spiritual energy surged forth, drawn in by the green martial spirit from all directions.
The spot where Ye Tian sat formed a vortex of energy, swallowing all incoming spiritual essence and refining it into his own true energy.
Within him, the boiling true energy surged like a torrent, coursing through nine primary meridians and ultimately colliding with the tenth.
Repeated impacts had cleared a significant portion of this last meridian, leaving only a small residue that stubbornly impeded the flow of true energy.
The distinction between the tenth and ninth levels of martial artists is profound; only by opening all primary meridians can one reach the tenth level, allowing the formation of a grand completeness and enabling the practice of internal techniques.
With such techniques, a martial artist's cultivation speed would increase substantially.
In the small town of Baiyun, the absence of precious internal techniques led to exceedingly slow cultivation for each martial artist.
Had Ye Shi possessed an internal technique, even the most rudimentary one, he could have immediately surpassed the martial master realm.
In the Shenzhou Continent, those with high-level martial spirit talents are rare; most martial artists reach their peak through powerful internal techniques.
For those geniuses blessed with high-level martial spirits, once they acquire internal techniques, their cultivation speed becomes terrifying, ensuring their ascendance to strength is inevitable.
Ye Tian had initially intended to break through to the tenth level and then head to Blood Jade City to participate in the Blood Cloak Guard assessment. Securing a position there would grant him access to internal techniques, exponentially enhancing his strength.
...
Wang Family Village.
In a grand estate, Wang Xu opened his eyes as Wang Tian entered, regarding him with a serious expression. "How is your injury?"
"It's no longer a concern!" Wang Tian replied, patting his chest with a smirk, "That old fool Lin Xiong inflicted a heavy blow on me, but little did he know it would lead to my enlightenment..."
With that, Wang Tian extended his fingers like a sword, a flash of milky-white sword energy materializing at his fingertips. Though the sword energy flickered briefly, its indomitable aura caused Wang Xu to beam with delight.
"Congratulations! You've nearly stepped into the martial master realm. With our combined strength, the demise of Ye Family Village is assured. The unification of Baiyun Town by Wang Family Village is just around the corner, hahahaha!" Wang Xu laughed heartily.
Wang Family Village had remained inactive due to Wang Tian's severe injuries from his last confrontation with Lin Family Village.
Now, not only had Wang Tian recovered, but he had also taken a significant leap in strength, advancing to the cusp of the martial master realm, making him the second strongest in Baiyun Town after Wang Xu.
The very next day after Wang Tian's recovery, Wang Xu announced an assault on Ye Family Village, personally leading all the martial artists from Wang Family Village toward their target.
This massive mobilization did not go unnoticed by the reconnaissance team of Ye Family Village, which quickly returned to report the alarming news.