In the hall, the voice of the young man boomed like thunder, startling everyone present.
Eyes aflame with anger, he swept his gaze over the three elders, neither servile nor overbearing, as he openly berated them, slapping the accusation of rebellion squarely upon their heads.
Everyone in the hall was taken aback. Could this really be the same young lord who had been bullied, insulted, and felt inferior in the past? How had he transformed so thoroughly today, daring even to scold the three elders who wielded real power within the family?
Yangg Yi's eyes were wide with astonishment as she stared at Ye Chen, as if she were seeing him for the first time, so different was he from the Ye Chen she had come to know. Had his attempted suicide by jumping into the lake somehow opened his mind to new possibilities?
Xia Wei and Huan'er had never seen Ye Chen this imposing before either. They were shocked but more than that, they were pleased, delighted by the change in Ye Chen.
The Ye Chen of the past would have remained silently confrontational, but now he dared to chastise the three elders with righteous indignation.
Among those present, the three elders were also the highest echelon within the Ye Family, having lived more than sixty years. They were accustomed to lofty status, at times even disregarding the Family Head himself. But now, they were incensed at being publicly scolded by a junior, and not just any junior—but one they had dismissed as a hopeless case.
"Good, good, good!" The Great Elder repeated the word 'good' thrice, but anyone could hear the anger in his words. He turned to Ye Ao and said, "Ye Ao, is this your fine son? He dares to scold even me. He has no respect for anyone, no regard for the law, and is utterly disrespectful to his superiors. Even with the honored guests of the Yangg Family present, he must be taught a lesson today."
The Second Elder and Third Elder chimed in, "That's right. At such a young age, he dares to be so brazen. What will become of him when he's older? We must discipline him thoroughly. Otherwise, where would that leave the Ye Family's disciplinary law?"
Surprised yet even more pleased by his son's sudden outburst, Ye Ao glanced sharply at the three elders, then snorted coldly, "Chen'er is not wrong. I am the Family Head of the Ye Family. I have not yet spoken. When did it become your place, you three elders, to speak? Shut your mouths! Do you truly wish to rebel?"
Hearing this, the elders' expressions shifted subtly, and while they wanted to rebuke his words, they recalled that Ye Ao was indeed the Family Head. Fighting among themselves in front of outsiders would tarnish the family's reputation. Ultimately, they just moved their lips, refrained from speaking further, and left with a cold huff.
Yet, they knew this matter of losing face had to be reclaimed later, especially concerning the Foundation Establishment Pill.
"Father!" Ye Chen called out, once again requesting something.
Ye Ao was clearly delighted, bursting into loud laughter, "Good, good, good, since Chen'er is asking, as his father, naturally I could not refuse. Here, take a look."
As the servant handed over the jade bottle containing five Foundation Establishment Pills to Ye Chen, the other juniors of the Ye Family watched with envious glints in their eyes. But then, recalling his useless status, their envy dissipated, and their hearts sneered, "Let this good-for-nothing have a look. Since he cannot cultivate, he cannot use the Foundation Establishment Pills, might as well just broaden his horizons."
Ye Chen took the jade bottle, shook it, and then tipped out one of the Foundation Establishment Pills, holding it in his palm and examining it closely for quite some time.
"Hey, Ye Chen, have you looked enough? Even if you keep looking, you can't use it, ha ha ha…"
The Ye Family's juniors nearby all sneered at him in self-satisfaction, as they were the descendants of the three elders and not the least afraid of the status of this Family Head's son.
Yangg Yi also appeared somewhat confused by Ye Chen's actions but then remembered his status as a disabled cultivator and shook her head again, thinking he was just putting on an act of mystery. She believed his earlier scolding of the family elders was merely an act of temporary courage.
Ye Chen glanced indifferently at these younger family members and said, "What composure you all have, making such noise. Close your mouths. You are all a disgrace to the Ye Family. Don't you know it's not proper to be boisterous in the presence of guests, disturbing the peace of the main hall? If you can't even uphold this basic etiquette, you truly bring shame to our family."
His words silenced the resentful juniors at once, although they were seething with anger. Feeling the warning glares from the Family Head and elders, they fell silent, but their eyes conveyed deep animosity towards Ye Chen. They secretly vowed to find an opportunity to get even once they left the hall.
As for those spiteful gazes, Ye Chen paid them no mind; these people were not even worth his attention.
Revenge?
He had a thousand ways to make them regret any attempt.
Almost everyone mocked and looked down on Ye Chen's action of examining the pill, but Ye Ao, watching his son, clearly noticed with surprise that facing such a precious pill, Ye Chen was examining it very seriously, without a hint of greed or despair. It was as if he were an alchemist carefully observing the pill, quite strange.
Was he seeing things wrong? Why did he feel that today's son was like a different person compared to before, becoming more confident, more domineering, more composed, no longer the timid and self-effacing son of the past?
Another mysterious elder of the Yangg Family looked at Ye Chen, and he had a feeling that this youth, treated as trash by others, was not simple.
After Ye Chen had looked at the Foundation Establishment Pills for quite some time, having examined almost every one of them, Yangg Jun sneered, "Ye Chen, Young Master Ye, after looking for so long, have you seen anything?"
"You're right, I indeed noticed something," Ye Chen lifted his head and smiled at him, then turned to an elder of the Yangg Family, "May I ask Elder Yangg if these five Foundation Establishment Pills are top quality?"
Pills too were divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, and to be more precise, they were categorized into ten grades. The terms upper, middle, and lower just referred to the three tiers within each grade.
The lowest was but first-grade, while the tenth grade was supreme.
Facing Ye Chen's question, Elder Yangg shook his head, "Young friend Ye Chen, you've misunderstood. Although the Foundation Establishment Pill is only a second-grade pill, the alchemy inheritance of our times has been lost, and producing a top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill is not easy, but this is also medium quality. I think that even as an apology, it's not too shabby."
Although he said this, Elder Yangg's face clearly bore a smug smile.
Even if these were only medium-quality Foundation Establishment Pills, their value was immense, almost equivalent to one Spirit Clearing Pill.
At this time, a coldness flashed across Ye Chen's face, "Second-grade middle quality? In my view, the Yangg Family still lacks sincerity in their apology. You might as well take these Foundation Establishment Pills back and bring a Spirit Clearing Pill instead."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing this, the complexion of the Yangg Family elder changed, and all eyes turned to Ye Chen, especially Yangg Jun, who snapped, "Kid, what are you saying? Are you daring to question our Yangg Family? Or do you think you, a cripple, can tell—"
Before he could finish, a terrifying oppressive force enveloped the sky. Ye Ao on the main seat unleashed a formidable pressure. His True Yuan was outwardly visible, circulating around his body. The strong oppression of an Innate Strong Person swept through like a mountain crash, turning Yangg Jun's face pale, unable to bear it.
"City Lord Ye, hold on!" Elder Yangg immediately intervened, standing in front of Yangg Jun, causing the Innate oppressive force to dissipate, but his face was also a shade paler. He didn't expect that Ye Ao had also reached such a level over the years and was about to have a new breakthrough.
On the other side, another elder of the Yangg Family took action. He appeared very mysterious, clothed in a black robe, with his face and eyes hardly discernible. But with a sweep of his sleeves, he dispelled Ye Ao's pressure, causing a change in everyone's expression. He was definitely a formidable figure.
He turned his gaze towards Ye Chen, his voice hoarse and indifferent, "What exactly do you mean by your words?"
Ye Chen gave the mysterious elder an extra glance. After reviving the memories of his past life, his perceptual abilities had also significantly improved. Although still far from being comparable to his past life, they were not weak. He could tell that this mysterious elder seemed even more profound and inscrutable than his own father, an exceedingly formidable figure.
He swept a surprised glance at the people of the Yangg Family, wondering where they had found such help. Perhaps these five Foundation Establishment Pills were also related to this person.
Ye Chen maintained his composure, pinching a Foundation Establishment Pill between his fingers, and began to speak slowly. The words he uttered next shocked everyone present—
"If I say that these five Foundation Establishment Pills are not so-called 'second-grade middle quality' pills, and are not even 'second-grade lower quality,' but at most can only be considered defective Foundation Establishment Pills, I should be correct, shouldn't I, guests of the Yangg Family?"
He smiled coldly, looking towards the people of the Yangg Family.
The entire room was stunned!
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