The atmosphere was tense, and a pin drop could be heard.
Ye Xuan had just challenged the Great Elder!
Everyone in the Ye Clan was stunned. In the clan, the strongest was naturally the Patriarch in seclusion, followed by the Clan Guardian Elder Ye Qing. Since Ye Qing was not present, the next strongest was the Great Elder. And now, Ye Xuan had the audacity to challenge him!
Was this overconfidence or simply reckless?
Some thought Ye Xuan was being foolish, while others felt he had a chance. Ye Xuan had once been nurtured by the clan, and unlike the Great Elder, who enjoyed a comfortable life in the clan compound, Ye Xuan lived on the edge every day. That kind of ruthlessness and bloodthirstiness was something the Great Elder did not possess.
To the clan members, Ye Xuan, though still in the fifth rank of the Incessant Realm, had a fighting chance if he was desperate enough.
The Great Elder stared at Ye Xuan, stunned that he would make such a challenge.
To accept or not?
If he refused, word would spread, and his reputation would be tarnished. His authority within the clan would diminish, and others might not respect him in the future.
If he accepted, he hesitated because of Ye Xuan's fighting ability. Although he had a higher cultivation realm, it had been years since the Great Elder had fought to the death. His only combat experience was occasional sparring within the clan—controlled and limited. Ye Xuan, on the other hand, had faced true life-or-death struggles.
He knew what that meant.
Furthermore, if he did manage to defeat Ye Xuan, others would criticize him for bullying the weak. If he lost, it would be a massive disgrace—one that could cost him his position.
The Great Elder's face grew dark and troubled.
What had seemed like Ye Xuan's desperate situation had now become the Great Elder's dilemma.
Just then, a voice called out from the crowd. "Don't we have a duel in a month?"
Everyone turned to look, and there was Ye Lang, walking toward them.
Ye Lang—the current heir of the Ye Clan.
The Great Elder was about to speak when his eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Ye Lang, have you already reached the Genuine Qi Realm?"
The Genuine Qi Realm!
The crowd fell silent.
Under everyone's gaze, Ye Lang nodded slightly. "Yes, though it took me ten days to reach it—much slower than I had hoped."
Hearing this, everyone gasped.
Slow?
Before his awakening, Ye Lang had only been at the fourth rank of the Dual Cultivation Realm, and in just ten days, he had already reached the Genuine Qi Realm. Such cultivation speed was unprecedented in the Ye Clan.
The Great Elder suddenly burst into laughter. "The heavens bless my Ye Clan, hahaha!"
Everyone in the clan was overjoyed. With Ye Lang's cultivation speed, the future of the Ye Clan could see them rise to greatness.
Ye Lang looked at Ye Xuan and smiled. "What makes you think you're qualified to challenge the Great Elder? Defeat me first, then you'll be qualified to challenge him. Our duel is in less than twenty days, isn't it?"
Ye Xuan looked at Ye Lang and chuckled. "Oh, I almost forgot."
Turning to the Great Elder, he said, "Great Elder, I apologize for my earlier offense. After my duel with your grandson, I'll come back to challenge you. Now, if you'll excuse me."
With that, he grabbed Ye Ling's hand and turned to leave.
"Wait!" The Great Elder suddenly shouted, his voice furious. "You killed an elder of our clan. Do you think you can just leave—"
Ye Xuan turned back to face the Great Elder. "Great Elder, how about we fight right now? Or, if you prefer, your grandson and I could have our deathmatch right here and now. Or are you both afraid, which is why you sent Ye Ku to mess with me, trying to find an excuse to kill me? If that's the case, there's no need to go through all this trouble. You both could just come at me together—I certainly wouldn't be able to fight you off."
"You—!" The Great Elder's face turned livid with rage.
Ye Lang shot a cold glance at Ye Xuan. "Leave. We'll settle this on the death platform in twenty days."
Ye Xuan shrugged. "Great Elder, at least your grandson has some sense. You, on the other hand, are growing more foolish with age."
With that, he led Ye Ling away.
The Great Elder's face turned purple in anger. Suddenly, he turned to Li Mu and the other guards and roared, "You useless bunch—standing by while an elder was assaulted. Guards! Take them out and flog them to death!"
At this, Li Mu and the others turned pale.
Just then, Ye Xuan stopped in his tracks and turned to the Great Elder. "Great Elder, just a friendly reminder—these men are the Patriarch's personal guards. Though you're the Great Elder, the Patriarch is still alive. Moving against his guards might mean..." He pretended to look shocked. "Could it be that you intend to move against the Patriarch himself…?"
"Outrageous!" The Great Elder roared. "Ye Xuan, say another word, and I'll kill you today, no matter what!"
Ye Xuan laughed. "Great Elder, calm down—don't get so worked up. Otherwise, I'll be too happy—oops, I mean—too heartbroken."
With that, he turned and left with Ye Ling.
Li Mu and the others looked gratefully at Ye Xuan. If not for his words, they would have been dead by now.
The Great Elder stood trembling in rage, while the surrounding clan members didn't dare utter a word.
After a moment, the Great Elder looked at Ye Lang. "Why didn't you just have a deathmatch with him now? Why wait twenty days?"
Ye Lang glanced at the Great Elder and spoke calmly. "Because I'm on the verge of breaking through to the Ethereal Qi Realm."
The Great Elder was stunned, then elated. "Really?"
Ye Lang nodded. "I'm about to break through. Otherwise, I would've killed him just now. But now is not the time—I won't jeopardize my breakthrough for a nobody."
The Great Elder quickly nodded. "You're right, absolutely right. Let that Ye Xuan live a few more days—he's nothing but a waste now anyway."
Ye Lang nodded. "He's like a cornered dog. Don't provoke him for the next twenty days. I don't want anyone to think I'm afraid of him, that we're intentionally provoking him just to kill him."
The Great Elder spoke solemnly. "That was my mistake. Don't worry, I won't have anyone mess with him for the next twenty days."
Ye Lang nodded. "By the way, for my breakthrough, I may need a significant amount of spirit stones."
The Great Elder hesitated. Spirit stones were valuable, containing condensed spiritual energy. Even the Ye Clan didn't have many. Normally, they were reserved for the Patriarch and the heir. Of course, Ye Xuan had never received any—thanks to deliberate interference.
"Is there a problem?" Ye Lang asked.
The Great Elder shook his head. "No problem, though the number of spirit stones may be limited."
Ye Lang smiled. "Don't worry—just to reach the Ethereal Qi Realm, I won't need too many."
The Great Elder breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, then."
Ye Lang looked up at the sky, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Such a backward place... but for now, I can make use of it."
—--
Ye Xuan and Ye Ling returned to their courtyard. As soon as they arrived, Li Mu and the other guards came rushing over.
Ye Xuan glanced at them. "Coming here now might not be good for you."
Since he had been stripped of his title as heir, many of his former brothers-in-arms had disappeared, knowing full well that the future of the Ye Clan lay not with Ye Xuan, but with Ye Lang.
Li Mu cupped his fists. "Brother Xuan, thank you for what you did earlier."
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. "You didn't step in—I should be thanking you. Go back. If the Great Elder's people see you here, you'll be in trouble."
Li Mu hesitated, then said, "Brother Xuan, if you need anything in the future, just say the word. We won't refuse."
With that, he turned and left with the others.
Ye Xuan shook his head slightly. Seeing this, Ye Ling held his arm tightly and asked softly, "Brother, don't you trust them?"
Ye Xuan smiled. "If I'm strong, then what they said is true. But if I'm weak, if there's no chance for me to rise again, then it's all empty words."
Ye Ling looked at him, her eyes sincere. "I'm for real. I'll always stand by you, Brother."
Ye Xuan laughed and pulled her into the courtyard. As soon as they entered, Ye Ling's body began trembling violently, cold energy radiating from her.
Ye Xuan was alarmed and quickly carried her to the bed. He took out a jade bottle and poured out a white pill, feeding it to her. After she took it, her condition improved slightly.
Ye Ling opened her eyes slowly and grasped Ye Xuan's hand weakly. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Brother, I... I don't think I have much time left. If I die, keep my ashes with you, alright? I want to always be by your side…"
"Don't say such things!" Ye Xuan snapped, glaring at her. "You're not going to die. I won't let you. Trust me—once I reach the Ethereal Qi Realm, I'll take you to the Imperial Capital for treatment, alright?" His tone softened. "You're my only family. For my sake, you have to live, okay?"
Ye Ling looked at him, tears streaming down her face.
Ye Xuan gently wiped her tears. "Don't cry. You'll look ugly if you cry, and you'll need to look pretty if you want to get married in the future."
Ye Ling shook her head. "I won't marry. I only like Brother."
Ye Xuan smiled. "Silly girl. Let me tell you a story… Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple…"
A quarter of an hour later, Ye Ling fell asleep.
Looking at her, Ye Xuan's expression darkened. Lately, she had been sleeping longer and longer, and there were only three pills left in the jade bottle.
After a while, Ye Xuan put the bottle away and tucked Ye Ling in before entering the Prison Tower.
Training!
Ye Xuan needed to strengthen himself, to reach the Ethereal Qi Realm as soon as possible, so he could take Ye Ling to the Imperial Capital. Beyond that, the Ye Clan had made it clear they wanted him dead. If he lost the duel in twenty days, not only would he die, but Ye Ling would too.
Ye Xuan was about to start sparring with the shadow when the mysterious woman's voice suddenly echoed. "You can start training for the hidden realm now."
Ye Xuan froze. "The hidden realm? What's that?"
The woman explained, "The Physical Realm has six ranks, but what most don't know is that there's a hidden realm after the sixth rank—the Golden Body Realm. Only after reaching the Golden Body Realm can you truly advance to the Ethereal Qi Realm."
Ye Xuan frowned. "The Golden Body Realm? Why have I never heard of it?"
The woman replied indifferently, "It's a hidden realm for a reason. Most people know nothing about it. If you reach the Golden Body Realm, your overall strength will double. Do you want to train for it? If not, you can always seek out a spiritual sword and skip straight to the Ethereal Qi Realm."
Ye Xuan was excited. "Double my strength? Really?"
The woman confirmed. "Of course."
Ye Xuan immediately said, "I'll do it!"
The woman continued, "You already have sword energy within you. Though you can't release it, you can use it to stimulate your meridians and organs. You previously trained your body from the outside. Now, you'll train it from the inside. Combining both approaches will make your body complete. However, it will be a bit painful."
Ye Xuan waved his hand dismissively. "A bit of pain is nothing. Let's do it."
The woman said, "It's simple. Just channel the sword energy and let it disperse throughout your entire body."
Ye Xuan did as instructed, and the moment he began, his eyes widened in pain. "Aaaah…"
It felt like tens of thousands of needles were piercing him, and he nearly passed out.
"Senior, this is not 'a bit' painful!"
"Is it really that bad? I thought it was just a little pain…"
"Please don't tell me no one's ever trained for this hidden realm before!"
"A long, long time ago, someone did try. But he died almost instantly. I thought it was for some other reason…"
"I…"
"Seeing how much pain you're in, and knowing I can't help you, the least I can do is offer a smile to express my sympathy. Hehehe…"
Ye Xuan: "…"